Piper felt the cool cloth on her forehead as she tried to get her thoughts in order. Had she lost one of her sisters? Was that what the Ranger had said? That one of them was dead? She sat up slowly as she pulled the cloth from her head.

"Hey your up." Came the gentle voice as she looked up and saw the concern of her big brother.

"Hey Andy." she pushed herself up from the couch and sat looking at him.

"Hi yourself. You feel any better?"

"No. Did he really say?" She couldn't even bring herself to say it. That one of them was dead.

Andy leaned over and drew Piper into a brotherly hug. Even he didn't want to admit what he had heard. But what was almost as hard, or maybe even harder was which one? The unknown "Piper maybe we should go out to the rescue base. Be there when they come back." Andy suggested hoping that it would ease her mind somewhat.

Piper leaned against him drawing in on his strength; "I don't know Andy."

"Piper it might be easier then sitting around here waiting for news." He added thought not wanting to push her.

Piper sat a bit longer when she heard the door open. Looking up she saw Leo standing there. Getting up she went to him as she nearly crumbled in his arms.

After a few moments she sucked in a breath and told him what had happened. Though even he knew that something was just not right. Even he could sense both sisters, though they were getting weaker. One faster then the other. It frustrated him that he could not help. Even now as he heard Phoebes cry for help to him.

Each time he heard her call for him he knew he couldn't do anything. Why was he meant to hear them if there was nothing he could do? It was times like this that he hated their rules.

They had all talked about what they should consider doing as Piper leaned in against Leo.

"I think we should go. But it's your decision Piper. You know we will both support you no matter what." Andy told her though in his heart he wanted to be in the thick of it, trying to find Prue and Phoebe.

Piper stayed in Leo's arms a bit longer before taking in a deep breath. "Ok." Was all she said as she stepped away from him and started for the front door.

She felt the pressure around her abdomen, and the brush of the water on her skin. At first she panicked when she remembered what happened, and the pain in her ankle was worse then before, but she knew that Phoebe had some how found her in the water. "Phoebe?"

"Ssshhh Prue relax. We're almost there." Phoebe said through haggard breath, as she took another stroke for the shore.

As they reached the shallower waters Phoebe helped Prue hobbled to the waters edge before she collapsed with exhaustion.

Prue lay in the sand beside her sister as she regained her own control. She could her Phoebe beside her and the sound of her breath did not ease her fears any less. Her sister needed proper oxygen. Not to be kept running through more smoke filled forest. But as she sat there she felt an unfamiliar pain on her leg. And then another on her back. She sat up and pulled up her pant leg. "SHIT!"

Phoebe sat up quickly as she heard Prue swear, but when she saw why she stated to panic. "Prue. Get it off." As Phoebe spun around to her knees as Prue grabbed it and threw it back in the water though leaving a mark on her leg.

"Phoebes there's more" as Prue lifted off her shirt only to reveal three more on her back and another two on her stomach.

Phoebe grabbed the three on her sisters back and flung them away, as Prue took care of the two on her front.

"Phoebe take off your shirt." Prue ordered as she grabbed her sisters' shirt and pulled it over her head.

"Augh Prue, get them off me!" Phoebe panicked, as she watched the leeches sucking the blood from her. She felt the sting on her back as Prue pulled each one off, then she felt the sting of one of them sucking her blood, as she quickly stood up and pulled off her pants to reveal two more on her upper thigh.

"I think we got them all." Prue finally said as Phoebe lay back down in the sand. "You ok?"

"NO! I've been caught in a forest fire, I thought my big sister died, I have more smoke in my lungs then the Cigarette Smoking Man on the X-Files, I as in a car accident and now I have loss of blood from bloodsuckers from the deep. And you sit there and ask me if I'm ok?" Phoebe let everything out in one breath as she felt Prues arms wrap around her, pulling her in a tight embrace.

Prue didn't even day a word as she just held Phoebe in her arms, as she felt her sister give in to their situation.

"I'm scared Prue." Phoebes voice was a soft whisper.

"I know honey. So am I. Look why don't we just stay here. The fire doesn't seem to have reach down here yet. We can get some rest until help comes. Piper and Andy have probably told them where we are. When they notice the cabin, they have to send help for us."

Phoebe rested against Prue as she let out another round of coughing, as Prue looked down worried.

"You let go." Phoebe said quietly, her throat sore from her little rant and the smoke.

"Excuse me."

"Why did you let go when we jumped?" Phoebe asked quietly.

"I got scared. I wasn't sure what to expect when we hit the water and I panicked."

"When you let go I wasn't sure what to think. I thought you didn't trust me." She said quieter then before. To the point Prue almost didn't hear it.

Prue looked down and brushed Phoebes hair back over the top of her head, "I've always trusted you Phoebe. I know I don't let you know it at times but I do. I trust your judgement when it comes to guys. I trust you now with this Wicca heritage you found. You have saved our butts more times then I can even remember with your knowledge on the Book of Shadows." Prue said, as she looked out over the waters they had been in not that long ago. "Even when we were kids growing up I trusted you. I was your big sister and I just always wanted to protect you and in doing so I just pushed you further away. You thought I was mothering you, and I thought you were doing things on purposely to piss me off. But it was just you being you and me being me. And in the end we end up out here fighting to stay alive as a forest fire builds around us."

Phoebe listened to Prues words and knew in the end what the final result was. "And we both put Piper in the middle. Always trying to mend a fence that shouldn't have being broken in the first place." She said quietly

"Phoebe I'm sorry for everything."

"Don't be. You were my mother Prue. I know I pushed you and fought you every step of the way. But you were all I had. When we went back and saw mum. I was over whelmed. Yet you were the one that was truly there for me as much as I wanted to stop her from going and fighting that demon. I couldn't. And the reason that I knew what I wanted was wrong was because of you. You are the one that taught me right and wrong. And every time I did wrong I knew it would upset you. Disappoint you. But I always wanted to also make you proud. But we were both to strong willed."

"Or pigheaded." Prue added

"Or pigheaded," Phoebe agreed, "to see what the other was really trying to do. Prue I love the fact that you were my mum. And I'm the one that is sorry for pushing you to the breaking point all those years."

They sat there a while longer no one saying anything else. Everything had been said and the salt in the old wounds cleared.

"So I guess Pipers idea worked. Send us up here to work everything out." Prue finally broke the silence as she tightened her grip on Phoebe.

"Hmm, was it Piper or the forest fire and that we're still in danger."

"Hmm good point. But let's go with Piper. After all it was her idea to send us up here."

"Ok. But next time she suggests this. I'm telling her that Leo and her can go." Phoebe said as she nestled into the warm embrace of Prue as she coughed again still trying to get the smoke from her lungs.

They cuddled together against the night air as they slept restlessly. Phoebe waking up coughing as Prue would comfort her. And then getting her back to sleep. But even then Prue would lay awake longer before succumbing to her own weariness.

"Still nothing boss."

"Look we have to keep looking, the fire isn't getting smaller."

"No but the wind is moving it. I'm not giving up on them. I have feeling that they are both still alive."

"What about what you saw?"

"I think it was an animal trophy from hunting. I went back and looked again. It was too small for a human. Even a woman." He said, "They are out there somewhere, and we have to get to them before this fire does." He said with determination.

--- ----

The sun broke through the smoke as they felt the rush of air entering through the chopper, as they lifted off for another day of searching.

"Any ideas where you want to start?" the pilot turned and asked the man in charge

"Yeah. Head a bit more to the Northeast. There are mountain caverns and lakes they could settle down near." He said as he looked down into the fires below.

At each pass they all looked down for any sign, thought still coming up empty.

Prue woke first at the sound of crackling flames near by. As she looked up she saw that the forest before them was filled with flames and smoke. They had eluded the fires all night, but now it was once again on top of them.

"Phoebe." She gently woke her sister though not really sure which way to go.

Phoebe woke and soon saw what had gotten Prue to wake her so quickly. The fire before them was blocking off their one way out of the forest. Now they had two choices. They could try and navigate their way through the burning forest. Or they could go back into the leech filled waters