Leo tried to hold his wife, but she kept pushing him away. "Andy? ANDY?" she wailed. "It was supposed to be Prue! Prue's the one who should be protecting my son, and guiding him on his way! Not Andy! Prue! It was supposed to be Prue!"

Leo knelt beside the bed, beseeching her with his eyes. "Sweetie, I had no idea that's what you were expecting. Prue isn't a Whitelighter. She was a good witch, and she'll probably be reincarnated into a future good witch, if she hasn't already, just like all four of you had past lives. But she couldn't be a Whitelighter, honey, you know that."

"I know!" Piper cried. "I know, but I HATE IT!"

"I know you do," Leo said, and Piper looked at him in surprise. "But that doesn't change things. And you can't hold it against Andy. He's going to be a really good Whitelighter. Because of the Prophecy, the Elders knew that Wyatt would be born. Andy's been in intense training all along for this very role. He is just what Wyatt needs. You can't hold it against him that he isn't Prue. Please, honey."

Still sniffling, Piper reached for a tissue and dried her eyes. "I should apologize to him," she said ruefully. "I didn't exactly give him a warm welcome."

"He understands," said a male voice from the doorway.

Piper jumped. "Andy! Oh. I'm -- sorry -- I was hoping -- I'm sorry."

"It's alright, Piper. I know I'm not your first choice, but I'm hoping I'll be a good second-best."

"Oh, Andy. Thank you for -- everything." He wrapped her in a strong hug, and for a moment she wondered how different her life would have been had this man been her brother-in-law. She cut off the thought almost immediately, reminding herself that Andy was here to protect her baby.

As if reading her thoughts, Leo lifted the baby from the bassinet and handed him to Piper. "Andy," Piper said with the smile in her voice that only came from holding her son, "this is Wyatt." Andy let the baby grasp his finger, and smiled down at him. "Would you like to hold him?"

Andy gingerly received the small bundle. "Hiya, kiddo."

Piper smiled, new tears forming in her eyes. Leo gently put his arm around her. "We've got to help Hope now. Let's let them get acquainted." He steered her out of the room and back to the attic.

* * *

Leo orbed out and returned momentarily with an older woman who was obviously in great agony. She put on a brave face, though, and said brightly in a voice that had once been strong, "The Charmed Ones. My dears, it's so good to meet you. You make my work a lot easier, you know. If anyone can do this, and save me, it's you."

"I sure hope so," muttered Paige.

"Exactly," answered Hope, with a knowing smile.

"So what now," Phoebe asked, "we wait here until Anelpistos shows up? It's going to be dark soon, and we still have to save our innocent."

"Then we'll split up," Piper decided. "You and Paige will orb over to Balboa Street, and Leo and I will stay here with Hope."

"But what good will that do?" Phoebe complained. "We need the Power of Three for the vanquish. And none of us can astral project, so splitting up won't work. But if we stay together, we'll only be able to vanquish one of them. It's hopeless."

Piper glanced at Hope, who nodded, with a faint smile that deepened as Piper spoke. "It's not hopeless. Paige can orb. When you find our innocent, bring her here. Your Anelpistos will follow, I'm sure, and by then Hope's Anelpistos should be here too, and we'll vanquish them in one fell swoop. We can do this."

Phoebe seemed to draw strength from her sister's words and conviction. "Alright, if you say so, we can."

"I do say so. Now, go."