How many demons had it been? 10, 20. No one sister knew the answer. They had hoped yesterdays demon was the answer but as Prue and Piper slowly walked in the manor they knew that once again they had no answers.
Phoebe sat up on the couch when she heard the front door open. But as soon as she saw her sisters she knew nothing had changed. "Hey. How'd it go?"
Piper looked over at Phoebe as Prue started up stairs.
"Hey honey." Piper eased on the couch behind Phoebe drawing he sister close to her, "not good. Sorry."
Phoebe leaned back as Piper wrapped her arms around her. Closing her eyes she took in a deep breath. "Prue?"
Piper turned her head to where Prue had gone up the stairs. 'She got a little goo on her. Gone to shower and change I guess."
Phoebe leaned back against Piper. She had felt fine most of the day. But she hadn't done much either. "I ordered Chinese hope you don't mind." She looked up at Piper and saw into her brown eyes.
"No that's fine sweetie. I don't think I have the energy to cook tonight anyway."
They sat in silence both lost in their own thoughts or starring into the fire that was going almost quietly.
Phoebe intertwined her fingers with her sisters and stayed where she was. "Remember when I was little and I used to make the little forts with my blankets?"
"You mean our blankets don't you?" Piper smiled at the memory, "I still remember the look on Grams and Prue's face when they opened your door. You had taken all your blankets and mine off our beds and tucked them into the beds and any drawer it would reach. The entire room was a sheet of blankets about two to three feet off the ground."
"And me nearly having a heart attack when I saw my baby blanket hanging from one of those drawers."
Piper and Phoebe looked up as Prue walked in the living room changed into a pair of sweats.
"I need one more for the skylight." Phoebe smiled at her big sister.
Prue sat down on the coffee table and held her hand to Phoebs forehead. She was relieved that her sister wasn't any warmer then when they had left a few hours ago, "Pipe why don't you jump in the shower as well. I know that guy got you too."
"Probably a good idea. You would think by now we would know these guy blow up everywhere." She leaned down and gave Phoebe a kiss on the top of her head, before getting up to get cleaned up.
Prue slide in behind Phoebe where Piper had been sitting on the couch. "Did I hear you say you ordered Chinese?"
"Yeah. I was getting hungry and wasn't sure when you'd be back." Phoebe tilted her head back to look up at Prue
"That's ok. Was kinda feeling like that myself." Prue looked down at her sister, "Phoebe I'm really sorry about earlier. You were right and you do have a right to know what we are doing. I guess I thought if you didn't know that I was protecting you."
"I know Prue. I was thinking about that when you were gone. You don't want me to get involved fearing that I may wanna go with you."
"Something like that."
"Yeah. Well I know I have to take it easy and that the more I get active, i.e. kicking demon ass. The faster this poison will work through me. But you can't not tell me. I don't want to die Prue but I don't want you guys to die either."
Prue looked deep into Phoebes eyes holding their love for each other in that moment, "Sweetie, if I have anything to say about this no one is going to die. Not you, not Piper, not me. Got it?"
Phoebe could see a determination in her sister eyes. "I got it. Just don't keep me out of the loop again. You may need me for a spell or something."
Prue tightened her arms around Phoebe, "I got it too." She said with a smile.
"Ok that pretty much sucked." Piper said to anyone that would listen as she limped in the back door.
"I'm just glad you're ok. Last thing I wont is another sister down with some deadly poison." Prue eased Piper to the kitchen chair before getting the ice pack from the freezer.
"Makes two of us." Piper agreed and flinched when Prue applied the ice pack to her leg. "LEO!"
"Hey hush. You'll wake up Phoebe." Prue glared at Piper.
"Oh well then. Leo." She called again in a whisper.
Prue looked at Piper and was about to say something when Leo orbed in beside her,
"Hey. What's….Piper what happen?" he quickly went to his fiancée and held his hand over the gash on her leg.
"Other then nearly joining Phoebe in the after life. Not much." Piper felt his loving healing touch as her wound healed on its own.
Prue watched as Leo healed Pipers leg. "We fought another one of them Enveno Demons. Though this time before he exploded all over us we got some cover."
"Yeah and my big sister thought it would be a great idea to push me into a stack of crates with a very large nail sticking out of it." Piper continued as she glared at Prue
"What? Would you rather I let you stand there and let him poison you as well Piper?"
"NO! But you could have just grabbed me pushed me to the ground something!"
Prue glared at Piper, "Why don't you say what you really want Piper. Tell me how you want to go against everything we believe in."
"It isn't Prue. It's saving our sister!"
"So what you believed him? You think that he would actually tell us the answers we want?"
"He had nothing to gain from not."
"Sure he did. The death of a Charmed One."
Leo watched as the argument between the two started to escalate. "Hey you guys stop it." Leo finally stepped between the tow knowing eventually one would say something they would regret later.
"Stay out of this Leo." Prue glared at him as she took a step towards her sister.
"No! Prue you have to stop thinking that what happened to Phoebe is going to happen to Piper and Piper." he turned to his fiancée, "You have to understand that Prue doesn't want to lose you too. You both are letting your fears of Phoebe control you. What you need to be doing is working as a team to figure this out. And going out two or three times a night to vanquish every demon in San Francisco isn't going to help you."
"Well it did today Leo. We found a demon that can help us." Prue said as she turned from the kitchen and went to check on Phoebe.
Leo watched as Prue walked out of the kitchen and then turned to Piper, "You ok?"
"Yeah thanks." She leaned against him as she felt his arms wrap around her, protecting her for that one moment.
"What happen out there?" he waited for her to speak giving her the support she needed.
Piper closed her eyes as she looked back on the last few hours.
Piper walked in the attic as Prue was filling a few potion bottles, "Prue?"
"I think I found a demon that can help us Piper."
"Prue. We've being going after demons that can 'help' us for the last few days."
Prue looked up at Piper not really sure she had heard her right, "Piper I just want to find an antidote."
"So Do I Prue but not by going after two or three demons ever days. It's been five days already." Piper took a deep breath, "She's asking for you."
Prue looked at Piper as she placed the last stopped in the last bottle. Placing it on the table she walked past Piper and towards Phoebes room. The last few days all it seemed was Piper and her arguing about everything. She remembered the days when they were so close.
"Hey sweetie." Prue sat down beside Phoebe and ran her hand through her hair, "How you doing?"
"Shitty." She looked up at Prue, "You and Piper still fighting?"
Prue felt a pang of guilt. Her was her little sister dying and she was worried about them, "We're all right honey."
Phoebe snuggled against Prue almost knowing that she was leaving again, "You going after another demon aren't you?"
Prue closed her eyes and took in a deep breath, "Yes."
"Prue don't do this. You and Piper never fight. I want you guys here with me. Now more then ever."
Prue tightened her grip on her baby sister, "I don't want to sweetie. But I have to find an antidote. I won't lose you again."
Phoebe leaned against Prue, "You never lost me Prue even when I was in NYC and I know that's what you are thinking. I always kept you close to me." She tilted her head back looking at Prue, "I always will."
Prue reached over and took the wet cloth from the basin and wiped away the beads of sweat from Phoebes face, "I love you."
"I love you too." Prue leaned down and placed a kiss on Phoebes forehead as she felt her sister drift off to sleep.
Prue got off the bed gently and turned to leave the room to find Piper standing there.
"You ready?" Piper asked as she looked down at her sleeping sister.
"Piper we…."
"Yes we do Prue. We both know we wont let this go till we find an answer. And as you showed me in the book. Someone in our family all those years ago knew that we would find it. We have to…." she cast her eyes towards Phoebe.
Prue turned over her shoulder and saw what Piper meant. "Lets do this then."
How long was the battle? No one side getting the upper hand.
Prue finally got the opening she wanted as she flung her powers out towards the demon they were fighting. At the same time Piper jumped up and froze him.
Prue looked across the cavern at her sister, "You're gonna do that head thing aren't you?" she gave Piper a smile as Piper flicked her wrist enough to get the demons head to unfreeze. "I think you are liking that to much Piper."
"Yeah well if you got it use it." Piper stepped up to the demon she had frozen in mid air.
The demon tossed his head back and forth trying to see what was going on. "Witches."
"Yeah that's us we all ready know that what we want to know is where is the cure for our sister." Prue asked as she stood beside him.
He laughed at them, actually laughed, "You cant save her. She is as good as dead and when she dies so does the power of three?"
Prue took a step forward. "Tell us what we won't to know or we will make your vanquish very painful."
He looked at her and smiled. "Are you sure you want to know. After all your own sister vanquished any chance of saving herself."
Piper looked from Prue to the demon, "What?"
"TRAITOR!"
Prue and Piper spun around quickly to see another demon enter the cavern. A demon they knew.
Piper felt her freeze wear off and the demon they had been speaking with went sailing across the cavern.
As one demon reacted the other countered as energy balls and fireballs flew everywhere.
Prue saw one thing that they all didn't and quickly grabbed Piper and almost threw her behind cover.
Looking up they saw the goo of the demon that interrupted them everywhere and the one they had been questioning standing there almost smug
"The only demon that can get you the antidote is dead. By her your sisters hand. The only one that can save your sister was Belthazor." He shimmered out before any of them could even react.
Prue stood there in shock as Pier did the same.
"Prue we have to …."
"NO!" Prue turned to Piper not wanting her to even finish the sentence.
"Prue we have to…"
"No we don't Piper. We will figure this out." Prue saw red and was determined.
"Prue….."
Prue felt her anger inside start, "I will NOT work with Cole Piper. He's a demon one that tried to kill us more then I can even count. One that it is out of our lives for good. One that if I see him again. I will vanquish him like she was supposed to."
Piper wiped away her tears as she stayed in Leo's arms. "I don't know what to do Leo. He has the answers to save her. But we all know we can't go to him."