Author's note: AU. This story is set a year after's Andy death – Prue has been working harder at Bucklands than at witchcraft, Phoebe is already enrolled in college, Leo has never stopped being the Halliwells' Whitelighter and Darryl has no wife or children.

1.

"Like dismissive-avoidance infants, fearful-avoidant adults tend to seek less intimacy." Phoebe retyped the quote, adding the reference to the Journal of Personality and Social Psychology. "Who would have thought you could write an entire paper based on common sense and logic?"

"Isn't it early to be muttering to yourself, crankypants?" Piper chirped, walking into the kitchen and hugging her sister.

"The whole world is cranky in comparison to you lately," Phoebe shot back, hopping off the chair to refill her coffee cup.

"Leo being back in my life makes it easy," Piper replied, a sudden sadness touching her eyes. "Especially with Andy gone, I realise how lucky I am ... Is she up yet?"

"I hope so, since she's at Bucklands. Been there since six, actually. We should just buy her a tent for her birthday to pitch in her office. Would save a lot of time."

Piper sighed. Before she could say anything, Leo walked in. "I would've said good morning, brother-in-common-law, but from that frown I'm guessing it's anything but," Phoebe said. "Weren't you having that all-important, all-day meeting upstairs?"

Leo's brow furrowed even more.

"Leo?" Piper asked.

"We had a break in the discussions, I need to go back again soon," Leo said, hesitantly. "They've been … concerned about the way things have been around here. Since Andy died … Prue hasn't been … well, she's been missing a lot of the important things. They want to replace her."

Piper blinked. "How? They can't just make another Prue … wait, can they?"

"No. They want to …"

Phoebe exploded. "How do you 'replace' a Charmed One, Leo? And what happened to love and sympathy and understanding and everything those upstairs people want us to risk our lives for? Prue may not have been kicking as much demon ass as Piper and me lately …"

"She's barely kicking demon ankle anymore," Piper murmured.

"But you and I have been making up for that! We have saved innocents! We have sent demonspawn into oblivion! What more do they want? Give her some time to get over Andy's death, for God's sake."

"It's been a year," Leo said softly.

"What is a year when compared to a lifetime, Leo? If Piper died, would you get over her in a year?" Phoebe slammed her laptop shut and stuffed it into her shoulder bag. "I'm studying at the library. Just check at carrel 384 on level three if you need to send my replacement for training."

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Construction men filling in a pothole eyed her and whistled as she walked past. For once, Phoebe neither heard nor cared. Nor noticed that she was strolling through the quietest patch in the park, a spot well-hidden from sight by the many trees. She was fuming and furiously trying to find a solution to the Prue situation, a way to quieten the little voice inside that said that yes, maybe Leo was right and it would be better to replace Prue. Could she cast a spell? Surely that wouldn't be personal gain; it would be to save innocents … and wasn't that what being the Charmed Ones were supposed to be about? If she could …

"Phoebe, duck!"

Her body reacted before her mind processed the words and Phoebe ducked. The demon beastie slashed at air and snarled; Phoebe's leg shot out and kicked the beastie's hind paws from under him. Unfortunately, she was wearing sandals and the beastie seemed to be constructed of steel; she yelped at the unexpected pain and rolled into a ball, instinctively trying to get away. The Yeti ran a yellowed nail up Phoebe's arm, drawing a thin line of blood from her wrist to her shoulder. Phoebe screamed in terror as he drew back a claw and growled; she whimpered in relief when a gunshot rang out and the demon beastie slumped onto her. Seconds after he died, he disappeared and Inspector Darryl Morris was at Phoebe's side.

"I'm glad I didn't decide to skip my jog just because it's my day off," he said, the worry in his eyes belying the glib tone. "Are you hurt?"

"My arm's stinging and my leg …"

"Can you stand on it?"

Phoebe tested her leg, wobbling a little. Darryl placed steadying hands on her shoulders. "Let's go disinfect that arm. I hope the stuff you get from the pharmacy works for supernatural germs. My apartment's just down the street." He guided her to the door, hoping her pallor and shakiness was merely the result of an everyday near-death experience.

But the concern in Darryl's voice, her own concern for Prue, her anger at Leo's assurance that the Charmed Ones can be replaced and, yes, her own grief for Andy all swirled to the surface. And, once inside Darryl's apartment, Phoebe started to cry.

Darryl knew from his closeness with his sister Sheila how to handle a crying woman. He tucked Phoebe's head into the crook of his shoulder, rubbing her back, stroking her hair, making the soothing nonsensical noises he makes to lull his nephews into sleep. Her hands clutched onto the front of his yellow T-shirt like the hands of a drowning woman.