'What if Daddy was right?

What if there's no forever?

Won't you kiss me goodnight

So that I could remember?'

Piper Halliwell wiped her eyes and turned to look at her bedside clock.

Just 9pm. And here she was in bed, alone, crying her eyes out over Leo - her husband who just like many other of the most important people in her life, had been taken by 'those above' for reasons she would never understand.

But this time it was different. Leo wasn't dead. He was just taken 'up there' by The Elders to become one of them. But it felt like a death. Another to add to the list of people she had loved with her entire heart, and lost. 'Heaven needed another angel' and all the usual words of intended comfort just didn't cut it with Piper.

'Keep you frozen in time,

Like they do in the pictures

And if I close my eyes,

Would I still think of patience?'

She took the picture from her bedside table of herself and Leo and thought about her kind, gentle husband, the man who she had believed was her soul mate, and tears fell again from her swollen, red eyes.

She hated The Elders. All they ever seemed to do was cause her pain.

She hurled the picture across the room with all of her might and buried her head into her pillow to stifle the sounds of her sobs.

The Elders had taken Leo away, just like they'd taken her Mom away when she was just a little girl.

Like they'd taken her Grams away, long before her time.

And like they'd taken her big sister away, her best friend, just three years ago.

Piper was the same age now that Prue was when she had been murdered by Shax, in front of her very eyes.

She was just 31 years old.

Piper's heart felt like it was about to snap in two as she thought about the beautiful, kind, funny, protective, loving, caring and utterly selfless woman that was her big sister.

Prue herself had only been eight years old when their Mom had died, yet ever since she had always been fiercely protective of her two little sisters. She had practically sacrificed her childhood to help raise them.

She thought back on all the situations Prue had gotten her out of.

When she was 15 being bullied in school for being seen as a dork, one of the popular girls in her grade had slapped her one day for accidentally knocking her down as she was rushing to not be late for class. The next day, 18 yr old Senior Year Prue with her enviable figure, popular status in class and enviable wardrobe had beaten the crap out of that girl and practically dragged her over to Piper in front of the whole school and forced her to apologise.

When she was 17 and had her first boyfriend who she thought she loved and had loved her in return, a total jerk who she was besotted with and blind to his many flaws. But 20 yr old Prue had seen it coming - he was cheating on her. And she'd gotten into her car, followed the guy around and caught him in the act. She had bitch slapped both of them and smashed his windscreen - she went so crazy on him that he called the cops and Prue had spent the night in jail. But it was all worth it for her, and when she got home the first thing she did was go to Piper's room and wipe her tears as she had so many times before, telling her she's beautiful, she's too good for that guy and one day her dream will come true and she'll meet her soul mate.

Then her mind flashed back even further, to many, many years earlier.

She was just five years old, and could hear her Grams crying upstairs.

'Piper, sweetheart. Keep an eye on Phoebe for me, I need to go and make some calls. I'll be down soon. Prue will be back soon.' grams had said to her through sniffs and sobs as she retreated up the stairs.

Even at such a young age, Piper knew something was terribly, awfully wrong.

Little Phoebe was only two, and completely oblivious.

Next minute the cops turned up with a very shaken Prue, who had clearly been crying too.

Yet even as the eight year old had seen her little sisters, her expression had changed, she had composed herself.

Piper had run into her arms.

'Prue, what's going on? Grams is upset and Phoebe's playing with the grate in the fire and she won't listen to me!' she whimpered into Prue's shoulder.

'Its ok, Piper. Everything's going to be ok.' Little Prue had choked out, gently letting go of her and running over to grab Phoebe, who was giggling and just about to stick a piece of cole from the fire in her mouth. Prue picked her up effortlessly and held her baby sister as she squirmed and wriggled to try to get back down to the floor.

She remembered the police officer had looked very tall as he knelt on the floor to talk to her.

'Hey Piper, don't be scared. I'm just here to talk to your Grandma, could you tell me where she is?'

Prue regained her position standing protectively behind Piper, baby Phoebe still in her arms chattering away to herself.

'Piper, where's Grams? It's ok. This is a good guy, he just needs to talk to her.' She gently said to Piper.

'She's upstairs Prue. Im scared. I want my mommy.' She cried.

The lady police officer who was standing at the door burst into tears and Piper heard her speaking on her phone as she removed herself from the property.

'We're here at the house, brought the eldest little girl home safe, now we're just about to give a more in depth explanation of what happened to Patricia to her mother. Her two other little girls are here too, one is crying for her mommy and the other is no more than an infant. Oh those poor children.' She had cried.

Grams had come down the stairs and saw the officer standing there.

'Thankyou for coming, officer.' She sniffed. 'I'll speak to you shortly, but please could I just have a moment alone with the children to explain what's happened. You can wait in the kitchen, help yourself to tea or coffee, it's on the left.'

The officer bowed his head, sadly.

'Of course, Mrs Halliwell, take as long as you need. And on behalf of myself and all of San Francisco PD, we're so sorry for your loss.'

Loss? Thought Piper, as Grams took hold of Phoebe and led the older two girls into the lounge. Tears were streaming down Prue's face though she tried so hard to hide it, as they all nestled into Grams' warm arms.

'Girls, something very sad happened today. Your Mommy went to be with the angels. They must have needed her for something very special.'

Piper didn't really understand.

'Wow, angels?' She gasped. 'Why are you crying Prue, Mommy's with the angels! And when she comes back she's going to tell us all about it! When is Mommy coming home, Grams?'

Grams buried her face in Phoebe's soft hair and sobbed.

'Oh, Piper, sweetie... My poor little girls...' She bawled.

Prue took over.

'Piper, Mommy isn't ever coming home. She's gone to be with the angels forever. I miss her too but she can't come back. I love you Piper.' She sniffed.

Piper stood frozen to the spot,her mind full of questions that couldn't be answered, her tiny brain swirling in circles.

Prue kissed her Grams' cheek and took hold of Piper's hand.

'It's ok Grams, I'll go and help Piper get ready for bed, you can go talk to the cops and bring Phoebe up when you're done. I love you.'

'Oh Prue, my darling, what would I do without you.' Grams cried, as Prue led Piper up the stairs.

Piper was in tears by now and had the most horrible feeling in her tummy.

'Prue, why did Mommy go away? Why can't she come back?' She whimpered, as Prue took out a pair of Piper's favourite pyjamas and helped her into them.

'I don't know Piper. It's not fair.' She replied tearfully.

Little Piper had laid in her room in the dark and cried that night, as she did for many nights after.

But each time, when she thought her heart was about to burst with sadness, she had felt her big sister quietly creep into her room, curl up beside her, wipe her tears and tell her everything was going to be ok. Prue wasn't her mom, but she was always the next best thing. Piper would crawl over into her arms and cry, asking why Mommy left them, and as the years went by, Prue was able to give her more insight and Piper began to understand more - that her Mom hadn't wanted to leave them. It was just a terrible twist of fate, she was taken too soon, for reasons they may never understand but they just had to live with it.

Prue always seemed to have a sixth sense, she always seemed to know when Piper was upset late at night. This went on for years.

Prue had gotten a double bed for her 13th birthday, something she'd been begging Grams for for what seemed like ages, and late at night Piper and Phoebe would sneak into her room. Sometimes Prue got a little irritated, being a moody young teenager and all, but often she'd welcome them in and they'd all cuddle up and talk about Mom. Piper would remember bits and pieces, and Prue would fill in the gaps that Piper had been too young to remember. 8 year old Phoebe just snuggled into Prue and listened sadly.

'Do you believe in heaven?' Prue asked them one night.

'Yeah!' Both the younger girls chorused.

'I do too. And I think that's where Mommy is now, in heaven with the angels. We'll see her again, but not for a long time. And you'll meet her and remember her, Pheebs. You'll get back all the time you should have had with her.' Prue mused, pensively stroking her little sisters' hair. She was always wise far beyond her years.

'And is that where we'll see Daddy too?' Phoebe asked, her face lighting up.

Prue's expression had changed, a small flash of anger had flown across her face, but she subsided it for the sake of Phoebe and Piper.

'Maybe.' She replied. 'Now let's get some sleep, we've got school in the morning.'

A little girl who had been forced to grow up too fast, who'd forever protected and loved her younger sisters, then died protecting them.

Piper took her bedside picture of Prue and stared at it longingly until the raven hair, ice blue eyes and beautiful, kind smile of her beloved, precious big sister blurred beneath her tears which were flowing freely.

'Stay with me, don't disappear,

to tell the truth I need you here.

I'm afraid, can barely breathe,

I need your words to comfort me.

Say goodnight,

Won't you say goodnight.'

'Why did you have to go, Prue?' Piper choked, holding the picture straight over her heart.

Then she felt a jolt, saw a flash of light in the darkness.

Please don't let anything weird be happening tonight, I can't deal with it, She thought, and again buried her head in her pillow.

Suddenly she felt a deep feeling of peace, and a strong aroma of sandalwood filled the room.

It was her moms favourite fragrance, and had before long became Prue's too.

She felt the bed bend a little beneath her and a gentle arm drape over her.

'Piper, it's ok baby. I'm here.'

That oh so familiar voice made her aching head tingle.

'Prue?' She gasped.