AN: Okay, I'm finally back in business, hope everyone hasn't forgotten this one. Curious: I disabled my account for awhile b/c I wasn't able to get to a computer.
Eternally Charmed: Witches in FinsPrue sat barefoot on a large rock with her knees drawn up to her chest, staring dismally out into the water as the waves crashed against the shore. Oh how nice it would be to give into the call of the sea right now she thought thinking of her sisters. She'd let them down by somehow letting evil slip into her Utopian afterlife. The afterlife she had chosen because she wanted to remain on earth with her sisters and children rather than moving on as an angelic spirit.
"Maybe I'm the one that should have vanished" she thought dryly thinking of Piper was back at the manor crying her eyes out over the lose of Melinda's lantern. If Prue had taken her second option, to leave her family behind at least she'd still have Andy and Austin right. Paige would still alive, and probably Glenn too. Piper would still have Melinda.
"You shouldn't allow yourself to think that way Prudence. You are much to powerful of a witch to let self doubt cloud second guess your judgment"
Prue whirled around to see the angelic shape of Melinda Warren standing behind the rock.
"Melinda" Prue said softly
The always-smiling apparition circled around the rock so that she was now standing beside it. "I've always loved the smell of the sea and admired it unstoppable strength"
"Right now, I'd like to throw myself in it" Prue grumbled wishing she weren't immortal.
"You have that same unstoppable strength Prudence"
"Forgive me if for once, I say I don't believe you"
Melinda scowled playfully, "now you are starting to sound like Piper, rather than strong leader of Wicca that you are"
"Maybe I don't want to be a Wiccan leader anymore" Prue pulled her white cap off of her head and ran a hand through her hair.
"It's your destiny and the Elder's have sent me to bring you home" Melinda held out her hand motioning Prue down from the rock.
"I'm not going back" Prue shook her head, "Not without Andy and the girls." As for the Elders, they had betrayed her" The Elders knew nothing of Natalie's plan until time had been changed" Melinda defended reading Prue's mind. "Even with all of our seer's of Goodness they were unable to foresee the darkness that she would bring"
A pause lapsed between the two immortal high priestess as shimmers appeared before them on the sand forming in the mortal shapes of Cole, Phoebe and a very red faced Piper. Phoebe had a found an old spell in the book of Shadows.
"Prue we need to go back in time to stop you from saving Andy" Phoebe stated urgently watching her older sister shake.
"I can't " Prue returned refusing to make eye contact with either of her siblings.
"What do mean you can't?" Was this really Prue talking? Piper's hands were on her hips, eyebrows knitted. "You get your wiccan ass off that rock and down here so that Phoebe and I can cast the spell!"
Prue simply shook her head as she pulled her to her feet. "My time as a witch is done. I'm through with magic"
"Excuse me?"
Phoebe's eyes narrowed. "What do you mean? Prue you're scaring us". Phoebe looked warily at Melinda for an answer as Prue continued to stare out into the sea.
"Prudence has chosen a new destiny," Melinda said quietly. "She has willfully given up her title as Wiccan leader". Again reading Prue's mind, Melinda could see that Prue was in great emotional pain, the type of pain that came when one needed to move onto another life.
"SHE CAN'T!" Piper bellowed, "she's already chosen her destiny"
"Our destiny" Phoebe added softly as gold lights began to appear all around Prue. "Prue don't do this" Phoebe begged.
Prue stood with her eyes closed holding her palms out. "Take me away from where I don't want to be; give my life to the sea!"
"Prue Stop!" Piper roared. But it was too late. Before their eyes, Prue transformed into a set of glittering gold scales and a tail; she was now half human, half fish. A mermaid if you will.
"I can't the sea is calling to me" Stealthy, Prue dove from the rock into the waves. "It's where I belong"
"Oh that isn't true" Phoebe scoffed, "You hate the water". Even though Prue had defeated her fear drowning long ago, she still hadn't overcome her fear of abandonment.
"PRUE! PRUE!" Piper went rushing forward falling to her knees, watching as her sister crashed into the waves and swam away. "Prue come back, don't leave us! We need you!" Tears ran down Piper's faces as she fisted the sand. "Please, don't leave again. Please!"
Phoebe slid beside Piper cradling her arms. "She's gone, just like the girls we can't bring her back" Phoebe kissed Piper's forehead blinking away her own tears.
Melinda frowned watching as her chosen Monarch disappeared from sight. "No I'm afraid you can't, but you can still save Ayleia"
"Why would we want to save her?" Piper growled giving in her own anger and pain. "It's because of her Mother that we're in this mess"
"Piper she's just a baby" Phoebe's eyes shot towards the middle sister who was starting to sound a little too much like Prue.
"I don't care!" Piper whirled upon her only remaining sister and Melinda. "Prue, Andy, Paige, Melinda, Amanda…. they're all dead!"
"Prue isn't dead Piper" she's just chosen a new destiny. Melinda answered softly "and as for the others, their souls are just waiting to be reborn at the new hand of destiny."
"The new hand of Destiny?" Phoebe questioned cocking her head. "You mean they're all still alive?"
"But of course" Melinda nodded. "When Natalie had gone back into time to prevent Andy from dying, she inadvertently gave both Andy and Paige a new destiny. The Elders would have informed us if they were dead"
"But what about our children?" Piper's jaw clenched, forcing Melinda to smile.
"You will need Ayleia to answer that" A swirling of bright lights formed engulfing the Matriarch instantly.
"Great, just great" Piper chanced at look at Phoebe who was now standing upon the rocks where Prue had been.
"At least it's a shot" Phoebe turned standing above her sisters, "I mean what more do we have lose?".
Piper sighed offering Phoebe a hand as she jumped down from the rock, "Oh I don't know we could end like Prue" A shot of the Prue's glittering tail from underneath a wave caught their attention.
"Mmm…Mmm…Ah…No" Phoebe shook her head.
Piper released Phoebe's hand. "Uh…Pheebes, what are you thinking?"
"I'm thinking that our sister might just need a handsome merman to save her soul from it's unfeeling torture"
"Merman?" Piper's lips pursed watching Phoebe's pearly whites beam. "Phoebe!"
"I'll tell you later, but first we need to go visit our friend the Source and rescue Ayleia before the coronation"
"And just how are we going to do that?" Without Prue and Paige, Piper had no hope for the power of just two.
"Simple, we're going to follow Prue…the Source will be looking for witches, not mermaids".
"You aren't serious?"
"Aren't I?"
Before Piper could blink, Phoebe was repeating the same the spell that Prue had used with some simple modifications. "Take us away from where we don't want to be; let us use our magic to cloak usunder the sea. Give us new strength the Charmed three we shall ever be!"
"Phoebe!" Piper's mouth formed a perfect "O" as she felt her feet give weigh to an enormous gold fin and gold scales. "Oh….Oh…."
"C'mon!" Phoebe shouted donning a fin of her own, "if we don't go now, we'll never catch Prue!"
Afterlife
From her foutain in the heavens Melinda watched as both Piper and Phoebe dove into the sea. "Why didn't you tell them about Andy and Paige?" A voice said from behind her. Melinda waved her hand over the water causing the vision of the sisters to disappear.
"Zola, I would suspect that you be happy over that decision" Melinda smiled tighly at the dark skinned Elder.
"You are protecting the high priestess"
"Perhaps, I am," Melinda Warren sniffed cooley.
"You do not think she could handle the consequences of Natalies betrayal?" the two godlike figures stood still for a moment letting silence pass, "So you rather that she's used her human emotions to banish herself to the sea?"
Melinda shook her head, Prue would find a way to get her family back, one way or another. "You know nothing about human emotions, true love or the depth of Halliwell magic"
"Perhaps, I do not" Zola droned slowly "but I do know that the longer time stays changed the harder it will be to reverse."I do not want it known that the high preistess has given up her destiny, as ruler to the Wiccan realm. The Source will find out soon enough and once Alyeia is annointed there will be no stopping him."
"The fall out will be great" Melinda sighed, "but at the least the Charmed Ones will still be alive"
"If you're lucky"
"If we're lucky" Melinda corrected.
Villiage of the Forgotten
"Andy where are we?" A cool dark mist surrounded Paige causing her to shiver. A void of darkness was all around her with the exception of the floating shadows of dead spirits that danced above her head "Are we dead?"
Andy pressed his hands up against something that felt like a wall, feeling his hands slip right through. "No death isn't like this, at least it wasn't for me".
"How did we get here?" Paige panted feeling the cold sweep through her into her throat and nose. "I'm freezing"
"I'm not sure," Andy moved away from the wall slipping off his leather jacket and placed it over Paige's shoulders. "Here"
"Thank you" she smiled forcing icy breath from her nose. "Wait a minute, if we're here where are the girls? They disappeared with us" Paige's head jerked about. "Amanda! Ally!"
"They aren't here" Andy's eyes rolled upward roaming the upper area of their new surroundings. The transparent souls hovering above them were long in length with human heads reminding him of the haunted house ride at Disneyland.
"How do you know that?" Paige held the lapels of Andy's jacket, keeping it over her shoulders.
"I'm they're father Paige, I'd know if they were here" A fathers instinct there was nothing stronger.
"Not without your powers" Paige retorted sassily
"I don't need my powers for that" Andy's left eye narrowed looking down at his youngest sister in-law.
"But we do need powers to get out of here" Paige replied softly feeling the temperature drop another few degrees. "Why am I so cold!"
"Because you no longer exist"
"What?" Paige's head whipped around as she moved closer to Andy. "Who said that?"
"I did" A ghostly figure with no face appeared before them forcing Andy's chin to lift upward. The apparition reminded him of the tall man, only transparent.
"Who are you?" the Mortal Tracer demanded sharply mindful to become protective of Paige.
"The bearer of Forgotten Souls" The ominus figure started to laugh, a hideous howl as hollow souls in the shape of bats started to swarm about the nearly arrived prey.