Disclaimer: Charmed is not mine; it belongs to Spelling and Co. This is for entertainment purposes only, and I am making no profit.
Author's Note: Parts of this chapter are taken directly from "All Hell Breaks Loose". All else is my own creation.
And the Fourth Shall Save Them : Prologue
'I can't believe this is happening,' Prue thought, desperately, as she ran through the halls of San Francisco Memorial. 'This can't possibly be real.'
But the cold metal of the stretcher bearing her sister down the hall, and Piper's futile breaths as she struggled to hold onto life proved to Prue that it was all too real. Suddenly, Piper gasped in pain, and Prue smiled reassuringly at her.
"Hang in there," she ordered. "Where's Dr. Griffiths?" she demanded, glaring at one of the EMTs. "He should have been here by now."
"I'm here," Griffiths called out, running up to them. "What happened?"
"Some idiot in front of our house," Prue snapped, angrily.
"What do we know?" he continued, ignoring Prue as they wheeled Piper into an empty operating room. "I need some numbers, people."
"Pulse, seventy and weak," and EMT informed him.
Griffiths nodded, grasping the edge of the sheet under Piper as the rest of the medical team cluster around the stretcher.
"One, two, three," he chanted, as they lifted Piper from the gurney to the operating table.
Prue clutched Piper's hand, but felt herself being pushed out of the way as Griffiths moved to examine Piper.
"Small entry wound, upper right back," he said, as a nurse made notations. "Larger exit wound, abdomen."
"Her lungs are failing," he snapped, a second later, whirling around. "Get me forty cc's of adrenaline and hang two units of O, stat."
A nurse slapped the syringe into his hand, and he injected it rapidly into Piper's chest.
"Leo!" Prue cried helplessly, as tears started to fall, unnoticed.
"He can't hear you," Piper gasped out. "Leo. Something must have gone wrong."
"Piper, don't you dare die on me," Prue told her.
"Prue, I'm cold," Piper whispered, faintly. "I-I can't feel my legs."
"Her pulse is dropping," one of the EMTs said, quickly.
"Don't go," Piper gasped. "I love you."
"No," Prue gasped, horrified, as the Piper flat lined.
Immediately, Griffiths and the medics sprang into action, grabbing a pair of defibrillators and rapidly charging them. Griffiths placed them against Piper's chest, and activated them, but nothing happened.
"Again," he snapped at one of the nurses, as Prue looked helplessly on.
"I'm sorry," Griffiths said, as the second attempt to revive Piper failed.
"Get out," Prue whispered, staring at her sister's lifeless body. "Go!" she screamed, when no one moved.
Griffiths nodded, taking everyone out of the room with him. Prue bent over Piper's body, and wept soundlessly.
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"The Source knows," Cole said, heavily. "About you. About us."
"What do you mean?" Phoebe asked. "What does that mean?" she demanded, turning to Leo.
Leo shrugged as Cole went on.
"The Source is offering a deal," he continued. "He'll get Tempus to reverse time if you stay down here. Permanently."
"No," Leo said, instantly, but Phoebe shook her head, slowly.
"Why does he think I'd accept something like that?" she asked.
"Because it's the only way to bring one of your sisters back to life," Cole told her, sadly.
Leo orbed out without a word, even as Phoebe was angrily demanding details from Cole. He reappeared in a darkened hospital room, to the sight of Prue huddled over Piper's broken, bleeding body.
"No," he gasped, unwilling to accept what he saw before him.
At the sound of his voice, Prue's head whipped around in his direction. He had a moment to take in the tear tracks drying on her cheeks, and the despondent look on her face, before she grabbed his shirt.
"Can you fix this?" she demanded.
"Can you fix this?" she repeated, shaking him when all he could do was stare at Piper. He nodded mutely, and she shoved him backward. "Go!" she snapped, as he orbed away.
"Don't worry," Prue murmured to Piper, kissing her sister's forehead. "Leo's going to fix everything. I promise."
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"Piper," Phoebe guessed, taking in Leo's distraught appearance. She hugged Leo tightly, and he leaned into the embrace.
"You don't have to do this," he said, reluctantly, as they separated.
"Yes, I do," Phoebe told him. "Will resetting time affect us down here?" she asked Cole.
"No," he replied, already walking toward the Source's chambers.
"Good," Phoebe said. "I have only one condition. You must warn Prue and Piper before Shax attacks. Otherwise, they're dead anyway."
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Cole knelt respectfully in front of the Source, waiting breathlessly for his decision.
"Agreed," the Source said, finally, and Cole hurried away after bowing.
"Once I have reset time," the Source said, to the demon that entered after Cole had left, "detain him. And then kill his witch. That way, I won't have to worry about Balthazar, anymore. Or the Charmed Ones."
The demon bowed, walking away, and the Source gestured, summoning Tempus to stand before him.
"It shall be done," the Source intoned.
Tempus bowed his head, and time flew backwards. Tempus started to sweat and shake, with the exertion his power put on his body. He groaned in pain, and, seconds later, burst into flame and was vanquished.
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"Our lives could be over like that," Prue said, snapping her fingers for emphasis.
A louder crack echoed her, and Piper gasped suddenly. Looking down, they both stared in horror at the blood coating Piper's stomach and hands. Then, Piper collapsed into Prue's arms.
"Leo!" Prue screamed, dread and fear clawing at her insides. "Leo!"
The whitelighter orbed in, and knelt at Piper's side, his hands already glowing as his healing energy flowed into her. Several tense seconds passed, and then Piper coughed, opening her eyes, as the wound and blood disappeared.
"Thank God," Prue gasped, hugging Piper tightly.
"Wait," Piper said, extracting herself from Prue's grip. "I thought you couldn't hear us Down There."
"Where's Phoebe?" Prue asked, suddenly, before Leo could say anything.
"Here," a weak voice called out from behind them.
They whirled around as one to see Cole collapse to his knees, bleeding from various wounds and burns covering his body. In his arms he held Phoebe's tattered body. Leo rushed to her side to heal her.
"Well?" Prue demanded, as several seconds passed with nothing happening.
"There's nothing I can do," Leo said, his voice exhausted. "She's dead."