Chapter Twenty-Five: Gone For Good

Paris' head ached. It was throbbing; thumping, as if she'd been hit with a brick or a shovel, or maybe a baseball bat. "Paris, I thought I told you I didn't want to see any of you yet?" Paris somehow managed to peel open her eyes at the slightly familiar voice in the distance.

"Prue?" she murmured, sitting up, and wincing as she felt her head spin. Paris glanced around at her surroundings and started to panic – where was she? Why was everything so bright? Where were Piper, Phoebe and Paige? How had she left the cave? Was Cole vanquished, or had they failed? Prue, her dark hair moving as she walked, smiled at her youngest sister.

"What happened to not seeing any of you yet?" she asked with a sad smile.

Paris stared at her and felt her head thumping. She couldn't understand why her head hurt, when Cole had stabbed her in the back. "What is this place?" she asked, although she guessed what the answer was.

Prue sat next to her on the bench she had woken up on. "I think you already know," she said. All of Paris' fears flooded her mind.

"No," Paris begged, shaking her head. "No, I don't want to be dead,"

Her eyes filled with tears and Prue, noticing how upset her sister was, brought her in to a tight hug. Paris rested her head on Prue's shoulder and tried not to cry. "It's going to be okay," Prue promised.

~PO4~

Piper had fallen to her knees in a similar fashion to Paris and was now clutching her youngest sister to her body. "Leo!" Phoebe shouted, as Paige and her joined Piper by Paris' side. Leo orbed in. "Heal her," Phoebe begged, almost crying.

Leo rushed forward, his hands glowing, attempted to heal Paris... nothing happened. "Why isn't it working?" Piper shouted.

"I can't –" Leo started to admit.

"Do not finish that sentence Leo!" Phoebe snapped.

~PO4~

"Is it scary? To die," Paris asked her sister. "I know I technically am already dead, but I haven't... I haven't gone towards the light yet. Did it scare you?" the pair were sitting next to each on the bench now, and no longer hugging.

"Not at all," Prue mumbled. "The hardest part was leaving everyone behind," at these words, Paris let her head fall forward weakly. She didn't want to die – she was 14, she was too young. She still had so much to do in her life – she hadn't even graduated high school yet!

"Do you miss them?" she asked.

"Every day," Prue said softly. Paris looked back at her sister and Prue tucked Paris' hair behind her ear. "Sometimes they get it wrong. Sometimes there are still ways to save you, even if you're already here. As long as you haven't... walked towards the light yet, there's still a chance Piper, Phoebe and Paige can bring you back," Prue assured her.

"Won't you be lonely again?" Paris asked. "If they can save me..." she hoped her sisters were figuring out a way to save her, but didn't want to get her hopes up.

"Sure," Prue shrugged. "I won't have my sisters, but I have other people,"

"Like who?" Paris asked.

"Mom, Grams," Prue listed. "Andy," her eyes darted down to the wedding ring on her finger and she smiled.

"Andy?" Paris teased. "Who's Andy?"

"We were childhood friends and started dating when we were in high school. We broke up when he moved to Portland to become a cop and then he came back to town right around the time the four of us got our powers," Prue explained. "I managed to hide me being a witch from him for a few months but I eventually told him and then he was killed by a demon,"

"Oh. That sucks," Paris replied. "At least you're together now,"

"Yeah," Prue smiled.

"So, my only company will be old people?" she joked.

"Hey, watch it," Prue laughed. She put her arm around Paris' shoulders. "We'll have to go soon, Paris," she said sadly.

"What? No! You have to give them a chance," Paris begged.

"I'm sorry, Paris – there's only a small window where your fate can be reversed and if they don't save you in that window..." Prue started to explain but Paris was shaking her head.

"That's not fair!" she insisted.

"I know it's not fair but I don't make up the rules," Prue replied. Paris began to cry – she had been holding off on it, optimistic that she might not die because of what Prue had told her, and now the seriousness of her situation was starting to sink in.

"I don't want to die!" Paris begged her sister. Prue went to hug her but Paris stood up. "I'm only 14! I'm too young to die!"

"Paris –"

"No! No, I'm not going!" Paris said stubbornly. She began to run off in the opposite direction to the wall of light. Prue stayed put: this section of the afterlife only went on for so long and Paris would eventually be running back towards the bench. She felt awful for being the one to give Paris the information that she was going to die, but at least she could try and comfort her as she moved on.

~PO4~

Leo was still trying to heal Paris. It hadn't been very long, only about 2 minutes, but the three remaining Halliwells were starting to really worry about actually losing their youngest sister. "Guys," Leo started quietly. He lowered his hands.

"No," Paige snapped. "Don't just stop, Leo!"

"She's passed on, Paige," he tried.

"No, she hasn't!" Piper told him. "She can't just be... she can't be gone!" Phoebe, who was the sister holding Paris in her arms, started to cry.

"Come on, kiddo," she begged. "Come on,"

"You have to save her!" Piper said to her husband.

"I can't heal the dead, Piper, I'm sorry," Leo said softly. Piper started to cry now, and Paige shook her head.

"What if I help? And if we hold Paris' hand too – include her power – we might be strong enough," Paige asked the whitelighter. Leo glanced at the Halliwell's desperate expressions and nodded.

"It'll be worth a try," he agreed. Him and Paige clasped hands and then each took a hand of Paris' and then started to heal again.

~PO4~

As Prue had expected, Paris came running back in about 5 minutes. She looked devastated when she noticed Prue still sitting on the bench. Paris stopped dead and looked as though she was about to start crying again.

Prue walked over to her and pulled her into a hug. "It's going to be okay, sweetie," she mumbled.

"I don't want to die," Paris croaked.

"I know you don't," Prue said softly. "I know," she looked down at Paris and saw her fading. Prue's heart leaped – had they saved her just in time? "Paris – how do you feel?"

"What?"

"How do you feel? Do you feel lighter? Do you feel like you're being pulled somewhere?" Prue asked. Paris pulled herself out of Prue's arms and glanced down at her hands, which were starting to fade.

"What's happening to me?" Paris asked, nearly crying.

Prue hugged her again. "They're saving your life," she whispered. "Look after yourself, P – and tell them I said hi,"

"Prue..." she muttered; almost completely faded out now.

"I love you," Prue promised. Before Paris could reply, she completely disappeared out of Prue's arms.

~PO4~

Paris gasped and spluttered breathlessly. She attempted to sit up but Phoebe's arms were already around her. "Oh my god," Phoebe muttered. Piper wiped her tears away and stared at Paris, who looked deathly pale. Paris' heart was beating fast and she hugged Phoebe back, grateful that she was alive again.

"Are you okay?" Paige asked her softly. Paris nodded ever so slightly, still freaked out about how close to the afterlife she had been – when she had been dead before, that hadn't happened at all.

"What happened to Cole?" Paris asked Phoebe.

"He's gone sweetie. He's gone for good," she replied.

"Let's go home," Piper added.

A/N: And that's the end of the story - 2.5 years, nearly 20,000 words and 25 chapters. There will be a sequel soon, called Returned, which will start at the beginning of canon season 5 but won't follow any of the plot points in that, apart from Piper's pregnancy and (possibly) Cole's return.