Author's Notes: I'm very very sorry for not updating recently; now that spring break is over, I don't have time to update daily. You can count on a more weekly type-thing. Anyways, I got loads of reviews for the last chapter, and I want to give a general thank-you to everyone; it was the thought of you guys that made me sit down and write this tonight. I wrote it on the fly, so to speak, so I apologize if it seems a bit rushed; I confess that I'm having second thoughts about bringing Prue back, because now I don't know what to do with her, or how she'll fit in with the rest. I guess we'll just have to see what happens; just so you know, there will probably only be a few more chapters until this story is concluded. Oh, and as a note because someone mentioned it to me: I meant Cole to be a warlock in the 'boy witch' sense, not the 'vanquishing warlocks' sense. I changed it this chapter to just call him a witch, so it's less confusing.

Lilthunder: To tell you the truth, I really didn't tune in to Charmed early enough to catch much Prue/Andy; however, I will do my best to give you some in later chapters (none in this one, sorry)

Barb: As always, thanks for the well-thought out review. I always like seeing reviews longer than one-liners.

Everyone Else: I would write out more thank-yous, but since there's really nothing specific to comment on, I'll just say once more: you rock for reviewing!! Please please please keep it up!
Chapter 12: Earth Angel Part 2

The figure turned when it heard the group enter the bedroom, and Phoebe felt her breath catch in her throat. The face staring at her looked exactly like her eldest sister, Prue. But that wasn't possible, was it? After all, Prue had died over a year ago.

"You shape-shifting bastard! It's not enough that you want my baby; now you want to pretend to be my sister?!?" Piper's exclamation caused Prue to turn back to her; the Charmed One's hands were visibly shaking, and her face had gone completely pale. Piper had been the one who was hit the hardest by her older sister's death; it had taken her a long time to accept that Prue was dead, and even longer to move on.

"Piper, it's me. It's Prue." The new Whitelighter took a step forward. She hadn't expected it to be like this; her sisters were supposed to welcome her with open arms, not stare at her like she was some kind of demonic underling.

"Don't you DARE claim to be Prue! I saw her die; I held her body in my arms. You are not my sister!!!" Piper's words were a hoarse scream, and she gestured violently with her hands at the figure. She could not believe that a demon would stoop so low as to pretend to be Prue, and she wasn't going to let the scum get away with it.

The figure blew up, and Wyatt started crying loudly. Piper leaned back into the wall, trying desperately to muffle her sobs. Leo started to open his mouth to say something, but at that point blue orbs came together once more, and reforming Prue. Piper had her head in her hands, so she didn't see what happened, but the rest of the group did.

Cole was staring at Prue in disbelief; he watched as Phoebe took a step forward, questioningly. When Prue smiled cautiously at her, the Charmed One flung herself at her oldest sister. "Prue! Oh my God, it is you!"

Prue was smiling more earnestly now, relieved that at least one sister didn't doubt her. She hugged Phoebe back, glad to be able to embrace her sister after so long. "Yes, it's me Pheebs. Who else did you think I'd be?"

Leo had gone over to stand by Piper, holding her in a comforting embrace while she let her tears flow freely. When she heard Phoebe's exclamation, followed by her sister's voice, Piper stepped away from her husband. Her eyes were red and puffy already, and her voice caught in her throat as she spoke. "Prue?"

Phoebe, Paige, and Leo watched as Prue embraced her middle sister. Piper was stiff for a moment, then she put her head on Prue's shoulder and started sobbing with relief. Prue tightened her grip on Piper, realizing just how much this must have shaken her sister up. "It's all right honey, it's all right. It's only me; don't cry, Piper, please.

"Why? How? They said you couldn't come see us, because of a stupid rule or something." Piper seemed to have regained a small measure of control over herself, as she spoke.

"Rules were meant to be broken, remember? Otherwise I wouldn't have my little nephew here." Prue paused to smile down at Wyatt, who had ceased his crying when he sensed his mother calm down. Then the eldest sister turned back to Piper, her tone serious again. "I couldn't stand not being with all of you; so when I found out that Cole had returned, and that he was made a witch; well, I requested to be his Whitelighter. The Elders weren't happy about it, but they agreed." Piper looked to Leo for confirmation; he nodded, a smile on his features.

Phoebe looked a little shocked at this new revelation; no doubt she hadn't yet gotten into the habit of thinking of Cole as one of the 'good guys' yet. Cole was surprised as well; no doubt he hadn't given any thought yet to the benefits of being a witch.

"Hey, where did my newest sister go?" Prue questioned, suddenly aware that Paige was no longer in the room. In the silence that followed, they all heard the sound of something banging loudly from the direction of Paige's room. Without a word, Prue silently went over to stand in the doorway; Paige had her back to her, and was tossing items into a suitcase. "Where do you think you're going?"

Paige turned when she heard Prue's voice; the red-head's expression was one of awkwardness, as well as sadness. "I figured you would want your old room back; I promise I'll get everything out soon, just as soon as I find a place to stay. . ." Paige trailed off, looking as though she might burst into tears. Prue shook her head.

"You don't think that I'm going to kick you out, do you? I've been watching you Paige, and I know that you earned your place in this family after I died. I'm a Whitelighter now; I'm not a Charmed One any more. That power still lies within you. You need to stay, not only because you're a witch, but because you're our sister. My sister." A smile lit up Paige's face, and she hesitantly hugged Prue, who hugged back. It looked as though the old and new Charmed Ones could co-exist peacefully, at least for now.

"Prue, come here! Your nephew needs to meet his aunt!" Piper's voice rang out; it was impossible for someone to miss the pure joy in her tones. Paige and Prue both walked back into the bedroom, and Piper held her son out to Prue. The infant gurgled happily and reached up to try and pull a strand of his aunt's hair; she laughed.

"Does that mean you like me, little guy?" Prue cooed, and lightly tickled him under his chin. Cole stood off to the side, feeling slightly out-of- place among the Halliwell family; after all, he was still on shaky ground with a few of them, and the memories of what he had done to them in his madness remained vivid.

"I hate to break up the moment, but you can't be expecting to lead a normal life again, Prue. I mean, any of the people you knew before think that you're dead." Cole ignored the glare Piper shot at him. He seemed to be the only one willing to think into the future with this new variable added in.

"That's the catch." Prue's smile faded slightly. "The Elders weren't willing to go through all the work of brainwashing everyone again; it was hard enough for them to do it for you, Cole. They said that it could cause a disturbance in the balance of things, since I was gone far longer than you were, and because I had more close connections with mortals. So, They decided that I would only be visible to you guys, and other magical beings; I'm invisible to mortals."

"Oh honey, that's going to be awful hard for you-" Phoebe started to speak, but her older sister cut her off.

"Not as hard as you think, Pheebs. Remember, I've been Up There for over a year; while I watched my old friends get over me, I also got over them. Andy was there too, and that made it easier. I could never forget you guys, though; I've been watching you all this time. I don't mind if no one else can see me, so long as you can." At first, Prue hadn't agreed with the decision, but after some time to adjust to the idea, she had come to accept it; after all, all she had really wanted was to be with her sisters again. The Elders had been unwilling to send her back, until she told them that she wasn't under the illusion that she could go back to living a normal life; she had died, and the life she led had died with her. She knew her boundaries, and she wasn't going to step over them this time.

There were a few moments of silence; then, as if on cue, the four Halliwell sisters came together in a group hug. Leo had taken Wyatt, and he watched them with a smile. Cole slipped away unnoticed, letting himself out the front door and wondering if Phoebe would stay with him, now that she had her sister back. Maybe now he would just be second-place again. Only time would tell.