FOURTEEN

"I got two of them before I decided it was a good idea to get out of there," said Cole as Phoebe moved over to help him.

"Not that it will do you any good," said Beelzbor, holding a fireball in one hand. "It cost me quite a bit to put my plan into action. I don't know how you managed to discover I had her captive but I mean to have her back. And the rest of you as well. Come along quietly and I promise not to kill your father."

Piper was ready to attack. But she knew she couldn't stop Beelzbor's fireball. Cole and Leo were the only ones who could survive that attack. Even if he didn't get Victor it might get one of the sisters. And with Prue still wearing the binding bracer she was as helpless as Victor was.

Prue noticed Leo looking at her instead of the demons. He looked at the wrist that the bracer was locked on. As she glanced down at the bracer she also noticed Leo's left hand move slightly. As if by magic the bracer on her wrist suddenly opened and fell to the floor. Too late Beelzbor saw the bracer drop to the floor.

Prue raised her hand and the fireball he was holding suddenly sprang to life, striking the demon to his left. The demon was vanquished in a conflagration. Piper, seeing what had happened, raised her hands and the demon to Beelzbor's left exploded. Beelzbor turned in stunned amazement to look at the sisters.

Once again Prue tapped into her telekinetic power. The bracer she had been wearing only moments before suddenly rose off the floor and flew directly at Beelzbor. The demon raised his arm to protect against the flying projectile.

But instead of striking the demon, the bracer suddenly snapped itself around his wrist. Beelzbor screamed in anger as he fought vainly to remove it. Prue moved up and stood in front of him.

"Remember what you told me? You can't remove it. Someone else has to do that. And now you can't even use your powers. When other demons learn you're powerless I'm sure there will be more than one that will take advantage of the situation. You've made a lot of enemies in the underworld. How does it feel to be powerless knowing that one of them is going to vanquish you for everything you've done to them?"

"No," screamed Beelzbor. "You can't do this."

"Of course I can," said Prue. "You expected me to bear your offspring. To give you unlimited power to control the underworld with. When we first made our bargain I told you I'd find a way to stop you. Now, thanks to my sisters, I can do just that. I'm sending you back to the underworld. Back to your worst enemy. I'll let them take care of you."

"Send him to Malevant," Cole said as Phoebe helped him stand up. "He was plotting against Malevant. I can tell you from personal experience it's going to be very unpleasant for him when Malevant gets his hands on him.."

"That's a good idea,' said Prue. "Now, to figure out the best way to get you there."

"That part's easy," said Paige. "Malevant," she said as she waved her hand at Beelzbor. The demon screamed in anger as he orbed out of the manor and back to the underworld.

"That's that," said Prue, turning to face the others.

"Prue?" Piper questioned.

"It really is me, Piper. I never died. It's a bit hard to explain. But thanks to you and little sister, I'm home now. And thanks to you," she looked at Paige, "whoever you are."

"I would be the other little sister," said Paige.

Prue stared at Paige in confusion as Piper, Phoebe, and Victor all moved to hug her. Leo, Cole, and Paige just looked on smiling knowing this was probably the best family reunion any of them had ever had.

"It's really great to be back home again," said Prue, drying her hair on a towel. "After being in the underworld for so long I'd forgotten how nice it was just to take a shower."

"How did you get out of that bracer?" Phoebe asked. "I thought someone else had to remove it."

"I did," said Leo. "With my telekinetic ability. It's a standard White Lighter ability. It's really a very minor power, especially compared to Prue's. And I rarely have any reason to use it. But it's nice to have when I do need it."

"Okay," said Piper, "we've let you clean up and get rested. Now, would you care to explain just how come you weren't killed when we were fighting Shax? I saw your body. How did you escape?"

"I didn't," said Prue. "Beelzbor appeared in the manor when I was alone. He said that the Source was going to kill all of us. And he said he'd make a deal with me. If I would agree to stay with him in the underworld he would guarantee that you and Phoebe would escape alive. He had four other demons with him and I knew I couldn't take them all. I didn't have much of a choice. I told him I'd go along with it only as long as he guaranteed me that he would never hurt any of you."

"That explains why he's left them alone since then," said Cole. "He knew how devious you could be. And he knew that as long as he kept his part of the bargain you'd keep yours."

"Exactly," said Prue. "As long as he didn't come after you I couldn't give him any trouble. That was our bargain."

"But what about your body?" Phoebe asked. "We all saw it. We watched them seal it in the mausoleum."

"A shape changing demon," said Prue. "Beelzbor said he needed to leave it here to throw you off. So that you wouldn't know I had been taken to the underworld. When it was killed you just naturally assumed it was me. And I had no way to let you know otherwise."

"More like when Beelzbor murdered it," said Cole. "He knew they'd come looking for you once the fight was over. He had to give them a reason not to. So I'm betting he arranged to have the demon killed so you'd think Prue had died and wouldn't go looking for her."

"And with her in the underworld," said Leo, "I wouldn't be able to sense her. So not even I would know she was still alive."

"He's pretty devious," said Paige.

"Not for long," said Cole. "Now that Malevant has him he'll be wishing he'd never started this little plan of his. Malevant will make him sorry for a very long time before he actually vanquishes him."

"Good riddance to bad rubbish," said Piper.

"I'm just glad to have my girls back," said Victor. "All of them. I know I wasn't a very good father when you were growing up. But I do love all of you. And it's nice to have you back."

"It's nice to be back," said Prue. "And with a new little sister, no less."

"She was a big help after you died," said Piper. "I'm not sure we would have gotten through it if not for her."

"You would have done fine," said Paige. "You were the Charmed Ones after all."

"Well," said Leo, "there's a lot to fill the Elders in on. I really should be getting up there and let them know Prue's back."

"Don't take too long," said Piper. "I'm fixing a very special dinner tonight. All of Prue's favorites."

"I wouldn't miss it," said Leo, orbing out of the kitchen.

"Well," said Prue, "I think I'll go get dressed. I really hated that robe Beelzbor made me wear. It will be nice to get into something decent for a change."

"Go ahead, sweetie," said Phoebe. "When you're done we can catch you up on what's been going on since you died."

"I'm looking forward to it."

Prue headed for her room to change clothes. It would taker her a while to get reacclimated to the manor. She had been a prisoner for so long she had almost forgotten what it was like to be free.

But she knew her sisters would be there for her. All three of them. So would Victor and Leo. Even Cole didn't seem as bad as she remembered. He had risked his life to help save her. Maybe it was time to give him the benefit of the doubt. Maybe he had changed.

As Prue decided what to wear, she thought about her family. She had lost them once. From now on she would never take them for granted again.

The End

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