The darkness began to fade and Prue became aware of the noises around her again. Struggling she peeled her eyes open and for a moment her vision was blurry until it cleared. She stared up at the ceiling as feeling returned to her body. She hurt... alot. She was lying on a hard wooden floor, pain radiating from her head and her chest. That would be from the demon's attack. Shit, the demon!
With a lot of effort she pulled herself up to sitting, the motion sending a fresh wave of pain through her head. She gritted her teeth against the agony and focused on her surroundings. Phoebe was on the floor a few metres away, unconscious and bleeding. Prue fought the urge to cry as tears threatened but she blinked them away and turned her attention to the rest of the room. It was a bombsite with furniture trashed across the room, the remnants of their magical battle. Piper was nowhere in sight. Panic darted through her and Prue forced herself to her feet. Limping slightly, she held a hand to her chest and moved to Phoebe's side. She knelt down beside her sister and felt her pulse. It was reassuringly strong despite the nasty cut running across her side. She shook her gently and when Phoebe didn't respond she cursed under her breath. With a sigh she summoned the last vestiges of her strength and picked her sister up, cradling her against her aching body. She half carried, half dragged Phoebe out of the house and out to the car.
After putting her gently into the back seat she climbed into the driver's seat and her head drooped wearily onto the steering wheel. She pulled out her cell phone and dialled a number she knew off by heart. The pain in her body was nothing compared to the ache she felt from the need to hear his voice. It rang a few times before cutting to answer phone. Tears welled up once again and this time she let them fall, stinging the grazes on her cheeks as she listened to him asking her to leave a message.
"Lucas, it's me. I... uh... we failed. He was stronger than we thought. He trapped us in the void so we couldn't use our magic and... he's got Piper. Oh god, he's got my sister!" The horror of the situation hit her full force then and she struggled to breathe. After a few seconds of hysteria she took a deep breath and pulled herself up straight. She continued speaking, hating herself for what she was about to say. "I won't be home when you get back from the hunt tomorrow. We have to find her Lucas and we can't do that from the Manor. We're going into the Underworld and I will tear it down piece by piece until I find her. I'm sorry but I swear, I will come back to you. I just... I need you to look after Leo and the boys for me while we do this. You're the only one strong enough to protect them while we're not around. If the demons know that Wyatt is unprotected they'll come for him. Keep him safe for me baby. I love you. I'll come back to you." She cut off the phone call and dropped her cell into her lap. Sobs wracked her body as she gave herself over to the pain. After a few moments she felt Phoebe's arms round her shoulders. Prue clung to her, relief that she was alive making her cry harder.
"We're going to the Underworld?" Phoebe asked, unhappiness evident in her voice but there was resignation too. The demon called himself a demi-god of the Underworld and he would hide in the safest place for him, surrounded by his loyal followers. They had to go to him and fast, if they had any chance of getting Piper back. Prue nodded in reply. Phoebe gave her a quick squeeze and kissed her temple. "Let's get it over with then."
The last two weeks had been the hardest of her life. Two weeks of living in hell. Two weeks of hunting and killing demons. Two weeks of searching for Piper. Those two weeks were finally over. Prue sat on the ground, cradling Piper in her lap. Phoebe knelt beside her, brushing kisses all over Piper's face. None of them spoke, they simply felt. Prue held onto her sister tightly as she stared at the scorch mark in the centre of the cavern. She had no idea how she'd done it. Despite everything they'd done in the past fortnight she had no idea where she'd gained the power from within the void.
During their time in the Underworld Prue and Phoebe had pushed themselves to the limit in their search for their sister. They stopped being wives and in Phoebe's case, a mother. They stopped themselves feeling anything for their family far away. They simply gave themselves over to the hunt. They performed magic they didn't know they were capable of. They fought in ways they'd never even thought of before. But when they found Piper and the demon they stepped into a void, a place devoid of magic. They couldn't summon their own personal powers nor tap into the power of three. They were powerless against a demon who could summon strength from the earth. But somehow, seeing Piper helpless and broken had broken a dam within Prue. All the feelings she'd pushed to the side for the past two weeks suddenly came rushing to the surface, pouring out of her in waves of power. The telekinetic blast she released broke the void, releasing magic back into the cavern. It also killed the demon. When Phoebe examined him she said that every bone in his body was broken. He burst into flames a second later. Piper and Phoebe had stared at her in shock and horror before they collected themselves. The sisters embraced then; finally realising they were reunited again.
"Where are my boys? Leo?" Piper's voice was small and weak but the longing in her words spoke volumes.
"They're safe. Lucas is watching over them." Prue assured her.
"Take me to them." Piper's command was an easy one to grant. Prue nodded at Phoebe and was filled with an overwhelming need for home as she listened to her sister recite the words of the transportation spell.
Seconds later, the white lights cleared and the familiar layout of the Halliwell Manor's living room came into view. Piper burst into tears and tried to scramble to her feet but she fell to her knees, weakness overcoming her.
"LEO!" Piper screamed the sound echoing throughout the house. The sound of footsteps could be heard from the kitchen and Prue smiled. Closing her eyes, she whispered. "We're home."
The Halliwell Manor was eerily quiet but Prue wasn't afraid. She soaked it up, letting the feeling of home seep into her soul and soothe the cracks she'd developed over the past fortnight. She stared into the darkness, her mind too wired to be lulled to sleep. She'd spent too long resisting it that it wouldn't come easily to her now and she had a feeling that her sisters would be feeling the same in their respective bedrooms. Prue smiled at that thought. Despite the fact that Phoebe and Prue had moved out a couple of years ago, this was always their home. It was the heart of their family and at times of crisis where they always returned. It was their haven at times such as now when it comforted them to stay together, sleeping under one roof and trying to forget the events that had gone before. But Prue couldn't forget, not yet. It went round and round in her mind.
What did I do? How did I do it? No one can summon magic within a void... No, that's wrong. Gods can summon magic within a void. But she wasn't a god. She was just a witch. Granted she was a Charmed One but that wasn't in the same league as godhood. Was it?
"Are you going to turn that brain of yours off and come to bed or do I have to find a way to distract you?"
The sleepy male voice that came from the bed sent a quiver of happiness running through her. She turned to look over at him, the shadows preventing her from seeing his features from her seat in front of the dressing table but she could see his figure pushed up on his elbows. She could only imagine the sexy smirk on his face and the twinkle in his eyes as he looked over at her.
"I think you found a wonderful way to distract me earlier tonight." She wiggled her eyebrows at him, her thoughts returning to the passionate reunion they had enjoyed earlier that night.
"Well clearly it wasn't enough otherwise you'd be in bed with your loving husband instead of stressing over nothing."
"It's not nothing though is it?"
He obviously heard the emotional hitch in her voice because he instantly got out of bed and moved to crouch beside her. He put a hand over hers and brought it up to his lips, kissing her fingers softly.
"It's nothing compared to this. It's nothing compared to our love, compared to your sisters, to our family and our lives. We have nothing to worry about that can't wait until morning."
"We?" She asked, feeling slightly reassured.
"It's always going to be 'we' Prue. From the moment I met you, we've been 'we' and always will be."
"The moment I met you I thought you were a demon." She reminded him.
"The moment I met you I thought you were mine. In a thousand years I've never met anyone like you and I knew you'd be the one."
She leaned forward and kissed him softly, savouring the taste of his lips. Pulling back slightly she looked into his big blue eyes and smiled.
"You say the sweetest things to get a woman into bed."
He let out a quiet laugh before replying.
"Is it working though?"
Instead of answering she took his hand in hers and got to her feet, pulling him up with her and led him over to the bed. She pushed him back onto the mattress and eased herself down beside him. Running her hands over his body, she delighted in the feel of his hard muscles clenching beneath her touch.
"How exactly were you planning on distracting me this time?"
He didn't need any other prompting as he pulled her tightly against him, his lips finding hers. She gave herself over to the feel of his body as she lost herself in the memory of their lives together, right from the very first moment.