Part 8
"Prue?" Phoebe's voice was tinged with worry as she called for her sister.
"Coming!" Prue answered, shoving the test under a rumpled tissue in the garbage.
As Prue raced back up the stairs, she tried her hardest to block out everything but helping her sister.
Phoebe glanced up as Prue entered the attic. "The potion's almost done."
Prue watched her little sister as she concentrated on brewing the potion, an uncharacteristically pitying look painted across her ivory skin. She felt so guilty, as if it was her own fault that Piper was know pregnant with Cole's child.
Her thought turned to Johnny. As hard as she'd tried to forget that part of her life, it was always lurking their in the shadows of her mind, threatening to jump out at her when she let her guard down.
Phoebe's head snapped up. "Okay, we just need something of Piper's and a little mandrake root and we're golden."
At that moment, Cole's arm twitched and Piper's eyes fluttered.
"Hurry," Phoebe urged. "Whatever's possessing them must be fighting the spell."
Prue dropped the brush into the mixture, remembering just in time to duck. A loud crack reverberated through the attic, followed by a puff of gray smoke.
As the smoke cleared, Piper and Cole awoke.
Cole shook his head clear and glanced over at Piper. He smiled hungrily and pressed his lips against hers.
Phoebe quickly filled two vials with the oozing red liquid.
Prue noticed the newly-awoken couple. "Pheebs," she warned.
Phoebe capped the second vial and tossed it to Prue, who deftly caught it.
"One," she said.
"Two," Phoebe added.
"Three," they finished in unison.
The bottles flew across the dusty room, landing on either side of the couple. As the vials' glass splintered and the contents spread, a thick smoke surrounded Piper and Cole.
When it died away, Prue and Phoebe rushed over, expecting to find them stunned but separated. Instead, the two were still locked in a tight embrace, their passion painfully clear. They weren't under any spell this time. It was the real deal
"Ahem," Prue loudly cleared her throat.
Piper finally tore her lips from Cole's. "Phoebe!" she exclaimed when her eyes came to a rest on her baby sister.
Phoebe's own honey hued eyes were already glassy with wavering tears that were threatening to fall at any moment. She could feel her heart slowly icing over, mildly numbing the sharp pang of loss and rejection.
"How could you?" she sobbed, her porcelain skin growing blotchy and red as the tears spilled over. Phoebe turned sharply and dashed towards the door.
"Phoebe," Piper called, tears brimming in her eyes as well.
Phoebe stopped dead in her tracks. When she finally turned to face her sister, the look of fury on her face caused everyone in the room to recoil.
"Don't you dare, Piper. Don't you ever talk to me again."
Phoebe once again turned and continued her escape from the stuffy attic.
Piper turned her pleading stare to Prue.
Prue returned the stare. "Well what did you expect, Piper? A ticker tape parade? This is what happens when you sleep with your sister's boyfriend. If you think this is bad wait until she finds out he got you knocked up."
That said, Prue turned and followed Phoebe down the stairs.
"Pheebs?" she called.
Her ears detected a sniffling in the corner.
Prue eased herself down next to her baby sister and began gently rubbing her back.
"Hey, Pheebs," she whispered. "Look at me, please," she pleaded.
Phoebe finally looked up and ran a shaky hand under her downcast eyes, smudging her once perfect eye liner.
"Prue," she said. The pain in her voice coupled with the look in her watery eyes broke Prue's heart. "It really hurts and I-I don't know what to do." Phoebe leaned against Prue, breathing in her strength.
"I know, Pheebs," Prue's comforting tone slightly soothed her sister's trampled-on heart. "It hurts and you don't think anyone or anything can make it go away."
"It's not fair," Phoebe sobbed. "I finally opened my heart to love and look what it does to me. And don't give me that, 'It's better to have loved and lost,' crap. I've had way too much Shakespeare for one lifetime."
"Wouldn't dream of it," Prue promised, a slight smile on her cherry lips. Prue looked thoughtful for a second. "C'mon, Pheebs. Ben and Jerry are calling."
Phoebe returned Prue's smile and climbed to her feet. "Thank you, Prue."
The two sisters walked out of the Manor, arms wrapped tight around each other.
Piper looked on from the attic window, tears silently spilling over her cheeks.
Phoebe grinned broadly as she stuck the spoon to her nose, using the cookie dough ice cream as adhesive.
Piper and Prue laughed at the sight.
"Hey!" Phoebe called out indignantly. Slyly, she swiped a large scoop with Prue's spoon and before either of her sisters knew what hit them, they were dripping with ice cream.
The two sisters looked down at themselves in shock while Phoebe rolled on the kitchen floor laughing.
"Let's get her!" Piper and Prue yelled in unison.
"No!" Phoebe shrieked as they descended on her, tickling her mercilessly.
"Apologize!" Piper demanded.
"Never!" Phoebe screamed laughingly, wriggling under their fingers.
"You asked for it!" Prue warned her.
Piper grabbed the sink hose and began squirting her baby sister.
Phoebe shrieked and raced out the door, sisters hot on her heels, in an attempt to exact revenge with the garden hose.
Piper stirred herself out of her reverie. She thought she had shed all her tears, but a solitary droplet slid down her flushed cheek.
Cole watched her helplessly from across the room. He could feel her pain, it was etched across her beautiful but worn features, but there was nothing he could do.
"I should have left her alone. She was happy with Leo until I came along," Cole berated himself.
He loved her so much but he didn't know how to make her happy. He'd already ruined her relationship with Phoebe permanently, so leaving wouldn't help. Too bad he couldn't go back in time, but Tempus wouldn't be too happy to see him, let alone the Source.
Blue lights suddenly filled Cole's eyes, blocking his view of Piper.
At the sight of her husband, Piper's tears began anew, cascading down her cheeks in torrents.
"Leo, I'm so sorry!" she sobbed.
Leo's eyes filled with compassion. "Piper, honey, I know. And I know how to fix things with Phoebe."
Piper's head whipped up. "You-you do?"
Leo nodded and held up a small sachet.
"Memory dust?" Cole guessed.
"Yes," Leo answered tersely. He turned to Piper and his expression softened once again. "I'll sprinkle you with it. I already got your sisters. You'll never know we were together."
Piper ran her hand gently across Leo's cheek. "Leo," she started.
Leo pressed his finger against her lips. "It's okay." He leaned down and brushed his lips against hers one last time.
Cole crossed to stand at Piper's side. He took her hand in his, studying her face intently.
Leo squeezed his eyes shut for a moment to regain his composure. Raising his hand, he tossed a handful of memory dust onto the new couple.
"You will go to sleep and when you awake, you won't remember our relationship or anything about it," Leo intoned. "In your minds, you and Cole have been a couple for a little over a year. But remember, your angel will always be watching you."
Piper and Cole sagged onto the couch, deep in a dreamless sleep.
Leo watched his love for a moment, stared as her chest rose and fell. He loved and he always would, but because he loved her so much, he needed to let her go.
With one last heartbroken glance, he orbed away, leaving Piper to her new life.
9 months later
"Push, Piper, push!"
Piper let out a primal scream as she pushed with all her might. Her pain was rewarded with a child's wail.
Piper dropped back onto the hospital bed, breathing heavily.
After several minutes, a nurse brought the fruit of her labor to her, swaddled in warm, pink blanket.
Moments later, another nurse followed with a baby clothed in blue.
Piper beamed down at her beautiful little babies.
Her sisters were crying more than the babies in the corner.
"Oh, great, my eyeliner's running!" Phoebe complained through the tears.
"You wore eyeliner when you knew you'd be crying?" Prue asked her, wiping her own eyes.
"Well, a girl should always look her best!" Phoebe exclaimed.
"Yeah, especially when they will be cute doctors around, right?" Prue teased.
Phoebe nodded happily. "Exactly!"
The sisters laughed as they rose from their chairs.
Phoebe bounced across the room, dragging and equally excited Prue behind her.
"So, have you thought of names yet?" Prue asked.
"Yeah, I was thinking Phoebe for the girl and Phoebo for the boy!" Phoebe informed Piper with a smile.
"You so stole that from Friends!" Prue accused her.
"Who? Me?" Phoebe asked innocently. "So, have you thought of names?"
Piper nodded, not taking her eyes off her babies.
"Melinda Patricia for the girl," Cole told them.
"And Wyatt Matthew for the boy," Piper added.
Her sisters exchanged confused looks. "Why Wyatt Matthew?"
Piper turned her gaze to them, finally tearing her eyes from Melinda and Wyatt. "I don't know. I just have a feeling that's what I should name him."
Phoebe shrugged. "Works for us."
Up in Heaven
Leo looked down on the touching scene with a hollow heart. When he heard the name Piper had chosen for her beautiful son, it took all the restraint he had to keep from bursting into tears.
Slowly, he turned away and walked off into the Elder's chambers to receive his new charge. As he went, he wiped a solitary tear from his eye.