Hi, so here is another chapter and I hope you enjoy it. It is a bit shorter than usual but it does include a flashback to High School for Prue and Andy. I don't know if Daryl and Andy knew each other before they came on the force but in my mind I thought it would be fun if they managed to know each other in High School as well.

Disclaimer-Nothing here is mine just this plot.

Please Read and Review.

And we only have six more chapters left to go!

Before And After

Chapter 18-The Burden Of Our Choices

Andy comes face to face with a rival of Prue's affection as a flashback to High School is revealed. Meanwhile the sister's are devastated by a betrayal from one of their own.

Andy knew of Tom. He had always known of Tom and though he knew enough not to say so in front of Prue when he came home through the door after testifying in a nasty domestic dispute that crossed international borders (in which the woman was one hundred and ten percent guilty) he knew that Tom was a demon waiting to happen…

If such a thing could be.

Could such a thing be?

Could humans such as he, wake up one morning and realise that they could be demons…that immortality was something they could gain with six murders? Was it really that simple? And if it was how many had he and Daryl condemned to the justice system without really appreciating just who and what their enemies had been?

Tom however…Tom was different. Tom was a boy they had once known. In High School he had been the football captain and Prue had been the Head Cheerleader which was a title that in any high school in America would rival the Princess of Wales. The Queen in waiting. No indeed the Queen.

And he…Andy had played football in school for a couple of months but he had quit eventually. He liked to watch the sport not play it after all. He had maintained a 4.0 average and had managed to get offers to quite a few good colleges. But it had all gone tits up when his mother had died and he was aware of that…even though he had been young he had been without a Dad for a long time, he had been fixing himself breakfast, lunch and dinner since he could reach the stove and more to the point he had been hyper aware of the space that came between when an officer was declared dead and when an officer was not.

Thank God for Grams was all that he could say.

He swallowed.

And then…he remembered.

Sat there in the living room a note from Prue…he remembered.

"Heya Prue?"

Oh. It had come out as a question. Off all the things that could happen this had come out as a question and Andy at fifteen could have kicked himself. This was Prue for goodness sake. This was the girl that he had know since she was five and more to the point this was the girl who had known since she was five that she was for greatness.

What did he have to offer a girl such as this?

Nothing compared to the Quarterback.

But it was Prue and even though she was still arm and arm with that stupid boy Tom and she was still the girl he had loved for most of his childhood and still had a huge crush on now.

"Hey Andy" Prue said with a smile. She was wearing her jean jacket today and Andy felt a small stab of pleasure because it was the jean jacket that he had given her for her last birthday—God he really was pathetic. They had lockers next to each other and she reached for her history book.

"Can I ask you something?"

"Sure" he said smiling.

"Can I borrow your English notes. Tom and I went out last night and I didn't get enough chance to study for this test. If I give it a good go over lunch and homeroom then I might just be able to get a passing grade and keep Grams off my back"

"You skipping revision" Andy said passing her the notes. "My my aren't we letting our standards slide?"

Prue rolled her eyes and grinned. Tom dressed in his jersey came out of the classroom into the corridor and she grinned at him. He winked back. Andy hated him which was actually really unfair because Tom was one of those football players that was actually human. He was nice to everyone, was genuinely helpful when he could be and didn't abuse his power when it came to the kids that the rest of the jocks thought were…wired or nerdy or whatever it was that gave kids with power that excuse. Tom caught his eye and they nodded. Andy was not on the football team but he was popular enough to be nodded at which was…something for the average fifteen year old.

"You coming over for dinner tonight?" Prue asked as she gathered her books for her next lesson.

"You sure your Grams doesn't mind?"

"What feeding you? Don't be silly she's thrilled. She's talking about making lasagne as well"

"Will Piper be helping?"

"She always does"

"Then yes, your Grams is brilliant cooking that and Piper tends to do wonderful cheesy garlic bread. Besides…be nice for Dad to have something hot when he gets in. You think she'll mind—"

"Andy has she ever minded boxing up two portions of the same meal for your Dad?"

"No but I don't want her to keep giving food away unless she has too"

"Well she has to but—"

"Heya Prue, Hey Andy"

Tom again. Ugh. Apparently he had tired of waiting for him and Prue to finish their perfectly lovely conversation and he had decided to come over.

"Hey Tom. Good game last week"

It was as well. Andy didn't have to be a dickhead to the boy. He was a good football player and an all round nice human being. It was just a pity that he was dating Prue. Otherwise Andy might genuinely like him.

"Thanks Andy, tough one as well but soon the college scouts will come looking. Prue are you ready?"

"Oh yeah sure—see you around Andy"

And with that she was gone.

Andy slammed his locker shut and leaned against it and sighed his books to his chest and looking like some kind of lovesick teen in an MTV video which to be fair he kinda was.

"Mr Trudeau?"

He raised an eyebrow and then jumped.

"Sorry Miss Adamson"

His Math teacher smiled at him. Andy liked Miss Adamson despite the subject that she taught. She was one of the genuine good ones that tried to help and tried to make sure that everyone got what the point of algebra was and that in Andy's opinion made her rather good.

"That's alright, I was just wondering if I could get your help. You see we have a new student starting today and I was wondering if you could show him round. He'll start properly next week but if he can sit in a couple of classes with you that would be great"

"Sure"

Miss Adamson nodded and she turned to introduce them and Andy saw the student next to her. He was tall and dark skinned and looked like he should be a football player but his face was too kind for it. He smiled nervously.

"Andrew Trudeau, this is Daryl Morris, he's just transferred here"

"It's Andy" he said sticking out his hand and with a smile Daryl took it.

"Cool man, it's just Daryl"

With another smile the teacher left.

"Where's the next class?"

"It's…physics…"

"Come on I'll show you around"

As he did he caught sight of Prue and Tom kissing and he sighed. Daryl caught him looking and raised one eyebrow.

"Ah. You've got it bad my friend"

Andy rolled his eyes but didn't correct him.

"Come on, I'll show you the science building"

That as they said was the beginning of their history together. By the end of the semester Prue and Tom had broken up, he'd had a knee injury in the last game and he had isolated himself from anyone and everyone for a while. By the end of the year they had been dancing around being together and when they went back to school for their next year they had been together. They had done three years before college and the police force and everything and anything else got in the way. Those crazy days when they had been teenagers were over. They were just memories and yet they had not known it then but those were the best memories and the best days of their lives.

He wanted his son to have that. The easy days of school and homework and girls and even boys if that was what he wanted. He wanted to come home to a house that was warm and tuck him into bed and watch the eyelashes flutter against his cheeks.

Andy had been at work. Between the two of them there was an understanding that Tom had to be a problem that Prue solved and Prue alone. She would tell him what she had done in her own good time he knew and he also knew her to never do anything that would put the baby at risk. Now they were at a point where every demon, warlock, zombie maniac knew that she was pregnant and even though she had not been directly targeted yet there was always going to be a demon that would try.

But he also knew that Prue could protect herself and so when she came in through the door that night and crawled into bed without saying a word he knew something was wrong.

It did not take him too long to find out what it was.

Phoebe couldn't even look at her. Piper seemed to be torn and Prue was so tired she just didn't want to get out of bed.

Cole was alive.

It wasn't that Phoebe couldn't kill him. Prue could understand that. She could have done it. Piper could have done it. Would it have been nice to have the Power of Three standing together yes but the spell didn't need the Power of Three it needed a witch to do it.

She could have vanquished Cole. But the reality was Phoebe had saved him. She had let him go…

So the demon that had intimate knowledge of them, how they worked and how they operated. He had been in the house, he had met Andy he had even commented on the fact that she was pregnant. He had been there from the very beginning and despite the fact that Phoebe was so sure that he wasn't coming back…that he wasn't going to hurt them but her optimism was not just annoying it was downright dangerous…

And she had lied to them.

They had made a promise the night that Cole had tried to rip them apart that they would be honest with each other. They had made a promise her and Phoebe when they had become witches that they would work together, an acknowledgement that they would try and move on from their issues in the past. It wasn't even Roger that had been the problem. Her and Phoebe had always had problems going back to when they were kids. It had been a clash of wills always underpinning their love for each other.

And Phoebe less than a week later had lied to them about something as serious as weather or not they lived or died.

And it was not Cole that got to her. She should start looking to find him but she couldn't

Andy had said nothing when she had told him other than to tell her not to worry too much. The thing with Tom had shaken him she could see him in his eyes and now there was another threat out there for them and their son. And it was never going to end. He had always known that but she thought that perhaps he had realised it again today.

Next to her Andy was awake. He too was not bothering to get out of bed and his hand steeled across to find her belly. She interlocked their fingers together but kept her eyes closed.

Cole was going to come back. She knew he was. Even Phoebe knew that he was going to come back despite the fact that she kept saying it was over between them and that she had no feelings left for him. Prue knew her sister…she still loved him. It was the reason she had let him go. Besides…it was written all over her face and in her body language how much she ached with the longing to be with him.

She had been like that with Andy. She still was.

She hoped that, that would never go away. That feeling she'd had since she was sixteen.

She'd never had that with Tom.

But that didn't change anything. At least nothing to do with Cole Turner or whatever his real name was.

And Phoebe was going to find a way to save him even if he didn't want to be saved.

It would be messy and painful and dangerous and there was nothing that Prue could do to stop it but it was going to happen.

"Don't think" Andy said into her hair. "It was her choice and it's her burden to carry that choice. So don't worry yourself about it. What will come will come and you and I will face it head on together like we always do"

Prue nodded. But she wondered honestly if he believed the words that he was saying.

She wanted to believe them.

But she didn't.

"I love you" she said into the silence.

"I love you too" Andy said into her hair. "And I will never let anything hurt you or our baby boy"

Prue gripped his hand back tightly. She didn't need to say anything. She knew that he understood without her having to say anything.

She was right.

Cole came back within the week.

She just didn't know it yet.

And there you go, I hope you like this chapter and I will do my best to bring you the next one sooner rather than later.

Next Chapter-Prue and Andy deal with Cole's return and Piper's wedding. Also the return of a couple of ghosts who help sort a few feelings out.