THIRTEEN

"No!" Piper said defiantly, chocking back tears. "This is a trick. You're dead. I saw you buried. You can't be here."

"Piper," said Phoebe, tears streaming down her face, "it's her. It's Prue. We have her back."

"Piper? Phoebe? Is it really you?"

"This is a trick," said Piper. "You can't be alive."

"What's taking so long?" Leo asked stepping into the chamber. "You need to get her out of here before…."

His voice trailed off as he saw Prue sitting on the bed. A perplexed look came over his face. Paige just stared at the four in confusion. Phoebe was hugging her sister as Piper stood in front of them adamantly denying that this was her older sister.

"This has to be some kind of trick," said Piper. "Some cruel, sadistic trick. Beelzbor is going to pay for this."

"Piper," said Leo with the perplexed look still on his face, "that is Prue. I can sense her. I can't explain how but that is Prue. And she's alive."

"No," said Piper. "I've accepted her death. It wasn't easy but I've accepted that she's gone. This is some kind of trick. It has to be. I saw her body. I watched her being buried. This is some demon that's shape changed to look like her."

"Piper," began Leo.

"We have company," said Cole moving into the chamber. He stopped for only an instant when he saw Prue sitting on the stone bed. "Uh, guys, we have a problem. Beelzbor is outside and he has friends with him."

Leo glanced out into the larger chamber. Beelzbor stood just inside the exit and four other demons flanked him. He was looking directly at the chamber where they now all seemed to be trapped with no escape.

"Whoever you are," Beelzbor said in a voice loud enough so they could all hear him, "I suggest you come out now. And if you try to shimmer away I will warn you I have two Tracker demons with me. They'll follow you wherever you go. If you've come to try and take her from me it won't do you any good. Come out now and maybe I won't vanquish you for your insolence."

"We have to get out of here," said Leo. "With your powers reduced as they are I'm not sure we can stand up to five demons, especially with Beelzbor here. I suggest we get back to the manor where at least your powers should be back to full strength."

"The Tracker demons will know the instant you orb out," said Cole. "And Beelzbor will send them to get her back. We have to distract him so he doesn't know who's taken her. It might take a while before their powers are back to full power."

"How do we distract them?" Paige asked.

"Leo, Paige," said Cole, "get them back to the manor. I can keep Beelzbor busy for at least a few minutes. It will take him by surprise when he sees me. That should distract him long enough so he doesn't notice your orbs. I'll join you as soon as I can."

"No," said Phoebe. "Cole, you can't. The Source wants you dead. Even if you can distract them there are too many for you. You'll just get yourself killed."

"There's no time to debate this," said Cole. "Just get back to the manor and take her with you. Whoever, whatever she is Beelzbor has her prisoner. You risked a lot to come get her. Don't waste the only chance you might have to save her."

Cole didn't wait for any of them to reply. Instead he turned and stepped out into the larger chamber.

"Hello, Beelzbor," Cole said smiling at the senior demon. "Long time no see. I heard you had a human female down here. I was just curious. Since when did your tastes run to humans?"

"Belthazor?" Beelzbor gasped in astonishment.

"Cole," Phoebe cried moving to the entrance of the smaller chamber.

"Phoebe, no," said Leo, pulling her back inside. "He's bought us a few seconds. We need to get you and Prue out of here. Cole can take care of himself. You just have to trust he'll be okay. Paige, you orb Piper and Prue back to the manor. I'll bring Phoebe."

"Right," said Paige reaching for Prue's hand.

As Phoebe and Leo orbed out of the chamber she heard the explosion of a fireball from the outer chamber. As elated as she was to have Prue back again she couldn't help but wonder if she'd ever see Cole again. She vanished from the chamber knowing that not even Cole could stand up to five demons simultaneously.

Victor was pacing the living room when he noticed the orb begin. He knew he would have to wait a few seconds until the orb finished before he could be sure who it was. Even so he had a pretty good idea who would be orbing into the living room. As the orb finished he saw Piper, Paige, and another woman with them.

"Thank God you're okay," said Victor rushing to hug his daughter. "I was beginning to worry that maybe…."

He stopped in mid-sentence as he noticed Prue, his eldest daughter, standing next to Piper. A look of confusion crossed his face. Suddenly a second orb started and within moments Leo and Phoebe stood next to the other three.

"Prue?" Victor questioned. "How…? I mean…? But you're dead."

"That's what I said," said Piper turning to face her sister. "Who are you? A shape changer? A demon causing this illusion of my sister? You'd better start talking because I want some answers now."

"Piper, it's me, Prue," said Prue. "I'm alive. I thought I was never going to get out of there. When I saw Phoebe standing over me in my quarters I thought it was a hallucination. But it's me. It really is."

"No," protested Piper. "Prue's dead. She died fighting Shax. I saw her body. I watched them seal her in the mausoleum. I don't know who you are but this isn't funny and someone is going to pay for it."

"Piper," said Leo, putting his arm around his wife, "you know I can sense the three of you. No matter where you are on the mortal plane I can sense you. And I'm telling you that's Prue. I can't explain it but it is her. And she's alive."

"Prue?" Piper said a tear starting to roll down her cheek. "Is it really you? Are you really alive?"

"I'm alive, little sister," said Prue smiling. "It's really me. And it looks like you saved me for a change."

Piper could hardly believe what she was hearing. Loosing Prue had been possibly the hardest thing she had ever gone through. Now, to think that maybe Prue wasn't dead after all. It was almost more than she could hope for.

"Beelzbor kept me prisoner with this damn binding bracer," said Prue, holding up her wrist to show them the same type of bracer the others had also worn. "I can't use my magic as long as I wear it. There was no way to let you know I was okay. That I was alive."

Suddenly Cole shimmered into the living room. He was badly beaten. There was blood running from his lip and one eye was nearly swollen shut. A cut on his forehead bled freely. As he shimmered into the living room he nearly collapsed on the floor.

"Incoming," was all he managed to say before three demons, one of them Beelzbor, shimmered into the entryway.