What would've happened if Prue had returned a month after the final battle as a whitelighter? What if she had brought a few old friends along with her?
…..
6.21.2006
Piper Halliwell stood in her kitchen putting the final touches on the coq au vin she had made for dinner. Since the final battle, demons had been scarce, and while she enjoyed it, she was still getting used to not seeing her sisters nearly as much as she did when they regularly fought demons. She had invited Paige and Phoebe over for dinner that evening, just the three of them. She not only wanted to spend time with them, but she also wanted to tell that she had decided to sell the club and use the money from the sale to open her own restaurant. She had dreamt of it for years and she had decided now would be the perfect time while things were slow on the demon front.
Wyatt orbed himself into the kitchen, giggling.
"What are you doing?" Piper asked her son, trying to hide her grin.
"Hiding from Daddy," Wyatt grinned.
As if on cue, Leo ran into the room holding Chris and Wyatt's shoes. "There you are. Come on buddy, we gotta go." Leo said.
"No!" Wyatt exclaimed, defiantly shaking his head.
"Wyatt Matthew Halliwell, stop this nonsense and put your shoes on this instant!" Piper said sternly.
Wyatt quickly orbed his shoes onto his feet and looked at his mother sheepishly.
Leo laughed, "Why does he always listen to you?"
Piper shrugged with a smug grin on her face.
Leo kissed her goodbye before taking Wyatt's hand and leaving the house.
…..
"Are you sure you're going to be okay by yourself?" Paige asked Henry. Henry had been grazed by bullet while chasing a parolee several days before. Nothing serious, but it had scared Paige half to death. She had wanted to heal him, but he had insisted it was no big deal. Plus it would've been too hard to explain to his coworkers.
"Yes, Mom," Henry laughed, leaning back in his recliner. "I'm a big boy."
"I'm sorry, I know I'm smothering you," Paige said, embarrassed.
"Paige, come here," Henry said, pulling her onto his lap. "I'm fine, just a little scrape, no big deal. Just bumps and bruises, right?"
"Right," Paige nodded, "Just getting the phone call that you had been shot, rushing to the ER without knowing if you were going to be okay or not, it was the most scared I've ever been."
"Now you know how I feel," Henry laughed. "I was okay, that's all that matters. I'm not going anywhere."
"Promise?" Paige asked.
"Swear," Henry said, "In fact, I'll even let you die first."
"Good," Paige smiled, kissing her husband.
"Now go, have fun with your sisters." Henry smiled, kissing her before she headed out.
…..
Phoebe rushed into her condo. She was supposed to be at Piper's for dinner any minute, but had spilled coffee all over her shirt on her way home and wanted to change before dinner.
She was surprised to see Coop sitting in her living room.
"What are you doing here? I'm having dinner with my sister's tonight, remember?" Phoebe asked, walking past him into her bedroom. She quickly changed her shirt and walked back into the living room.
"Phoebe, we need to talk," Coop said, standing up.
"Talk? About what?" Phoebe asked, confused.
"I'm leaving," he said softly.
"Leaving? What do you mean? Like going a trip? Or leaving… me?" Phoebe asked him painfully.
"I'm sorry. Phoebe. Something's changed. I'm not the person you're supposed to end up with. With me, you'll be happy, but with him…" Coop trailed off. He gently placed his hand on Phoebe's cheek, "I love you too much to let you settle."
"Do I get a choice in this? You're going to leave? Just like that? Phoebe asked, through her tears, pulling away.
"Phoebe, I love you more than you will ever know, but I can't stand in the way of true love. First and foremost, I'm a cupid. It's in my nature."
"But I thought… isn't that what we have?" Phoebe asked.
"Maybe," Coop said, "But I'm not the love of your life. Which is why I have to leave. I was just another love meant to help you open your heart back up for the great love you deserve."
"You sound like a fortune cookie," Phoebe laughed through her tears.
Coop gently kissed her.
Phoebe closed her eyes; feeling his warm breath inches from her lips, "Don't be afraid to let love in. Open your heart to the possibility of love. You deserve love Phoebe, more than anyone I've ever met. Goodbye, Phoebe." Coop said, before fading away into a pink glow. Phoebe opened her eyes just as his heart disappeared.
She stared at the spot Coop had just stood in disbelief unsure of how to process what had just happened. Everything she thought she had finally figured out had been destroyed in an instant. She wiped away her tears and left for Piper's, hoping her sisters would be able to help her make sense of what had just happened.
…
"Piper!" Paige called as she walked through the front door of the manor.
"In the kitchen!" Piper responded.
"How's Henry?" Piper asked her sister after she entered the kitchen.
"Better than I am," Paige laughed, walking into the kitchen
"Love'll do that do you," Piper responded, winking at her sister, "Now help me set the table."
The two sisters walked into the dining room and set the table.
"I wonder where Phoebe is,," Piper wondered aloud, glancing at the clock.
"Take a wild guess," Paige laughed, with a suggestive look on her face.
Piper rolled her eyes, but before she could respond, Phoebe burst through the door, as if on cue.
"Piper! Paige!" She yelled.
"In the dining room," Paige responded.
"Oh, sweetie, what's wrong?" Piper asked her little sister, immediately sensing that something was wrong.
"Coop broke up with me," Phoebe said.
"Coop…as in the cupid? As UNCLE COOP?" Paige asked in disbelief.
Phoebe nodded, "He said that something had changed and that he wasn't my true love so he had to leave. And now he's gone… And I just… I don't understand. I thought I was finally done, I'd finally found my good guy, the guy I was going to spend the rest of my life with. But now he's gone, just like that."
Her sisters immediately walked over and enveloped her in a hug.
Phoebe laughed, "I just feel so stupid. My life shouldn't revolve around finding a guy. I am a successful and badass witch, but I just want what I saw in my vision. Is that too much to ask?"
"Of course not, honey," Piper smiled, wiping away a tear.
"Besides, I guess that really does mean there's a Romeo to your Juliet. Coop wouldn't leave unless there was." Paige smiled.
Phoebe nodded and walked towards the table. "Wow, Piper, this smells great,"
Piper smiled, "Let's eat."
Before they could sit down, a mass of blue orbs appeared in front of the table, before a figure appeared.
"Prue?" Piper said softly, frozen in shock.
"Miss me?" Prue asked with a smirk.