"Hush, little babies, don't say a word, Mommy's gonna buy you a mocking bird..." Trinity Perry softly sang her favorite childhood lullaby as she gently rocked her three newborn daughters to sleep. The triplets were only a few weeks old, but Trinity was already beginning to feel the strains of single parenthood, especially lack of sleep. Still, as she peered inside the cradle at their soft, cherubic faces, she knew she wouldn't trade them for anything.
Satisfied that they were all asleep, Trinity took her hand off the cradle, and it stopped moving. Alaina Isobel, the smallest of the three, began to cry almost immediately. "Hey," Trinity cooed, carefully lifting the baby. "It's okay, sweetie. Go back to sleep. It's okay."
Just as Alaina's cries died down into sniffles, Chloe Elisabeth started to whimper. Trinity put Alaina back down and reached into the cradle to comfort Chloe. Hearing her sisters' fussing, Evelyn Amelie also woke up. Younger than Chloe by three minutes and older than Alaina by five, Evelyn was already showing herself to be the peacekeeper of the family. She looked up at her mother with wide, deep blue eyes, but didn't make a sound. Trinity stroked her middle daughter's cheek fondly, and then resumed rocking the cradle.
Twenty minutes later, the babies had fallen into a deep enough sleep that Trinity decided to try leaving them once more. She stopped rocking the cradle, and waited as it gradually slowed to a halt. This time, she didn't hear a sound. Breathing a sigh of relief, she got up off the floor, and slipped out of the room.
Trinity wandered through her small, empty apartment. She'd lived there for nearly a year, but it still looked as though she'd just moved in. It was very scarcely furnished, with only some cushions, a small TV, and an armchair in the living room, a matress on the floor of her own room, and a changing table, a dresser, and the crib in the nursery. The vanity and medicine cabinet in the bathroom were both overflowing with various household and beauty products, and the kitchen cabinets held little more than a few plates and glasses next to the surplus of baby bottles, but Trinity contented herself with the fact that she had heat and running water. She'd always meant to get more in the way of furniture, but there never seemed to be quite enough money to cover anything other than the basics - food, clothes, diapers, and the hospital bills from the triplets' birth. Anytime Trinity found herself with extra money, it went directly into the bank account she'd created for the girls months before they were born. She wanted to have something there for them so they'd be financially secure in the future, but so far that wasn't doing much to help them in the present.
Sighing, Trinity drifted into her room and sat down on the matress. She buried herself under the covers and tried to rest, but soon found that sleep escaped her. She sat up, and was immediately hit with a feeling so forceful that it pushed her back against the wall. The feeling was indescribable, but oddly famliar, and gone just as suddenly as it had come. Trinity sat up straight, gasping for breath. Trying to pinpoint the source of what happened, she flashed back to the afternoon her daughters were born. She'd experienced something almost identical to this, something that knocked the wind out of her and left her feeling as though some part of her was missing. The next thing she'd felt, however, was the first contraction, which had put the occurance out of her mind until now, when the memory came back full force. However, though the two incidents seemed almost identical on the surface, Trinity soon realized one key difference - this time, she felt as though whatever had been missing was restored. For the first time in as long as she could remember, Trinity felt completely whole. She clung to this realization, and it did a lot to calm her.
Still trembling, Trinity got up and ran back into the nursery. Chloe, Evelyn, and Alaina were still asleep in their cradle. The sight of them, happy and safe, enabled Trinity to temporarily forget about what had just happended, and the feelings she couldn't explain. She sat down on the floor next to them, settling in for the night. She didn't care how tired she'd be in the morning; she knew she couldn't sleep at all tonight.
-x-+-x-
Trinity didn't often get visitors, so she was surprised to hear someone knocking on her door at seven the next morning. Yawning, she peered through the peep-hole, and couldn't help smiling as she unlocked the safety chain and opened the door to reveal her closest and seemingly only friend, Leo Wyatt.
"Hey, stranger," she greeted, but her smile faded when she noticed his worn, disconsolate expression. "Leo, what's wrong?"
He sighed, trying not to look into her intense blue eyes, which at the moment were filled with concern. He knew those eyes. Those eyes belonged to someone else, another charge of his, someone dear to him that he'd only just lost. And now, here she was, standing before him... Leo shook his head, reminding himself for the millionth time that this was not Prue. Finally, as if just noticing that she'd asked him a question, he said, "My sister-in-law died a few weeks ago. That's why I haven't been around, to see you and the babies. I had to be around the house, for my wife and her other sister... They're going through... something right now."
"Of course," Trinity responded, touching his arm comfortingly. "You must be devastated, too; I remember you mentioning something about being close to your wife's family. Come on in. Let me get you something. Coffee, tea, water?"
"I'm fine," he declined, following her into the kitchen. "Thanks."
"Well, do you want to talk?" she offered.
He did want to talk, he wanted to tell her everything, but he couldn't. It had been bad enough to lose Prue the first time. He couldn't risk Trinity's life as well, especially when the Founders still had so much left for her to do. So instead, he shook his head and changed the subject. "I would like to see those girls of yours, though. I can't believe they're a month and a half old already and I still haven't met them."
Trinity smiled. "I bet they can't wait to meet you, either."
Leo did his best to smile back, and followed her into the nursery.
"Leo, I'd like you to meet Chloe, Alaina, and Evelyn," Trinity introduced. "Girls, this is Uncle Leo."
Now, Leo's smile was genuine. Uncle Leo. He liked the sound of that. He looked down at the girls, all tiny replicas of their mother - and of Prue. They looked back at them, peaceful and innocent, and suddenly, Leo knew what the Founders were planning for Prue's spirit; for Trinity.
"I have to go," he said, growing uneasy.
"Already?" Trinity protested. "You just got here."
"I know," he said, "I'm sorry. I'll be back soon, I promise. I just - I have to go."
Without giving her a chance to react, Leo bolted out the door. It wasn't until after he was gone that Trinity realized he hadn't once looked her in the eye...
Satisfied that they were all asleep, Trinity took her hand off the cradle, and it stopped moving. Alaina Isobel, the smallest of the three, began to cry almost immediately. "Hey," Trinity cooed, carefully lifting the baby. "It's okay, sweetie. Go back to sleep. It's okay."
Just as Alaina's cries died down into sniffles, Chloe Elisabeth started to whimper. Trinity put Alaina back down and reached into the cradle to comfort Chloe. Hearing her sisters' fussing, Evelyn Amelie also woke up. Younger than Chloe by three minutes and older than Alaina by five, Evelyn was already showing herself to be the peacekeeper of the family. She looked up at her mother with wide, deep blue eyes, but didn't make a sound. Trinity stroked her middle daughter's cheek fondly, and then resumed rocking the cradle.
Twenty minutes later, the babies had fallen into a deep enough sleep that Trinity decided to try leaving them once more. She stopped rocking the cradle, and waited as it gradually slowed to a halt. This time, she didn't hear a sound. Breathing a sigh of relief, she got up off the floor, and slipped out of the room.
Trinity wandered through her small, empty apartment. She'd lived there for nearly a year, but it still looked as though she'd just moved in. It was very scarcely furnished, with only some cushions, a small TV, and an armchair in the living room, a matress on the floor of her own room, and a changing table, a dresser, and the crib in the nursery. The vanity and medicine cabinet in the bathroom were both overflowing with various household and beauty products, and the kitchen cabinets held little more than a few plates and glasses next to the surplus of baby bottles, but Trinity contented herself with the fact that she had heat and running water. She'd always meant to get more in the way of furniture, but there never seemed to be quite enough money to cover anything other than the basics - food, clothes, diapers, and the hospital bills from the triplets' birth. Anytime Trinity found herself with extra money, it went directly into the bank account she'd created for the girls months before they were born. She wanted to have something there for them so they'd be financially secure in the future, but so far that wasn't doing much to help them in the present.
Sighing, Trinity drifted into her room and sat down on the matress. She buried herself under the covers and tried to rest, but soon found that sleep escaped her. She sat up, and was immediately hit with a feeling so forceful that it pushed her back against the wall. The feeling was indescribable, but oddly famliar, and gone just as suddenly as it had come. Trinity sat up straight, gasping for breath. Trying to pinpoint the source of what happened, she flashed back to the afternoon her daughters were born. She'd experienced something almost identical to this, something that knocked the wind out of her and left her feeling as though some part of her was missing. The next thing she'd felt, however, was the first contraction, which had put the occurance out of her mind until now, when the memory came back full force. However, though the two incidents seemed almost identical on the surface, Trinity soon realized one key difference - this time, she felt as though whatever had been missing was restored. For the first time in as long as she could remember, Trinity felt completely whole. She clung to this realization, and it did a lot to calm her.
Still trembling, Trinity got up and ran back into the nursery. Chloe, Evelyn, and Alaina were still asleep in their cradle. The sight of them, happy and safe, enabled Trinity to temporarily forget about what had just happended, and the feelings she couldn't explain. She sat down on the floor next to them, settling in for the night. She didn't care how tired she'd be in the morning; she knew she couldn't sleep at all tonight.
-x-+-x-
Trinity didn't often get visitors, so she was surprised to hear someone knocking on her door at seven the next morning. Yawning, she peered through the peep-hole, and couldn't help smiling as she unlocked the safety chain and opened the door to reveal her closest and seemingly only friend, Leo Wyatt.
"Hey, stranger," she greeted, but her smile faded when she noticed his worn, disconsolate expression. "Leo, what's wrong?"
He sighed, trying not to look into her intense blue eyes, which at the moment were filled with concern. He knew those eyes. Those eyes belonged to someone else, another charge of his, someone dear to him that he'd only just lost. And now, here she was, standing before him... Leo shook his head, reminding himself for the millionth time that this was not Prue. Finally, as if just noticing that she'd asked him a question, he said, "My sister-in-law died a few weeks ago. That's why I haven't been around, to see you and the babies. I had to be around the house, for my wife and her other sister... They're going through... something right now."
"Of course," Trinity responded, touching his arm comfortingly. "You must be devastated, too; I remember you mentioning something about being close to your wife's family. Come on in. Let me get you something. Coffee, tea, water?"
"I'm fine," he declined, following her into the kitchen. "Thanks."
"Well, do you want to talk?" she offered.
He did want to talk, he wanted to tell her everything, but he couldn't. It had been bad enough to lose Prue the first time. He couldn't risk Trinity's life as well, especially when the Founders still had so much left for her to do. So instead, he shook his head and changed the subject. "I would like to see those girls of yours, though. I can't believe they're a month and a half old already and I still haven't met them."
Trinity smiled. "I bet they can't wait to meet you, either."
Leo did his best to smile back, and followed her into the nursery.
"Leo, I'd like you to meet Chloe, Alaina, and Evelyn," Trinity introduced. "Girls, this is Uncle Leo."
Now, Leo's smile was genuine. Uncle Leo. He liked the sound of that. He looked down at the girls, all tiny replicas of their mother - and of Prue. They looked back at them, peaceful and innocent, and suddenly, Leo knew what the Founders were planning for Prue's spirit; for Trinity.
"I have to go," he said, growing uneasy.
"Already?" Trinity protested. "You just got here."
"I know," he said, "I'm sorry. I'll be back soon, I promise. I just - I have to go."
Without giving her a chance to react, Leo bolted out the door. It wasn't until after he was gone that Trinity realized he hadn't once looked her in the eye...