Hi, here is another chapter and I am so glad to be able to get it for you. I hope that you like this chapter and I will do my best to bring you the next one. We are now in the end run of this story with only ten more chapters left.

Disclaimers-Nothing here is mine just playing around with the wonderful characters.

Please Read and Review and let me know what you think.

And yeah, some events change in this chapter and I hope that you enjoy that. I really did want to make it us against THEM with the sisters and the elders because I really felt Piper's fury with them in 3x03 and I really did think that the sister's could have been a bit more supportive so this was my take on that.

Before And After

Chapter 14-Pink Clouds

Piper and Leo's wedding is derailed forcing the bride to go on strike and her sisters to wonder if they should follow as the lines between what the Charmed One's will do for THEM are drawn. And then as Halloween comes around the sister's confront the old and the new generations as Andy and Daryl help Leo battle demons.

The secret wedding that took place between Piper and Leo was almost over with when THEY interfered. They took Leo, took Piper's heart with them and took what last of the good will that the Charmed One's had. Prue and Piper had debated it—Phoebe would have struggled with the entirety of it but between the two of them, the pregnant witch and the broken hearted one they had said that they were done. No more demons, no more fighting. Done…

Phoebe when she had heard about this plan had not been too impressed.

"But what about the innocent lives we are suppose to save?" she would ask whenever she wanted to research demon activity or look for a monster.

This week it was fairies and trolls and a little girl called Kate and Piper whose temper was on a short thread with each and every day she heard nothing from Leo threw down her magazine, stalked from the room and said that she was going to the club.

Phoebe turned to Prue.

"We have to be firm on this Phoebe. We need THEM to understand that there are consequences from meddling in our private lives. We need THEM to understand that we have the right to make our choices, our own choices, love who we love and live our lives. We are not vessels to be knocked around for whatever demon that we have to fight this week. There has to be some balance."

"And if a few eggs have to be broken what does it matter as long as the omelette is made?"

Prue stared.

"I don't think that is how the saying goes at all Phoebe."

"Doesn't matter, it's still the same principle. We are still saying it's ok to sacrifice Kate if we don't get Leo back. We are saying that the Charmed One's don't exist and that the balance has been overthrown and…is that something we really want to mess around with?"

Prue could see it. Hell she could agree with it and a part of her did, deep down wonder if maybe they were pushing the boundaries a bit far. But then…the other part of her remembered rocking her sister asleep that night as she screamed and cried over a ruined wedding dress that she had never really realised until that moment how much she had wanted to put on.

"We need to do this for Piper. And…and I think we need to do it for ourselves. What happens if you meet someone, fall madly in love with him and THEY decide that he's not the right man for you? And THEY ship him off somewhere or God only knows what else? What then?"

Phoebe's eyes rested on the phone and Prue knew her sister was thinking about Cole Turner, the mortal ADA who sent her sister's pulse skyrocketing whenever he was in the nearby vicinity.

And that was when Prue knew that Phoebe however much she hated it would back them for as long as she was able.

Which was two days.

Then they had to save a kid.

But the good news was they got Leo back. It was as if the delay had given THEM some time to think.

And they had clearly decided life was easier if they let the Charmed One's do what they wanted and what they wanted to do was to fall in love, be with the people that they loved and live happily ever after just as much as the next single man and woman in San Francisco.

So perhaps the line in the sand being turned into stone was a good thing.

Hopefully they never had to resort to such drastic measures again.

And at least the haunted, deadened look had left her sister's eyes for good this time as well.

Of course that meant for the next few weeks they had to be on their best behaviour and Prue who was almost out of the mourning sickness stage (which should be renamed all day, everyday sickness thank you very much) was confronted on Halloween with the age old problem of what every pregnant woman (at least the ones who tended not to wear bras for the past six or seven months) faced.

Something to celebrate, and despite a closet full of clothes, nothing to wear.

In the end she decided on a butterfly witch thing that included a lot of dark lace, body glitter and butterflies that were stuck on. Andy who had decided to make the most of the fact that next Halloween they would probably be stuck with a newborn and he and Daryl had decided that they were going in their old rookie uniforms which both of them were delighted that after ten years and only three funeral wears they could still fit in. Leo utterly in love and completely enamoured with the thought of dressing like they were rookies again had found his old world war two uniform and had been delighted that it still fit too right down to the medals that he had spent a week polishing and then decided were too valuable to take into a nightclub.

Prue knew that Daryl knew that something was…odd…with Daryl. She also suspected that he was still clinging to his standpoint that nothing he didn't know wouldn't hurt him though how long he could cling to that window ledge she didn't know.

Daryl looked like he didn't know either.

Andy caught her eye and grinned.

"You know next year, we will have a kid in one of those adorable little pumpkin suits"

"Aww"

"Phoebe!"

"Aww come on Prue it's such a cute idea. I really like it. We could dress him up as a good male witch and go as a family…or a little cop or…"

Prue was saved from dealing with Phoebe gushing over the baby that she had not even seen yet (other than the fact that he was a teenager) by a portal opening up in their living room and sucking the Charmed Ones through it leaving Andy, Daryl and Leo speechless in shock.

Such was the life that they lead.

Arriving back in time to a part of history where if you had magic the average life expectancy was fifteen minutes and then realising that you had arrived in the middle of a witch hunt and then promptly being kidnapped by…someone was not the best way to spend an afternoon and even though Prue should be used to it by now she really wasn't. She was pregnant, she was aching and she was in dire need of salted popcorn. Like in dire…dire need of it.

Like sell Andy to the demons in order to get it kind of thing.

Well not really but it was pretty damn close.

And she didn't think that…wherever they were would have copious amounts of hot buttery salted popcorn that she could scoff in her dress that was now rather uncomfortable cutting into her hips.

The blue eyed man that saved them didn't help either. Prue who had been heart and soul for Andy since she had been sixteen (if she was being honest with herself) had not had not really thought of any other man or even noticed them looking. The last man she had noticed was Jack and that was more out of annoyance rather than flattery. The fact that she could still get that soul searching look at three and a half months pregnant was rather touching and more than a little flattering.

You know…before the whole kidnapping, you don't have powers (again) and the fact of the matter is that you have to save a baby before the end of the night kind of thing.

This had become par for the course.

And how sad was it that she was comfortable with saying that?

"So let me get this straight" Andy said ramming the dresser in front of the door to the attic.

"A portal opened up. THEY wont tell you about it and now demons are coming!"

"God I miss when Halloween was all about beer and chocolate" Daryl moaned.

Leo had filled them in on what was happening but he had only gotten so far when the door to the manner had been thrown open (again shattering the already battered hinges) and the…the…the things had come in.

Andy knew that was not the proper word for them but that was what he had called them. It was the only thing he could call them. For weeks after the whole revelation that Prue was a witch when she had saved his life saving him from those…things…he had tried his best to forget them. Learning that they were demons was hard enough but when he had asked just what they did and he had learnt he had found that his stomach had rolled so sharply he was almost back to his rookie days when he had caught his first floater and he had seen death for the first time.

That night, the first night, after he had known he had drank himself sick and then the second night he had sat up waiting to see if anyone or anything (which he had learnt by then was an important distinction) was coming after him.

By the third day he was back and work and able to keep his mind on the job.

But those white skinned things…they had kept him up for a long time and even now as Daryl loaded his gun he knew it was going to be useless.

"Yes. We can only hope they do what they have to do and get back in time. I can hold them off—"

"So what are you?"

"I'm a whitelighter. I…let's just say I'm a guardian angel"

Daryl rolled his eyes so hard that Andy was sure for one second that they were going to stay back in his head and never come out. Which…considering what the demons outside the door did was actually not the worst idea in the world.

"So let me get this straight—you actually are a World War—"

"Yeah" Leo beamed even as the door threatened to give way. "I was killed in action in the Pacific but then it was decided I did some good there so I came back as this…and it's good you know. It's still helping people."

"Huh—well thank you for your service"

"And you for yours"

"Sorry to break up this touching moment" Andy snarled as Daryl and Leo shook hands.

"But could you please help me barricade this door!"

Christ he hoped that Prue would come back soon.

Over the years, witchcraft had been taken down and hacked into little pieces, Prue decided.

They had managed to snag Charlotte, a teenager almost who was heavily pregnant and heavily in labour and know they were in an alter in the dark woods of some far away time and struggling to fend off bullets with apples, some herbs and a broomstick.

If you'd have told her this morning that, that was what she had been doing she would have laughed.

Actually she had probably gone and worn something a hell of a lot more comfortable—whoever decided corsets were a good thing was going to the depths of hell to suffer for all eternity—and yet…

There was something about the knowledge that they had lost. The community that had been hunted and ridiculed and even now was considered to be quacks. The rituals that had faded over the passing of time until they had gone from history. The simple beauty of belief.

It made Prue fall even more in love with Wicca. Despite the fact that being a witch was a burden sometimes she had never really considered the fact that there was something beyond having powers. That there had been a community of woman coming together and helping each other out. A bond that despite superstition and hatred and fire had survived. Ava and her family might be living underground but they were living and that to them was enough. They were strong, powerful women who were confident in themselves and their abilities and they knew that even if their mortal lives were at risk they would carry on safe in the knowledge that their belief was right.

It was such a shame that, that confidence had been diluted over the years until it was nothing. That strong powerful woman, strong powerful witches were reduced to looking terrifying one night of the year or sexy.

A bullet whizzed past her ear and she jumped her hand coming to her belly. Piper had bent to deliver the baby looking as if she'd rather be doing anything else and Phoebe caught her eye.

"Take a good look Prue. Cause in six months…that's gonna be you"

Prue did look. She couldn't help herself and there was a part of her that wondered weather or not childbirth was overexaggerated in movies and she was not happy to realise that it wasn't.

It was…messy…painful…and…just…

Maybe she'd just ask the doctor to knock her out.

Phoebe grabbed the broomstick with a look in her eye that Prue had seen before a belly button ring, a tattoo, the loss of her virginity, a shoe collection that would make someone weep and a trip to New York that had turned out to involve living there for a year.

"What are you doing?"

"Embracing the cliché"

Oh God.

And as God was her witness her little sister got onto the broomstick and started flying.

Huh.

"Well that's something you don't see every day" Piper chimed in. "Oh and by the way it's a girl"

They managed to get back to the coven just with five minutes to go. Charlotte and her baby were relieved, Ava was thrilled and yet for some reason they still could not go home and Prue did not know why.

She was just passing Charlotte a blanket when the baby's hand came out and grazed her own stomach. It was just a fingertip over the bump, a baby waving it's arm out of it's blanket but it felt like there was something to it, something reaching for the life that was slowly forming inside of her and she paused.

"Life welcoming new life" Charlotte said dreamily.

"What?"

"Nothing just…just came to me"

Huh. Prue looked at her. She looked battered and bruised and yet alive in a way that she had never seen another person look and she couldn't help but wonder if she would look like that.

"I will tell my daughter about you. About the three powerful witches that saw her into this world. And we will always be grateful. Won't we Melinda"

What the—?

"Melinda"

"Huh?"

"Melinda Warren"

Prue caught her sister' s eye. Finally it made sense. All the pieces of the puzzle were coming together and she grinned. So that was why they were here.

But as soon as she thought it she felt her smile drop. The Triad had sent a demon back in time to wipe out their entire line.

This was serious.

But before she could get over that or hear the rest of what Phoebe was saying the portal had opened up again and they were back in the manner just in time to save the people that they loved from demons.

Again.

They went to the club. Cole Turner showed up wearing an angel suit that was perhaps the most funniest and the most bizarre thing that Prue had ever seen—she really, really didn't know what it was about that man that set her instincts on fire but he did.

He really did.

Andy was next to her and she knew that she should be relaxed but she wasn't. Excusing herself to go to the bathroom for what felt like the eight hundredth time she ran a hand along the hard surface of her stomach where the bump was just beginning to from.

They had come for her ancestor. They were coming for her sister. They were going to come for her baby.

"Don't worry" she said speaking to the baby (something she would have found annoying in anyone else)

"I will never let anyone hurt you"

And that was a promise that she could keep and would keep.

Always.

And there you go. I hope you enjoy and I will do my best to bring you the next chapter as soon as I can. As always thank you for your reviews. We have ten chapters left so please stay tuned!

Next Chapter-Prue is haunted by a stalker that she ignores as Andy tries to protect her and his baby. Motherhood comes crashing down on Pure when she is in danger leading to some feelings coming to light.