A Letter From Prue

Disclaimer: I don't own Charmed or Kingdom Hearts or Atlantis: The Lost Empire. This is a continuation of my fic, Journey of a Halliwell. Bold print denotes spoken Atlantean. It would help to read Journey of a Halliwell before reading this fic.

Setting: Two weeks after Journey of a Halliwell.

Original Characters:

Kolopak (Age 55) – The captain of the air ship Morrowind, a former chieftain of the Rubber Tree People. The Rubber Tree People were a South American Indian tribe the Whitelighters transported to another world to prevent their being killed off by the Spaniards in the 16th Century. The Heartless conquered their world and Kolopak was one of the few survivors.

1st Lieutenant Alan Thomas Godfrey (Age 32) – A former member of the Indian Constabulary Service, now serving the Allied Intelligence Bureau, he serves as its liaison aboard the Morrowind. He was ostracized by many of the English townspeople because of a case where his willingness to serve justice instead of protecting the status quo.

Nigel – The Whitelighter that serves as Prue's guide to the many worlds she will encounter. He is rumored to be the former owner of the now haunted Bibighar Gardens, where he was murdered during the 1857 Indian Mutiny in Mayapore. He is Leo's former mentor and taught Leo all about breaking rules.

Here comes the hurricane. Leo thought. His other assignments hadn't left him much time, he thought, to explain the potentially explosive piece of information his former mentor had just shared with him. It had been almost three weeks since Prue had died and been reborn onto another world, on a mission to seek the pages of Ansem's Report. Ansem's writing contained information that could help her surviving sisters potentially ward off the Rising Darkness that was consuming many worlds.

He'd barely had time with Piper, an hour here, a day occasionally, half a day now and then. He had an unprecedented two days without interruption from the Elders. Nigel probably had seen to that. The letter was still in the inner pocket of his jacket, draped across a chair in the bedroom he shared with Piper. He glanced down at her sleeping form, curled up alongside him like a little girl, feeling the rise and fall of her chest as she breathed. He smiled as he watched his wife, but the smile was tempered by her grief over Prue's death and his own surprise about her living once more.

Leo shifted his position slightly and Piper stirred, muttering a little bit. He shifted again, trying to get more comfortable and fall asleep once more, but it felt like the letter was compelling him, he had to share it with its intended recipients.

"Leo, are you awake?" Piper asked as her eyes opened, glancing up.

"I'm fine." Leo said, "I'm just trying to get comfortable, that's all."

Piper propped herself on one elbow before looking straight at him, "You're not a very good liar, Leo."

"Listen, honey, can this wait till morning." Leo said, "It's not that important."

"If it's keeping you up, it's gotta be important." Piper replied.

"Honey, it's been a hectic week…" Leo began.

"Vanquishing Shax, nearly turning into a fury, seeing Paige's past life." Piper ticked examples off her fingers, "I'd agree with you."

"So I'd really like to not let the cat out of the bag." Leo began.

"You're opening the bag with your comments." Piper countered, "Spill it."

"Honey…" Leo protested.

"Leo, whatever it is, I'm your wife." Piper replied, feeling hurt, "You can tell me."

Leo sighed as he sat up, "It's about Prue."

"What about her?" Piper replied, sitting up.

"She's alive." Leo replied.

"WHAT?" Piper practically exploded, "How is that possible? We saw her die!"

"The Elders reincarnated her." Leo replied.

"I thought you said they didn't have that kind of power." Piper replied, "If Prue's alive, where is she?"

"It's difficult for me to explain." Leo began, "Anyway, Whitelighters don't have that kind of power, but Elders do."

Piper sat up completely saying, "Leo, I don't care if it takes all night, if she's alive I need to know…"

"I'd like to wait for Phoebe and Paige for what I have." Leo said.

Piper's eyes narrowed and Leo continued, "It's a letter from Prue, sweetheart. She wrote it two weeks earlier, for you and Phoebe."

"Why didn't you tell me about this?" Piper demanded, tears leaking from her eyes.

"Because I couldn't find a good time. You know as well as I do these past two weeks have been hectic. If they called me away right in the middle of…" Leo said.

"Leo, even if they called you away after you gave us the letter we would be able to handle it…" Piper began.

"I'm not doubting you guys, I just want to be there for you when you read it, with no interruptions." Leo said.

"Leo," Piper said, touched by his concern and reminded as to why she loved him, "What guarantees the Elders won't just call you away…"

"Because the other messenger is taking my cases." Leo replied.

"Who?" Piper said.

"My old mentor." Leo replied, "Nigel."

"The old English guy with a mustache?" Piper asked, recalling their visit to the Whitelighter Area before Phoebe had met Cole and remembering a very proper English gentleman with a monocle and walking cane.

"Yes. He taught me everything I know about being a Whitelighter…" Leo replied, and adding naughtily, "…including breaking rules."

"Who would have thought?" Piper asked, "So when do you want to tell the others."

"Tomorrow." Leo promised, "I'll tell them tomorrow."

"Where's the letter?" Piper asked.

"I'll show you guys tomorrow." Leo replied.

"OK." Piper conceded, "But we still need to talk about how we're going to break this news to my sisters."

Inwardly, Leo sighed, this was going to be an exceedingly long night. Normally he never minded late nights with Piper, but the matter in question concerned more than just Prue being alive, it concerned the approaching apocalypse, the Rising Darkness.

"Somebody's in a mood." Prue said, as a tired looking Godfrey sat across from her at the table at breakfast.

"You weren't the one with the midnight to 4 AM watch." Godfrey replied.

"I was yesterday." Prue countered.

"Well you didn't have it with Mole and Vinny and the name calling contest." Godfrey quipped.

"You gotta admit," Doc said as he sat down at the table with them, "They got pretty imaginative."

"Until about 3:45 AM." Godfrey replied, "Then I was counting seconds until I got off duty. And guess what I dreamt of..."

"You were dreaming about Mole and Vinny?" Prue said, "I think you need to see a psychiatrist."

"No, I was actually dreaming of all the interesting names those two came up with for the name calling contest." Godfrey replied.

"You had some interesting ones when you threw some names in. Such as wanker, bloody wanker." Doc replied.

"Facist." came the voice of Mole.

"Dirty Frenchman..." Vinny replied.

"They're still going at it?" Prue replied.

"Evidently." Godfrey replied, "Try putting up with that for four hours. You're awfully bright eyed and bushy tailed."

"My secret." Prue replied.

"Well, that coffee blend of yours is certainly potent." Doc said, his eyes popping wide.

"I could bloody well use it." Godfrey replied.

"Doc!" Milo Thatch shouted as he came in panting, "It's Kida...She's gone into labor."

"I gotta go…" Doc said, "Damn it, she wasn't due for another two days…C'mon you guys, time for your first lesson in midwifery."

"Why are we doing this again?" Prue asked.

"In case we're on a mission and someone goes into labor when I'm nowhere to be found." Doc replied.

The three rushed to the Infirmary, with Milo in tow, where Kida lay on a bed. As a contraction hit, she exclaimed something in a strange language that Prue and Godfrey had not heard before.

"Where the hell have you been?"Kida demanded.

"I was getting help, honey." Milo replied.

"You're dilated to about six centimeters." Doc said.

Another contraction hit just then, "You are never touching me again!"

As Godfrey took a step back to get out of Doc's way, his right heel came down onto Milo's foot. "Ow! My foot!"

"I'm in the worst pain of my life and you're complaining about your foot!" Kida snapped as yet another contraction.

"I've got the feeling I'm lucky I'm not in his shoes." Godfrey replied.

"I'm lucky I'm not in Kida's shoes." Prue countered.

"Godfrey, see how dilated Kida is." Doc said, handing him an instrument.

"About ten centimeters." Godfrey replied, remembering from his mother handling a delivery with a midwife, "Congratulations. You may now give birth…"

"That's what I've been doing!"Kida shouted.

"Milo's not the only one on the receiving end of a pregnant woman's wrath." Prue quipped, though she didn't understand what Kida had just said.

"For God's sake Prue, I was a policeman and now I'm soldier I was never a bloody doctor." Godfrey remarked.

"Don't they teach you guys first aid?" Prue asked.

Godfrey gave her a blank stare, and said, "For gunshot wounds, stabbings, blunt force trauma yes. Not childbirth."

Prue rolled her eyes as Kida had yet another contraction hit. "Breathe…breathe…" Doc was saying.

In the Whitelighter Area, Nigel orbed back in after having covered for Leo. As he did, he saw Penelope Halliwell walking straight for him. Oh bollocks. He thought.

"Nigel," Penny began, "Is there any reason why you're covering all of Leo's charges, as well as Prue?"

"I wanted to give the young man time with his wife." Nigel replied, calmly. He didn't know how Penny would react to the letter he had passed to Leo. Hell truly hath no fury greater than an angry Halliwell. Nigel thought, hoping to God Penny wouldn't find out.

"I hope you aren't up to any old tricks." Penny began, "Because Elder Gideon seems just slightly miffed about Natalie's sudden encounter with half a dozen mice…that mysteriously appeared in her bed at two o'clock this morning."

"I thought they ascertained that I was innocent of this matter. It was Puck, after all." Nigel replied, referring to the mischievous sprite that inspired Shakespeare's character and served as the jester of the Elders.

"Yes, but lately it seems an inordinate number of Puck's shenanigans have been targeting Natalie." Penny replied.

"Those mice were at least sanctified mice." Nigel quipped.

"I do hope that you have nothing to do with this." Penny replied.

"I swear on my honor as a gentleman I had no role in Puck's choice of target…" Nigel replied. And just then another scream echoed as Natalie ran, chased by several dozen white mice.

Brilliant, Puck, simply brilliant. Nigel thought, reminding himself to be sure to pay the divine trickster a little bonus for the mice in the shower.

Penny looked at Nigel with a death and daggers expression, "Do you have something to tell me?"

"No, I do not." Nigel replied, calmly sipping his tea.

"Wocka! Wocka! Wocka!" Puck chanted as he ran away from a very irate Natalie who was wearing nothing but a towel and wielding a very wicked looking spiked mace that she had snatched from a very befuddled Elder Guardian.

"I don't care that you're the Elders' favorite jester! You hear me! The mice were too much!" Natalie shouted as she chased him, "You're going to die trickster!"

"Look, Nigel, I don't care if you've put Puck up to this latest series of practical jokes or not. But if you are somehow responsible, please make sure he refrains from causing more trouble in Heaven." Penny replied before she walked off.

Paige walked downstairs, yawning as she did so. Piper was already downstairs with Leo cooking breakfast and Phoebe was brewing a pot of coffee. She took her plate of scrambled eggs and toast and sat down with her two sisters and Leo at the table. She wondered why Leo had such a serious look on his face. You'd think that a Whitelighter who finally got almost three days with his wife out of his busy schedule would have a more content expression.

"I have something very important to share with you guys." Leo began. Piper nudged him with the elbow closest to him, "It's a letter from someone you know, and I want to share it with you guys after breakfast."

"Why can't you read it right now?" Paige asked.

"Because I really don't want to ruin the meal." Leo replied, "I can say right now it is going to be a very emotional moment for all of you, including Paige."

"What's it about?" Phoebe asked, before taking a sip of her orange juice.

"It's about Prue." Leo replied.

At this, Phoebe spit out her orange juice in surprise, and narrowly missed drenching Piper and Leo by bare centimeters. "What?" Phoebe exclaimed.

"Isn't Prue dead?" Paige added.

"This might take a while, so please let's finish breakfast." Leo replied.

The meal was a silent, almost hurried affair as the sisters looked 'round the table at each other and at Leo. Finally the food had been eaten and Leo led them into the living room where he withdrew the envelope from his jacket and handed it to Piper.

"How can we be sure this isn't some kind of trick?" Paige asked, "How do we know that some kind of demon didn't hand you a fake?"

"It's her handwriting alright." Phoebe interjected as she looked over the envelope.

"And the person who gave it to me is her new Whitelighter." Leo replied, "I've known this man since I became one."

"I've met him." Piper said, "Briefly, but I know he wouldn't screw us over."

Phoebe, who had been holding the letter since Piper passed it off to her, opened the envelope and unfolded the sheet of paper.

"Dear Piper and Phoebe," she began, as she read Prue's words, "I really don't know how to say this, and can't really explain why, but I'm alive. I remember floating away from the house after being smashed through that wall by Shax and then a blinding flash. After that I woke up in a clearing in the middle of the jungle at night. Not two seconds later I run into this weird creature, its skin was completely black and it was about four feet high with glowing yellow eyes. It had been shot and wounded by the guys who found me. From the look of them they were a squad British policemen led by a guy named Godfrey, serving in the Indian Constabulary Service from the year 1942. I know, it sounds strange, but evidently time flows at a slower rate on this particular world that the Elders reincarnated me on."

"Is it just me, or is this weird even for us?" Paige remarked.

"It's not just you." Piper reassured, "Keep reading."

"I found out, over the next few days that the creatures the British were hunting are called Heartless." Phoebe continued Prue's words, "They took me to a town called Mayapore, somewhere on the Indian frontier. I ran into a Whitelighter called Nigel, he's been helping me get oriented to this world. The Heartless feed on hearts, of both people and worlds and they were advancing on Mayapore."

"Whoa." Paige remarked.

"This gets worse." Phoebe commented, "From what she's written in here, it sounds like the District Superintendent of Police, Merrick, was pretty close to being a Heartless himself."

"Keep reading." Piper insisted.

"Nigel had me chasing a fakir, one of at least sixty-two of them that live in Mayapore at any given time. I wound up rescuing a volunteer nurse named Daphne Manners, preventing her from being run over by a truck. The next evening, Merrick proposed to marry her and she rejected his proposal. I eventually found the fakir, who told me that the attack would happen when a child would be conceived after a rape."

"It sounds like Prue stumbled right into a soap opera…" Paige quipped.

"Shh!" Piper said, "Phoebe, keep reading."

"I figured out the rape's victim would be Daphne, because she kept sneaking out at night when she thought I was sleeping. I followed her and found out she was seeing an Indian journalist named Hari Kumar. That's why she turned down Merrick's proposal. During the night where they were going to consummate their affair, they were attacked by a gang of five Indian men. They beat Kumar and raped Daphne and I couldn't stop it. I found out my innocent was Daphne, and more specifically her unborn baby." Phoebe read, "And then shortly after the Heartless attacked. Merrick wanted to blow up the bridge that divided the town into an Indian and British half and strand the Indian population and a good portion of his own men on the other side. I managed to stop him and wound up protecting Daphne with the help of Godfrey and some constables." Phoebe continued.

"OK, so Prue's on some alternate version of India under British rule?" Piper asked.

"Can't we use some kind of spell to travel there?" Paige asked.

"No, we can't do that." Leo began, "If you leave here, San Francisco will be almost entirely defenseless."

"What about Prue?" Piper asked.

"Is there any more in the letter, Phoebe?" Paige asked.

"Yeah." Phoebe said and continued, "Nigel says I will return and see you guys again, eventually, but not yet. The Elders have sent me on another quest, but I won't be alone this time. I'm onboard this ship that can travel from world to world called the Morrowind. I haven't really met all the crewmembers just yet, but I wanted to write you guys to let me know that I'm alive and exactly what it is we're facing. All My Love, Prue."

"What are you waiting for?" Piper began, grabbing a pad and pen from the coffee table, "We've gotta write Prue…"

"So what's the word?" Mole asked Doc, as the latter walked out of the Infirmary.

"It's a girl, her name is Lal." Doc replied.

"What's it mean?" Cookie asked.

"It's Hindi for 'beloved'." Godfrey replied as he walked out of the room.

"I didn't know you spoke Hindi." Prue replied.

"I know a few words and phrases, having lived in India for much of my life." Godfrey replied.

In the Infirmary, Milo and Kida smiled as they cradled the swaddled bundle of Lal between them. Doc smiled himself, "It's nice to know that hope can still exist, even after the Heartless consumed our world."

Doc walked back into the Infirmary to tend to Kida and Lal, and the crowd outside broke up, leaving Prue and Godfrey standing outside.

"So what is this Traverse Town?" Prue asked.

"From what I know of it," Godfrey replied, "It's a place where those who've lost their worlds go to start their lives over again."

"You're talking about Traverse Town?" Kolopak asked as he walked down the hallway.

"Yeah." Prue replied, "What is it, exactly?"

"Shortly after Ansem's Heartless destroyed his kingdom, they ravaged other worlds as well." Kolopak replied, "The refugees created the settlement of Traverse Town as neutral ground where people fleeing the terror of the Heartless could resettle and live their lives out."

"So why are we going to Traverse Town?" Prue asked.

"Well first, we're going to need some information." Kolopak replied, "From Merlin, we need to take you to see him."

"Why?" Prue asked.

"We need to take you to see Merlin." Kolopak replied, "For it was he who told me of your coming and that you would help us bring about the defeat of Ansem and his Organization."

"Why do I need to see him?" Prue asked.

"Knowledge is your best weapon against the Rising Darkness." Kolopak replied, "You may be powerful in your own right, from your own world, but you are new to this world and you need to hear Merlin's advice."

"And then what?" Prue asked.

"Relax," Kolopak replied, "Answers will come to you if you let them."

Kolopak departed, leaving Prue and Godfrey to watch the stars as the Morrowind glided by outside the plexiglass. "Deck three has a better view." Godfrey commented.

"It's too crowded." Prue replied, "Listen, Godfrey, I just want to be alone for now, there's a lot for me to take in."

"I understand." Godfrey said, softly and putting a comforting hand on Prue's shoulder, "If you need to talk to someone, I'll be around."

"Thank you." Prue replied, and Godfrey left her alone with her thoughts.

TBC