Chapter 9: From Fear to Eternity Part 2
SWA Properties
"As you can see, we're a small firm but we've built a very successful business." The young woman conducting the interview, Susan, was saying. Phoebe sat in the chair across from the desk with Susan behind it.
Phoebe smiled and tightened her grip on her good-luck charm, willing it to help her. "Oh, well, size doesn't matter to me. What does excite me, though, is the chance to work with a successful woman. I mean, if I want to be a success, who better to learn from, right?"
Susan laughed, fixing Phoebe with an interested look. "Oh, I like that." She looked down at the papers in front of her for a moment. "I've heard all I need to hear. When can you start?" she asked eagerly.
"Are you serious? I got the job?" Phoebe demanded enthusiastically and a little surprised.
Susan shrugged slightly. "I can spot talent when I see it," she replied, appearing thoughtful. "Can you start today?"
Phoebe nodded quickly, hardly believing her luck. "Uh, yeah, yes, of course," she stammered.
Susan started to say something but trailed off as a man walked in, motioning for her. "Hi, honey, give me a second," she greeted, giving him a hold-on-a-minute gesture. The man nodded and walked back out leaving the two women in the office.
Susan hesitated a moment before reaching for the keys that were in front of her and passing them to Phoebe. "Here are the keys, Louise is out of town, I've got…" She stopped with a pointed glance toward the door that the man had just left through. "… I'll be in Calistoga for the rest of the day, so all you have to do is answer the phones."
"Taking a romantic mid-week break?" Phoebe teased lightly.
Susan suddenly looked a little uncomfortable. "Well, yeah," she allowed, leaning forward to Phoebe slightly and lowering her voice. "Um, which reminds me, there is one special task I'll need you to handle from time to time. If my husband calls, I'll need you to cover for me."
Phoebe's eyes widened in understanding and her eyes flickered to the door. She laughed nervously and glanced back toward Susan. "Oh, right, uh, sure…" she offered uncertainly.
"Our little secret?" Susan pressed.
Phoebe offered a fake smile. "Oh, of course!"
"Well, you have my pager number. Have fun." Susan continued, standing up from behind the desk. She quickly walked around Phoebe and toward the door.
"Okay." Phoebe replied with forced enthusiasm. She turned as she heard the door close, leaving her alone in the office. "You too," she added, her smile immediately falling.
Azure Apartments
Buffy and Prue reached the receptionist desk. Before leaving the Manor, they had changed into their Jedi robes as they were now on official Jedi business. "I am Grandmaster Buffy Naberrie of the Jedi Order," Buffy told the receptionist. "This is Padawan Prue Halliwell. We are here to see Zoe Hanson. It is a matter of urgent importance."
The receptionist nodded and motioned to the log. Prue quickly signed their names.
"Room 412." The receptionist replied, handing them stickers with the lone word 'visitor.'
"Thank you," said Buffy as she and Prue hastened toward the elevator that would take them to the floor Zoe lived on.
0 – 0 – 0 – 0 – 0
Zoe stood in her room in front of a table where she was carefully trimming one of her plants. She felt a light breeze and heard a faint swoosh and she paused in her work. After a moment she sat her scissors down on the table and slowly turned around. Her eyes held no surprise as she looked over Barbas, the Demon of Fear. "I thought you might come," she commented with a half-smile. "There is nothing for you here."
"Oh, you couldn't be more wrong, witch. You're all alone. That is all I need," the Demon of Fear retorted from where he stood just in front of the door to her apartment.
Zoe smiled and took several confident steps toward him. "You have no power over me. I have evolved to a place where I have released all mortal fears," she returned. She watched as Barbas turned his attention to his hand before continuing. "My inner strength will destroy you," she warned, a dangerous edge to her voice.
Barbas didn't answer, but watched his hand as he slowly waved it over her. His dark eyes looked around her to the candle that stood behind Zoe on the table. The candle flashed and the small flame shot up and hit the floor, quickly catching the carpet on fire.
Zoe jumped and tried to stomp the flame out but it only grew worse.
"You didn't release your fear of fire. You only repressed it," Barbas finally answered. The flames spread in a circle around her, encircling her in fire that rivaled her height.
She gasped in fear and tried to back away only to find the flames behind her as well. "No, please!" Zoe pleaded.
Barbas raised his arms, reveling in her fear. "Save it! For another lifetime! You are frozen… In Fear!"
0 – 0 – 0 – 0 – 0
"412, right?" Prue called, stopping just in front of the door to Zoe's apartment.
Buffy walked up from behind her cousin and knocked. "Hello?"
A scream sounded through the door and Prue narrowed her eyes and it swung open. Buffy and Prue stepped into the room on the alert. They halted as their eyes caught sight of Zoe. Her lifeless body lay on the floor, her hair white and eyes wide with fear. A circle of burnt carpet was around her and smoke filled the entire room.
Buffy let out a sigh and moved over to a phone and dialed. "Inspector Trudeau, please. Tell him it's Grandmaster Master Buffy Naberrie of the Jedi Order."
Quake
Buffy and Prue met Phoebe and Piper at Quake where Piper had saved the four of them a table upon receiving the most recent update on their current demon predicament. Prue was unusually silent as she relived seeing Zoe's lifeless body.
Piper decided they needed to figure something out before the Demon of Fear came looking for them. "What did you guys tell Andy?" she asked nervously.
"As the liaison to the Jedi Order he has full clearance. So, we told him the truth," Buffy explained. "What he tells his superiors is between him and them."
Phoebe's eyes were narrowed in concern and reached out hesitantly to her eldest sister, whom appeared to be taking it the hardest. "Are you sure you're okay?" she pressed sympathetically.
Prue sighed, dropped her fork on her plate, and nodded slightly to Phoebe. "Yeah, it's just, uh, I can't get her face out of my mind, you know? There was so much fear and her hair was pure white… the terror she must have it felt. It's just…"
"Okay, I'm scared enough, thank you. So now what?" Phoebe asked.
"I'm going to go speak with Inspector Trudeau," Buffy said. "See what the coroner said about Zoe. Prue you go back to the Manor, look in the Book again. If you can't find anything on this Demon of Fear. You call Giles. Piper, Phoebe you two return to work. And whatever the three of you do, do not go near anything that you might be afraid of."
"What about all the other witches?" Phoebe wondered.
"I took Zoe's address book," Buffy answered. "Aurora and Angel are making the phone calls to warn them."
San Francisco Police Department
Buffy stood before Andy as she filled him in. "The Demon of Fear," he said he said with a sigh. He hated telling the Captain that this was something only the Jedi could handle. "I'll inform the Captain and have everything we have faxed over to you."
"Thank you," Buffy said. Suddenly she was wracked with a powerful Force vision.
Prue was fighting to get out of the shower while the water filled higher and higher to the point that it was well over her head.
"Are you alright, Master Naberrie," Andy asked as he looked with Buffy with concern.
"Prue," Buffy said as she came out of the vision. She quickly put the pieces together. The Demon of Fear was after Prue. "She's in trouble."
Andy grabbed his jacket and they raced out of the station and toward his car.
SWA Properties
Phoebe sat at her desk, watching as another worker retrieved his papers that had just come out of the printer next to her. She waited until he had disappeared into the next room before turning her attention to her good-luck charm that she held in her hand. "Okay, heads—I tell him the truth. Tails—I lie," she decided softly. She tossed the coin into the air.
As it came back down it rolled off the desk to land on a filing cabinet in front of the desk. "Oh, that helped a lot," she muttered sarcastically as she saw it had landed on its edge, neither heads nor tails. Phoebe grabbed her coin and turned to the phone that had just started ringing. "Oh." She exclaimed as her elbow knocked over a bottle of water that was sitting next to the phone. "Hold on please," she told the person on the other line while hastily sitting the phone down. As she picked up the bottle she was thrown into a premonition.
Prue was fighting to get out of the shower while the water filled higher and higher to the point that it was well over her head.
"Prue…" Phoebe breathed, her mind racing as she put pieces together. The Demon of Fear was going to attack Prue. She suddenly remembered the person on the phone and picked it back up. "Uh, no one's in, call back later." She answered and hung up the phone.
Halliwell Manor
Prue turned the water to the shower on and stepped inside. Over the noise of the falling water she didn't hear the phone downstairs ring. The answering machine clicked on and Phoebe's voice filled the Foyer.
"Prue, its Phoebe. Are you there? Pick up? Hello? Prue, I just had a premonition. You could be in trouble. Are you there? Prue, are you there?"
Barbas smoked into the Foyer in time to catch the message. His eyes flickered to the answering machine where the caller ID was shown. He waved his hand over it and 'SWA Properties' disappeared. Barbas slowly turned toward the stairs that would lead him to the eldest Charmed One.
0 – 0 – 0 – 0 – 0
Barbas stepped through the closed door of the bathroom. Prue, her eyes closed against the water, didn't notice him as he waved his hand over her. He glanced at Prue thoughtfully. Prue slowly opened her eyes, shielding them with her hand. She immediately noticed the presence of Barbas and just as quickly deduced who he was. She gasped and jumped as far back away from him as the shower would allow.
"Your greatest fear is drowning. Thank you for making it so easy." The Demon of Fear took a step forward and closed his eyes expectantly.
The water in the shower began to rise quickly and Prue looked down at it in dismay.
Barbas saw the first signs of fear in Prue's widened eyes and she paled visibly. "That's right… Give me your fear."
Prue stepped through the water that filled the bottom of the shower to the door and tried to pull it open. She panicked when it didn't move and desperately hit the glass trying to force her way through it while the water rose quickly around her. As the water reached her shoulders, she turned the water off in a vain attempt to stop it from rising. With the water still rising to her neck she turned back to the door and narrowed her eyes at it. No blast of telekinesis hit the door and she tried again receiving another failed attempt.
Barbas smiled and reveled in her growing fear. "Your powers are frozen by your fear." He explained.
Prue, now struggling to keep her head above the water level, turned to the small shelves that held her shampoos and soaps. Knocking them off she grabbed the top shelf and tried to pull herself higher, only to slip and fall under the water completely.
Prue eventually relocated the shelves in the water and pulled herself back up. Now, even with the extra boost, she could barely keep her head above the water. She let out a terrified scream as she realized she had nowhere else to go.
0 – 0 – 0 – 0 – 0
The scream drifted out of the house as Andy and Buffy walked up to the front door. They immediately responded. Buffy, utilizing the Force, unlocked the door. Andy drew his gun as Buffy unclipped her lightsaber from her belt and activated it, the silver blade snapping into existence.
"Prue?" Andy called out as he and Buffy ran through the door.
0 – 0 – 0 – 0 – 0
Prue heard her name being called and she opened her mouth to scream for help when her hand slipped and she fell deeper into the water. She caught a blurred sight of Barbas smoking out. She heard the door slam against the wall as it was kicked in and Andy and Buffy ran in, Andy's gun pointed and Buffy's lightsaber activated.
"Prue?" Andy repeated her name, his voice a mixture of worry and confusion.
Prue suddenly realized the water was gone and she leaned heavily against the side of the shower to catch her breath.
"You okay?" Buffy asked.
Andy scoured the area for anything only to find, to his frustration, more of nothing.
"I… don't know." Prue admitted, fiercely rubbing the silent tears away from her eyes before looking at her cousin.
Andy glanced over at Buffy and sighed softly. "I'll wait for you downstairs," he decided. He cast one more worried look over Prue before walking out and closing the door to the bathroom behind him.
Prue stepped out of the shower to meet Buffy but froze as water spilled out of the shower as if it had been filled and not empty as everyone saw it. She watched the water flow out and her vision blurred as she suddenly felt weak.
Buffy pulled her the rest of the way out and helped her carefully slide down to the floor, clutching the towel against her. "Prue?"
"He was here," Prue said weakly. "H-How did you know?"
"I received a Force vision, nearly overpowered me. I've never had one that strong before," answered Buffy.
0 – 0 – 0 – 0 – 0
Andy paced by the couch that Prue and Buffy were currently sitting on. "Are you sure you are alright?" he asked.
"I'm fine, Andy," Prue said just as they heard the front door open.
"Prue?" came Phoebe's voice from the front door.
"In here, Phoebe," Buffy said.
"Hi, Andy," Phoebe greeted loudly and with false enthusiasm as she came around the corner into the room where they were.
"Have a Force vision?" Buffy asked, though she was sure she already knew the answer.
"Yes," Phoebe answered. "Is everything okay?"
Prue nodded slightly. "Yeah, everything's fine," she said not wanting her sister to worry.
"I better get back to the station," Andy said. "Still have to tell the Captain that the investigation now falls under the jurisdiction of the Jedi Order. I don't relish that. No offense he feels you guys meddle too much. When are you going to do the reveal, I mean about demons and magic?"
"I don't know," Buffy answered. "The Triumvirate is still discussing that."
They watched as Andy left. Prue slowly left her place beside Buffy on the couch and pulled Phoebe into a tight hug.
Phoebe could feel tears falling on her shoulder as she wrapped her arms around Prue. She looked at Buffy with a worried expression, she had never known Prue to break down like this, at least not in front of her.
0 – 0 – 0 – 0 – 0
Buffy led the way into the attic with Phoebe and Prue following. "There has got to be something in the book about releasing fears. Maybe it's just not obvious." Phoebe insisted as she kept an arm around Prue's shoulders. Buffy and Phoebe moved to the book as Buffy began flipping to the page on the Demon of Fear.
Prue hesitated just inside the attic; her eyes flickered curiously around the room. "Do you guys smell that?" she asked.
"What?" Phoebe wondered distractedly.
"I smell Sandalwood," Prue explained.
Buffy took a sniff of the air; she couldn't smell anything. She then closed her eyes and centered herself in the Force. "We had a visitor," she said as she opened her eyes and looked at her cousins. "Your mother."
"Mom?" Phoebe said as Buffy nodded. She looked back down at the book and began reading the page on the Demon of Fear. She looked back up at Prue and Buffy confused. "I thought there was nothing in here about releasing your fear?"
Buffy looked back down at the book and saw what Phoebe had. "To let go of your fear, trust in the greatest of all powers," she read.
"That wasn't there this morning." Prue explained when she had moved beside Buffy and Phoebe to look at the book.
Phoebe bit her lip slightly. "Well …"
"It wasn't there," Buffy interrupted. "In fact I believe that has been added since this morning."
"I have to agree, it's in mom's handwriting," Prue said. "If it had been there earlier I would have definitely have remembered something in her handwriting."
Buffy closed her eyes and centered herself in the Force. "Revan," she whispered.
"Hello, my daughters," Revan said as he appeared.
Buffy opened her eyes as she looked at the Force Ghost. "We know you were going to train Melinda," said Buffy. "Was she to be the only one?"
"No," Revan said. "But Patty and Penny both have other ways to return as you will eventually discover when the time is right."
"Do you know what the greatest of all power is?" Phoebe wondered.
"I do," Revan admitted. "But Patty expressly asked me not to reveal it, not yet. She wanted to give the two of you and Piper the chance to realize what it is on your own." He then slowly faded from view.
"Okay," Buffy said. "Phoebe, go back to work. Prue we need to find out what your mom means."
"I love you," Phoebe said as she headed out the door.
"Me too." Prue answered.
"Why do you do that?" Buffy asked, stopping Prue in her tracks.
Prue turned around to face her cousin with a confused expression. "Do what?"
"You didn't tell Phoebe you loved her, you said me too," Buffy explained. "Have you ever said it to anyone?"
Prue hesitated a moment and avoided Buffy's gaze before slowly meeting it again. "Yeah, I said it to Mom. It was the last thing I said to her before she died," she admitted softly.
"Prue," Buffy said, "as you know, both Dawn and I know what it's like to lose a mother. Dawn has had it harder than I. And I've told you know what happened to Shmi."
Prue nodded as she remembered the story have Shmi's death. "How Shmi died right in front of Dawn and Anakin," she said. "And how that was led Anakin down the path to briefly becoming a Sith Lord and how Dawn almost followed him."
"That's right," said Buffy. "And you know what happened to my birth mother."
Prue nodded as she remembered the story that Buffy had told her of hers and Dawn's life before their enslavement on Mustafar. How their biological mother had died of an aneurism a couple months after having surgery to remove a tumor. "I do."
"I learned this lesson years later," said Buffy. "What only Dawn and Ani know is that while Shmi was not my birth mother or my adopted mother. Her impact hit me as well. It was when I learned that answer to loss of such magnitude is not sadness. It is love. For as long as you love them and you remember them, they are never truly gone."
SWA Properties
Phoebe sat at the desk, absentmindedly flipping through some papers. She glanced up when she heard the door open and a man walked in. "Hi, may I help you?" she asked professionally and cheerfully at the same time.
The man continued looking around him for several moments before turning to Phoebe. "Hi, I was looking for Susan," he explained.
"Oh, she's not here right now, but I can tell her you came by," Phoebe offered, reaching out for the notepad and a pen. "What's your name?"
"Richard Warner," he answered with a half-smile.
Phoebe froze, her eyes widening ever-so-slightly as she recognized his last name. "Oh, you're Susan's husband," she realized nervously.
He laughed softly. "Unless she's got another one, I don't know about," Richard joked.
Phoebe forced a laugh and carefully avoided his eyes. "No, no, you can't have another husband," she laughed awkwardly.
Richard nodded and again looked around the room as if he expected to see Susan around. "I thought I'd surprise her and take her to dinner. Do you know where she is?" he wondered.
"Yes… she… went out," Phoebe answered cryptically.
"Okay, well, I think we've established that," Richard chuckled softly. "Do you know where?" He clarified.
Phoebe played with her hands nervously trying to decide what she was going to say. "Uh, well, she… it's actually very interesting… she, uh…" she stammered before slamming her pen down on the desk in her frustration. "I can't do this," she decided, standing up from her seat.
"I don't understand," Richard admitted, watching Phoebe with eyes narrowed in curiosity.
Phoebe glanced up from gathering her stuff together. "I'm sorry, Mr. Warner, but I can't be the assistant your wife wants without compromising my beliefs and I just won't do that."
"Wait a minute, slow down," Richard suggested lightly.
"Don't worry about the office. I will lock up," Phoebe assured him as she picked up the pad and pen again. This time to write a note to Susan about quitting. "Susan." She started, writing her name down on the pad. She was broken from her thoughts by Richard.
Richard had taken a step forward and there wasn't a hint of confusion in his eyes as would have been expected. "Thank you," he appreciated.
Phoebe stopped thinking about her note and glanced over at Richard in confusion. "For what?" she asked.
"For not lying to me about Susan's affair," he explained.
Phoebe sighed and looked at him sympathetically. "You knew?"
Richard shrugged and looked away from Phoebe. "I've tried denying it for some time now, but I guess there comes a time when you have to face the truth."
"I'm so sorry," Phoebe offered sadly.
"Don't be and listen, don't quit on my behalf," Richard pleaded.
Phoebe smiled gratefully but shook her head. "I'm not," she assured him. He smiled once more before turning away and leaving Phoebe alone in the office. Phoebe watched him leave and only turned away from the door when the phone rang. Slowly she reached out for it. "SWA properties," she answered.
A woman's voice answered her on the other end of the phone. "Hello, may I speak to Susan?"
"Uh, no, she's not in right now. Can I take a message?" Phoebe offered, glancing down at the pen and pad again.
The woman's answering voice sounded irritated. "This is Mrs. Joffee. I'm outside a house Susan's supposed to show me and she's not here," she ranted.
Phoebe hesitated a moment. "Uh, well, I'm sorry, but she must have forgotten. She's out for the rest of the day," she informed her sympathetically.
"Can anybody help me? I flew in from LA just to see this house. I'm under a terrible deadline to move from my other house," Mrs. Joffee pleaded.
"Uh, no one's here…" Phoebe started and then trailed off as she had an idea. "… But since you flew in and all, I guess I can show you the property. What's the address?"
3112 Napa Street
Phoebe walked up to the large and obviously expensive house looking around for Mrs. Joffee. Upon not seeing her in the front she decided that Mrs. Joffee might have taken it upon herself to walk around the house and get a feel for the yard. Phoebe pushed the gate to the back of the house and the open pool. "Mrs. Joffee?" she called loudly. There was no response as Phoebe continued her way through the yard. "Mrs. Joffee? SWA Properties."
"Hello, dear," Mrs. Joffee's voice turned Phoebe to her left. Phoebe's eyes widened when she saw not Mrs. Joffee but Barbas. "Thanks so much for coming out." Barbas finished, his voice transforming from Mrs. Joffee's into his own halfway through.
Phoebe immediately turned away in an attempt to leave but Barbas grabbed her arm and tightly prevented her from running off. "Let go or I'll scream," she threatened, trying to hide the fear in her voice.
Barbas smiled, appearing as if he would not object to her plan. "Go ahead, I could use the fix," he allowed. Barbas held her still long enough to wave his hand over her face.
"I know how you kill. There are no elevators around here." Phoebe snapped defiantly.
"Elevators? You think that's what your greatest fear is? You mortals need to look deeper," he scoffed. "Where the real truth lies, your greatest fear is losing a member of your family; a sister or a cousin, and I get two for one."
Halliwell Manor
At the Manor Buffy was on the phone with Piper. "He's only a threat till midnight," she explained.
"Tell her not to look in any closets," Prue suggested from where she stood next to Buffy.
"Prue said not to look in any closets. I gather that's what you are afraid of?" Buffy asked.
"Hello?" Prue answered when her cell phone rang.
"Prue, its Phoebe. I got stuck at a house I was showing. Can you come and get me?" Phoebe's voice carried through the line.
Prue glanced to Buffy, who had just ended the call with Piper. "It's Phoebe," she said. "Seems she got stuck at house she was showing for her new boss."
"I'll call …"
"I'll get her," Prue said. "No need to have Aurora teleport every time for something non-magic or Jedi related." She turned back to the phone. "Yeah, where are you?"
"I'm at 3112 Napa Street." Phoebe answered.
"All right, I'm on my way," Prue replied, ending the call and grabbing her stuff together. "I'll be back." She turned and walked out of the house. She didn't notice Revan appear next to Buffy.
"When this night is over," he said. "Prue will be ready to build her lightsaber, for she will have found the greatest of all powers. Love."
3112 Napa Street
Prue pulled her car up next to the SWA company van that Phoebe must have drove here. The door to the house was locked so she turned to the gated back yard. "Phoebe?" She called loudly, reaching out to open the gate.
"I'm in the backyard. You won't believe the view from here." Phoebe's answering voice yelled from behind the house.
Prue pushed the gate open and walked through the huge backyard. "Pheebs, where are you? Phoebe?" She tried again when she still couldn't locate her younger sister. She stopped on the patio of the pool and took in her surroundings. Prue froze as her eyes met her sister's wide brown eyes where Phoebe was sitting, bound and gagged. She glanced back to her left and met Barbas.
"Isn't that a great view?" Barbas asked, imitating Phoebe's voice. "Bring your suit?" Prue gasped and tried to move away as she realized his intentions. Barbas stepped forward and promptly pushed her backwards into the pool.
Phoebe jumped up from the bench as Prue hit the water and vainly struggled with the binds restraining her hands while Prue tried to slip out of her jacket that was pulling her down and inhibiting her efforts to swim.
"That's right. Feed me your fear," Barbas laughed, watching Prue as she failed to break through the water. Prue stopped struggling in the water and Barbas turned back to Phoebe.
The dizzying darkness swept over Prue but she suddenly noticed the light that surrounded her. Despite how close she was to dying she felt safe and she could swear she heard a familiar voice that meant so much to her. She could even see her. She was sure it was her.
"Prue. You must face your fears, Prue. You must trust in the greatest of all powers. Love," her mother explained gently.
"Mom?" Prue wondered silently. "Are you a Force Ghost?"
"As Revan told you, Prue. I and your Grams have other ways to return. Now Prue, save yourself. Save your sister," Patty encouraged her. She reached her hand out to her eldest daughter. "Don't be afraid."
Prue grabbed hold of her mother's hand and felt herself rising as she was pulled up through the water. Her head broke the surface and she gasped for air. She reached the edge of the pool and she turned calm eyes on the demon.
"It's over," Prue said, centering herself in the Force. She sent a blast of telekinesis that sent Barbas through the air to land heavily on the ground. She pulled herself out of the pool and advanced upon him.
"Your fear." Barbas tried in disbelief while pushing himself to his feet.
"I am a Jedi, like my sisters and my cousins," Prue said. "Fear, debilitating fear, like what you do to your victims leads only to the Dark Side, and I will not tread that path. I am no longer afraid."
"No!" Barbas yelled as he began to glow red. He exploded and was pulled back into purgatory. The rope binding Phoebe disappeared, releasing her.
Prue slowly turned away from where Barbas was vanquished and toward Phoebe, only to nearly be tackled to the ground as her younger sister threw her arms around her.
"Oh my god, I was so scared," Phoebe exclaimed, clinging to Prue and not loosening her grip. Not that Prue would have actually let her go either.
"I know. I'm just glad you're safe." Prue whispered.
"I don't know what would have happened if I ever lost you." Phoebe admitted, burying her face in her sister's shoulder. "I love you."
Prue didn't even hesitate. "I love you." The two finally pulled away and on the way home, laughed about how they were going to break the news to Piper.
Halliwell Manor
Piper sat in front of the fire, irritably tossing her good-luck charms into the fire. Next to her sat Buffy and little Padme, their eyes were closed in obvious meditation. They heard the front door open and close as Prue and Phoebe joined them.
"Hey, what are you doing?" Phoebe asked cheerfully.
There was a moment of silence before Piper actually answered Phoebe's question. "Kicking myself. I just lost probably the greatest catch in San Francisco," she muttered, flicking another of her good-luck necklaces into the fire.
Prue watched the uncharacteristic movement curiously. "What happened?" she wondered carefully.
"He doesn't like women who rely on superstitions to make decisions and I'm not so sure he's wrong," Piper admitted with a loud sigh.
"Do or do not," Buffy simply said.
Prue and Phoebe glanced at each other deciding to change the subject. Phoebe was the one to take up the challenge. "So, Prue vanquished the Demon of Fear," she announced enthusiastically.
Piper whirled around in disbelief, and Prue laughed softly at her reaction. "Well, at least put him back in the bottle for another 1300 years," Prue corrected her baby sister.
"Wait, whoa, what? What happened?" Piper asked.
Phoebe grinned and glanced at Prue for permission to start the explanation. "Well, he pushed her into a pool and…" she nodded for Prue to finish, not entirely sure what to say after that.
"…And Mom helped me out," Prue finished.
"Mom?" Piper asked in confusion.
Buffy opened her eyes and nodded. "Prue, Phoebe and I were informed earlier by Revan that your mother and your grandmother were not being trained by him. That they had their own way to come to you and that the three of you would learn how when the time was right." She looked to Prue. "For your mother to come to you, and for you to vanquish the demon, something must have happened."
Prue nodded. "Something did, I learned the greatest of all powers."
"Love," Revan's disembodied voice said.
"I love you, Piper," Prue said and she smiled after so many years of not saying those three little words. It felt right to say them now.
Piper tensed and pulled back, staring at Prue as if she'd gone insane, but she couldn't hide the smile that was spreading across her face. "What did you just say?" she asked.
"I love you." Prue repeated, rolling her eyes at her surprise.
Piper's grin widened and she looked triumphantly at her little sister before meeting Prue's eyes again. "That's the first time you've ever said that to me," she realized.
"I know. I wish I'd said it a long time ago." Prue admitted. "Ever since mom died, I've been afraid to say it. I didn't want to lose anybody else." She turned towards her cousins and smiled. Which is why, Buffy, I was more apt in the beginning of our training to call you Master instead of by your name as you wanted. I didn't want to let anyone else in. I love you."
Buffy nodded as she smiled at Prue.
"Well, we're not going anywhere," Piper said. "Are we, Buffy, Phoebe?"
"No," agreed Buffy and Phoebe.
While Buffy knew that it would be impossible to keep that promise since being a Jedi was not the safest occupation in the galaxy. She also knew that the promise had to be made in this instance.
"Okay. I'm exhausted. I'll see you guys in the morning," Prue said. She leaned down and kissed little Padme on the forehead. "Night, Padme."
"Night, Aunty Prue," little Padme replied.
Prue blinked and looked at Buffy.
"Yes, we're cousins. But if she is calling you aunt. To her it's more than that now. To Padme, you are not just a cousin, you are family," Buffy said. "Before you go up, Prue. I have an announcement. For finding the greatest of all powers and for vanquishing the demon. I have decided it is time."
"Time?" Phoebe wondered.
"It is time, Prue, time to build your lightsaber."
Author's Note: Yes, this episode didn't change much from canon. This chapter and chapter 8 were not meant to. The reason being I wanted Prue to make the discovery of the greatest of all powers just like she did in canon. And as a reward for doing so, I wanted her to build her lightsaber.