"Andy had married someone else? How could that be, how could he of all people do that her? Without another word, Prue jumped from her seat, making for the stairs.
"Prue! Prue!" Andy tried to follow but found himself too weak and feeble to keep pace. Regretfully he tripped stumbling over the corner of the couch "Prue you don't understand!"
"Let me help" Amanda latched onto his wrist exploding them both into a bright glow of orbs, which regenerated in the attic. Prue was just opening the door, looking dark faced.
"What's her name?" she roared threatening to use telekinetic blast against her beloved, until Amanda stepped in the way shielding her father.
"Mom, please calm down let him explain!"
"What's her name?" Prue shouted again, waving her hand slightly and telekinetically forcing Amanda from her aged father.
"Francis" Andy said lowering his head in shame. "But it's not what you think, Prue it was the only way-"
His words were cut short by a muffled crash from downstairs. "What was that?" Prue moved back to the doorway, shouting down the stairwell. "Paige?" The sound of furniture breaking and glass shattering came as the reply.
"Stay up here!" Prue warned thundering back down the stairs to find Paige pinned up against the wall, struggling with an invisible attacker. Prue looked slightly to her left and saw Leo unconscious and bleeding. The s shattered tea platter was lying on the floor beside him.
From her position she could see Paige's face start to flush as if she were being choked. Her blouse ripped open and her floral skirt hiked up to reveal the top of her pale thigh.
"Prue, help me!" Frantically Prue could see Paige's legs kicking futile beneath the area from where she was pinned. Watery tears sprang from Paige's eyes; she couldn't breath. The stalker from her dream was back.
"Let her go!" The Charmed High Priestess reared back her arm and flung it forward creating a massive telekinetic blast that rippled throughout the entire house flinging furniture, glassware and everything in it's sight including her Paige. Her surge of emotions over Andy had caused a blast like no other, ripping down pictures and even the structural joints in some of the walls.
"Paige" Prue muttered racing towards her sister who now pinned beneath the massive pile of rubble from what remained of the large cherry colored bookcase.
"Paige!" Prue fell to her knees, frantically tossing aside bits of splintered wood, until she could see Paige's porcelain cheeks." Paige please, be all right" A massive cut on the guardian Charmed One's face caused blood to trickle down her face making her injury look a lot worse than it was.
"You'll be all right" Prue promised, rolling Paige's head into her lap. "You'll be all right"
"She certainly will" From out of nowhere a voice sounded causing Prue's eyes to narrow sharply.
"WHO ARE YOU?" Prue's voice choked with clouded emotion, still holding it's bitter tone., "Come out where I see you!"
Are you kidding?" The voice sneered, "Just let me have your sister and I won't destroy you"
"BITE ME!" Prue snarled squinting in the general direction of where the voice had come.
"Tisk tisk you'll have to do better than that" the voice laughed watching the rubble of the wicker furniture in solarium shatter through what was left of the stain glass window. "You cannot destroy me"
"Make a bet" Invisible orbs formed protectively in front of Prue relinquishing them into Amanda, holding the crossbow. "An invisible demon deserves an invisible girl" Invisibility and her father's infrared vision were coveted powers which allowed Amanda to turn invisible to do battle and see the visible attacker at the same time.
"Amanda be careful" Prue whispered watching her daughter fade from sight. The whoosh sound of the crossbow could he heard followed by the thud of the arrow impaling the wall. Amanda had missed her mark.
"Oops you missed"
Through invisible eyes Amanda could a man dressed in Princely attire, complete, tights and a chevron made of fine velvet splayed over his chest. "What do you want with my aunt Paige?" Amanda growled, giving the crossbow a chance to reload.
"His majesty the King has sent me to fetch the Enchantress, so that he may have the life she promised," the Prince growled drawing his sword in a threatening manner. "She has bore him an heir, a magical child and now they shall live by his side!" Without warning, the prince drew back his sword and shimmered at the speed of light. He reappeared in front of Amanda.
"Those who try to thwart his reign shall Parish!"
No time…. there was no time to fire the crossbow, Amanda reasoned. The only thing she could do was orb and watch the sword as it came crashing down upon the end table from where she'd been standing.
Now behind her mother, Amanda became corporeal again in time to see Prue helping a disheveled looking Paige to her feet. The two started to chant a spell from a crumbled receipt that Prue found in the rubble.
I call upon the ancient powers;
to unmask you now and in future hours
Show us well and thoroughly
reveal yourself so the world can see.
Instantly the prince became visible to them. Paige could hardly believe the medieval outfit
"Come with me peacefully and nobody will get hurt!" The noble price cried trying to retrieve his sword.
"I don't think so" Prue winced watching as the Prince pulled his sword from the table.
"The King shall return for the Enchantress!" With the same intensity in which he'd come the Prince shimmered away, leaving a royal cloud of red dust behind him.
"Enchantress?" Paige's upper lip curled becoming all screwy. "Did he just call me Enchantress?"
"Yeah he did" Prue swallowed slowly wrapping an arm around her injured sister. "Let's check on Leo"
The three witches stood before the sacred podium. "You were once, an evil enchantress Aunt Paige?" Amanda asked gazing down at the page in the book which displayed a beautiful artistic drawing of Paige all decked out in Queen like attire"
"My past life" Paige answered quickly looking to Prue
"Hmm…" Prue continued to stare down at the book, fully aware that Andy was standing behind her. The episode with Paige had given her momentary reason to forgo any further discuss of Francis, or what the Tracer had been through. "It could be, but I thought you and Piper and Phoebe vanquished her, while I was in the afterlife"
"We did" Paige acknowledged "But I grew up with this my dream, a fairytale where I'm suppose to marry an handsome Prince
"Well it seems today as if it's an evil King," Prue corrected as Amanda began to read the words on the page silently, moving her lips.
Bring together my Prince and me, let him fall on bended knee, I summon him to my side, that he may take me to be his destined bride." What a romantic spell, it sounds like a fairytale.
"Don't read it aloud! And just for the record, it's more like a demonic nightmare" Paige quipped knowing that once again somehow her evil past had come back to haunt her, again. "Oh this…this can't be happening" Paige pinched the bridge of her nose, while Prue hastily started to grab needless ingredient for a potion.
"Well it is happening and we just have to fix it"
Paige glanced over Prue's shoulder to see the elderly looking Andy staring blankly out the window. "Uh- speaking of fixin' things, don't you think you should-"
Prue chanced a glance and looked up at Andy thankful that his back was turned. "Honestly no. In fact I think Andy should leave."
"Prue!" Paige held her voice to a loud whisper, "How can you-"
"I just can"t all right!" Prue cut her off again, "It's called avoidance and It's one of things I do best"
"Yeah and in the meantime Amanda, Leo and I have to suffer the brunt of your whacked out powers.!" Paige kept her hands on her hips. "I saw what you did downstairs. It was out of control." Paige paused for a moment. "Prue, we've been under a lot of stress lately. Phoebe just died, and you just lost you husband." Paige walked around the podium so that she was now facing, Prue. " Honey anyone would be a basket case in this situation. Take a time out, Prue before we lose someone else"
Paige just stared at her sister, noting she was latterly starting to shake. "Let me play super witch for a while. Your family needs you"
"Not to mention, we might need Andy to help Amanda with her new powers. He's the only one who knows their full potential" Leo interjected.
"Fine, tell Andy to meet me in my room in ten minutes
Prue was standing at the mirror pulling the brush through her hair when a knock sounded at the door. Did she dare answer it? There were so many things she needed to ask Andy, so many questions like how could his life advance so much in just five days. Did he love this other woman? Did they have children together? The latter questions burned a hole in her heart.
She set the brush on the dresser and walked slowly to the door, pulling it open, with a "what do you want. You really hurt me" look upon her face. Slowly she raised her eyes and started to speak without really seeing who was in front of her, "I 've only got a few minutes" she began stopping in mid-sentence as she raised her eyes to meet Andy's. "Andy?" An automatic smile spread to her face as she looked up to see that he was young again. How?"
"That's not important right now" The tracer swallowed making his way into the room and closing the door behind him.
"But I don't understand" Prue swallowed gazing into his crystal colored eyes.
Bravely, Andy took her face into his hands, speaking earnestly "The only thing you need to understand is that I love you"
Tears glinted in Prue's eyes almost causing her to smile. "THEN HOW COULD YOU MARRY SOMEONE ELSE?" Viciously she drew up her knee slamming it purposefully in Andy's groin.
"OW!"
Prue pulled away, allowing him to bend over reeling in the obvious pain she'd caused.
"Jesus, Prue! Was that really necessary?"
"Huh?" Prue's eyes grew wide as Andy's form slowly glamour back into Cole.
"COLE?"
"I was trying to soften the blow" Cole choked pulling upright. "I thought it would be better if you took your aggression out on me first. Sad to say I was wrong about that" Moving slowly, Cole made his way out of the bedroom, and into the hall where the real Andy was waiting.
"She's all yours"
"Thanks Cole" Old Andy stood in the doorway with his white cane in hand. "May I come in?"
"Sure," Prue shrugged, "this is your room too or it use to be"
"I wish it could be again" Together the couple sat on the bed as Andy began to tell his tale. Tenderly he placed his hand over Prue's. "Look Prue I know you're hurt, but you have to know I love you. I would never betray you or the girls"
"Then why did you?" Prue spat furiously pulling to her feet. She took a moment to run her hands through her long raven hair.
"You didn't leave me any choice" Andy replied, looking grim.
1930
"What is this place?" Andy looked to Francis as they entered through the gate of a huge stone fortress looking building, covered with barbwire, and armed guards. It looked like a prison.
"This is where Immortals go" Francis, answered removing the scarf from around her neck and placing it over her brown hair as protection against the wind. "It is where we wait for our loved ones to complete their purpose, so that we may return home"
"Purpose? What purpose?" Andy looked confused as they passed through the gate and entered what appeared to be a small community filled with cobblestone roads and Spanish looking buildings.
"The purpose that destiny has given them of course. Death sent you here for a reason Andy. To give your family strength through pain" Francis quipped, "each family is given a specific task in which they must complete until then this is your home. You will be given new clothing and routine work."
"Work for Demons?" Andy glanced at her skeptical, "I don't think so"
"You'll change your mind, you all do sooner or later" Francis smiled latching onto Andy's jacket as if she were going to button it. "Besides Mr. Capone will pay you handsomely to do his dirty work" Being an immortal, Andy could pose as one of Capone's front runner's for the mob committing vicious crimes without the worry of mortal death.
"Me work for Al Capone?" Capone was a killer, a demon in his own right. This would cost him his angelic soul. This he was certain. Feeling uncomfortable, by her touch Andy latched onto her hands pulling them off of his clothing. "Like, I told you before, I don't think so"
"Fine have it your way. Consider yourself cursed." Francis sneered, "Time moves much faster here. For each for mortal day that passes in your world, you shall age fifteen years unless you agree to do my bidding, or-"
"Or what?"
"Capone will make certain that you walk this demonic wasteland feeling the wrath of every demon you and your precious wife have vanquished."
"I'll take my chances sweetheart" Residing his fate for the moment, Andy turned and started into the village.
"Fine have it your way" Removing her leather glove, Francis flicked her fingers sending little black ash like speckles straight into the back of Andy's head"
P3
Piper stood at the bar tapping her fingers. She was anxious to see her next spirit. "C'mon, I've got a life to run" she moaned in aggravation as the door to the club opened. A little old woman with a cat who vaguely looked like Kit appeared.
"I was told you could help me" The kindly old women wandered up to the bar, and placed her cat on top of it. I need to find a home for Mr. Whiskers"
"Mr. Whiskers?" Piper's eyes shifted back and forth incredulously, "You mean you can't move onto the afterlife because of your cat?"
"He's all I've got" the woman said stroking the cat's champagne colored fur. "We've been through too much together for him to become just anybody's familiar"
"Familiar?" Piper lifted her hands, "are you telling me you're a witch?"
"Why yes Dear, but of course"
"Great, more and more I'm starting to feel like Jennifer Love Hewitt" It was then that it dawned on Piper that Death's purpose was for her to help enchanted spirits to move on, not just mortals like the time when Paige had accidentally stopped Death to save the Priest.
From up above, Death watched as Piper grabbed her coat and led the elderly woman outside. He then turned to find himself standing in an office filled with luscious looking oak furniture and leather.
"You know, I really don't like it that you've made me out to be the bad guy here. "I'm supposed to be neutral. This is giving me a bad reputation""
"No one is truly neutral, not even you" A women answered from the chair. Her back was turned so that Death was having a conversation the chair. "But t his is what must be done. Prue Halliwell needs to feel more pain, if we are to succeed. The display of power she executed at the manor was not enough"
Death's eyes squinted at the word pain. "Isn't taking the life of her sister, and losing her husband enough?"
"No" the woman answered, "if she is to be victorious in our quest then her entire family must be destroyed"