A/N: This is apart of my Blessed Be series. The series is kind of intricate, in case you want to read it. The first story is Blessed Be, in which Piper's daughter returns to the manor and we learn some of the goings on of the Halliwell family for the past forty something years. In the second story, Blessed Be: The girl next door, which is still being written,we are introduced to the grandchildren of the original charmed ones and the drama unfolding in their lives. The third story, Blessed Be: Backroads, we find out that Penny, Phoebe's youngest daughter goes to the past to stop Sam from releasing Lucifer (also still being written). This story is a companion piece to Blessed Be in which we find out a little something about Prue and how she is spending her afterlife. It was inspired by a youtube video by Yviana, called Phoebe's Premenition (I know its spelled wrong but that's how you'll find it).
Phoebe hesitated before slowly gathering the nerve to pick up the baby blanket. It was true; she was afraid of what she may or may not see. There was a fear inside her that was consuming all her hope, so as she touched the seemingly meaningless object her heart was racing.
Lately she had been thinking more and more about her eldest sister. Prue had felt the same fears and hopes that Phoebe now experienced. A disastrous love life, the responsibility of being a charmed one and the dangers it brought. It seemed as if this life was getting in the way of every desire Phoebe had aching in her heart. Her sister had to sacrifice all those wants, and hope that by giving into her destiny she would someday be rewarded for honoring it. She hadn't.
So when Phoebe picked up the blanket for a little bit of peace of mind she didn't get what she thought. As she was pulled into her vision, see saw faces she never thought she would see again without the photo albums stashed under her bed.
Prue looked radiant and happy as she smiled and bent to pick up a little girl that was racing toward her and Cole was walking up after the beautiful girl who was a spitting image of Prue. And they all looked happy.
Phoebe was pulled away from the image as she heard Piper screaming. "C'mon, what's one more pair of shoes?"
Phoebe walked up to the attic. Piper and Leo had left for Italy and Paige was down for the night. Gathering the candles she needed, she placed them in a circle and opened the book. In a calm, hopeful voice she recited the spell.
"Hear my words, hear my cry; spirit from the other side. Come to me, I summon thee. Cross now the great divide."
Sparkling lights cascaded down from the ceiling and into the circle, in a dazzling display that was so stunningly graceful. Prue's figure formed, and Phoebe stood there amazed that for the first time in four years someone had successfully summoned Prue.
"Phoebe," Prue called and stepped out of the circle. She became corporeal and reached for her baby sister.
They hugged, and Phoebe finally allowed herself to cry. As they pulled away, Phoebe looked at Prue and said, "Seriously, though," wiping her tears with the back of her hand. "Cole?"
Sitting on Aunt Pearl's couch, the sisters talked for what seemed like hours. "I don't understand why I was finally able to summon you, or why I had that premonition."
"Phoebe, I came because I was needed. It wasn't sorrow or loss that made you summon me like it was right after I moved on. There was no ulterior motive of trying to keep me. You needed me so that you could hang on to that little bit of hope you're clinging to."
"I don't understand…why I can't have that little girl I saw. I've waited so long…"
"I know, and you've grown up so much in the last four years. But you're afraid of turning out like me. The possibility of dying young, of never having a successful love life…but we have different destinies. I know that now. I was meant to protect you, until you were ready to truly be the power of three. I didn't have a choice, and that wasn't fair. But all those things I went through weren't for nothing, Phoebe. "
"I still don't understand…you were more than our protector, you were our sister! I hate being used by destiny; I want to create my own."
"I know you do, and you will. There is more to your life than being a charmed one and you will find it. It may have taken dying for me to find it but I did. Phoebe, that premonition you had of me and Cole…that's the proof that I was rewarded. That's what you needed, right? To know that if there was a happy ending for me that there could be one for you…there will be."
"Can you just explain how you came to be so fond of my ex-husband, please?"
"When the past, present or future changes, when the cleaners fix cases of exposure…those things, or beings that existed don't simply fade from existence like they never were. They belong somewhere, in the in between."
"You mean like the in between from when we saved that little girl from the trolls?"
"Exactly. In between the existence they once had, and the reality that they can no longer exist for the things that came before them, and are still intact. Pockets of space and time that come to be whenever someone changes their mind or their actions. In one reality I was supposed to live, but in actuality I didn't. Just like Piper's little girl."
"Melinda?"
"Yes. She may not be my own but I love her as though she were."
"I don't understand; have you been living in a parallel universe with her? How is this possible?"
"When I died, there was a shift in the balance of powers. Had I not died, Piper wouldn't be the strongest and she would have gone on to have Melinda like she saw. When I passed, and she became the strongest, destiny changed. The balance changed. That's why she had Wyatt. Excalibur had to pass down to someone in our line. Destiny rewrote itself."
"But if you've really been in an alternate universe and not in the afterlife, why did you never come back? We needed you, Prue."
"I knew that if I came back, it would be as though I never left. I couldn't do that to you; to Paige. There was a bigger picture than what I wanted; what any of us wanted. I had to do what you needed. That doesn't mean I haven't watched over you. I have. And God, I love Paige, and Wyatt and Chris. I do. But you didn't need me to be here. You needed to have the time for yourselves. To learn to live without me guiding you; you all depended on me but now you depend on yourselves. And it means the world to me that I could step back and do that for you."
"And Cole?"
"I've learned to trust him."
"Are you kidding me? After everything he has put us through…"
"You don't get it. For someone who loved him, you don't get it at all do you? Just like I only had the single purpose of protecting you and Piper until it was time for Paige to be reunited with you, Cole was destined to struggle for freedom. You were right about him; he had a soul but it was battered and torn by the evil that fed off it. When you vanquished him you gave him his freedom. That's why you two were destined to love one another, even if it was only for a short time. He may not have been the great love of your life like you thought he was, but you were made to love each other; even if it was only so you could be his salvation."
"He put this family through so much, Prue—"
"And we returned the favor. When he was the source, it wasn't really him. He was possessed and he spent months fighting that. He fought it so hard that he had taken over the source's feelings and had convinced him to give up his powers. Had you not vanquished the wizard, Cole would have returned to good. You can blame him for all the mistakes that he made, but you have to be willing to blame yourself for the mistakes you made."
"It was just so hard, to finally move on Prue. And it wasn't like you were that fond of him either. Why not Andy?"
"Because Andy is exactly where he's supposed to be; you'll find out in the years to come."
"Cryptic much?"
"Always. I didn't fall in love with Cole, Phoebe. There was no falling. He was finally released from this hell and I could see it. He's helped me to release all the negative feelings towards the life I led so that maybe I can live a better life the next time I get the chance. It was subtle. It snuck up on me. It wasn't the kind of passion I had with Andy, or you had with Cole. It is possible to be in love with two people at the same time. I had my time with Andy, and maybe someday I will again. But Cole is devoted to that little girl. And I'm happy with my in between existence. I've found peace and so will you."
"What will happen to all of you in the in between?"
"Time goes a little differently there. It slips by so quickly, even though it feels the same as here. The vision you had was of my past. Melinda, is sixteen now. She's in love with a boy she met, and Cole and I have been growing older. Before long, we'll have played out these destinies we didn't have the chance to live while we were here with you. We'll move on to the afterlife, and if I'm lucky than I'll be rewarded in my next life."
"Do you think you'll ever come back to us; before you move on?"
"I'm already with you. As much as I think of Melinda as my own, so are you three. I may not be able to take credit for Paige because she truly did have incredible parents, but you and Piper are mine and you've held on to our memories. You gave me meaning."
Prue kissed Phoebe on the forehead and stood up. "I will always be watching." She stepped into the circle of candles and smiled at Phoebe. "Blessed Be."
"Blessed Be," Phoebe replied as she watched her sister fade into a brilliant show of lights. "I love you," she whispered.
