Chapter 7

'Answer me! What the hell happened to my powers?!' Prue yelled. She looked at Piper.

'Freeze her!' she yelled, indicating Paige. Paige was now by the front door. She exchanged a glance with Andy, before he turned around and put his hands on Prue's shoulders, to calm her down.

'Prue, listen to me...'

Prue was really beginning to feel frightened now! Something was very wrong here! Andy should not be alive and Piper and Phoebe, didn't seem to care about the strange girl over there, carrying a big knife! And why did Piper and Phoebe look so different?!

Andy turned Prue back to him.

'Stay here, okay?'

'Where am I going to go? Why are you here, Andy?'

Andy smiled gently, then touched her face.

'It will be alright.' he then looked over at Paige, who walked over into the dining-room. Phoebe and Piper joined her over there. Andy eased away from Prue and met them in the room.

'How did this happen?' Andy asked, and looked directly at Piper. Piper looked at everyone.

'Why does this have to be my fault?' she whined.

But Paige stared at her, hurt.

'It was you. Because once again, you made it clear that I could never take Prue's place.'

Piper's mouth dropped open.

'I have never said that, Paige!'

'You don't have to say it, Piper! When you cast spells trying to bring back your dead sister, that says it all!'

Phoebe looked over at Prue, who was walking over to them.

'Shhh, guys! Come on! Stop this! We have to figure out why Prue doesn't seem to know that she's dead!'

'I'm dead?!' Prue squeaked, looking at everyone. She then looked at Paige.

'Who are you?'

Paige cleared her throat.

'I'm Paige. I'm you're baby sister.'

'Phoebe is my baby sister.'

Piper rolled her eyes. She really had done a bad thing here!

'Okay, Prue, please. Paige is our baby sister. Her father is Sam, the man that was Mom's Whitelighter.'

Prue said nothing to this, but just stared at the girl. What world had she fell into here? Prue then looked at Andy. She reached out and touched his hand.

'Andy please...tell me why you're here?'

Andy suddenly looked up towards the ceiling.

'The Elders are calling. I'll be right back.'

Andy gave Paige a tender glance. Piper looked away. Phoebe walked over to Prue. Andy orbed out. Prue shook her head, then looked at Piper.

'Andy is our Whitelighter? Why? What happened to Leo.

'Prue,' Phoebe interrupted, 'what is the last thing you remember?'

Prue took a deep breath.

'I was developing some pictures in the dark room there...'

Prue suddenly walked out of the dining room, and walked down into the basement compartment, that served as her dark room. She opened the door and clicked on the light. The room was full of boxes. She could see some of her cameras peeking out of the top. She turned around and stared her sisters.

'Tell me what the hell is going on here...now!'

****

Andy and Leo stood among the clouds. Leo blew out a breath.

'It looks as if Cole and Piper cast spells concerning Prue, at the same time. The result was some kind of negative reaction of good and evil.'

Andy shook his head.

'Prue's powers don't work.' he noted.

'No, they don't. Prue from three years ago, doesn't belong here. Here, there is already a power of three. Prue's powers are not needed.'

'Okay, well I'll explain it to them. We have to think of a way to return her back.'

'Yes,' Leo said, 'before it affects Paige's status down there.'

'What do you mean?' Andy asked, worried.

'I mean, if you are unable to return Prue back to three years ago, it may affect all events that happened since then. Including Paige's becoming a full sister witch, to Wyatt's birth.'

Andy said nothing. He knew Leo now had a personal stake in this, since his son's very existence was at stake.

'What about the Prue that is up here? Will she be affected?'

Leo shook his head.

'I don't know that answer to that, and frankly, I don't want to. That's why Prue has to be returned to her own time.'

Andy scratched the back of neck.

'Okay, well we'll think of something. And we have to think of a way to banish that Cole Turner bastard!'

Leo put a hand on his arm.

'Andy, you're doing a good job, really. And just between you and me, I'm sorry that your love for Paige has caused so much strife within the household.'

Andy nodded slightly.

'Piper is just still hurting, that's all. I'm more concerned with how Paige reacted to Piper's spell.'

Leo nodded.

'I was watching. Just know that nothing is going to be easy with those three.'

'I know, I grew up with them. I have to get back, they're calling me.'

Leo nodded, then watched as Andy orbed back down to the manor. He closed his eyes. It killed him that Piper was still suffering so much.

**** When Andy orbed back down, he found the three witches he was originally assigned to. He looked around.

'Where's Prue?' Andy asked.

Piper stared at Paige accusingly.

'Your girlfriend, Paige, blurted out the fact that Prue was dead, and that she was in another time! Prue freaked out and left. I'm going to go look for her now.'

Phoebe grabbed Piper's arm.

'Wait a minute! We have to banish Cole!'

'You all do it! I don't care! I'm going to go find Prue.' she then picked up her car keys from a front table, then walked out of the manor.

Andy and Phoebe looked at Paige. Phoebe walked over to her.

'Honey, Piper is just hurting...'

Paige put a hand up.

'I don't want to think about her right now. Besides, Prue's coming back, gave me an idea about Cole.'

'What is it?' Andy asked.

'The last time we were finally able to banish him, it was because of a spell he cast, making it so that Phoebe and Piper didn't know anything about me.'

'He altered the past?' Andy asked. Phoebe nodded with understanding.

'Yes, and unfortunately, he was vulnerable to attack, in that reality. We need to change the reality again, back to when he was not so powerful.'

Paige nodded.

'Exactly! We alter the reality, slice some of his flesh, then...'

'But we'll still need Piper.' Andy reminded them.

Phoebe threw her hands up in the air.

'He's right. We have to take care of this Prue thing first. Come on.'

Phoebe tried to grab Paige's arm, but she shied away.

'You go on.'

Phoebe dropped her hand from Paige's arm.

'I know this has been hard on you, honey. But this may be your only chance to meet your big sister.'

'I've met her, Phoebe. And she doesn't belong in this reality. I'm going to go look in the book for a spell to send Prue back where she belongs.'

Paige then turned away from the both of them and walked upstairs. Phoebe looked at Andy.

'Stay here with her.'

Andy shook his head.

'Paige is a big girl. Prue needs to understand that she can't stay here. Somehow, I don't think Piper is convincing her of that, wherever they are.'

'Andy...'

'What the hell was she thinking, Phoebe? I mean, Paige looks so hurt, I wonder if her relationship with Piper can survive this?!'

Phoebe rubbed his arm.

'Paige is hurting just as much as Prue is. Stay with her and look up the spell. I'm going to go find my other sisters.'

Andy nodded, then turned and hurried up the steps. Phoebe turned and started to walk out of the door, when Cole shimmered in in front of her. Phoebe gasped and put a hand over her heart.

Cole smiled down at her.

'Looks like there's been some trouble here. The poor Charmed Ones. Instead of the power of three, you have one extra witch, albeit a useless one, since Prue has no powers.'

Phoebe squinted at him.

'Damn you! You're responsible for this too? Of course you are!'

Cole reached out to touch her face, but she slapped his hand away. Cole put both hands in his trouser pockets.

'Phoebe, I'm going to just spell it out for you. You can have your sisters, all three of them, back, and still keep the power of three, alive.'

'What are you blabbering about, Cole? The four of us would not be 'the power of three'!'

'No, the four of you would not.'

Phoebe was beginning to understand Cole's insidious plan.

'What do you want?' she asked. But, in her heart, she already knew.

'I will undo, what's been done, if you agree to come back to me, and live as my wife, in every way. Your becoming my wife, would enable Prue to get her powers back.'

Phoebe swallowed.

'I don't believe you.'

Cole shrugged.

'It's true. I've already had it checked out. So, what do you say? Will you come back to me? Will you give Prue a second chance at life here on earth? What will it be, Phoebe?'