"We're willing to give you a second chance."
"A second chance? How? What do you mean?" the vague form that was Prue Halliwell's spirit inquired.
"At live," came the reply.
"How?" repeated Prue, "you wanna go and reverse time?"
"No, you will be made alive at the current time."
"But how can that be? Paige's in the picture now, we'd be the power of four."
"No."
"But I'd keep my powers?"
"Yes."
"How can that be?"
There was no reply.
"It's been a year, they moved on… I mean, they found Paige and formed a new trinity; they're doing well."
Still no reply.
"Why won't you answer me!"
"It's your decision."
"I miss them, and life too off course, but… Can I do that to them?" she said, almost begging for an answer, not at all like the person she used to be.
"They lived on the past year, Piper even got pregnant; they do well without me. Can I turn their lives around by reappearing? Isn't it better like this?"
Again, no reply.
"Here there's mom; I missed her so much all my life. And Grams is here too. I kinda like it here; it's peaceful, no demons every day to worry about."
She was quiet for a while, then:
"Why?"
The other form seemed confused.
"Why what?"
"Why now? All this time you forbade me to visit them, you made it impossible for them to summon up my spirit, then why now all of a sudden offer me my life back?"
"Consider it… a gift."
"For what?"
"All you've done in your Charmed existence."
"Still a lousy timing…" she said, not trusting it, "There has to be a catch to it. What's it you're not telling."
The form opposite of her seemed to look guilty; as far as it could do so.
"There is something…"
There was silence for a moment or two.
"What…?" Prue said, suspiciously.
"They will not recognise you, ever."
"So I get to be alive on Earth, in the current time, with my powers and yet I cannot return to my sisters because they won't know it's me? That's what you're saying?"
"Yes, you're appearance will change and, even though you keep your powers, you will be no longer a Charmed One and even though you will remember that they are your sisters, and recognise them when you will see them; they will not recognise you. To them, you will be dead."
Prue's eyes had gone wide open during this little speech.
"But then there's no use of it. Then I'd better stay here and wait to see the day that they can summon me…?"
The form kept silent.
"Will they, eventually, be able to summon me?"
The form hesitated.
"They might," was all it said.
Prue breathed deeply, even though, as a spirit, there was no use.
"I need time to think."
The form nodded slowly and got vaguer as it said: "An hour."
Prue saw it disappear and 'walked' around. Her hand was clutching her hair and rubbing through it as she was wrestling with her thoughts.
When the form reappeared, it seemed like only a few minutes ago he had left. But Prue had calmed down.
"Speak up, it is time," the form said, seeming slightly firmer than before.
"I… I eh…" she inhaled deepy and braced herself, "I decline."
The form seemed taken by surprise.
"Decline…?"
"If my sisters can't recognise me, there's no use for me to go down there. I'd rather stay here and hope the day will come that they can summon me. Because if that day were to come, and I'd be down there living a new life…" Prue shook her head.
"I couldn't bear the thought."
There was silence.
Then the form disappeared without saying anything, accepting her choice.
When it was gone, Prue bit her lip and thought: 'Did I do the right thing?'
"A second chance? How? What do you mean?" the vague form that was Prue Halliwell's spirit inquired.
"At live," came the reply.
"How?" repeated Prue, "you wanna go and reverse time?"
"No, you will be made alive at the current time."
"But how can that be? Paige's in the picture now, we'd be the power of four."
"No."
"But I'd keep my powers?"
"Yes."
"How can that be?"
There was no reply.
"It's been a year, they moved on… I mean, they found Paige and formed a new trinity; they're doing well."
Still no reply.
"Why won't you answer me!"
"It's your decision."
"I miss them, and life too off course, but… Can I do that to them?" she said, almost begging for an answer, not at all like the person she used to be.
"They lived on the past year, Piper even got pregnant; they do well without me. Can I turn their lives around by reappearing? Isn't it better like this?"
Again, no reply.
"Here there's mom; I missed her so much all my life. And Grams is here too. I kinda like it here; it's peaceful, no demons every day to worry about."
She was quiet for a while, then:
"Why?"
The other form seemed confused.
"Why what?"
"Why now? All this time you forbade me to visit them, you made it impossible for them to summon up my spirit, then why now all of a sudden offer me my life back?"
"Consider it… a gift."
"For what?"
"All you've done in your Charmed existence."
"Still a lousy timing…" she said, not trusting it, "There has to be a catch to it. What's it you're not telling."
The form opposite of her seemed to look guilty; as far as it could do so.
"There is something…"
There was silence for a moment or two.
"What…?" Prue said, suspiciously.
"They will not recognise you, ever."
"So I get to be alive on Earth, in the current time, with my powers and yet I cannot return to my sisters because they won't know it's me? That's what you're saying?"
"Yes, you're appearance will change and, even though you keep your powers, you will be no longer a Charmed One and even though you will remember that they are your sisters, and recognise them when you will see them; they will not recognise you. To them, you will be dead."
Prue's eyes had gone wide open during this little speech.
"But then there's no use of it. Then I'd better stay here and wait to see the day that they can summon me…?"
The form kept silent.
"Will they, eventually, be able to summon me?"
The form hesitated.
"They might," was all it said.
Prue breathed deeply, even though, as a spirit, there was no use.
"I need time to think."
The form nodded slowly and got vaguer as it said: "An hour."
Prue saw it disappear and 'walked' around. Her hand was clutching her hair and rubbing through it as she was wrestling with her thoughts.
When the form reappeared, it seemed like only a few minutes ago he had left. But Prue had calmed down.
"Speak up, it is time," the form said, seeming slightly firmer than before.
"I… I eh…" she inhaled deepy and braced herself, "I decline."
The form seemed taken by surprise.
"Decline…?"
"If my sisters can't recognise me, there's no use for me to go down there. I'd rather stay here and hope the day will come that they can summon me. Because if that day were to come, and I'd be down there living a new life…" Prue shook her head.
"I couldn't bear the thought."
There was silence.
Then the form disappeared without saying anything, accepting her choice.
When it was gone, Prue bit her lip and thought: 'Did I do the right thing?'
