Just Causes

Music Credit: Divided by Tara McLean

check your weapons at the door
you don't live here anymore
but a heart cannot repent
when it doesn't know it's spent
its lifetime beating itself to death
there you are still as stone
stretching skin over bone
well they say I've lost my will
but I'm just standing still
in a world that swallows cowards
for the crime of killing time
I'm checking out the scenery
from as high as I can be
come let faith be your guard
and always changing
always still
still breathing

Piper stared at a picture of her and Prue from her fourth birthday party. They had been playing "pin the tail on the donkey" and in the picture Piper was wearing the blindfold, the donkey's tail in her little hand. Prue was standing behind Piper. Every once in a while, when Piper was heading in the wrong direction, Prue would push her little sister's outstretched arm back in the right direction. Finally Piper pinned the tail and ended up winning.

But that Prue was gone. The words had left her older sister's mouth dripping with anger. Worst of all, Piper had been able to see that look of betrayal on Prue's face. Of all the people to deceive her, Piper knew she was the one Prue least suspected. And Paige had nearly died to save Prue's life. The events of that night and actions of all four sisters probably contradicted every character trait Prue had come to recognize in them over the past couple weeks.

She knew that all she needed to do to find Prue now was scry for her. She was a mere witch. No more demonic powers masking that. She could find her in a matter of minutes. But she knew she was wrong. She had made a bad choice, and she had to deal with the fact that she couldn't control who Prue was supposed to be. She had to let Prue create that for herself. She couldn't smother her. It was time to let Prue breathe.

and there you are in my mind
there from living underground
divided and divided until
no one can be found
nothing left to break down
but I'm checking out the scenery
from as high as I can be
come let faith be your guard
and always changing
always still
still breathing

Prue's breathing was steady, as was the beeping on the heart monitor. She had lost a lot of blood, but otherwise she was going to be fine, physically. Andy stood in the doorway and just watched her, waiting. He was confused as hell about what had happened, but he knew he had to get an explanation from Prue before he did anything. As far as he knew, she had the power to kill him with a flick of her wrist. If he did anything that she didn't approve of, he would regret it, he was sure. He watched as her eyes opened and she looked around, trying to figure out what was going on.

"You're in the hospital," he said. She looked over at him and then closed her eyes, laying her head back down on the pillow. "You were shot. Doctor says you're going to be fine, though. Bullet went clean through. Didn't hit anything major."

"What are you doing here?" she asked, wishing that anyone other than her sister's fiance were there.

"I pulled the case," he said. "I have to get your witness statement."

"I can't be a witness," she said. "I don't exist in this society."

"You exist," Andy said, stepping forward toward her bed. "You were declared legally dead over ten years ago, but you do exist."

"Let me rephrase that then," Prue said, an annoyed tone in her voice. "I don't want to be a witness."

"We need someone to back up Michelle Taylor's statement," Andy said. Prue looked at him, confused.

"Who the hell is Michelle Taylor?"

"She's the woman who was being mugged," Andy answered. "The woman whose life you saved."

Prue just sighed and closed her eyes again. She wasn't used to feeling this much pain. It was something she had been able to shrug off when she was evil. Now it seemed to take over her entire body.

"If you don't mind me asking, what were you doing in that alley? And how did those guys get the jump on you?"

Prue didn't look at him. She just laid there as she spoke. "Your girlfriend decided to banish all of my demonic powers along with the power of Ramara. Let's say I'm not used to having to use only telekinesis and astral projection."

"But were you trying to save Michelle's life?" he asked.

"Well, I took a bullet for her, so I'd say yeah," Prue said sarcastically. "Although I doubt that'll be happening again. Didn't quite realize that nearly dying is the reward for helping the innocent."

"It's a drawback sure, but if you're good at it, it's a drawback you probably won't experience all that often," Andy said. Prue didn't respond. "You know, I got shot once. I was a rookie. It was just a routine traffic stop. But the driver I'd pulled over was wanted for murder and armed robbery. Walked up to the driver's window, asked for his license and registration and took two 38 caliber rounds at point blank range."

Prue had opened her eyes now. She was looking at Andy in a way that he wasn't sure how to interpret. She was either very interested or very confused as to why he was telling the story. He wasn't sure, but continued anyway.

"The first bullet hit my vest, just left a bruise on my chest. But the second one went high. It hit me a little above the collar bone and was pretty close to hitting my carotid artery. If it had, I would've bled to death on the side of the road," he explained. "It freaked me out. Freaked Piper out even—"

"Please don't mention her," Prue interrupted sharply.

"Why?" Andy asked. Prue just grumbled and was about to explain when Andy figured it out for himself. "She didn't tell you that she was banishing all of your demonic powers." Prue just nodded her head. "Okay, then I'll just get to the point of my story because she's not really a huge part of it. The problem I had after I had been shot was getting back to my job. After I went back to work I spent six months behind a desk. My captain liked me, so he was lenient and let me have all the time I needed, but after a while he started pushing for me to get back on the street. I started questioning what I was doing. I almost died for a traffic ticket. Some punk nearly ended my life for something that wouldn't directly affect me in the grand scheme of things. Then I had to think of it a different way. What if Pi…um, what if he had killed someone I loved? I would want justice for that. And I helped get justice for the person he did kill. He's still in jail now."

"Maybe I'm still out of it, but I'm still not seeing the point," Prue said.

"The point is that the feeling of satisfaction I have for putting that guy away outweighs the pain I felt from that bullet," Andy explained. "My description of him and his car helped get him caught, and my testimony in court got him convicted for attempted murder of a police officer as well as the charges he was already facing. I got justice." Prue looked away from Andy and thought about it as he continued speaking. "You saved a woman's life tonight. With or without your powers, what you did was extremely brave and that woman will always remember you. You're a hero, Prue. Tell me that doesn't feel good."

Prue couldn't stop a small smile from creeping across her lips. It did feel good. It was something she had never felt before. She had never thought of gaining this kind of satisfaction from an act of good. Before, when she had first encountered Mark and brought him to the Manor, she was just doing it because she thought it was what she had to do. She didn't really realize what it was to be good. She looked over at Andy who was smiling as well.

"Okay, so it feels good," she said, giving him what he was waiting to hear.

"So you'll be a witness?" he asked. She nodded her head. "Okay, well I'll let you rest before I take your statement. My partner Inspector Morris will probably be with me when I come back. But he's cool. You can speak freely in front of him. He knows your family's secret." And started to walk away, but then he turned back and looked to Prue his smile faded. "Let me call them."

She shook her head. "I don't want to see them. Especially Piper."

"They're on your side, Prue," Andy said. "I know you don't think that. Piper betrayed a trust tonight, and I'm sorry. But you shouldn't do all this alone." Prue didn't budge. "At least let me call Patty. I'll make sure she doesn't tell the others. Things like this are harder when you're alone."

Prue thought about it. She did know that Patty had always seemed trustworthy. She hadn't spoken with her as much, so she wasn't sure about it. But out of everyone in that family, Patty seemed to be the best choice right now. She did want them to know. She just wasn't sure she could handle them all at once. She nodded her head.

"Just her," she said. "No one else."

Andy nodded his head and left the room. Prue shifted slightly and cringed. She was a mere mortal now. She hadn't thought about death since Belthazor had taken her from the Manor. She had come close to being vanquished a few times, but it had never really affected her like the events of this night had. She wasn't just worried about losing her own life. She was worried about the effects her death would have on her family. She worried about people she didn't even fully trust yet. These feelings confused her. She didn't know what to make of any of it.

I'm checking out the scenery
from as high as I can be
come let faith be your guard
and always changing
always still
still breathing
come let faith be your guard
and always changing
always still
always still
still breathing
check your weapons at the door
you don't live here anymore
oh they say I've lost my will
but I'm just standing still
in a world that swallows cowards
for the crime of killing time
still breathing

The furious screams of the Source echoed throughout the caverns of the Underworld. In his chambers, he grabbed one of his guards and slung him into the cave wall. Upon hearing of the unsuccessful attack on the Charmed Ones and the banishment of the power of Ramara the Source had become beyond angry. He had ordered that three vampires be brought to him and then he tortured and killed all three of them, working out his anger on them while he thought of a new plan of attack.

"I want to see Prue suffer," the Source said. "I want her to watch her family die and then I want to rip her head off her shoulders with my own hands."

"And you will, my lord," one of the guards said.

"Oh will I?" the Source asked. He thought about what he would do. Then he decided what the first step would be. "Bring me a darklighter. Bring me Ronin."

"We're not going to be able to keep this a secret from the girls long, Andy," Patty said as the two of them walked down the hospital corridor toward Prue's room. Andy's partner, Darryl Morris, was walking behind them.

"I know," Andy said. "Lord knows it'll probably be the first thing I say to Piper the next time I see her. I've never been able to lie to her."

"Not to mention the media attention," Patty said. "Prue was declared legally dead. If she's a witness in this, the media will be swarming all over her and us. That's not what she needs right now."

"It's going to be hard to keep her name out of it," Darryl said. "Uniforms picked up two guys who we think are our suspects. Miss Taylor's at the station now, getting ready to identify them. If they're the guys, Prue has to be named as a victim at least. She's the reason they're going to be charged with attempted murder."

"We can't have media attention on us," Patty said. "If something supernatural happens while a reporter is around, that will cause major problems."

"Okay, Patty, let us worry about that for now," Andy said. They arrived at the door to Prue's room. She was asleep. "You worry about Prue."

Patty nodded her head and entered the room while Andy and Darryl stepped further down the hall to discuss the situation. Patty quietly moved over to the left side of the bed and looked down at Prue. It was hard for her to imagine the woman before her as a killer. She seemed so peaceful, and as she slept Patty could almost still see the little girl she had lost so long ago. Slowly she moved her right hand down to Prue's hand. She hesitated for a moment and then took Prue's hand in her own.

She was drawn out of her thoughts when Prue jerked her hand away abruptly. Patty watched her cringe as the jerking motion caused a surge of pain from her injury. Once the pain had passed, Prue just stared at Patty, seemingly confused.

"I'm sorry," Patty apologized. "I didn't mean to…Andy called me."

"You didn't tell anyone else?" Prue asked, still untrusting.

"No. Andy told me what you wanted," she replied. "We're abiding by your wishes, until you tell us otherwise."

"Good," Prue said. She relaxed a little and they remained in silence for a moment.

"If you don't mind me asking, why me? Why me and no one else?" Patty asked.

Prue didn't look at her. "He wanted to tell all of you. I figured if I let him tell you it would get him off my back."

"I see." She paused for a moment and then broached a subject she knew could be dangerous ground. "What happened tonight, with Piper and your powers—"

"Don't apologize for her," Prue said. "It's not your place. She lied to all of us so the apology should come from her."

Patty chuckled at that statement. "For someone who was raised by a demon, that's a very human way to look at it."

"Well, I am a mere mortal now. I guess I should start thinking like one," Prue commented. "Besides, he was half human, so that might have something to do with it."

"What's the real reason you chose me?" Patty asked. "You're mad at Piper, so I wouldn't expect you to choose her. But why not Paige or Phoebe? You've interacted with them more than me."

"Because I wanted to apologize to you," Prue said abruptly.

"For what?" Patty asked, intrigued and confused.

"For two things," Prue answered. "For not believing you would do everything in your power to find me, and for disappointing you. I gave up long before any of you did."

"You were a child. You were scared," Patty said. "You survived."

"Even a six-year-old knows it's better to die than to kill," Prue said. "I was selfish, and I'm sorry."

Patty saw the sincerity in Prue's eyes, the need do anything possible to right her past wrongs, even in the smallest ways. She nodded her head. "Apology accepted."

They remained in silence for a while. Patty wasn't sure what else to say. So she decided to talk about what would happen if the guys the police caught were the ones that had shot Prue.

"Andy said that they think they've caught the guys who shot you," she said. Prue didn't respond. "Said that you were going to be a witness. Do you think that's a good idea?"

"I was under the impression that it was the right thing to do," Prue said. She shrugged her shoulders. "Am I wrong?"

"It's just that you were declared dead," Patty replied. "It was hard enough avoiding the media when we had to report you missing. Now you suddenly pop up after 24 years and you're stopping muggers. The media will be all over this. We've found that magic and the media are not two things we want to mix."

"Well, if we don't tell them I've been missing for 24 years, then there shouldn't be a problem, right?" Prue asked. "I'll just testify and be done with it."

"It's not that simple. They'll dig it up," Patty said. "We can try to avoid it, but they'll find out anyway."

Prue sighed and rubbed her eyes. "Then I'll just deal with that if they do figure it out. I really don't feel like thinking about that right now."

"Okay," Patty said. Then she thought of something else she wanted to talk to Prue about. "Where will you go?"

"What do you mean?"

"After you get out of the hospital," she explained. "Where will you go?"

"I don't know," Prue said. "Haven't really thought about it. I guess I need to start creating a life for myself. Get a job and all that."

"Do you know what you want to do?" Patty asked, becoming curious about what kind of life Prue would want to have.

"Not sure. I'm really not sure what would interest me enough to do it every day," Prue replied. She chuckled and thought about how she had approached those muggers out of the blue. "Maybe I should be a cop."

Patty chuckled with her. "Maybe Andy could put in a good word for you." They both laughed at that for a moment. When their laughter died down, Patty returned to her original question. "But where will you go? Where will you stay?"

"I guess I could find a place," Prue said. "I'll deal with it when I come to it."

"You don't think to the future much, do you?" Patty asked, noticing that Prue liked to deal with things as she came to them.

"I used to," she replied. "Had big plans. I was going to make my way up the hierarchy in the Underworld. I was pretty close to being at the Source's right hand. But that future's shot. I don't know what my plans are. I'm dealing with everything as it happens. I don't know what to expect anymore."

"Come back to the Manor with me," Patty said. Prue looked at her with a raised eyebrow.

"Well I definitely wasn't expecting that," she said. Patty didn't respond. "You're serious?"

"Absolutely," she said. "Piper's going to be moving in with Andy soon. And Paige will be moving in with Glen not too long after that. We'll have the space. You'll need a place to stay."

"I don't know if that's such a good idea," Prue said. Patty waited for her to elaborate. "To be perfectly honest, I don't trust all of you, yet. I know I should. Part of me wants to. But I've lived most of my life trusting nobody but myself."

"What about Belthazor?"

"That wasn't trust," Prue said. "We never trusted each other. We were always watching each other, waiting for the day when one of us would make the move and kill the other one. Belthazor just let his guard down at the wrong time."

"Maybe you don't trust us, but we trust you," Patty said. Prue shot her a look of disbelief and she shrugged her shoulders. "Okay, so maybe Paige doesn't trust you, but I know that the rest of us do."

Prue sighed and closed her eyes. She wasn't sure what to say. She knew it would probably be best. She didn't have any money or a place to stay. She didn't have many options.

"I'm really tired," she said finally. "I'll think about it."

"Okay, that's fine," Patty said. She started to walk away. "I'll let you rest."

As Patty was almost out the door, Prue called after her. "You can tell them." Patty looked back. "You can tell the others. Not like they wouldn't find out sooner or later."

Patty nodded her head and walked out the door, leaving Prue to think about her future. She had decisions to make, and whether she liked it or not, she was going to have to look to her new future and find out what she was going to do with her life

Piper leaned against the kitchen table, her arms folded across her chest. She was looking down at the floor as Patty spoke. Paige was sitting in the chair to Piper's right and Phoebe to Piper's left. Patty was leaning back against the kitchen island. Sam stood to Patty's right. Leo leaned in the doorway to the dining room.

"The doctor said she's going to be fine," Patty said. "No major organs were hit."

"I'm still a little stunned by the part where Prue got shot by a regular old human," Paige said. "Why didn't she just use telekinesis on the guy?"

"She was probably trying to use one of the demonic powers she no longer had," Sam said. Piper shot him a look, but nobody noticed. "She was caught off guard. She's just lucky to be alive."

"We need to be prepared for the media," Patty said. "Prue's decided to be a witness in this case, and I offered for her to stay at the Manor. She hasn't said yes, but if she does and the media gets wind of the fact that she's been missing for so long, we've gotta be ready."

"If it does hit the media, Elise is going to want me to get the exclusive," Phoebe said. Her job as an advice columnist had led her into the spotlight several times, but she had never received as much media attention as she knew Prue would get.

"Something tells me Prue won't want to give any interviews," Paige said. "I mean, how's she going to explain it?"

"She was six-years-old," Sam said. "Children can forget things. She can just claim she was raised by her kidnapper and had never really remembered or known about her real family."

"Which is half true," Leo commented. "She was raised by her kidnapper."

"To kill and maim," Paige added. The others shot her a look and she held up her hands defensively. "Yeah, I know. That part of the story is left out."

"We need to be prepared magically as well. Which first and foremost means that you three," she said, referring to Paige, Leo and Sam, "can't orb into or out of a room that has windows."

"Orb out of my closet," Paige remarked sarcastically. "Check."

"And no vanquishing in the house unless the demon attacks us here first," Patty continued. "If the media sees some demon or warlock explode into flames, we're in huge trouble."

"No fighting in the house," Paige commented. "Double check."

They all looked to Piper then, realizing she had been silent throughout the entire conversation. Phoebe decided to find out why.

"Piper, you don't have anything to say about this?" she asked, trying to read her sister's body language.

It appeared that Piper wasn't even paying attention until she looked over to Phoebe. She stared at Phoebe for a moment and then looked around to the others. She realized they were waiting for her to say something. But she didn't want to say what she was really thinking. She wasn't about to express all the guilt she felt to them. She didn't want to have that discussion at this moment.

"She can have my room," Piper said simply.

Then she left the kitchen, pushing past Leo. They were all surprised that Piper hadn't said anything more. But they also knew what she refused to tell them. She felt responsible. Prue wouldn't be in the hospital if she hadn't taken away her demonic powers. Her guilt was obvious, whether she said anything or not.

Paige walked into Prue's hospital room carrying a duffel bag. Prue was sitting on the edge of the bed. She was surprised to see Paige there. Phoebe entered the room close behind. They noticed the surprised look on Prue's face and Phoebe explained.

"Mom sent us," Phoebe said. "Brought you some clothes."

"Don't you two have jobs?" Prue asked sarcastically. She took the clothes and headed for the bathroom.

"It's Saturday," Paige commented. She looked to Phoebe who nodded her head, urging Paige the ask the question they needed to ask. They needed to know where Prue was going before she left the hospital. "Have you decided on mom's offer?"

"I don't know," Prue said. She cringed as she pulled the shirt over her head and it caused a surge of pain from her still-healing wound. Once she had the pants and shirt on she checked herself out in the mirror and raised an eyebrow. A long-sleeved, powder blue v-neck and jeans wasn't exactly her typical attire. She walked out and looked sheepishly at the other two. "I look weird."

"You look fine," Phoebe said, unable to suppress a smile. "It looks weird because it's not black."

"They're Piper's," Paige said. She handed Prue some tennis shoes and socks. "She has the most normal wardrobe out of the three of us so we figured it would be the best bet."

"So where do we go from here?" Phoebe asked, hinting that Prue should make a decision on Patty's offer.

"To the nurse's station to sign out," Prue answered as she tied the shoes.

"And after that?" Phoebe asked, still waiting for a decision. Prue didn't respond. "She's getting a room ready for you as we speak."

Prue looked up and Paige added, "Piper's moving in with Andy early. Her room is your room."

"She's giving me her room," Prue said with a sardonic smile. "How noble."

Paige and Phoebe glanced at each other, knowing Piper wasn't exactly the best subject with Prue.

"She knows she was wrong," Phoebe said. "She feels guilty about it."

"Then why isn't she here?" Prue asked. She stood and walked out of the room before the other two could think of an answer. She quickly signed some papers, took a prescription for pain killers from the nurse and walked away. Paige and Phoebe followed her.

"She's helping mom get the room ready, packing…" Paige tried to explain. Prue shook her head but didn't look back. She kept walking as she spoke.

"I've been in the hospital for three days. Don't make excuses for her," Prue said sharply.

"We know you feel angry…" Phoebe began. Prue stopped and turned to face her.

"How the hell do you know what I feel?" she asked. "She was the only person I trusted. I trusted her to help me. Angry doesn't cover what I feel."

"She can still help you," Paige said. "We all can."

"Don't bother," Prue said. She turned and began walking again. "Go home. I'm not going with you."

Paige and Phoebe stopped walking and looked to each other, wondering if they should follow her or back off. They decided they wouldn't get anywhere by being a nuisance. So they watched her walk out of the hospital and out of sight.

"Trudeau. Morris. Get in here," Captain Tillman called. The two inspectors looked at each other and then walked toward the captain's office. When they were inside, he pointed behind them. "Shut the door."

Darryl shut it and the two of them stood in front of Tillman's desk, waiting for whatever he had to say.

"You wanna tell me why it hasn't been brought to my attention that one of your witnesses in the mugging case is a woman who has been missing for the past 24 years, presumed dead? This is a woman who's related to your fiance, Trudeau," he said sharply. "You can't claim to not know what I'm talking about."

"We were trying to give them some time, sir," Andy replied. "If word got out to anyone else, specifically the media, they wouldn't have any time to get over the shock of Prue being alive."

"I know they're going to be your family, but you have a duty as a policeman to do your job," Tillman said. "Did you even bother to ask her who kidnapped her?"

"Yes sir," Darryl replied. He thought quickly and came up with a believable lie. "She did tell us that. She also told us that he died two years ago. His name was Cole Turner."

"Where the hell has she been?"

"Montana," Andy said. Morris looked at him, trying hard not too look surprised and confused. "He took her there and treated her like his daughter. She eventually forgot about her real family and treated him as her father."

"What'd he die of?" Tillman continued with his questioning. Andy and Darryl weren't sure how much longer they could keep up the story.

"Heart attack," Darryl answered.

Tillman sat there for a moment, thinking about their story. Finally he sat back in his chair and folded his hands in his lap.

"Write up a report for her missing persons file. Have her read it and sign it. Then we'll consider the case closed," he said. "Nobody knows but us and her family. As for the current case, her story doesn't matter. The DA is expecting a plea bargain anyway. Dismissed."

The two of them walked out of the office. When they were out of earshot of Tillman, Darryl looked at Andy incredulously.

"Montana?"

"I had to think of something," Andy responded defensively. "It's the first place that came to mind…well, unless you wanted me to tell the captain she was in the Underworld."

"All right, whatever," Darryl said. "We just need to tell Prue the story we made up in case anyone asks her about her past."

The two of them didn't pay any attention to the uniformed police officer who walked past them toward a pay phone. The officer picked up the receiver, deposited some coins and dialed the number.

"San Francisco Chronicle. This is Mack," the male voice on the other end said.

The officer smiled. "How much you willing to pay for a story on a woman showing up who's been missing for the last 24 years?"

Prue walked down the street for a while, wondering where she could go. Belthazor had kept an apartment under his human persona, but the Source knew about it. She knew it would be dangerous to go back there. But where else could she go? She walked past a diner and stopped. It was called Buddy's. She remembered when she was little her mother would take her there all the time. They had the best hamburgers.

She walked inside and looked around. There was a booth near the door. The smell of hamburgers and fries invaded her senses and she suddenly realized she was very hungry. She patted herself down, shoved her hand in one of the pants pockets and came up with a crumpled and stiff ten dollar bill.

"Good luck," she muttered to herself as she walked over to the table, sitting with her back to the door. She didn't mind the jeans anymore, now that she had found the ten that Piper had obviously washed by accident with her clothes. A waitress came up and Prue ordered a coffee. She stared at the menu, not noticing the two men who walked in the diner through the door behind her.

Andy and Darryl walked up to the counter and started placing their order. Darryl glanced to his left and started to look back to the server assisting them when he noticed who was sitting by the door. He tapped Andy on the arm, getting him to follow his gaze. Andy finished their order and then pointed to Prue's table.

"We'll take our orders over there," he said to the server and the two of them approached Prue.

"Fancy meeting you here," Andy said. Prue looked up and shook her head.

"I just can't get away, can I?" she asked. "Did they send you?"

"Believe it or not, we came in here to order lunch of our own free will," Darryl commented sarcastically.

"But they always say there's no coincidences," Andy added. "Mind if we join you?"

"Are you really giving me the choice?"

"Not really," Andy responded. He took the seat by the window across from Prue while Darryl sat next to him. "What are you doing here?"

"I remember them having great burgers," she answered. "Although I guess things could have changed in 24 years."

"As far as I know they've stayed the same," Andy commented. He glanced at Darryl who nodded his head. They had to tell her about what they told their captain.

"We had to tell our captain about you," Darryl said. "He found out who you were and confronted us."

"Great," Prue said. "There goes that whole idea of keeping it a secret."

"It couldn't be helped," Andy said. "Being involved with your family causes us to end up with a lot of unsolved cases. Our captain tends to keep a close eye on all the cases we work."

"But we're still keeping it as quiet as possible," Darryl said. "We've just got to file a report for your missing person file and then it's taken care of."

"And what exactly are we going to be putting on that report?" Prue asked with a laugh. "That a demon kidnapped and raised me in his evil ways?"

"Actually we told our captain that Turner kidnapped you and raised you as his daughter in Montana," Andy said.

"Montana?"

"Don't ask," Darryl replied with a smile.

"So, where are you going from here?" Andy asked. Before Prue could answer the waitress came over with their food and then took Prue's order. She left and Prue turned back to the two inspectors.

"Do you mean where am I staying?" she asked. Andy nodded his head. She shrugged her shoulders.

"Belthazor kept an apartment downtown," she said. She saw their raised eyebrows and reassured them. "I'm not staying there. At least I don't think I am. I'm just going to stop by to pick up some clothes and money, and then I'll leave. The Source could find me there."

"Isn't there some magical way to cloak yourself?" Darryl asked as he stuffed a french fry in his mouth.

"There might be," Prue said. "I don't know. With the Source nothing's guaranteed."

"Why don't you stay at the Manor?" Andy asked. Prue glared at him. "I mean if it's Piper you're worried about, she's moving out."

"It's not just her," Prue said. "I don't know if I could live with any of them. It's a 24/7 commitment. I don't know if I can deal with that."

"Something you're gonna have to get used to is not being alone," Darryl said. "Not just with your family. It's kind of hard to avoid people."

"I've noticed that," Prue said with a smirk. Darryl smiled back and Andy couldn't help but smile too. Of all the people Prue could warm up to, he didn't expect that person to be Darryl. They didn't seem to notice it so Andy kept his mouth shut…for now.

There wasn't much else they had to talk about. They talked about what would happen if Prue ended up testifying in court. They went over her story. Obviously the magical parts had to be left out, but luckily the other witness hadn't seen the two muggers fly down the alley. She was too scared to notice. So it was the muggers' word against Prue's on that one. They all agreed that Prue was more credible.

Darryl and Prue ended up talking about basketball. In her "travels" as a demon Prue had ended up becoming a Knicks fan while Darryl was a loyal Lakers fan. Andy was just amazed that Prue had had time to enjoy basketball when she was evil. He had thought all she thought about was killing and gaining more power. He had thought wrong.

As the two of them continued debating the strengths and weaknesses of their teams, Andy just sat by and smiled. He was glad Prue was connecting with somebody. She needed a friend, and at the moment, he knew she didn't see him or any of her family as friends. They were people with baggage, like her. But she didn't know Darryl's baggage, and she didn't care about it. She didn't know he had been divorced for a year. She didn't know that his wife would've been happier had the judge not given Darryl any custody rights at all. She didn't know that his divorce had been the roughest emotional rollercoaster of Darryl's life.

Even with his inside knowledge, Darryl didn't seem to care about Prue's baggage either. He knew about the killing and the magic, and amazingly enough, he wasn't apprehensive. When he had found out about the big secret initially, Darryl wouldn't go near the Halliwells. The mere mention of magic put him on edge. Andy had failed to realize how comfortable Darryl had become with the magical world over time.

Once they had finished their food, Andy and Darryl excused themselves.

"Good to see you again, Prue," Darryl said. Andy looked at him with a raised eyebrow. The sentiment certainly sounded sincere. Andy was even more shocked when Prue said the same, and meant it. Then he shook it off and turned to Prue.

"Reconsider Patty's offer," Andy said. "It's not safe for you to be alone right now."

Prue just nodded her head and the two inspectors left the diner. She picked at her food and stared out the window as they walked across the street to their car. She wondered what Darryl was saying to Andy about her, if he was saying anything and all. She wasn't quite sure why she wanted to know what Darryl thought of her. She had never cared what anybody thought of her. But now she did.

Outside the diner, Andy continued to smile at his partner. Darryl noticed this and questioned him, "What?"

"Nothing," Andy said, the grin remaining.

"Seriously, man. What?" Darryl asked, confused by the look Andy was giving him.

"You just talked about basketball with a woman you know was evil for the past 24 years," Andy said. Darryl scoffed and shook his head. "You like her."

"Get real, Trudeau," Darryl said. Andy laughed. "You can't be serious."

"I haven't seen you that comfortable with a woman since I first met you and your wife seven years ago," Andy said. Darryl shook his head. "What else could it be?"

"How about I feel sorry for her?" Darryl asked. It was Andy's turn to shake his head. "The girl's not really thriving in the friends department right now."

"I'm sure she'll be really happy to hear you're talking to her out of pity," Andy said with a smirk. "My advice, don't give anyone else that excuse."

They got in the car and the subject was dropped. Darryl kept denying it to himself, but sometimes he wasn't as perceptive as Andy.

Phoebe sat at her desk in her office at the Bay Mirror, trying to give advice to a woman who was trying to work out her differences with her estranged sister. With her own personal experience, Phoebe had figured this one would be easy. But if she didn't know how to fix her own problems with Prue, how could she help someone else fix her problems? She looked up when there was a knock at the door.

"Phoebe, is there something you've been meaning to tell me?" Elise asked. She had a newspaper in her hands. Phoebe just shrugged her shoulders and Elise tossed the newspaper, a copy of the San Francisco Chronicle, on Phoebe's desk. "Wanna tell me how we got scooped on a story involving one of our own employees?"

Phoebe read the headline and shook her head, running her hand through her hair.

Missing Woman Turns Up After 24 Years, Stops Mugging

"We were trying to keep it quiet, Elise," Phoebe said. She shoved the paper to the side and stood. "I mean, Prue just showed up out of the blue. Granted it's a pretty good story, considering she was declared dead and then she saves this woman's life. And maybe I should have at least warned you so I could ask you not to run the story but…"

"Phoebe, get to the point!" Elise exclaimed.

"The point is, we're still trying to adjust. Prue barely remembers us and she doesn't even know our other sister, Paige. We wanted a chance to get to know each other again. I don't know how the Chronicle found out about it." Phoebe sighed and leaned against her desk. She didn't know what to do. "Look, run whatever you want but I can't promise you anything. I need to talk to my family before I say anything that's going to be printed."

"Are you at least going to tell me what happened?" Elise asked.

"She was kidnapped," Phoebe said. "Her kidnapper raised her."

"And…?" she prodded. Phoebe shook her head. She grabbed the Chronicle from her desk and handed it back to Elise.

"Read about it," she said. She grabbed her purse and jacket and walked out. "I've gotta go."

When she pulled into the driveway at the Manor, she couldn't help but notice the news van across the street. She hurried into the house as the reporter and cameraman got out of the van. Phoebe entered through the kitchen where Paige and Glen were eating lunch.

"Houston we have a problem," she said, tossing her purse on the counter. Paige and Glen waited for an explanation. "Channel 8 is outside and the San Francisco Chronicle somehow got the scoop on Prue. The story's out."

"How? How did they find out?" Paige asked.

"I don't have a clue," Phoebe replied. Just then Piper and Andy walked in. Piper walked over to the fridge and grabbed a bottled water.

"You don't have a clue about what?" she asked.

"How Prue's story ended up in the San Francisco Chronicle," Paige replied. Phoebe pulled a folded up newspaper out of her purse. She had picked up a copy on her way home. She handed over to Piper who began reading it aloud.

"Prudence Halliwell was kidnapped and declared dead when she was six years old. Now, 24 years later, she has returned to San Francisco and is saving lives. Four days ago she stopped a mugging and was shot by the muggers." Piper stopped reading and skimmed through the article until she got to another point of interest. "According to confidential sources, Halliwell was raised by her kidnapper, Cole Turner, in Montana."

"What?" Andy exclaimed, snatching the paper out of Piper's hands. He began reading where Piper left off. "Turner died two years ago of a heart attack." He folded up the paper and tossed it on the table. "I don't believe this!"

"What? What don't you believe?" Paige asked. Everybody waited for Andy to explain.

"This is the story Darryl and I made up when our captain asked why we didn't tell him about Prue," he replied. "Our captain hauled us in and put us on the spot. So we made up this exact story."

"Then how did the Chronicle find out about it?" Phoebe asked.

Andy shrugged his shoulders. "I don't know."

Glen grabbed the paper and looked over the article. He looked up at Andy questioningly. "Montana?"

Andy waved him off while Paige read the story. "So, how do we warn Prue?"

"She knows the backstory," Andy said. "Darryl and I ran into her at Buddy's."

"You know mom's instructions about avoiding the press are all well and good in theory," Phoebe said. "But if we have to vanquish something in the house, we're not going to be able to keep that news crew from seeing it."

"They'll give up eventually," Piper said. "When Prue doesn't come here, they'll take off to chase another story."

"What makes you think she won't come here?" Glen asked.

"She hasn't exactly expressed any desire to do so," Piper replied. "What would change her mind?"

"You never know," Andy said. "She might come around."

Glen nodded his head. "But the question is if she will come around here."

Darryl turned the key in the lock of his apartment door as he juggled two bags of groceries in his other arm. He struggled to get the door open and one of the bags slipped and fell to the floor. He growled, set the other bag on the floor and knelt to pick up his spilled groceries. When he glanced down the hall he was surprised at who he saw. Prue was leaning over, attempting to pick the lock of an apartment three doors down.

"Hey," he called to her. She looked up in surprise, dropping the hairpin she had been using as a key. She offered a small smile when she saw who he was. "Trouble?"

"Um, this is the apartment I told you about," she explained. She picked up her hairpin and walked down the hall a little bit. She picked up a can of green beans that had rolled away from Darryl. "I kinda left the key in the Underworld."

Darryl smiled and waved his hand, imitating her telekinesis. "Can't you just…you know…break it open?"

"I didn't want to raise suspicion," she said. "But I might end up doing that. My lock picking skills are a little rusty."

He picked up his groceries and kicked his door open. "Go figure I get divorced and move in down the hall from a demon."

"Divorced?" Prue asked. Darryl shrugged his shoulders.

"Yeah, for a year. Not something I talk about much," he commented. "Lots of grudges and child custody stuff."

"You've got a kid?" Prue asked, surprised for some reason.

"A son," he replied. He smiled. "Why are you so surprised?"

"I don't know," she said. "I guess you just seem too young to have a kid and be divorced already."

"I feel the same way," he said with a smirk. He stood in the doorway and then tilted his head inward. "You wanna come in? Contrary to popular belief not all bachelors have empty refrigerators."

Prue smiled and chuckled a little. Somehow Darryl made her feel completely at ease. She wasn't sure why. He knew everything about her that her family did. The only difference that she could tell was that he didn't expect anything from her. He didn't expect her to do certain things or be a certain person. He only expected what he saw in front of him. She wanted to go into his apartment. She wanted to just relax around someone. But she couldn't. She couldn't be vulnerable. She was afraid to let someone in. She felt it would make her weak, and she couldn't let that happen.

"I should probably just get my stuff and go," she said, gesturing back toward the other apartment. She offered him a smile. "Thank you for the offer though."

"Not a problem," he said. She started to back away and he called after her. "You know, I know you've got issues with your family, and I may not be the most impartial considering Andy's my partner, but if you ever need someone to talk to…" She nodded her head and he smiled. "Well, you know where I live."

"Sure," she said. Darryl offered a smile before ducking into his apartment. Prue shook her head and then turned to the door. She looked at the hairpin, tossed it on the floor and broke the door open with a flick of her hand.

She arrived at the Manor and wasn't sure if she should just go in or ring the doorbell. Ultimately she decided it would be best to ring the bell. Sam answered the door and offered a small smile.

"We didn't expect you to come here," he said.

"That's her," a female voice said. Prue turned to see a news reporter and cameraman walking toward her. Sam grabbed Prue's arm and she rushed inside just as the reporter called after her, "Miss Halliwell!"

Sam slammed the door and locked it. "Thanks," Prue said quietly. She looked around. "So, where is everybody?"

"Um, Patty and the girls went shopping for wedding dresses for Piper and Paige," he replied. "Andy and Glen are at their own places. Leo's working with one of his other charges."

"And you're holding down the fort," she said sarcastically "I thought whitelighters worked all the time."

"Yeah, well I'm taking the night off," he replied. He gestured to the stairs. "I could show you to your bedroom. If you're staying, that is."

"Um, I guess I am staying," she answered. "For now."

They went up to the room that used to be Piper's. It was bare, waiting for Prue to take up residence. Any pictures or plants or anything that had belonged to Piper were long gone. The bed was neatly made. All the furniture was dusted. Prue tossed the duffel bag she was carrying on the bed.

"So, I guess I'll leave you alone," he said. "Let you get settled."

Prue started pulling her things out of the bag as Sam turned away to leave. She turned quickly when she heard Sam cry out. He was falling to the floor and she reached to catch him, but wasn't close enough. He fell to the floor and that's when she saw the arrow with the black feathers sticking out of his chest. She was about to telekinetically throw the darklighter standing in the doorway when someone grabbed her from behind and held her arms at her sides. She glared at her attackers. She recognized the darklighter. The demon holding her was just some lackey of the Source's.

"Ronin, what the hell are you doing here?" she asked angrily. "What do you want?"

"Just doing my duty for the Source," he replied, smiling at her. He stared down at the injured whitelighter, revelling in his agony. "He'll be dead soon."

"What does the Source want with him?" she asked. She had a feeling, but she wanted to figure out how to get free and save Sam. "I mean, he's not even the Charmed Ones' whitelighter. Why risk coming into the home of the most powerful witches in history and kill their mother's lousy whitelighter? What points will it get you?"

"A lot of points," Ronin said. "We're going to break you down and make you suffer, traitor. You'll pay for your betrayal."

"My betrayal? I was never supposed to be on your side to begin with."

"But you were. You killed," Ronin said, stepping forward toward her. He ran his hand down the side of her face and gripped her chin. She shook her head and struggled against the demon holding her. "You maimed. You stole powers. You were an idol to demons everywhere. And then you broke. You turned against evil. You're a disgrace."

"I was a disgrace, but it's time to change that," she said. She fought against the demon, but he just held her tight.

Ronin moved his hand down and pressed against her abdomen. She cried in pain as he pressed against her wound that hadn't fully healed yet. Then Ronin hit her across the jaw with the butt of his crossbow. The bitter taste of blood filled her mouth. She spit it out and glared up at Ronin. She glanced down at Sam, who had lost consciousness.

"You're responsible for this, and you will be responsible for so much more," Ronin taunted her. "We will knock off your precious little family one by one until they're all dead. We'll kill the boyfriends, we'll kill your mother, we'll kill your sisters and then when it's all said and done, it'll be you."

He brought the butt of his crossbow down on the back of her head and her knees gave out. Her world was spinning. She looked at Sam, but he was just an unmoving fuzzy object lying on the floor.

"Tell your mom that the Source says hello," Ronin said. Then he kicked her in the head. She fell unconscious and the demon threw her over the bed to the other side of the room. Ronin and the demon looked down at Sam, smiled and then disappeared from the room.

Voices echoed in her head as she started to wake up. She could barely make out what they were saying it first. But then the sound of panic rang through. Even before she could make out the words, the panic was there. Then the words came and she opened her eyes, seeing blurry objects. Someone was standing and pacing. Another person was standing near the doorway. She could see the top of someone's head over the bed. Someone else was leaning against the wall by the window.

"Leo!" was the first word she heard. It was Phoebe's voice, crying out desperately.

"We've gotta get the arrow out," Piper said.

"Leo!" Patty called.

"Paige, don't touch it," Piper said sharply. "The poison can kill you too."

"Leo, dammit!" Phoebe shouted.

Finally, the blue orbs appeared. Leo looked around for a moment and then knelt next to Sam. Prue groaned as she turned onto her stomach, trying to push herself up. She stumbled and fell against the bed, causing the others to look over momentarily. But she was alive. It was Sam they were concerned with. They looked back to him and Leo. But Leo shook his head and looked up to Patty, tears filling his eyes.

"I'm sorry, Patty," he said, shaking his head. Patty fell to her knees by Sam and leaned forward, sobbing. Paige shook her head in denial.

"No, Leo. No!" she screamed. Piper and Phoebe were kneeling on the floor near Leo, crying. "Leo, keep trying! It's not too late. Heal him."

"I can't Paige," Leo said, louder and sharper than he had intended. "He's dead. I'm sorry. He's dead."

Paige collapsed next to her mother and Patty wrapped her arms around her youngest daughter. The whole family cried in mourning for the loss of someone so dear to them. Someone who shouldn't have died. Prue struggled to get to her feet, holding her hand to the back of her head where Ronin had hit her. She stumbled across the room and stopped at the doorway, looking back momentarily.

"Prue, what are you doing?" Piper asked through her tears. She wiped them away and stood. She couldn't help but notice the Prue's eyes were brimming with tears.

For the first time since she was six years old, Prue Halliwell was about to cry. "I shouldn't be here. If I hadn't come…"

"Prue, this wasn't your fault," Piper said.

Phoebe looked up at Prue and agreed with Piper. "You didn't kill him."

"Maybe not," she said. "But he's dead because of me."

She stumbled away and moved out of the house as quickly as she could. Piper called after her, but she knew she couldn't stop her. Prue would go where she wanted to go, and right now Piper had to worry about the rest of her family. The man she had considered her father for a majority of her life was dead. He was dead, even though they all thought he would live forever. But there was no living forever. There would always be a way to die.

He set his beer down on the coffee table and muted the television when he heard the knock at the door. He wasn't sure who would be visiting him without calling first, but when he looked through the peep hole and saw Prue he quickly opened the door. She had dried blood on the side of her head and her jaw was bruised and swollen. Her left eye was also bruised and swollen. But all of this surprised him less than the tear tracks he saw running down her cheeks. She looked to him desperately.

"Do you ever feel that no matter how much you try to do the right thing, or wish for it, that you'll never get what you really want?"

They stood there in silence for a moment and then Darryl nodded his head. "All the time." He stepped back and held his arm out for her to come in. She slowly walked through the door and he shut it. She just stood in the middle of the living room. "What happened, Prue?"

"Sam's dead," she said quietly. "I killed him."

"What?" Darryl asked, stepping back cautiously. He glanced at his gun on the coffee table, wishing Prue wasn't between it and him.

"I mean I…I didn't kill him, but I got him killed," she corrected. She turned and looked sadly at Darryl. This put him at ease. She was hurting, physically and emotionally. She wasn't going to hurt anybody. "He's dead because of me."

"Sit down," Darryl said, gesturing to the couch. "I'll get you some ice."

"I could really do with that ice being in a glass with some scotch," she said with a half-smile. She sat on the couch and leaned on her knees, gently touching the left side of her face.

"Sorry, I don't have any scotch," Darryl replied. He wrapped a pile of ice cubes in a towel. "Would a beer do?"

"That'd be great," she mumbled, rubbing her neck. He grabbed a beer and brought it and the ice to her. She took a sip from the beer and then held the ice to her jaw. She sniffed as tears started to well in her eyes again. Then she laughed and wiped them away. "This is ridiculous. I used to be the most feared evil around. I killed people. Now I'm crying over the death of a whitelighter."

"Your mother's whitelighter," Darryl said. He had seen this in witnesses a lot. The more prideful ones. The ones who didn't want to be vulnerable. Crying was a weakness they couldn't afford. "It's part of being human, being good."

"I used to think emotions were weak," she said. "What's changed?"

"You have," he said. "This reaction you're having is real. It's how people react when somebody they care about dies."

"I don't know if I cared about him," she said. She stood and walked over to the window, staring out at the people outside in the night. Bustling about, having fun, oblivious to all the evil things happening in the world around them. Darryl stood and walked over until he was standing right behind her.

"You care about the people who do care about him," Darryl said. "Your mother. Your sisters. They're hurting because he's dead. When they hurt, you hurt."

"What about you?" she asked, turning to face him. She took a drink from her beer and kept eye contact with him. "Do you hurt?"

"I do," he said. "They're my friends. I feel sympathy for them."

"Is that what I'm feeling?" she asked.

"Yours is probably more like empathy," he said. "That and guilt."

"Guilt," she said. "I've been feeling that for a while now."

She looked up at him. She just realized how tall he really was. His height gave him a strong quality. He was standing over her, ready to keep her safe if he needed to. She looked into his soft brown eyes and saw into his character. She was right. He was a protector. That's why he was a cop. He lived to help others in any little way. Even the most personal of ways. Listening to her talk. Showing sympathy for her. He would protect her.

Unconsciously they had moved closer to each other so that they were only inches apart. He was leaning down a little bit and they were just looking at each other, seeing into each other. She dropped the towel with the ice on the floor and reached up quickly but smoothly, placing her hand on the back of his neck. She pulled him down and pressed her lips against his firmly, ignoring the slight pain of her swollen lip. They remained in the kiss for a moment, neither of them really wanting to break apart. But finally he did break away. He stepped back and looked at her apologetically.

"We can't do this," he said. She looked hurt.

"Why can't we?"

"Because we're not thinking clearly," he said. "It's just…it's too much. It would end badly if we did this now."

"As opposed to doing it later?" she asked with an incredulous chuckle.

"You're upset," he said. "I've had relationships start this way and believe me. They end badly."

He picked up his beer and sat on the sofa. She just stood there for a moment before she walked over and sat beside him. They sat in silence for a moment, watching the muted basketball game on the television.

"You can stay here if you want to," he said finally. "I'll sleep on the sofa."

"Okay."

She grabbed the remote control and switched off the mute. It was the Lakers versus the Knicks, but they didn't really care. The game was just on to chase away the silence between them. They drank their beers and didn't speak. Eventually Prue stood and went to clean up. She retreated to Darryl's bedroom, crying herself to sleep. Darryl could hear her but pretended not to as he tried to get comfortable on the couch. He knew she wouldn't want him to know she was crying. But part of him hoped that eventually she would want him to hear her. Because even though he had told her they shouldn't do anything, he wanted to. He wanted to be there for her, and he wanted to protect her. He wanted to show her the good parts about being human. He wanted to prove to her that being good didn't always result in pain.