Warning: A box of tissue may be required in certain sections of this chapter.
Charmed in the Afterlife: Sacrifices of the Oldest Sister"LEO! LEO!" Paige shouted heavenward, as the Andy on the ground projected into the one in Prue's arms. Tearfully Prue and Andy slid to the ground each clinging to the other.
"Pr-Prue"
"Hang on, Hang on," Prue begged, touching the side of his face, "Leo will be here any second. He'll heal you. LEO!"
Andy's forehead, pressed to hers, speaking in ragged breaths "No, he won't...he can't. You have to kill the wendigo first"
With her jaw quivering Prue pressed her lips to his, "everything will be okay, I promise"
"Stay with him and keep calling Leo" she told Paige. Dutifully, Paige nodded and fell to her knees, and took off her cordoroy jacket so that she could use it for a compress on Andy's wound.
"Prue" Andy called out to her; as she turned to leave, "hurry"
Prue waited until the twosome was settled before trotting back into the pub. She arrived just in time to see the Wendigo throw Piper and Phoebe simultaneously into the back wall.
"Anyone ready for a little of Power of Three?" Prue asked,
"I thought you'd never ask" Piper groaned letting Prue pull her to feet. Together they helped Phoebe up and locked hands, the power of three will set us free, the power of three will set us free, the power of three will set us free...". The sisters watched complacent as the Wendigo started to flame out and then exploded with strands of blonde hair, splattering all over the room.
"I hate when that happens," Phoebe groaned, flinging Wendigo hairs from her arm.
"Me too" Cole quipped pulling blonde colored flesh from his hair. "Cole!" Phoebe beamed jumping his arms. Passionately they kissed, punctuating their words, "I never, want to lose you again" Phoebe mumbled, with her sisters watching proudly.
"Lose me? What are you talking about?" Cole looked at her befuddled as he lifted her into his arms, with Phoebe's legs wrapping around his waist.
"Never mind, just say that you'll marry me and never spend a moment away from me again!" Wildly she continued to kiss him. A bit embarrassed, Piper began to restlessly, look about the room.
"Marry? Did she say Marry? " Grams would have a hay day over a demon entering the family. A white lighter and an apparitional Tracer had been bad enough.
"Yeah and it will be over my dead body" Prue replied squinting up her nose. "I need to get back to Andy." Following Prue, Piper entered t he ally way to a gristly site. Both Leo and Natalie were comforting a distraught Paige. Crocodile tears were flowing down her face. Glancing up through blurry eyes, Paige addressed her oldest sister.
"There was no-nothing I could do...I tried but he just faded away"
Fear began to race in Prue's heart, "NO! Why does this keep happening?"
"Destiny" Natalie said simply in usual stiff tone "You and Andy had a destiny that wasn't meant to be. Andy's spirit is back where it belongs waiting for you" Typical Natalie, would keep that fire burning until the end of time.
Balling her fists, Prue spoke through gritted teeth, "I'll show you meant to be" Her chin dropped, eyes closing producing the predictable bright red glow. "One more time" she pleaded silently, "just one more time" Time sped backwards at an unusual pace, faster than normal. Dizziness overcame Prue making it hard to focus.
Dark spots danced in front of her eyes, as she returned to the ally, to see herself huddled with Andy. "I have to get the athame". A silver glint caught her eye from beneath the dumpster. Outstretching her hand, she telekinetically called it for it. Sweat poured down her face as the blade flew through the air, striking it's new target...
A surge of pain tore through her abdomen. Lifelessly she fell to the ground. Time replayed itself as it had before only this time, Paige cries for Leo were heard. The two Prue's melted together with Prue laying in Andy's arms when Leo arrived.
"Leo hurry"
"Prue! Prue! We need you!" Phoebe voice cried from inside the bar.
"They need Prue!" Paige exclaimed with urgency, "they need her for the power of three"
"You'll have to do it" Leo answered, not bothering to look up from where he was healing Prue.
"Me?" Paige stood stunned. Until now she'd been a background witch to her sister's powerful magic always recalling Gram's words about not exactly being Charmed. "Would the power of three spell work with me?"
Several Hours Later....
"She's waking up"
Piper, Phoebe and Paige, sat vigil at their sister's bedside, begging for Prue to return. "Prue, Prue can you hear me?" Piper said, letting her hand fall into Prue's wild raven locks.
Phoebe sat on the opposite of the bed, holding Prue's hand. "Sweetie, you've got come back to us"
"Amanda needs you Prue, we all do" Paige added from her position next to Piper.
Prue's green eyes started to become small slits as the sound of her sister's voices broke through the fog clouding her brain. Pain surrounded her she thought dully, trying to force open her locked eye lids. An absence of life ate away into a void that burned in the center of her chest.
"That's it, Prue you can do it," Phoebe's voice coaxed. Prue's head flopped to side, her lips parting slightly. "Pheebs?"
"We're here, we all are for you" Phoebe replied sympathetically. Still groggy, Prue's brow furrowed, "where's Andy?"
"Right here" Andy stepped up from where he'd been sitting in the corner chair. Piper's arms, tentatively, wrapped around him, "call us if you need you us" she whispered kissing his cheek.
"We love you so much" Phoebe threw her body over Prue hugging her tightly before she pulled to her feet and filed from the room behind Piper and Paige.
"Andy what happened?" Prue asked stilling trying to fight the feeling of emotional loss that was surrounding her heart.
Tears filled Andy's eyes, as he sat on the side of the bed and took a hold of Prue's hand.
"We lost the baby" he choked, keeping his composure while Prue's head shook.
"No, we. We lost you-" her voice caught and her hands fell to her stomach. She'd gone back in time to save Andy and had been hit with the athame. "No" she dared to breathe, "the wendigo, I killed it and-"
"Phoebe, Piper, and Paige killed the wendigo with the power of three spell", Andy corrected softly recounting the event as he knew it.
"Paige took my place in the power three?" Prue shook her head in denial, "no that isn't possible. It only works with me, Piper and Phoebe". Paige couldn't use the power of three spell, technically according to Grams she wasn't exactly Charmed because she hadn't come from the chosen sire, Victor.
"Prue our baby's gone" Andy replied. Their child had been sacrificed to save thee lives, his own, Cole's and Leo's.
"You lost your baby so that Piper and I could continue to love" Phoebe added from where she stood in the doorway with Piper and Paige. Paige was holding Amanda in her arms.
"It's the plight of the big sister," Piper said with tears running down her face as Paige walked in and set Amanda on the bed.
"Here sweetie, why don't you hold Amanda maybe it'll help"
Unconscious tears gathered behind Prue's eyes as she looked into the five other grieving faces.
"My baby's really gone"