Different Paths Part 39:
1975

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Okay, just so you people know, I always thought there was a little blooper on how and when Victor left in charmed. There's the version of Victor leaving in 1x17 aaand the thing in 3x10 with the ice cream truck. In 1x17 Prue was actually about... 4 (if Phoebe is really born 75, 4 years after Prue). It's said that Victor left Patty right after Phoebe was conceived. And in 3x10... she's like 6 or 8 (appearance of the 'actress') and Victor is still there. So just to order things: here it'll be a bit different. Patty and Victor will be together, till Victor noticed the obvious: Patty is pregnant with Paige, so she betrayed him. They then split, but Victor stays at the house, at least they both agreed so, to have the girls have a normal family. Naturally, Victor would have a kind of separated room in like basement and also naturally, he'll be a lot gone, cause of business and maybe also in certain ways cause of patty and the pain he suffered with her betraying him. So the final time when he's leaving will be after the episode of 3x10. The ice cream truck. So, please don't think I just ignore 1x17. I know what facts are shown in that episode, but at the moment the 3x10 version just simply matches a whole lot better to the series (in 1x03 that theory is in as well, I mean, Victor is shown there with all three girls under the Christmas tree).

Last but not least to add a bit of Paige and victor: I know I wrote in some earlier chapter, that Victor didn't know about her, but I thought it more like... Victor though she was dead. Right after they split, Patty and Victor probably didn't talk much and when the kid suddenly just disappears and Patty is breaking completely down, it's the only reasonable reaction; he thought she lost the baby. After all Victor's not a big fan of magic, neither does he know much about it. So he wouldn't know Patty and Sam weren't allowed to be together. Especially because he thought they were hiding because of him. Sooo there goes the background, I thought of for the next two chapters...

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A few seconds later the sight cleared again. She found the manor empty, or was it? Slowly she followed someone's step and then saw her grandmother in Prue and Piper's room. She covered Piper up and kissed her forehead

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"Me want momi"
Penny smiled
"I know, darling, mommy's gonna take you down tomorrow again, today her and daddy need to go to the doctor's to see if the baby is alright"
Penny told her.

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"Baby? Then... this is Piper... and mom's pregnant with Phoebe..."
Prue concluded and looked more interested at the scene... it changed, as she saw herself playing with no one but herself, outside in the backyard. She then watched how she suddenly fell
"wha..."
before Prue could finished, she noticed how her little self didn't start crying but instead got a very scared expression on her face. Seconds later a hand appeared on 4 year old Prue's mouth, covering her screams with his hand. Little Prue was more and more scared, Prue saw it in her eyes, then saw how the demon made an athame appear in his hand
"no!"
Prue screamed and stretched her hand out, like trying to keep things from happening

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"No!"
Prue said in her floating form, starting to turn uncomfortable form one side to the other. Victor watched carefully, but knew he couldn't help her. He swallowed hard and closed his eyes. He was more than scared. What if Prue was hurt in this state? Inside her dreams or whatever else she was having. What if she never woke again? Victor exhaled deeply, when he heard the door. He glanced back at Prue. Could he seriously leave her? Would she be okay without him? But this force field protected her from him, why not also from demons? He glanced back at her again and then got up. He closed the door after him, as the doorbell rang a second time. He opened the door and found Piper, Phoebe, Paige, Cole and Andy in front of the door
"where's Prue?"
Piper demanded

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Prue helplessly watched the scene, but found herself relaxing, as Grams came outside.

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"Prued..."
penny stopped dead in her tracks, finding her granddaughter in the hands of a demon
"let her go"
she demanded
"why should I?"
"Cause I may rethink killing you right away"
Penny told him
"I don't think you'll hurt me... now will you?"
the demon asked as he placed the athame in front of Prue and her throat. Penny gasped.
"What do you want? The charmed ones, what else?"
Penny asked and watched with a sight how the demon's grip loosened slightly by the distraction of the talk she had started. She used the chance and pushed him back telekinetically into a tree. Though her fall was kinda muffled as Prue fell on the demon, she still hit the tree hard. The grip on her mouth loosened
"Grams!"
she yelled, crying
"it's okay, darling, don't worry"
Penny calmed her and was about to telekinetically bring her granddaughter to her, when the grip hardened again and the demon rammed the athame into Prue's stomach till the very last inch possible

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Prue swallowed, this wasn't possible. She saw little Prue falling unconscious and the 'screen' how she'd call it went dark. It seemed like there was nothing, like she was dead. Then slowly it got brighter and brighter and she then heard voices

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"Mother!"
Patty entered a hospital room, where Penny was in already, as well as the little Prue. Victor straight away went to Prue's side, taking her hand, ignoring Penny completely.
"where's Piper?"
"I called Julia to pick her up... I had called Leo, but... all the neighbors heard Prue's screams... I had no choice"
Victor heard Penny's words and just simply couldn't believe it. He raised from the chair and went over to Patty and Penny, facing Penny.
"you are risking my daughter's life, just because you are scared someone might have heard her screaming while someone stabbed her? Are you kidding me!"
"It was the best for her and for us! And I at least was there!"
"Oh so this is my fault once more? Cause I brought Patty to a doctor's appointment, don't you think this is a bit ridiculous"
"oookay, you two whether stop right away or you for fuck's sake go outside! And if you don't do it for the pregnant woman standing here then at least do it for the little girl over there who almost died today!"
Patty yelled, as finally tears rolled down her face. Victor was standing in the meantime again with the two women, and now Patty was the one, turning her back to them. She walked to her big baby and lay down on the bed next to her. She tenderly kissed her temple
"You'll be alright"
she whispered.
"I'm... gonna go... pick Piper... see you later... at home"
"don't wait for me"
Patty told her
"darling, that's ridiculous, you can't stay here..."
"Yes I can"
Patty told her stubborn
"Patty..."
"No damn it!"
Victor went up to the bed and sat down on the side of it where he was closer to Patty
"Honey, you know... I seriously don't like this... but your mother is right. You're in 6th month. You need all the rest you can..."
"I won't leave until she woke"
Patty answered
"you don't have to... but... I can stay with her afterwards while you go home and care for our other children and yourself, okay?"
Patty sighted. She wanted to stay with Prue, but Victor was right she nodded slightly
"alright"
she said lowly. Victor turned around to face Penny awaiting a thank you, instead she simply left
"Oooh how I hate her"
"Victor..."
Patty said gently and tired of it all. He turned around again and nodded
"sorry"
he said and walked over to the other side of the bed and took Prue's hand again. Prue seemed to react on it and slowly opened her eyes, but as fats as possible closed them tightly again, the light was just too bright. She didn't understand where she was, but she smelled her mom's perfume. She wanted to know what was going on and so opened her eyes again. She looked at her mom and moved slightly towards her. When she moved she could feel the pain and so she screwed her face.
"Hey"
Patty whispered and kissed her forehead again. Prue closed her eyes again, the light was hurting. Patty saw Prue pressing her eyes shut and looked up, to see if there was anything which could cause this reaction. When she looked up, she found the very bright light as well.
"Victor... can you turn off the light"
Victor just nodded, got up and turned off the light, then returned to his position. Prue opened her eyes again and looked at her dad. Then moved back into her mom to hide in her arms while clutching onto her dad's hand
"You're okay"
Patty whispered. Victor saw Prue's face as she moved
"are you in pain, sweetie?"
Prue closed her eyes and swallowed, then nodded
"I get a nurse..."
he said lowly, when Prue's grip tightened on his hand, signalizing him to stay. Patty smiled...
"You can also press the button"
she whispered. Victor smiled slightly and got up, still holding Prue's hand as he pressed the button. A nurse appeared a few seconds later
"ooh you're awake"
she said smiling in a friendly way
"yeah and she's in pain..."
Victor told her
"okay... then I'm gonna give you something against that"
the nurse told her and then went over to some stuff which was placed in the room and got a shot with morphine. When Prue saw the shot she backed more into her mom, trying to hide
"hey... you're our big girl... right?"
Victor asked her, but Prue still looked scared
"you gonna sing with me the song we always do? I sing, you hum?"
Patty asked her. Prue nodded slightly as they started to make music. Patty then gently 'washed' her hand over her face to make Prue close her eyes. Prue kept on humming and didn't even notice with the humming and her mom's voice, when the nurse gave her the shot. The nurse nodded at Victor, who smiled back. She then went to the bottom of the bed and added what she gave Prue on what date and which time.

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Prue swallowed. The date the nurse wrote down... this was impossible... this couldn't be...

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"I... umm don't know... why should I?"
"Dad, we know she's here..."
Phoebe tried to argue. Andy instead passed Victor and started to search the apartment
"she's not here..."
"Oh well... we scried for her and she IS here"
"she was... but she left again"
Victor lied, as he was getting more nervous as Andy started to reach his bedroom door.
"The date"
you heard a numb voice coming from the bedroom. Andy, who was closest, noticed Prue's voice and entered, finding Prue there
"oh my god"
Andy whispered hurrying over to his wife, attempting to take her hand, but he was thrown back into a nearby wall
"Andy!"
Paige yelled, darting forward and to his side, the rest followed, except Phoebe
"why did you lie!"
"Phoebe... Prue... didn't want you guys to know..."
"Know what exactly?"
Piper asked after she had seen the state her sister was in
"I'm... not sure myself... she said several things... but nothing too clear. She was completely exhausted and... desperate... nothing made real sense... she said something about... something hunting her... and that she didn't want you guys to know... she said she needed my help and that I shall watch her... as she wasn't sure, what would happen"
"so she did this to herself?"
"Yeah... she made a potion and read a spell... and then she went into this state... no one seems to be able to touch her... I tried several times as well"
he said looking at Andy
"how long is she already like that?"
Piper asked
"maybe an hour..."
he said
"where are the ingredients?"
Paige asked
"and the spell"
Phoebe added. The sisters started to go to work, while Andy, who stood in the meantime again, just looked down at Prue.
"Why didn't you tell me?"
he whispered, starring at his wife's face.