Thanks for the reviews on the last chapter! I do have a reason for Prue losing the baby. Zythe, I promise all of your questions will be answered by the time this story ends. Thanks for you consistent objective reviews! CutelittleBrit: I'd love to write a Charmed Book one day!
This chapter is set two weeks into the future. Night after night, Prue has been coping with her grief, by going on a relentless demon hunt. Shaylee is still at the manor while Paige tries to figure out how to use her powers to better the greater good. Cole and Phoebe are "unofficially" engaged. Paige has the ability to sense her charges...a small change in her powers.
Charmed in the Afterlife: Pain and Vanquishing
Piper stood at the kitchen sink washing the breakfast dishes. Prue had just entered the room. She was dressed in a pair of "fat girl" jeans and her favorite fuchsia blouse. Her trademark black raven hair was laying flat against her shoulders, accompanied by her dark leather Nikon camera bag.
"Prue where are going?"
Spotting a piece of dry toast that Phoebe had left behind, Prue plucked it from the plate and stuffed the corner into her mouth, "work, I scheduled a cover shoot at noon"
Piper set the dish she'd been holding down on the counter making it clunk, "are you sure your ready for that?"
"Why wouldn't I be?"
Piper reached for a blue-stripped dishtowel and dried her hands, "because it's only been a few weeks. Your body still needs to heal"
Prue crossed her arms over her chest, raising an eyebrow, "Piper I'm fine, I just need to handle things in my own way"
Piper's scared eyebrow knitted, "and that would be by scrying for demons at four o'clock in the morning? Phoebe and I both heard you up there in the attic"
Looking down at her feet, Prue tucked at strand of her dark her hair behind each ear, "I'm sorry if I woke you, but now that Andy's not a wendigo anymore and I don't have tip toe around my health, I think we need to get back to trying to find a way to vanquish the Source. We have to get him before he gets us." She was particularly thinking of Shax and the vision she'd received from the neutral see'r. Now that her baby was gone, Prue wanted to get back to her original task at hand saving herself and Amanda from the Source's assassin.
"You and Andy have vanquished over a dozen demons in less that two weeks. That's not normal."
"I don't see a problem with it," Prue answered stiffly." One less demon, in the world can only make it better, right?"
"For God sakes Prue you just lost a baby! Would you just slow down a bit? Nobody expects you to be super witch right now"
Prue just glared at her sister in a heated stare "I have a family to protect." Prue turned one heel, doing an about face and headed for the back door leaving Piper to shake her head.
Piper tossed her hands into the air, and pinched the bridge of her nose "Prue, why can't you just cry like normal people?"
Phoebe stood in front of the bathroom mirror, applying mascara to the long lashes that surrounded her chestnut eyes. She then reached for the cover-up and gently patted underneath the delicate skin beneath her lips.
"Prue keep you up all night too?" Still dressed the oversized t-shirt she slept in, Paige reached around Phoebe for her toothbrush.
"I think she and Andy woke the whole the house when they vanquished that shocker demon" Phoebe then pulled a burned up hairdryer from the trash, "not to mention they owe you a new a Conair. It blew up in my hands when I tried to plug it in".
Paige's eyes became wide in disgust, "I just bought this". Taking the dryer from Phoebe's hands, Paige through it back into the trash. "I really there was something I could do. I mean even though she tries to hide it, Prue is hurting so much"
"I know" Phoebe agreed sealing her cosmetic bag shut, "but that's just Prue. She doesn't grieve. When Mom died, instead of crying, she just took it all in and became this....well she became Prue"
Paige sighed running a strip of green and white paste along the bristles of her toothbrush, "I want to help her Phoebe. I want to find a way for magic to bring her baby back"
Phoebe smiled sympathetically, as Paige started to brush her teeth, "we all do sweetie, but it's just not possible. Our magic isn't meant to be used for personal gain"
"But what about magical gain? Prue and Andy's baby had the power to move through time do you know what a advantage that would be for the greater good?"
"Paige, I feel what you are saying but technically we can't bring back the dead." Phoebe warned sternly. "There's a reason the Elders put limitations on our magic"
"Consequences, Consequences, you don't have to remind me" Paige groaned with her a mouth full of toothpaste, "I have the Major Domo White lighter as a trainer"
"Natalie isn't all that bad" Phoebe cajoled, "as much as I hate to admit she's changed a lot since Amanda was born"
"In what way?"
"She's lost weight," Phoebe quipped over her shoulder as she scooted out the door. " I gotta go, Cole and I are picking out rings today"
"So your really going to marry a demon?" So the impromptu proposal after the destruction of the wendigo was still a go. Paige knew that Phoebe had kept her intended nuptials under wraps out of respect for Prue, but hoped that her older sister would reconsider. Like Prue, Paige didn't trust Cole's so called converted demonic side.
"Half demon" Phoebe corrected, "And yes, it makes a nice balance in the family considering Prue and Piper both married angels"
Paige bit down hard on her lip, as Phoebe left the bathroom. "Can't wait to see what Prue and Grams have to say about that one"
"You will soon! We're telling Grams to tonight!"
"Amanda!" Amanda come out, come out where ever you are!" Shaylee's voice called out in singsong voice.
Amanda stood nervous and wide-eyed at the end of the hall, longing for Prue or one of her aunts. Something about Shaylee definitely frightened her. Adverting her eyes, she looked up the long length of stairs that led to the attic. She would be safe there she reasoned, making herself invisible.
Moving slowly, she took the stairs one at time, lifting her tiny legs with effort.
"Amanda!"
Panic filled Amanda's tiny lungs as she reached the door. "Up! Up!" she sputtered jumping for what seemed to be a mile high doorknob.
"C'mon Mandy. I won't hurt you, I just want to feel your power"
Mimicking her mother's actions, Amanda squinted at the doorknob, willing it open. Nothing happened. "It worked for Mommy. Why dat not work for me?" Daddy's powers work for me she thought, turning herself into white and blue orbs. Now standing on the opposite of the door, the tiny witch sighed in relief.
"Now dat I am in the attic, I'm safeGood things happened in the attic. Mommy and Daddy and her aunts destroyed demons here. Amanda rested against the door for a moment, until she heard the creek of the knob. Gazing up she saw it beginning to turn. Shaylee! Backing several steps, Amanda made herself invisible again and hid behind the big puffy pink chair.
The attic door slammed open. "I know you in here" Shaylee seethed. "I can sense you!" Unbeknownst to anyone, Shaylee had taken a portion of Paige's power to sense. She now had the ability to track all of Paige's would be charges.
"You can't get away from me!"
"What are you doing up here?"
Shaylee turned to see Paige standing directly behind her. "Looking for Amanda" she answered quickly. "We were playing hide and seek" An uneasy but convincing smile formed to Shaylee's lips fooling Paige.
"I don't think she's here," Paige answered walking over to the book. "She knows she's not allowed up here without one of us which reminds me, neither are you" Playfully Paige tugged on one of Shaylees long brown french braids.
"I'm sorry" Shaylee apologized lowering her head, "I just wanted to find Amanda. Can you sense her for me?"
"Now that would be cheating," Paige grinned, "why don't you back down stairs, I heard Leo rooting around in the basement. Maybe's she's with him"
"Okay" Shaylee didn't argue, instead she just stared at the puffy pink chair for several moments before exiting the room.
Paige directed her attention to the book turning to the page she had created for the dimension of the lost. If the lost of souls of unwanted children, and children who had been lost to fate were there, that had to mean that the soul of Prue's unborn daughter was there too. Despite Phoebe's warning, Paige felt she owed it to Prue to try and save her daughter.
"Okay once I'm there how do I find her?" she wondered hearing a tiny sneeze. "Ah-choo!" She looked about the attic and didn't see anything. "Is anybody there?" she called out, hearing the shuffle of tiny feet. Amanda then appeared peeking out from behind the puffy chair, looking frightened and guilty.
"You are here," Paige scolded placing a hand on her hip. Amanda looked up at her aunt seeing disappointment in Paige's eyes.
"Sweetie you know we've told you, not to come up here unless one of us are with you. It's not safe" Thinking that Amanda had just acted out over her parent's grief, Paige opened her arms, inviting Amanda up. "Now come here"
Amanda orbed into Paige's arms, literally shaking. "Oh Sweetie," Paige cooed kissing Amanda's hair, "I'm going to fix everything. You'll see. I'm going to make you and Mommy and Daddy and your baby sister a family again."