Chapter 14: Just Harried Part 2
Buffy lifted Prue off the floor and laid her on the couch in the living room. Everyone else gathered around as Phoebe tried to wake her sister.
Dawn stopped her. "Aunt Phoebe, I tried that before the wedding when I found her asleep. She won't wake unless she wants to."
"Dawn's right," agreed Patty. "A part of Prue wanted to escape and it used her astral self to do it."
"What is she wanting to escape from?" Buffy asked. "Please tell me that Dawn and I didn't add to the stress and pushed her over the edge."
"I don't think we can," admitted Phoebe with a sigh.
"That said," Patty said. "I don't think it was just the two of you, it was likely everything in combination with everything else."
"So how do we get mom and Aunt Piper back?" asked Dawn.
"Maybe Piper's right," Victor commented tiredly. "Maybe the wedding just wasn't meant to be."
"Victor," Patty admonished.
Victor looked at her, no animosity in his gaze. "All I'm saying is that maybe the Gods are trying to spare them the pain that we went through."
Leo shook his head. "No. All I need is what's inside of me to know that Piper and I are meant to be together. What happened here today…"
"Piper and Leo's love has touched us all," Phoebe chimed in, rising to her feet from her crouched position next to Prue. She looked at Cole, and he looked back at her. "We have to fix this."
Darryl's pager beeped. He looked at it, and sighed. "I gotta go fend of the posse."
Victor frowned. "What posse?"
Darryl looked at them, hating what he was going to have to say. "Prue's wanted for murder," he announced, and everyone sans Buffy, Dawn and Phoebe drew back in shock. "I'll stay in touch by cell phone."
He left. Patty was the first to find her voice. "Murder?" she exclaimed.
Leo looked at Buffy, Dawn and Phoebe. Of all of them, they were the only one who didn't seem in the least bit surprised by the inspector's announcement. He glared at them. "You three knew about this?"
"We found out when Inspector Morris told Prue," Dawn defended herself, Phoebe and Buffy.
"But it's obviously a mistake, I mean, Prue wouldn't murder anybody," added Phoebe.
"Never be too sure," said Faith as everyone turned and looked at her. She looked at Buffy and Dawn the only ones besides Prue who knew what she had done. Piper and Phoebe had never been told about the murders she had committed at the behest of the Mayor of Sunnydale. "All it takes is one accidental death."
Cole crossed his arms across his chest. "I think Faith could be right," he said meaningfully. "I mean, Prue's astral form seems to have taken a life of its own. How did you know she didn't do it accidentally?"
"Because I know her," Phoebe replied quietly. But Faith and Cole's reasoning unsettled her. The Prue she'd seen a few minutes had not acted like the Prue she'd known her whole life. "At least, I think I do."
"As much as I don't want to believe it," said Dawn. "I also can't say for sure that mom wouldn't do it either. Especially when like Cole said her astral form has taken on a life of its own."
Leo could stand it no longer. They couldn't afford to sit around any longer, not with Prue's freedom and his and Piper's relationship on the line. "Alright, alright, you guys find Piper, bring her back here somehow," he ordered, pointing to Buffy, Victor and Patty. They nodded, and he continued, "Dawn, Faith, Phoebe, Book of Shadows, see if there's a spell to bring astral Prue back. Cole," Leo turned to face the half-demon, unable to believe what he was about to say. In the mood he was in, the Elders and their rules (particularly the one about working with demons) could go to hell. "You and me are going to do a little investigating of our own."
Cole raised an eyebrow. He never thought he'd see the day when the Whitelighter would demand he work with him. Then again, the circumstances were somewhat extreme. If their positions were reversed, Cole would probably do the same thing. Cole nodded his assent.
Leo clapped his hands together. "Alright, come on you guys, we've got a wedding to save."
Everyone dispersed to carry out their assignments. Buffy, Patty and Victor left to search out Piper, who was probably at the club. Dawn, Faith and Phoebe ran upstairs to the Book, hoping they could find a spell that would work to bring what was essentially a solid spirit back to them. Leo had only to put in a quick call to Darryl to find out which bar the murder had occurred at. Then he looked back at Cole. He still couldn't believe he had actually asked (ordered) their former enemy to work with him, but desperate times called for desperate measures.
"Ready?"
"Ready."
Leo orbed and Cole shimmered and together, the two of them left the Manor. They rematerialized outside the bar's bathroom by a payphone. Cole looked around. Thankfully, no one had witnessed their magical arrival, so they were free to investigate unmolested…for now. He glanced at the bar. Beer, pool tables, scantily-clad women, and San Francisco's toughest bikers… "Interesting place to dream about."
"Especially for Prue." Leo also looked around in distaste.
Hanging out by the bathrooms would do them no good, so they peeled themselves away from the wall and began to walk around. "Based on what Morris said, someone must have knifed the victim after Astral Prue went away," he decided, scanning the rough-and-tumble crowd.
Leo was scanning the crowd, too, and he wasn't liking what he was seeing. "By the looks of this crowd, it could be anybody."
"No, not anybody," Cole corrected, shaking his head. He knew exactly what he was looking for, even if the Whitelighter didn't. He stretched out his demonic senses and explained, "Very few humans have the heart of a true killer. One who kills without prejudice."
Leo looked at him. "How do you know?" he asked, challengingly. Cole was trying so hard to be good, so it would be interesting to hear how he answered the question.
Cole shrugged. "I can always sense it. Before I suppressed my demonic self for Phoebe, I can sense how human killers form inside." There. Several feet in front of him, sitting at the bar. Cole zeroed in on his target. Aside from being a little taller, this man did not stand out from the rest of the grungy crowd around him—to other humans, anyway. But Cole was not fully human, and this man felt different to him. Cole sniffed the air lightly. While nowhere near as strong as it was in his demonic form, his sense of smell was still superior to a human's or a Whitelighter's. And it was offering him a telling clue in the form of the distinctive metallic odor that was wafting from the man's body. "He's here."
"The murderer?" Leo tensed, wanting dearly to spring into action. "You sure?"
"That he's our killer, no," Cole replied honestly, not taking his eyes off his prey. "But he's got fresh blood on his hands. Go update Morris."
0 – 0 – 0 – 0 – 0
At P3 Buffy, Victor and Patty walked down the stairs into the club.
"Just let me do the talking," said Patty looking at Victor. "You always had a way of saying the wrong thing when they were young."
"Wrong, according to you, you never opened to what I had to say because you wanted to raise them as witches..." Victor said as they noticed Piper sitting at one of the tables. "Instead of little girls."
"Hi, Aunt Piper," said Buffy as she, Victor and Patty approached Piper. "We were worried."
"I'm sorry, I let everyone down," said Piper with a sigh.
"Honey, you have nothing to apologize for," said Victor.
"It is a tribute to you and Leo that you made it as far as you did, I think," agreed Patty.
"Yeah, but we didn't make it all the way," Piper replied.
"Not yet," said Buffy.
"Not ever," said Piper. "I mean, I think it's obvious, don't you? Leo and I are just clearly not..."
"Destined to be? Oh, I don't believe that," said Patty.
"Neither do I," agreed Buffy.
"And I don't think that you really believe that either," finished Patty.
Piper sighed as she looked at her parents and her niece. "Don't I? All I have to do is look at you and dad to see where I might end up if I marry Leo. I mean, look at the track record. The Halliwells, both those by blood and those by adoption, we are blessed as witches and we are cursed as women. Sometimes I think we're all destined to end up alone."
"You don't really..." objected Patty. "I mean, just because... Victor."
"You think your mother and I were cursed?" asked Victor.
"You two and Buffy," said Piper. "Don't you?"
"I admit that I had some rough relationships," said Buffy. "But I don't believe I am cursed. If I were I would not have realized who I am and always had been in love with."
"And I," said Victor. "I look back at the days with your mother as the best of my life. I loved your mother; she was the best thing that ever happened to me until the three of you came along."
"But your marriage still didn't last," said Piper.
"Yeah, that hurt," Victor said with a sigh. "A lot. But it was our love that gave birth to you, your sisters, and eventually to Dawn and by way of her to Buffy. Maybe that was my destiny."
"I'm sorry, I just need to be alone," Piper said as she stood and walked away.
"Not bad for a guy who always says the wrong things," said Patty.
"Thanks," said Victor. "I just wish I knew that it helped."
"So do I," agreed Buffy.
0 – 0 – 0 – 0 – 0
"I've just got to know," TJ said as he laid in the grass of the park that he and astral Prue were in. He looked over at her as she sat beside him. "How'd you get away from the cops?"
"You know, I don't really want to talk about that. I mean, I'm here now, that's all that really matters, right?" astral Prue said as she smiled at him.
"Yeah, but for how long?" TJ asked.
"Do you care?" Astral Prue wondered.
TJ shrugged. "Well, I did crash your sister's wedding."
"Yes, you did," Astral Prue agreed.
"And I am harboring you from the cops," TJ added.
Astral Prue smiled. "And I appreciate that," she said appreciatively.
"I may definitely pass for a state behavior –" TJ said with a shake of his head.
"So then why are you still talking?" Astral Prue asked.
"Prue, I don't need much, but I need to know one thing," TJ said as he sat up and looked toward Prue. He was sure he already knew the answer. "Are you going to take off from me again tonight?"
"You know, I hadn't really thought about it," Astral Prue said with a shrug. "I mean, for the first time in my life I'm free, so I'm sort of just living moment to moment. Is that okay?"
TJ nodded. "I'm cool with that."
"Cool with that," Astral Prue said as they leaned into each other and kissed, Suddenly, she felt like she was being pulled as if her body wanted her back like it like it did when she woke up. "Oh, not now."
"What's wrong?" TJ asked as astral Prue jumped up and ran off. "Prue? Prue, where are you going?"
Astral Prue ran into the bushes and grabbed hold of a tree. "No, I'm free. I'm not going back," she said moments before she disappeared.
0 – 0 – 0 – 0 – 0
Back at the manor, Phoebe gave a cry of triumph as she, Dawn and Faith finally located the spell they'd been looking for. The spell was a simple one, made for calling a lost witch regardless of what form she was in. Deciding they wanted to have the upcoming discussion in a relatively comfortable spot, Phoebe went to the kitchen, gathered the items they would need, and then join Dawn and Faith in the living room.
Faith mixed the ingredients and lit the candles.
"Power of the witches rise, course unseen across the skies, come to us who call you near, come to us and settle here, blood to blood, I summon thee, blood to blood, return to me," Dawn and Phoebe chanted.
The result was almost instantaneous. Astral Prue materialized in front of them, arms held in front of her in a circle, as if she'd been clinging to something to keep from being moved. "No!" she was shouting, eyes still squeezed shut in defiance of her new surroundings. "I will not let you take me!"
Well, that was too bad. Prue opened her eyes as Phoebe loudly slammed the book shut.
"Nice spell, huh?" Dawn asked pointedly.
"How dare you?" Astral Prue hissed.
"How dare you, mom?" Dawn tossed right back at her.
Accusingly, Phoebe said, "You destroyed Piper's wedding, along with Piper. Now, Prue, I don't know what's going on with you but you have got to pull yourself together."
Astral Prue glared at Dawn, Faith and Phoebe, not a hint of remorse in her expression. Instead, she snarled, "I am out of here," and began to stride towards the door.
Faith didn't let her get that far, and she grabbed Astral Prue's arm and spun her around to face Phoebe and Dawn.
Astral Prue knew that Faith had strength proportionate to a vampire. She knew that unless Faith released her that she was going nowhere.
"Alright, you know what I am sick of this," Astral Prue cried. She motioned with her head toward her unconscious body that was on the couch. "She is all about duty and obligation. Well, not me. Alright, I want to be free, I want to find love, I want to have a life."
"Well, you have responsibilities, Prue, whether you like it or not," Phoebe said.
"Don't talk to me about being responsible, Phoebe." Astral Prue's scorn was palpable. "You were not being very responsible when you went and fell in love with a demon."
"Mom that was a low blow even for you," said Dawn. "Besides you surely can't stay mad at Aunt Phoebe forever!"
"I'm not mad. Alright, I never was." Astral Prue looked at her body. "She was. I was rooting for you, Phoebe."
Dawn looked at Phoebe confused. "Okay, am I the only one who is confused here?"
"No," said Phoebe.
Astral Prue continued looking at Phoebe and Faith, "You both risked everything for love, just like Piper and Leo. I dream of having that kind of freedom, but instead, I get stuck watching my sisters and my daughter live my dream."
Phoebe looked at Faith confused, how had Faith risked everything for love?
Faith noticed the confused expression that Phoebe had on her face. "There is something Prue, Buffy, Dawn and I haven't told you or Piper."
"Maybe later," said Phoebe as she had an idea of what was going on with Prue, she looked at her older sister. "Wait a minute, you astraled out in a dream when your subconscious takes over."
"So what?" Astral Prue asked.
"So, I just studied this," Phoebe realized. It was so obvious; why hadn't she thought of this before? "It's psych 101. Freud. You're the ID, Prue's inner desires. Which means that she," Phoebe looked at Prue's unconscious form, "is the ego, the control factor."
Astral Prue glared at Unconscious Prue. "Yeah, well, she is one big remote control and she has always got me on pause."
"I think I understand," Phoebe said softly, sinking back down into her chair. Suddenly, it was impossible to be mad at Prue anymore. "The sacrifices that you've made for us over the years…the sacrifices you now make for Buffy and Dawn…they've made you suppress your inner desires."
Faith let Astral Prue go and she sat down beside herself. She jerked her head at herself, "Yeah, well, don't tell me, tell her."
"No, I'm telling you," Phoebe put forth, emphasizing the 'you' part. "Because you are Prue. I mean, you are both two sides of my sister…two sides of Buffy and Dawn's mother. Prue, you have to stop devoting your entire self to the family. It'll tear you apart. Literally." After all, it had already started to.
Prue was subdued for a long moment. Then she looked back up. "Is Piper very mad at me?"
Phoebe laughed a little. "She'll get over it," she assured. Well, Piper would get over it…eventually. "And you know why?" Phoebe didn't wait for an answer. She pressed on, "Because we're okay now, Piper, Buffy and I. We've got passion and purpose in our lives and you gave us that."
"She's right, Prue," agreed Dawn. "You are the reason Buffy has finally found her one true love. If not for you she and I would still be in Sunnydale doing god knows what. You helped Buffy find passion, you gave her a purpose when all she had was grief at being ripped out of Heaven."
Astral Prue looked at Dawn, Faith and Phoebe for a long moment. And then her astral form faded out and her real form opened her eyes. She sat up, and Phoebe smiled at her. "Welcome back."
"Thanks." Prue had never been more grateful. "For everything, both of you." Feeling stiff, she forced herself to her feet. As she did so, she saw the destruction in the next room and Prue's heart fell. She walked over to inspect the damage. All the work they'd done earlier was ruined. "Oh. I cannot believe I wrecked Piper's wedding."
"Only part of you did," Faith said.
"Is it too late to fix it?" Prue asked hopefully. Her question was answered when the lights suddenly went out, and they were plunged into darkness.
Dawn groaned, "Oh, now what?"
And that was when the police came charging through the decimated door, and arrested her older sister for murder.
0 – 0 – 0 – 0 – 0
But Prue would not be in jail for long. As soon as Leo and Darryl came up to him and informed him that Prue had been arrested for murder, Cole got the show on the road. He had been watching the murderer for quite some time now, and had formulated a simple plan of attack. When Darryl had sarcastically suggested asking him, Cole surprised them all by doing exactly that.
Moving like a hunter hunting its prey, Cole abandoned his for-show drink and followed the biker outside. The man was smoking a cigarette, unaware that his life was about to change forever.
"Is that the spot where they found the body?" Cole asked out of the blue to get the man's attention and hopefully rattle him a little. The less he had to show his demonic self, the better.
"Who are you?" the biker wanted to know. He did not answer Cole's question.
Cole shrugged, stepping closer. "I'm here to find out what you know about the murder that took place here last night."
Although the motion was so small that normal human eyes would never catch it, the biker tensed at the mention of the murder, and Cole smirked inwardly. He had his man. Even though he was trying not to show it, to a half-demon such as Cole, the biker's fear was palpable.
"Show me your badge," the biker ordered.
"Oh no, I'm not a cop." If only he knew Cole was a former ADA. Just to see the guy's reaction, he said, "I'm a fortune teller and I predict you're going to give me a confession."
"You're a funny man, huh?" the biker scoffed, trying to hide his nervousness. "Excuse me."
The man went to walk away, but Cole didn't let him. He grabbed the biker's shoulder. In retaliation, the biker managed to shove him off-balance, into the nearest bike. Cole let him; this man was really no match for him, even when he pulled out a knife that reeked of blood as much as he did. Cole was darkly amused. The biker clearly wanted to fight with him (more like kill him), but he had no idea who he was dealing with.
"I guess that's the knife you used on the victim when you found him unconscious, right?" Cole taunted as he easily dodged a knife swing.
The biker snarled, "You want a closer look at it?"
He swung down. Cole easily stopped the blow, effortlessly holding the big man's wrist over his head. Confused and shocked that this smaller man had blocked his blow, the biker pushed down harder. He was no match for Cole's demonic strength.
"One more chance," Cole hissed. "Confess now and talk to the police."
"Or what?" the biker sneered. He immediately wished he hadn't asked the question.
Cole's features shifted, but not into a smirk or a glare. His prey watched in horror as the man in front of him grew to tower over him. Human hair and features disappeared to reveal a most demonic red and black face, complete with terrifyingly pointed teeth. Teeth that were then bared at him in all their demonic glory.
"Or deal with me," Belthazor growled. Just then, Darryl and Leo rushed outside. Leo didn't react to the demon standing in front of him, but Darryl nearly had a heart attack. Never having seen Cole's demonic form before, he fumbled to unholster his gun and point it at the being before him. Leo stopped him from shooting.
Belthazor turned the man to face them. "I think he's ready to talk."
Hesitantly, Darryl stepped forward to take the murderer off his hands. The biker went willingly; he would do anything to get away from the demon who had captured him. Darryl took him into custody with grim pleasure; he just hoped they could salvage Piper's wedding.
Now that their work was done, Cole and Leo had nothing else to do but go back to the manor. Buffy, Faith and Phoebe were sitting on the couch Prue had previously occupied.
Cole smiled as Phoebe got up and ran to him, throwing her arms around him. "Good news?" she breathed.
Cole nodded. "We found him. He confessed."
Phoebe sighed in relief. "Good. There's good news on our end, too. Or semi-good, at least. Buffy, Mom, Dad?"
Buffy, Victor and Patty stepped forward. "We talked to Piper," Patty started. "Convinced her to calm down."
"And I think we got through to her," Victor added. "She just said she needed some time alone to really think things through."
Leo would have liked it if she had come back with them, but he could understand. It had been a trying day. All they had to do was wait.
0 – 0 – 0 – 0 – 0
Two hours later, they were still waiting. Leo glanced at the clock anxiously. 11:54. He ran his hand through his hair, and said, "I don't get it. Prue should be back by now; the police have the killer."
"They might have held her over for escaping custody," Cole suggested.
Victor shuffled anxiously, and he glared around the dark room. "Can we get some light while we're waiting?"
"No, Dad, the police cut the power line," Phoebe patiently reminded him as she lit some candles. Really, that had been unnecessary.
She looked up as the room suddenly glowed softly and Grams appeared. But her appearance did not herald good news. "I'm sorry, Patty," Grams apologized. "They sent me to take you back."
"No, it's not midnight yet, we still have five more minutes," Phoebe protested, going to stand beside her mother as if she could keep her there through force of will alone.
"I should have said something more to convince Piper," Victor chastised himself. Now she wouldn't get to get married with her mother in attendance.
Patty shook her head. "But you said everything," she reassured him. "You were wonderful."
"You were grandpa," agreed Buffy.
At that moment, two of the three people they had been anxiously waiting for walked through the ruined door. Prue returned their stares as she and Darryl made their way into the darkened house. "What, not who you were expecting?" She turned to look behind her. Much to everyone's relief, it was Piper who followed them through the door, looking every bit the hurried, harried bride, she was.
"Okay, what are we waiting for?" the middle Halliwell sister demanded. She walked up to Leo. "Don't look so shocked."
And just like that, the mood in the manor lifted to the heavens as everyone present realized the wedding was back on. The couple whom the day was truly meant to be about led them back to the altar, and Grams once again took her place behind it. Two minutes. Well, it would have to be the fastest handfasting ceremony ever.
Victor, the man who had previously hated all Whitelighters, offered to be Leo's best man now that Piper no longer needed to be walked down the aisle.
"Oh, no, there's no power for music," admitted Phoebe.
Buffy smiling and using the power given to her by the necklace telekinetically made wind chimes chime.
"Alright, is that the best that we can do on the lights?" asked Prue as Leo threw up a cloud of bright orbing lights that lit the room. "That's more like it."
Grams cleared her throat. "We are gathered here today to unite two souls as one. Do you, Leo Wyatt, and Piper Halliwell, join us here of your own free will to acknowledge the eternal bond shared by both of you."
"I do," said Leo and Piper.
"You may face each other, join hands," Grams said as Leo and Piper turned to face each other. "Uh, Leo, you may recite your vows."
"Piper, through all the tears and struggles, I always knew in my heart that we'd make it here," said Leo. "I promise to love and respect you from this point forward as your husband, as my wife, my lover, my friend, and my soul mate. All I am is yours."
"Piper..."
"Leo, you are the best thing that has ever happened to me," Piper said. "I was afraid that you were too good to be true, that maybe I didn't deserve someone so pure and beautiful and loving as you are. But here we are surrounded by the people that I love the most and I feel so proud, and so blessed to be your wife. Leo, I was born to love you and I always will."
"Here before witnesses, Leo and Piper have sworn their vows towards each other. With this cord, I bind them to those vows," Grams said as she telekinetically made a rope loosely tie Piper and Leo's hand together.
"Heart to thee, body to thee, always and forever, so mote it be," said Leo and Piper.
"So, mote it be," everyone echoed as the clock struck twelve.
"Kiss her, fast," said Grams.
Leo did, and the kiss that seared Piper's lips was a kiss that touched them all.
Buffy glanced at Faith and nodded. Today was not the day to do it. But soon she would be proposing to Faith.
Author's Notes: I had debated actually having Buffy propose at the end of Piper and Leo's wedding and then Faith or Buffy asking Grams to marry them right then and there. I think leaving the proposal for later and the wedding even later is better than rushing it now. I do intend though to do both in the next couple episodes before the end of season 3 as I want Prue there for Buffy's wedding.