A/N: Prue is now full term with her pregnancy. This chapter takes place one year after the episode All Halliwell's Eve where the girls go back in time to save Melinda Warren so keep in mind Piper's reference to the apples. Also remember that Halloween is the one-day where the dividing line between good and evil is the thinnest, and that previously vanquished demons have the power to come back. Thanks for reading!

Halloween 2001


"Hiccup" Prue faded as she came down the stairs. "Piper"

"Prue?" Piper looked about confused, "where are you?"

"I'm right here," Prue returned meeting her sister on the bottom step. "Hiccup" Instantly she faded again. "Aw! This has been happening all morning! I can't get rid of these damn hiccups"

"I'll get you some water," Piper went into the kitchen as the doorbell rang. "I'll get it" Prue padded quickly to the door keeping on hand on her stomach. "Hiccup" Prue growled impatiently as she faded, waiting for her visible form to return. Calmly she opened the door, hoping not to hiccup again. Surprise filled her face when she saw the person standing on the other side.

"Bane!" A pause passed between them while Prue noted that he still looked handsome as ever. "What...what are you doing here?" She motioned him inside and shut the door.

"They let me out for good behavior, " he answered slowly focusing on her stomach. "It looks like you've been uh-". Prue's gaze fell to her swollen abdomen prompting her to run a hand over it. "I've been busy...yes very busy" she stammered nervous "Hiccup....oh damn!" Pressing her hands to her face she faded away. Bane was grinning when she returned.

"New trick?"

"It's my babies powers" she said softly, touching her stomach admiringly.

"Powers?" Bane repeated his smile fading, "in that case I'll have to steal them!" Prue shuddered involuntarily as she watched her former lover transform into the demon Nicholas. "You!" she hissed. Nicholas laughed as he held out his hand towards her throat, "You are about to get very warm, hot in fact" Prue fell to her knees, gasping with the sensation that her body was being over run by intense heat.

"Your baby is burning"

"No!" Prue whispered just as Piper entered the room.

"Prue here's your-" Piper dropped the glass she was holding in her hands and flicked her wrists. "No!" Nicholas exploded in a flurry of black ash, but instantly returned.

"You have to say the spell," Prue gasped clutching her stomach, "please don't let anything happen to my baby" she prayed fighting the feeling that her head was about to explode.

"Ah...ah..." Piper hesitated trying to remember the words, "Lavender, mimosa, holy thistle, cleanse this evil from our midst scatter its cells throughout time. Let this Nick no more exist!" Both sisters watched as Nicholas vanquished into a burst of flames.

"Prue" Piper sank to her knees listening to her sister take in a series of ragged shallow breaths. "LEO!" The white lighter appeared sinking beside them.

"A little healing power, please" Piper rubbed Prue's back as Leo held his hands over her. "You okay?" Leo asked studying his charges face as her breathing returned to normal. Prue nodded, letting Piper and Leo help her to her feet, "Yeah, I-" Hiccup! "Damn it!" she swore fading once again.

"Watch what you say around my niece!" Piper shouted into the air, "we aren't going to have any little witches with your potty mouth!"

"It's called adult privileged language" Prue teased returning just in time to see Phoebe come tumbling down the stairs.

"Phoebe!"

"Warlocks!" Phoebe pointed when she recovered. Two warlocks stood at the top of the stairs, preparing to blink. "You take one, I'll take the other?" Prue questioned.

"I'll take the one of the left" Piper replied flicking her wrist, in time with Prue's all-powerful squint. One warlock exploded, while the other went crashing into the wall, blinking out.

"Thanks" Phoebe moaned holding her hip as she joined her sisters in the living room. "You guys okay?"

"Aside from the fact that our old friend Nicholas just tried to fry Prue?" Piper returned looking to her husband, "Leo what in the hell is going on?"

"It's Halloween, and we've all been placed on Demonic Alert"

"Demonic alert?" Phoebe questioned just as Prue hiccupped and went invisible.

"This is driving me insane!"

"Ssh...calm...thoughts," Phoebe soothed stroking Prue's hair, "otherwise you could stress out the baby and put yourself into labor"

Piper rolled her eyes, "Oooh....a Halloween baby wouldn't that be fun. Considering it's the most demonic night of the year!"

"Hey, Melinda Warren was born on Halloween" Phoebe replied.

"Don't remind me," Piper said tersely, adverting her eyes to Prue. "If you go into labor tonight, I'm not delivering your baby, not with all the demons that will be lurking around to snatch her up first chance they get"

"Oh yes you will" Prue snipped holding the small of her back, "because I'm not about to have an invisible baby in the hospital!"

"Hey you what's with the back pain?" Phoebe questioned seeing her sister's discomfort.

"It's nothing" Prue sighed arching her stomach forward. At the moment she was hoping to ignore the early signs of labor.

"Just same, I'm going to check to see that we have some apples in case our powers decide to take the night off again" Piper added looking to Leo, "You were saying?"

I was saying that we've all been placed on a demonic alert. The Elders learned through a connection that the Source is planning a reconstruction of the underworld and hopes to bring back the demonic horsemen at midnight"

"The demonic horsemen?" Piper questioned knowing that they were ones responsible for the apocalypse of the world. "Last time we faced them we almost lost Prue"

"And just want informant told the Elders all of this?" Phoebe inquired.

"That would be me" Cole answered in his set of shimmering waves, "I traded the bounty on my head for an act of good faith. I wanted to prove to them once and for all, I'm not evil"

Piper squinted her eyes slightly; "so does that mean Andy will stop trying to vanquish your ass and we can all have peace in the manor again?"

"God and his white lighter willing," Phoebe wrapped her arms around his neck, and started kissing him wildly while Prue looked on with a sad look upon her face.

Hiccup! "You never can tell with Natalie," she said fading into air.

"Let's make a plan and see if we can't stop the horsemen before they have a chance to cross over" Leo to looked to Piper, "Piper you go into the kitchen and see if you can't conjure up some of that potion you guys used the last time.

"Phoebe, you and Cole need to start working on a vanquishing spell"

"Hey what about me?" Prue asked feeling left out.

"Find a way to get rid of those hiccups" Leo grinned, "and then get some rest. If the Elders are right we've got a long night ahead of us and it looks like you'll probably need all of your strength for later..."

Several hours later, Prue stood in the attic flipping aimlessly through the Book of Shadows. "There is nothing in here for hiccups," she groaned feeling the onset of a small contraction.

"Hey stop that" she quipped, "Didn't you hear your Uncle Leo? We're on Demonic Alert"

Prue didn't see the Dark Lighter of Doubt orb in behind her. As a rule, the Dark Lighter of Doubt could not been seen by his victims. His power was to prey on the victims subconscious until they committed suicide.

"You aren't strong enough to stop the demonic horsemen," he said playing on Prue's subconscious mind.

Prue looked about the attic sensing something. "But don't worry about those horsemen, evil never wins" she smiled talking to the baby. "Your Mommy is a Super Witch. I can kick ass and have a baby at the same time, sure I can"

The Dark Lighter felt his jaw cinch, "You are not so confident when it comes to love" he said. "Think of Andy"

Prue held her stomach staring distantly into space. "Andy doesn't love you," The dark lighter of doubt whispered. "He will never remember". Prue's heart sank at his words. "It's all my fault," The dark lighter added. "I hurt him"

"It's all my fault," Prue repeated.

"I'm responsible for everything," the Dark Lighter continued. "All of my love ones die"

"This isn't like me," Prue muttered fighting his curse.

"I'll never be a good a mother" he added, "I killed Andy. My life as a witch will kill his child too"

"NO!" Prue shouted slamming the book of Shadows shut as a set of blue and white orbs appeared. It was Andy.

"Prue! Behind you!" Andy quickly used his demonic tracking senses to spot the dark lighter of doubt. Prue whirled around just time in to see Andy destroy the dark lighter of doubt with an exploding probe. The Dark Lighter exploded leaving behind nothing but a trace of black soot.

"Thanks" Prue tried to smile.

Andy was quick to notice that she was shaken. "Are you and the baby okay?"

Prue nodding turning into his arms, visibly shaking "Can you just hold me?"

Andy's strong arms wrapped securely around her, holding tight to his frame, "you're safe" he promised using his words of confidence to make her insecurities fade. He held her for several minutes, until she pushed away.

"You want to talk about it?"

"No" Prue shook her head in time with a hiccup, making Andy chuckle as she faded away.

"Do you know how get rid of fading hiccups?"

"I have just the cure" Andy grinned. "C'mere". Prue hiccupped again falling back into his arms. Together they faded away returning in a locked in a passionate kiss.

"I'm glad to see that" Phoebe smiled leaning her head on Piper's shoulder.

"Me too" Piper smiled wrapping an arm around her younger sister, "it's just a shame Andy still doesn't remember everything". He still couldn't tell Prue that he loved her.

"Maybe he doesn't need too," Phoebe, said lifting her head, "Love is stronger than Magic you know"

"I know" Piper answered, not expecting what came next. A loud rumble sounded and a portal in the wall separated, causing the floor to shake.

"Here they come" Phoebe swallowed.

"Who?"

"My guess would everything and everyone we've ever vanquished"