Chapter Four

Prue gasped. She could feel her heart tugging, sense someone had appeared. He was far away, but he was definitely here. Her heart sprang with revitalised joy, as she ran through the streets to tell the others.

Prue had been out scowering the city with her team, searching for anyone person, or maybe even a family, who might still be fending for themselves on the streets outside of the Wall (the great wall separating the General Resistance from Wyatt's population) where the demons, warlocks and evil citizens roamed. But all they'd found today were bodies.

As Prue ran, she kept to the shadows, in case of a passing threat. She soon spotted one of her comrades, however, and raced across the empty street, not afraid for one second of a car passing and hitting her. Not a single car had been driven on these small-town streets in years.

The muscly, serious looking man, who was dressed in worn black clothes and grasping a gun to his cheast, stepped over the body led on the pavement, which he'd been regarding sadly, and strode to Prue. He and Prue faced each other, and she took his arm, speaking into his curious face.

"Andy, I can feel Chris! He's here, in this time!" Prue hurriedly said, her gleaming smile sending a rush of hope down Andy's spine. But he had to be realistic.

"You know, this might not nessicarialy be a good thing." Andy hated to darken Prue's mood, but it had to be said. Even if it meant wiping away that angelic smile from her face. " In fact, it's most likely to be a very bad thing."

Prue sighed, running her finger absent-mindedly across her husbands arm. "I know. Really, I do." She looked up to stare right into his eyes again. "But now I can know for sure that he's alright, and he can tell us how he's been. And imagine how the General Resistance will react to the news that he's back. If he spoke to them publically, their moral would be raised sky high! It's just the boost they need at this point, being that we're so close. The sooner the end gets, the further it seems for them. They need this."

Prue sighed, thinking about the masses of people that they'd taken in as refugees of the new world, who were lovingly known as the General Resistance, and, induvidulay, Generals. It was a name given to make them feel more motivated, like their voices could easily be heard. Really, they were the innocents. The people who'd lost not only their homes, but their entire lives, not to mention the lives of many beloved family members. The General Resistance was, in short, what was left of the worlds population, all spread among the hundreds of safe houses set up around the globe. They were at very low points, and Chris, the Resistance Leader, could no doubt sent a message that would give the Generals their hearts back.

"You're right. I'll let Bas and Darryl know. They'll be thrilled." Andy said, touching his forehead softly against Prue's, and closing his eyes to inhale her scent. "Go after him. I'll tell the others to get the cameras set up. We're giving the Resistance the boost it needs."

Prue smiled, feeling the love flood through her for a second, making this rare moment of piece count. Then, she reluctantly pulled away from the man she had lost too many times.

"I'll see you soon." Prue said, watching Andy give a slow, loving nod, and then orb away.

Prue latched onto Chris' location.

Oh, thank the heavens, I really can feel him! She thought, before she orbed to find her nephew.

Xx

Chris, Leo, Paige and Phoebe stood before the glowing Triquetra that shone on the attic wall, each one more than a little afraid of what was waiting on the other side.

"Be careful, you guys." Piper said, hands folded over her cheast. "I'm serious. Don't let anything bad happen, otherwise I'll be all alone. Normally, fine, I can look after myself. But pretty soon I'm gonna start getting real pukey, so I'll need someone to hold my hair back for me."

"That's why Gideon and I made the time potion correct to exactly 15 minutes from now. You'll only have to pace back and forth for a while..."

"Like we know you will." Chris interrupted, making Paige and the newly recovered Phoebe quietly chuckle.

"... and then we'll appear. 15 minutes for you, and who knows how long for us. Tha's the beauty of it. We can take as long as we need, without wasting deadline time here. It's the perfect plan!"

Seconds after those words had left Leo's lips, Gideon orbed into the attic, holding a potion in his hands.

"Here is the potion you will need to return. I finished it off after you had to leave hastily. It will bring you back at the exact time we planned." Gideon handed the potion to Leo, who thanked him with a smile and put it in his pocket.

"Did you charm that pocket?" Chris asked, pointing.

"Yes, Mr Neurotic, I did it for him. Nothing will happen to that potion and you'll get back fine." Piper said with a smile. Then she sighed in frustration. "I just wish I could go with you. This is so annoying!"

"Sorry." Chris said guiltily. "If it helps, I'm still against anyone else coming either." Everyone gave Chris withered looks. "What! I told you, I can do this by myself. You don't need to put yourselves at risk!"

"Leo was right to suggest you stay, Piper. It's not just putting you at risk, but Chris too." Phoebe pointed out sympathetically, choosing to ignore Chris' protests. "And anyway, you'll not feel like fighting when you're all pukey, will you?"

Piper nodded, knowing her sister was right. She still hated the fact that she couldn't come with them. She had no idea what her family were letting themselves into, but from the way Chris had protested that none of them come, she could guess that it wasn't at all good. The plan seemed simple to outside eyes. Go to the future and sever Wyatt's connection to their own time. They'd assumed he'd created a portal (assuming this because it explains why he didn't start the messages earlier- he'd been busy creating it- and how he could get his demons to come and go so quickly and easily whenever he chose), so, in theory, all they had to do was destroy that portal. Easy. Oh, but there was the evil overlord to worry about, plus the millions of demons, warlocks and general bad guys he had at his disposal, as well as the fact that no-one had any idea where this portal was. But, other than that; easy.

Reluctantly, Piper stepped back and watched as her family stepped away from her. Gideon put a reassuring hand on her shoulder, although, with Pipers nerves, the hand only sent icy chills through her body rather than waves of encouragement.

Chris turned back for a second. "It's okay Mum. We'll be back in a few minutes (well, for you anyway), and everything will have turned out okay. Just hang in there. It'll be over before you know it." He said, smiling.

"I know." Piper smiled back, adoringly. "I love you."

"We love you too." Chris spoke softly, gazing for a second before he turned back around.

Together, he, Paige, Phoebe and Leo stepped into the light, and it became blinding. As soon as it had engulfed them, the light shrank and went out like a candle.

Piper turned to look at Gideon. He was smiling.

"What are you so happy about?" Piper snapped irritably.

Gideon gave her an ice cold smile in return. "Oh, nothing." He stepped away. "Give me a yell when they return. I'll see you in a second."

After Gideon had orbed away, Piper struggled to shake the nagging feeling that their carefully laid scheme would go so, terribly awry.

Xx

Leo, Chris, Paige and Phoebe stepped out of the portal and, slowly, the light cleared from their vision. Only to be instantly replaced by a deep, depressing blackness. The room which they found themselves in was giant; incredibly so. It looked like an abandoned warehouse that had had a few walls smashed in to make it the biggest indoor space for miles around. But it didn't take anyone long to realise that this was a deadly place.

The whole structure looked so fragile, like it would crumble at the slightest touch. The walls seemed to be made of cinders, and, even as they stood awe-struck, a beam from the ceiling cracked and fell, as if in slow motion, at the far end of the room. There had clearly been a fire here. A massive one. It had consumed the entire building. It was an absolute miracle that it was still standing, albeit, with a few giant wholes making the building look like an unfinished jigsaw puzzle.

"Where are we? I thought you said you were taking us somewhere you knew?" Phoebe turned questioningly to Chris.

"I do know it. I mean... did." Chris' face had gone pale and he was taking deep, strained breaths. "I can't believe... How- how could this have happened?"

Phoebe stepped to place an arm on Chris'. "Chris- where was this?"

Chris forced back the tears that threatened to break free. "This was the Resistance Stronghold." He looked at his family's questioning gazes. "I've told you a little of the Resistance, haven't I? The force against Wyatt. We have various safe-houses, and they're everywhere- literally. We've got connections around the entire planet! But this one, here in New York, this was the main one, where we were closest to our enemy and our roots. Everyone I knew was here..." Chris' voice broke.

Leo stepped foreward, feeling the crack beneath his feet. "We'd better leave before this place falls on top of our heads."

Leo orbed the gang outside, where the site was not much better. The car park was abandoned, exept for the few cars scattered about, dusty and broken. For some curious reason, Chris ran to them and peeked inside, searching expectantly. Paige called to ask what he was doing.

Chris faced them, disheartened. "People slept in these cars. I thought that, maybe..."

Chris was interrupted by the chiming of obs, and he broke into a smile as a figure materialised behind where his family stood.

"Antie Prue!" He called, bounding over.

As he rushed past his family, they turned to watch him crush the woman with a great hug. And as they looked closely, their mouths fell open and their eyes widened with shock. They saw that the woman with raven hair, who'd rushed to hug Chris and was now tearfully smiling into his broad shoulder, was in fact the dead Charmed One, Prue Halliwell.

A/N: I'm sorry if some people don't like italics, but a lot of the story will be in it now. Not all of it, but a fair bit of the middle. To differentiate between times.

(YAY, PRUE! I used to hate her, but, y'know, my opinion has changed, and I'm so glad I got the chance to write her in! Although the reunion will probably suck, since I have no idea how anyone will handle that. You know what... hugs! That'll do. Lots of hugs!)