Thanks for all the reviews, it's good to be back. I know I'm updating a little later than usual but I just have other stuff going on right now.
Disclaimer: A few quotes are borrowed from the season two episode, P3 H20. No infringement intended.
Jedi Alanna: About your theory? You're warm but that's all I'm giving you. But the good news? That particular revelation is coming up very soon, lol. Oh, and it is wring. I had it right the first time, don't know why I changed it. I guess that's what happens when you're tired and you try editing (shrugs).
Queen of Gabb 488: glad I could be of service lol. Yeah, I know what it's like to be desperate for a good read.
IDontBreakBonesJustHearts : thanks for reviewing. I'm glad you're still following this story and the Billie revelation is coming right up.
And welcome to my new reviewer, 1treehillcharmed. It's good to have you on board and I'm happy to hear you're enjoying the story. And allow me to point out that you're my first reviewer to pick up on the Molly clue. I thought others might question it but you're the only one to have brought it up, so good catch. That particular revelation is coming up soon as well and I wrote Molly that way on purpose because I had it planned from the beginning. Both you and Jedi are warm on where I'm going with it though.
Chapter 18: Truth or Consequence
The foggy abyss surrounded Leo everywhere.
He walked around carefully in dire search of what he had come looking for. He was currently inside of what was known as the Mystic Realm. While at the magic school, Leo had summoned enough magic needed to enter. Of course, he had accomplished this feat with some assistance from Dimitri. In Leo's eyes, the guy was turning out not to be so bad. At least, when compared to the other Elders who had done nothing but help to make their lives miserable over the course of the past five years.
"Hello?" Leo beckoned into the dimly lit realm. He wasn't sure whether or not anybody would be in charge of looking over the realm once he got there but he took the chance of coming anyway.
The Mystic Realm was a magical dimension which hosted portals leading into many different realms or dimensions. Leo was hoping to locate the specific portal leading into the realm inhabited by the Afterlife Council. After doing some of his own research in the school, he had discovered that this particular council was responsible for ushering souls in and out of various planes of existence. There were some souls that never left the spirit world, also known as the astral plane, and they were assigned tasks throughout the immortal realms. Other souls entered the mortal world for the first time for a physical incarnation. Then there were the souls that were allowed to enter the mortal world again and this transition was known as the reincarnation process. It was also called recycling.
Leo also discovered that the Afterlife Council was tasked with deciding which mortals were to become whitelighters upon their entrance into the afterlife. These souls, like Leo himself, would be assigned charges by the Elder Council, within the mortal realm. Charges in which they would be responsible to watch over and guide. Surprisingly, the Elders and its Council were headed by the Afterlife Council. The Elders were accountable to somebody or something after all.
"Is anybody here?" Leo tried one more time to make sure he was alone.
He wanted to be cautious.
Right now, this seemed like their only viable shot at helping Andy. Leo knew he was going above the Elders heads in this way but he would lose no sleep over it. After all, they had started this whole mess by rearranging destiny and playing around with the greater good. However, the problem he was facing was that the Afterlife Council existed on a realm opened by invitation only. In other words, the Council summoned who they sought and not the other way around. Leo didn't have express permission to appear before them because he had found a back entrance there through this realm. So he had no idea what to expect when he got there but he hoped to be able to plead Andy's case.
As the foggy mist began to clear, Leo noticed that he was wedged in between portals. They created a circle around him and each portal hung in the air carrying a faint glow with a tinted color. The different colors intended to signify, to the traveler, which realm he or she would be entering into. Quickly, Leo pulled out the book he had taken with him from the school library. When he opened it to the page that detailed the conditions relating to the particular portal he needed, his eyes scanned over each portal entrance in search of the one that held a faint lavender aura.
"There you are," he mumbled upon locating it.
Leo slowly walked towards the opening.
X
Billie sat beside the couch, her hand pressing the thin cloth firmly against the open wound. She was worried. No, actually, that was an understatement. She was scared. What did this mean? That Prue was going to die for real this time before she even had the chance to tell her the truth? She had just lost the only parents she had ever known to evil a little more than six months ago.
This greater good trade off sucked.
Ten minutes ago she and Paige had lifted Prue from the floor with some assistance from JD. They and placed her on the couch near the wall. They had wanted to make her more comfortable while Paige threw some ingredients together for a quick potion so Billie could enter the magic school. Then Paige would try to use some of her healing energy again after she felt recharged. At the very least, it seemed to be keeping Prue stabilized. Even though she wasn't getting any better, at least she wasn't getting any worse. However, that thought was short lived when Prue began to shudder. She looked like she was breaking into convulsions, almost like she was having a seizure.
"Uh, Paige?" Billie panicked standing to her feet. "What's happening?"
JD got off the floor and Paige rushed back from the table with two vials in her hand. Both she and JD came to Billie's side. Paige thrust the potion vials in Billie's hand as she knelt down in front of Prue's shaking form.
"Here!" Paige told her. "Get Leo! And hurry," she instructed as Billie took the vials and went to the middle of the attic. "JD? I'm going to need you to hold her down."
JD tried to hold her in place by pressing down on Prue's shoulders while Paige attempted to use her healing energy one more time. Billie took one last look before throwing one of the vials and disappearing into a cloud of dust. She had one thought on her mind as she disappeared and reappeared inside the magic school.
Please be okay.
X
Phoebe rushed into the ladies' bathroom at her office and locked the door behind her. After receiving Piper's frantic message, her first instinct had been to call for Coop. It would be the fastest way back to the manor instead of having to drive all the way there from the office.
Where the hell was Leo anyway?
"Coop?" Phoebe hissed loudly. "I need you!"
When Phoebe turned around, a pink glow emanated inside the bathroom and Coop appeared. A big smile was plastered across his face when he observed the location and all his surroundings.
"The ladies bathroom," he smirked. "Not quite the romantic venue I had in mind," he teased but when he noticed the devastation plastered across Phoebe's face his demeanor quickly changed. His face was replaced with a look of concern. "Phoebe, is something wrong?" he asked.
"Yeah, actually something is very wrong," she answered. "And I need you to take us back to the manor right away. There might not be much time," she pleaded with her eyes. When she caught sight of his puzzled look, she continued on. "I'll explain when we get there," she added, realizing that she hadn't gotten the opportunity to share the news of her dead sister's resurrection with her fiance yet.
Coop gently pulled Phoebe into an embrace and the two of them disappeared into the same pink glow that he had appeared in only a few short moments before.
X
"Leo!" Billie yelled out as she scurried down the long corridor of the magic school.
But there was no response in return.
"Leo, where are you? It's an emergency! Prue's seriously hurt and we need your help!" she continued shouting as she entered the big library that housed tons of books.
As Billie looked around the room, she took notice that the refurbishment of the Magic School was actually coming along rather nicely. But right now, her concerns lied with finding Leo. She turned around to exit the vast library but bumped into someone as she attempted to leave. The young man had been rounding the corner and hadn't seen Billie until it was too late. As she took in his appearance, she quickly concluded that he had to be another Elder. Actually, she recognized him. He was the same Elder that helped Leo rescue them from the clutches of the Underworld not too long ago.
"Sorry," she quickly apologized. "Have you seen Leo?" she pleaded.
"That's quite alright," Dimitri accepted the apology graciously. Then he squinted his eyes as he quickly contemplated whether the young woman looked familiar or not. He placed the memory. "And you would be Billie?" he asked.
"Yes," she affirmed in a brusque manner. "And I really don't mean to be rude or anything but I really don't have time to chit chat with you. Do you know where Leo is or not?" she asked for the second time.
"Leo's not here," Dimitri verified for her. "He traveled to another magical realm but he won't be able to hear any calls for him," he finished explaining. "At least, not until he comes back. I'm afraid the Mystic Realm is sealed off against communication from the mortal world."
"Are you serious?" Billie exclaimed, losing all hope. "We're at Magic school," she argued. "We're not even in the mortal world."
"Technically, we are," Dimitri corrected. "Magical mortals can access the school whenever they choose to. It's non-magical mortals that are denied entrance. Immortals, such as myself, may inhabit the school from time to time but the Magic School is technically part of the mortal magical community. This school will tutor many mortals who possess magical gifts," he clarified to her.
"Well, thanks for the free tutoring lesson but all this means is we're so screwed. Prue's going to die if Leo doesn't heal her!" she panicked. "We need him now," she stressed.
"Well, perhaps I could be of some assistance?" Dimitri offered sincerely. "I can heal. What happened to her?"
Billie looked the Elder over carefully. It's not like they had much of a choice. They needed to try anything at this point and if this particular Elder could heal her mother in Leo's absence, than so be it. Besides, the way she understood it, the entire Elder community owed them big time anyway.
"Yeah, okay. But we need to hurry. She got shot by a darklighter's arrow and Paige can't heal her. We don't know what's wrong," she explained quickly as she turned on her heels, preparing to use the other vial to return back to the manor.
"Billie?" Dimitri called out. "I can orb us out of here, remember?"
Billie stopped in her tracks and turned around. "Oh! Yeah, right," she responded as she walked back to stand beside him. She took a hold of his arm as the two of them orbed out of the school and back to the manor.
X
"Come on, Prue," Paige begged while kneeling at her sister's side. "Let me heal you." Once again, the white light coming from her hands attempted to heal but nothing happened. But at least the convulsions had stopped.
Suddenly, she heard the sound of loud footsteps approaching the attic. As she turned around, she noticed that it was Piper entering the attic in a hurry. Thank god, Paige thought as she released a heavy sigh . Now all they needed was Billie to return with Leo. She quickly wondered what was taking them so long.
"How is she?" Piper immediately inquired upon entering the attic.
Quickly, she walked over to stand between JD and Paige who both looked as weary as she felt. She took in her older sister's appearance and a surge of fear coursed through her. Prue didn't look well. Not at all.
"Not good," Paige stated the obvious, as the healing light began to dim again. "Dammit!" she cursed as she felt her energy draining for the third time. Paige got back on her feet and released a sigh. "I don't know what else to do. I thought she wasn't going to get any worse but then she started convulsing just before you got here," she explained to Piper.
"Convulsing? Are you kidding me?" Piper exclaimed.
Piper took a deep breath as she attempted to take a more logical approach to the situation. After Paige's attempt to heal gave out, she sought out the Book of Shadows, lying on the table. While walking over to it, she contemplated what could be different about this particular darklighter. Perhaps the arrows were now tainted by poison deadly to both witches and whitelighters? It was the only explanation that made any sense.
Thank god I had talked Prue into letting me take Molly to Dad's with the boys earlier, Piper thought to herself. This was the last thing Molly needed to be around or to witness after watching her father being snatched away a few days ago. Prue had been hesitant to let Molly go at first but Piper convinced her it would be fine and that Wyatt would have somebody closer in age to play with.
Piper had dropped all three kids off at her father's before her appointment and was surprised to discover that he already knew about Molly. Apparently, Phoebe had already told him about Prue, Billie, and Molly because he immediately wanted to know about Prue. How were they supposed to turn around and tell him that Prue died if she didn't make it out of this alive?
At the same moment Piper went for the Book of Shadows on the table, Phoebe teleported in with Coop. Quickly, she stepped out of Coop's arms and looked to her two sisters for an explanation.
"Is she okay?" Phoebe immediately inquired. When she only received two solemn stares in return, she averted her attention over to the couch. "Oh my god," she muttered as she approached Prue.
Billie orbed back into the manor with Dimitri at her side. Piper and Paige looked to each other and then at Billie.
"Billie, where's Leo?" Paige quickly inquired. "We don't have time for this crap," she argued, becoming defensive at the sight of the Elder before them. Piper left the Book and came back over to stand beside Paige.
"What's going on, where's Leo?" Piper demanded to know. "And whatever the problem is, we don't care. Right now, Prue is our only concern," she spat out firmly.
Phoebe, on the other hand, barely took notice of the Elder. She was preoccupied with Prue's condition as she knelt down and gently took one of her sister's hands into hers. She brushed a stray piece of drenched hair off of Prue's forehead. Coop stood in the background, silently watching Phoebe and the strange woman who captured her attention.
"No, wait," Billie quickly interjected, placing her hands up in the air and hoping to clear up the misunderstanding. "He's here to help until Leo gets back," she explained.
"I'm going to try and heal her," Dimitri explained rather calmly despite the unwarm welcome. "Maybe I can pick up what's wrong and why Paige is having trouble?" he suggested as he glanced over at Prue stretched out on the couch.
The two women stood back.
"Go for it," Piper announced as she folded her arms and watched the Elder approach her unconscious sister.
Dimitri approached the young woman from behind, the one who knelt at her sister's side. He gently placed his hand on her shoulder to allow him room to heal her injured sister. Reluctantly, Phoebe released Prue's hand and she stood up while the Elder knelt down to locate the source of the injury. After locating the problem, Dimitri placed his hands over the open wound and closed his eyes. He placed all his concentration into thrusting his energy forward. A pulsing light emanated from his hands and while the energy spurted forth, he could feel something pulling at it.
Piper, Paige, and Billie all stood side by side watching the scene before them, each one of them silently praying that it would work. Phoebe had backed away from the scene and was now standing by Coop, who bent down to find out what was going on.
"Phoebe, what happened?" he asked his soon-to-be wife. "Who is she?"
Phoebe swallowed. "That's our sister," she revealed. "That's Prue."
Coop turned his head back in the direction of the Elder and Prue. "Wait a minute," Coop declared, a bit confused by the revelation. "Prue? As in your dead sister?" he asked for clarification.
"You heard me right," Phoebe confirmed. "Apparently, she was never dead but that might not hold true for very long if this doesn't work," she concluded somberly. Phoebe kept her eyes on Dimitri and Prue the entire time she spoke.
Coop closed his eyes and sighed. Then he reached out his arms from behind to pull her into an embrace. "I'm sorry," he whispered into her ear sincerely, realizing his reference to death hadn't come at the best of moments.
Phoebe welcomed the embrace as his arms encircled from behind her. Her head fell back into the crevace of his neckline. "Don't be. You didn't do anything wrong but I really don't want to talk about the past right now."
"Sure, I completely understand," he muttered, kissing the top of her head. He reached both of his hands down and clapsed them together with hers. At the same time, they turned their attention in Piper, Paige, and Billie's direction as Piper began to inquire about Leo.
"Billie, where the heck is Leo?" Piper asked, concerned about her husband's whereabouts.
"I don't know, Dimitri said something about the Mystic Realm?" she answered. "And something about how he can't hear our calls for help while he's there," she finished.
Coop, overhearing the explanation, decided to interject. "The Mystic Realm?" he questioned. "That's a portal realm," he provided them. "Where's he trying to get to?"
Phoebe turned around to look at him.
"I don't know," Piper contemplated. "That's the first that I've heard of some portal realm!" She looked to Billie and Paige, who didn't know anymore than she did, each shrugging their shoulders in response. "But he better have a good explanation when he gets back," she barked, looking back at Coop.
"Uh, I can go and look for him? If you want me to?" he offered as he looked between Billie and the sisters. "Just in case," he added, nodding in Prue's direction. Everyone understood his insinuation.
"Yeah, please do," Piper agreed readily.
Coop smiled faintly and faded out as the three sisters and Billie returned their attention to Dimitri and Prue.
X
She could hear it again.
The sound penetrated the darkness that surrounded her. A baby was crying somewhere in the distance. Who's baby was that? And why did the crying penetrate her senses so strongly? Prue felt a link. A connection to that cry as it got louder and continued to pull her in. Then suddenly, a picture formed in her mind. This time instead of watching the scene, she was a participant in the events that played out before her.
Slowly, she felt herself approach a dock. This dock was surrounded by water and alot of people were swarming around. There were police men and an ambulance. Prue remembered that her mommy had told her that the funny looking car with the red siren making noise only appeared when someone was very sick and needed to be taken to a doctor right away.
As Prue felt her young self approach the dock, she could see the woman sprawled out on top of it. It was her mommy but she wasn't moving at all. Mommy looked like she was sleeping only she knew she wasn't. Prue felt a sensing, a sensing that told her mommy was gone. Gone forever.
Tears escaped her eyes as she called out. "Mommy?"
Her call caught the attention of both the police and medics scurrying on the scene. "Oh, don't let her see her mother like this," one of them shouted out. "Get her out of here!"
Then one of them approached her from the side. "You're Prue, right?" he asked her. "Your Grams is looking for you," he added as he picked her up.
"Mommy?" she yelled one last time over the man's shoulder and squirmed as he began to walk away with her.
Prue felt the memory rewind. The picture scrambled backwards until the picture in her mind was replaced by a scene earlier in the day. Before she found her mother sprawled out the dock not moving.
Prue felt her hand smack the ball back in the other little girl's direction. She was at an after school day camp and they were the last two kids waiting to get picked up. It was the same camp she come to during the last two summers. After school hours, the children were divided up into their appropriate age groups and they engaged in various activities suited for their age.
Prue looked out at the water until the ball was thrown back at her. It was hot and she wished they could swim but they weren't allowed to because somebody had drowned in that water. Piper liked her swimming lessons but she had stayed home from camp today because she had gotten sick. It was time to go home. Suddenly, Prue caught sight of her mother approaching. A man was at her side. Finally, she had come to pick her up and bring her home.
"Mommy," she squealed as she dropped the big red ball and ran in her mother's direction. The other little girl bent down to pick up the ball and watched as her retreating playmate became engulfed in a giant hug by her mother.
As Prue looked up, she could tell that her mother looked like she had been crying. "Are you sad again, mommy?" she asked her mother.
Patty wiped against her eyes. She smiled down at her daughter. "No, Prue, mommy is fine," she lied to her daughter. She bent down to reach eye level with her. "Listen, today, we're not going to go home right away. Okay? Mommy has something very important she needs to do."
Prue nodded her head in acceptance. "Okay," she agreed.
Prue didn't believe her mommy when she said she wasn't sad. Mommy had been acting very sad for a long time. She had even gotten fat for awhile and Prue thought maybe that had made mommy sad but when she stopped being fat, mommy only got sadder. As the sun cast its rays on her, Prue squinted her eyes and glanced up at the tall dark haired man standing next to her mother.
Did he make mommy sad, her small mind wondered.
"Prue, this is ..." Patty hesitated before introducing the man to her daughter. "Sam. He's very special to us and he's going to look after you for a little bit while mommy takes care of something. So I want you to be very good for him. Stay with him and listen to what he tells you," she stressed sternly. "Do you understand?"
Prue nodded her head and her mother smiled.
"Good," Patty replied as she pulled her daughter into a tight hug. "I love you, baby," she added as she pulled back and cupped her hands on the sides of her daughter's head, straightening her raven hair down.
"I love you," Prue muttered back as her mother stood up to address Sam.
"Patty, don't," Sam began to plead before Patty cut him off.
"Sam, we've already been through this," she answered with determination. "This needs to be done now. And I need you to watch after Prue. Please? Don't let her out of your sight," she stressed.
"What if it doesn't work?" he argued further but Patty turned around in the direction of the lake anyway and began walking away. "Patty?" he tried to reason with her one last time. Finally giving up, he released a heavy sigh and turned his attention back to a young Prue who stood looking between him and her mother's retreating figure.
Prue watched as the man named Sam knelt down in front of her.
Why did he look at her that way? He looked sad, the same way mommy looked lately. Maybe they made each other sad?
"Wow, look at you, Prue. You know, you've gotten so much bigger since the last time I saw you," he said to her. "And you look just like your mom," he added with a smile. He brought his hand up against Prue's cheek in a gentle paternal manner. His remark earned him a smile from Prue. He reached out to take her hand which she accepted and they began walking back up in the direction of the woods.
Sam led her up the winding path through the woods and to the car that was parked on the small road. Her mother's car. He opened the door and let her sit inside on the passenger's side. He knelt down in front of her as he began speaking. Prue thought the man named Sam looked scared. Why did he look scared?
"Prue, I need you to stay here. It's very important that you listen to me," he urged her. "Don't move. I need to go back and help your mommy but you can't follow me, understand?" he asked her.
Prue nodded her head to let him know she understood.
Sam smiled at her. "Good girl," he remarked as he used his hands to cup the sides of her small face. He placed a gentle kiss on her forehead before backing away. "You're special. Always remember that."
He stood up and closed the door.
Prue watched as he retreated back down the path into the woods. Finally, she couldn't see him anymore. And she had tried. She had tried very hard to keep her promise but it was a long time and nobody had come back for her. She heard the loud sound of the sirens approaching and she needed to make sure her mommy hadn't gotten sick. So she opened that car door and proceeded to walk back down the long winding pathway, the path that led back to the camp and the lake.
Prue could hear the faint sounds of voices and the sight of a face coming back into focus as she felt a strong energy flowing through her. Her consciousness suddenly came back full circle. When she opened her eyes, she took in the sight of a man hovering above her. He looked unfamiliar and her natural instinct was to bolt up and back away from him as best she could.
"What happened?" she exclaimed as Phoebe rushed forward throwing herself towards the couch and pulling Prue into a tight squeeze.
Suddenly, the memory of being hit by the arrow flooded Prue's mind and she reached for her side. But there wasn't any arrow or injury to be found there. It was a miracle, she had been healed.
"I'm okay?" she asked, not completely believing it.
"Thank god!" Phoebe moaned.
Piper closed her eyes and sighed with relief as Paige did the same. Billie's own relief was evident too, as she broke out with a smile in JD's direction. He smiled back because up until now he had remained in the background, feeling completely out of place in the situation. Now he went to stand beside Billie and she responded by reaching out to hug him. Prue closed her own eyes and accepted the smoldering hug coming from her sister but when she reopened her eyes she found Piper and Paige coming closer too.
"Hey, don't ever do that to us again, " Paige reprimanded Prue playfully. "You scared us."
"Yeah, it's way too soon for us to lose you again," Piper added.
Prue looked at her and their stares locked. After Phoebe broke from the hug, Piper broke the stare and looked at the ground. She backed away.
"You need to be more careful," Phoebe gently scolded.
Prue smirked. "I'll try," she cracked.
"Well, may I suggest trying really hard not to provoke a darklighter into an attack until I'm ready to, oh I don't know, orb his 'orbs' straight to the Wasteland or something?" Paige shrugged and narrowed her eyes playfully at Prue.
Piper laughed. "Right. Well, if that fails, there's always Timbuktu."
Prue sent her sister a questioning look. "Timbuktu?"
Piper folded her arms and made strides to the couch. She plopped down on the couch beside Prue and swung an arm over her. "Yeah, see, when you take extended vacations as long as the one you have," she nodded at her, "you miss out on all the fun. The kind of fun where nosey cops or meddling government agents just can't seem to help themselves when it comes sticking their noses where it doesn't belong. What can I say? Welcome home, sis," Piper cheesed at her sister.
Piper got back up.
Phoebe and Paige looked to each other and broke with small smiles of their own. At least it was a small start for Prue and Piper to break through some of the ice, they both acknowledged to themselves. Almost losing someone can force things in that direction.
Prue clentched her teeth and smiled. "Hm. Right. Thanks."
"Don't thank me yet," Piper laughed.
"She's right," Paige chimed in. "I don't know what it was like for you before but give it some more time and you'll wish magic didn't come with the personal gain rules," she joked.
They couldn't help it but serving the greater good and helping innocents could prove to be quite the difficult task when coming up against law enforcement. Darryl, and Andy much earlier on, had proven to be the rare exceptions, and had been willing to cover or put their own jobs on the line after the truth had been exposed to them. It would be so much easier if magic could just wipe all their problems with cops away.
Prue cleared her throat and turned to address the strange man she hadn't recognized moments before but now did. He was dressed in Elder-like attire and she remembered he had been the one to help rescue them from the Underworld.
"Um, you saved my life?" she questioned him. "Thank you."
"Yes," Dimitri nodded. "But it was Paige who kept you alive until I got here," he quickly attributed, nodding in Paige's direction.
Prue glanced towards her baby sister who released a timid smile. Paige felt uncomfortable with being cast in the spotlight; however, Prue responded by offering a warm smile. She opened her arms and extended them for her youngest sister.
"Thank you," Prue offered affectionately.
Paige walked over and allowed her sister's arms to envelop her as Prue offered her words of gratitude.
X
Coop entered the Mystic Realm to find Leo just in time. Apparently, he was about to maneuver his way through one of the portals. That was until Coop intervened.
"Leo?" he called out. "It's Coop!"
Leo surveyed the layout with his eyes upon hearing the mention of his name, until his sight locked on the Cupid approaching in his direction.
"Coop? What are you doing here?" Leo interrogated.
"Looking for you," he announced rather urgently as he stopped in front of Leo. "The sisters need you. One of them got hurt, shot by a darklighter?" he explained.
Leo's defenses shot to the surface quickly. "Piper?" he asked as his heart began to pound in rapid succession.
"No," Coop responded, putting his hand up in the air to offer assurance. "She's fine," he finished, putting Leo's fears to rest regarding the welfare of his wife. "It's the other one, Prue? But one of the other Elders is with them now."
Leo visibly relaxed. "Dimitri?" he automatically assumed.
"Yeah, I think so. Although, I'm not really sure," Coop admitted. "But he was trying to heal her when I left."
"She'll be fine, he shouldn't have a problem healing her. But what about Paige? She couldn't heal her?" Leo asked, contemplating why an Elder was needed instead of a whitelighter who was perfectly capable of healing.
Coop began to shake his head.
"Honestly, I have no idea," he answered the Elder standing before him. "But they're waiting for us back there so we should get going," he urged. Coop latched his hands onto his sides as he glanced around him. "What are you doing here anyway?" he decided to ask out of curiosity. "You do know that you can get lost if you don't know what you're doing, right?" he supplied.
"Um, yeah," Leo stuttered before sharing his information. "But that's a chance I'll have to take. I'm trying to help out a friend here," he finished. Then, he quickly speculated on whether or not he'd be able to ask Coop for some more information about the plane he'd be entering into. Anything he could find out before going there would be helpful. "Hey, how much do you know about the Afterlife Council?" he inquired.
"The Afterlife Council?" Coop repeated. "Why?"
"Because ..."
However, as Leo went in for a deeper explanation, the two men were suddenly pulled into a suction force created by the portal. Apparently, sometime during their discussion, it had opened and created a swirling vortex within the entrance. The force was so strong that it pulled both of them inside and neither of them were able to resist it.
X
Billie had remained in the background standing beside JD.
They watched the sisters exchanged their words and embraces. As JD turned to address her, he asked her the one question that made her feel even more uneasy while standing there watching the scene before her.
"Aren't you going to go over and say something?" he whispered beside her. "You said she's your mother."
Billie remained stationary, her arms folded across her chest. "Yeah, she is. But she doesn't know that," she replied back. When she turned her head in JD's direction, she caught his bewildered expression.
"I don't get it," he responded as he looked between Billie and the other women.
Billie closed her eyes and shook her head. "Forget it. It's a long story," she brushed it off, not wanting to get into the details.
After Paige broke from the embrace, Piper briefly glanced towards Billie and decided to provide her with an opening to tell Prue the truth. Phoebe sat on the couch taking a seat beside Prue. She reached out for her hand. It was clear that everybody was more relaxed and relieved that the worst case scenario had not played out.
"Hey, guys? Listen," Piper began as she addressed her three sisters and Billie.
Prue, Phoebe, and Paige all looked to her before she continued.
"I think we need to give Billie and Prue some time to talk," she stressed, looking pointedly at her niece. "Alone. But please remember, if you need us we'll be right downstairs," Piper reassured her again.
Prue sent Piper a questioning look.
Billie felt the urge to protest; however, she stopped herself from doing so. Piper began walking in the direction of the attic door to exit as JD turned around to follow her lead. Before leaving, he reached his hand out to Billie's giving hers a reassuring squeeze. She smiled back at him. Phoebe glanced to Paige, who in return, nodded her head. Paige also quietly followed in Piper's direction while Dimitri trailed behind her.
"Yeah, okay," Phoebe mumbled.
She took her hand and placed it on top of Prue's in a comforting gesture and she slowly lifted herself up from the couch. "We love you," she offered. "Both of you," she stressed as she looked between Prue and Billie.
"Wait, what's going on and where are you all going?" Prue called out.
Phoebe didn't answer and was the last to exit the attic leaving behind a very bewildered Prue and a nervous Billie. Prue then got up from the couch and turned to face Billie hoping she could maybe provide an answer for the strange exit just seconds ago. Why in the world did her sisters think that she and Billie needed to talk? Prue knew nothing about the girl standing alone with her except that she was another magical witch. A witch who her sisters trained and who helped the family out and lived in the manor from time to time when she wasn't spending her time at school.
"What was that all about?" Prue addressed the teenager.
However, upon glancing in the young girl's direction, Prue noticed immediately how visibly tense she was. Billie was picking at her cuticles. It was a similar nervous habit that she herself was well acquainted with.
"Not really a good idea," Prue nodded towards Billie's fingers.
Billie dropped her hands. "What?" she asked confused.
With a slight smile, Prue closed her eyes and shook her head. "I do that too when I'm nervous. Pick at my cuticles? It can hurt like a bitch later."
"Oh, that," Billie laughed as she quickly brought her hands up to glance at them. "It's just a really stupid nervous habit I picked up awhile ago," she admitted. "I usually don't even realize when I'm doing it. My nails never grow anyway. These," she explained, while holding up her hands to demonstrate. "Are fake."
Okay, Billie, just spit it out, she thought. It's now or never. Either she freaks or she doesn't.
Prue smiled.
Billie still felt completely unprepared for this moment.
"So do you know what my sisters were talking about?" Prue folded her arms.
Right, she gets straight to the point, Billie tensed. There was a small stare off between them before Billie brought her hands up against her face. For the first time, she could feel the slight trembling coming from her hands.
"Yeah, actually there is, but I'm not quite sure how to say it," she groaned in frustration. She brought her hands back down from her face.
I'm already blowing this.
Prue crossed the floor closing the distance between them.
"Maybe just say it," Prue advised. "Besides, if you don't, I have a pretty good feeling that my sisters will."
Prue was beginning to feel anxious. The reason she tackled her own problems head on was because she couldn't handle any long dreadful periods of waiting. That was unfamiliar territory for her and this moment was entering that forbidden zone.
"Well, the truth is that you don't remember, so it's probably going to shock you," Billie stalled, standing face to face with Prue.
"Billie, I don't ..." Prue began to shake her head but Billie cut in.
"Really shock you," she stressed.
Prue smirked. "Um, Billie, look. After what I've just seen and remembered over these past weeks, I doubt there's much more that could really shock me. Trust me."
"Right, that's what you think," Billie gritted her teeth.
"Okay, Billie, enough! Just spill it," Prue threw her hands out. Her own frustration was catching up to her.
"Okay, okay," Billie shut her eyes tightly. "I'm your daughter," she blurted out and clapped her hands together.
What followed was nothing but complete silence.
Slowly, Billie opened one eye to see if she could pick up on a reaction. Prue's expression was registering somewhere between shock and a blank stare.
"I'm sorry, what?" Prue closed her eyes and shook her head to clear her mind. She wanted to make sure she heard right the first time.
"I'm your daughter," Billie repeated.
"Okay, great, so my mind wasn't just screwing around with me," Prue muttered to herself while turning back around to go sit on the couch. She covered her face with her hands and began trying to absorb the revelation.
Billie felt some of her insecurites rising to then surface so she suddenly began rambling to fill up the awkward space.
"Look, I get it, I was totally weirded out when I found out. Your grandmother cast some spell to make you forget or something." Billie began pacing. "And last year, I found out that the Charmed Ones lived here and were really still alive so then they agreed to train me and help me look for my sister."
Prue uncovered her face and slowly brought her head up to look over at Billie who was continuing to ramble on and on with a bunch of information that was as foreign to her as this newest revelation.
"Who was kidnapped by demons but they tricked me," Billie was still rambling. "Then we almost all got killed."
Prue put her hand up to try and halt the monologue.
"So then shortly before you showed back up I found out I was adopted," Billie looked up towards the ceiling missing the hand signal.
"Billie?" Prue pleaded.
"And Piper blew up." Billie still continued on.
"Billie stop," Prue tried again.
"Not literally with her powers or anything," Billie was now looking directly at Prue. "But she got mad and ..."
"Billie!" Prue shouted this time.
Billie brought all her rambling to an abrupt stop. "Sorry," she offered an instantaneous apology. "That all came out really wrong, didn't it?"
"No, that's not it," Prue denied. "But aside from the fact that I have absolutely no clue what you're talking about over there since I wasn't even here," she stressed, "I'm actually just trying to deal with the shock first."
Prue's initial reaction upon hearing Billie's admission felt like a disconnect. There was still so much to remember about her old life but how odd it seemed to her that she wouldn't have a memory about this girl even after remembering everything.
"But I thought nothing could really shock you?" Billie inquired nervously.
"Uh, yeah, so did I!" Prue let out a nervous laugh. "Okay, I think I just need to breath," she told herself while bringing her hands up to rub against her temples. Was that a migraine she suddenly felt coming on?
Billie closed her eyes, starting to feel humiliation course its way up her spine until her face went flush. "Okay," she sighed, "And I need to go now before I die of total embarrassment." She started to walk away shaking her head.
"Billie, wait!" Prue called out.
Billie stopped, turned around, and stood completely silent while watching Prue with a solemn expression.
"I just," Prue stumbled looking for the right words. "I don't know how to react to this. I mean, we're like strangers."
Somehow Bille knew what was said made sense but it still felt like rejection. "There's no need to explain," she jumped in. "I get it, you need time. I certainly do."
Billie felt her emotions starting to take over. She wanted to leave before they did. Ever since learning the truth, she had assumed she could control what she wanted to feel in this situation but she was quickly discovering that wasn't the case. Did she even want another mother? Did Prue want another daughter? After all, unlike Molly, she understood she wasn't some little kid anymore. What would that mean in terms of a relationship? She was practically grown.
"Billie, listen," Prue got up and stepped forward attempting to explain her position further. However, Billie backed away from her.
"Look, I'm not some little kid, okay?" Billie suddenly got defensive.
Prue went silent.
Billie felt guilty that she raised her voice so she lowered it.
"I wasn't expecting some fairytale reunion. I get that's not how it really works. Besides, my real parents are the ones who cared enough to love and raise me. But they're not here anymore so that really really sucks," she vented.
Prue felt at a loss for words.
"Billie, I didn't mean to offend you," Prue attempted to defend herself. "I'm sure that your parents were good people and ..." she began.
"And what would you know about my parents?" Billie angrily cut her off. "They were killed by demons. Thanks to some stupid magical destiny I have because of you," came the accusation.
Prue flinched.
"Look, the truth is I never thought that being a witch was going to cost me so much," Billie confessed. "First, demons take my sister away. Then they kill my parents and on top of that, I was stupid enough to believe my sister could actually still be alive to begin with. Not to mention, I almost got Piper killed, Phoebe killed, Paige killed," she listed off on her fingers. "And all for what? Because of some stupid magical destiny and some magical powers that demons want to steal for themselves? The truth is I'd give it all up in a heartbeat if it would get me my mom, dad, and sister back."
"Billie, I don't want to replace your parents," Prue refuted.
Billie didn't respond. Tears came out. She looked away and wiped against her eyes to prevent more from falling.
Prue wanted to be empathetic. She did. The accusations still stung and struck a cord within her. The sad truth was her magical life did seem to be the root cause for alot of people's misery. Andy? Molly? Even her sisters and now Billie?
"Billie?" Prue attempted to diffuse things. " I'm really sorry all that happened to you."
"Well I don't need you to feel sorry for me," Billie spat back.
"Okay, Billie, look. I'm really trying here," Prue raised her voice. Her own frustration was reaching a boiling point. "So can you please cut me a little slack?" She was growing weary of feeling like she had to constantly defend herself.
"The demons didn't cut my sister or my parents any slack. But then again, maybe they wouldn't have had to if I had never been given to them in the first place?" argued Billie, feeling completely emotional over the situation.
Prue was getting angry. "I get that you're obviously upset with me. I really do. But what do you honestly expect from me?" she demanded to know. "An explanation for why I did what I did years ago? I wish I was in a position to give you what you want to hear. But I can't because I don't remember it," she defended strongly.
"Interesting," Billie shot back. "Just curuious about something though. Do you think you remembered to tell whoever my father was about me before you went off and conveniently forgot that I ever existed?"
Prue just stared at her.
"Or maybe it didn't matter anyway, right?" Billie chided her. "Because he ended up paying the price too. For knowing you? He was killed right here in this house by a demon. Just like my mom, dad, and Christy were all killed by demons."
Was Billie intentionally trying to hurt her by bringing up Andy like that?
Prue had enough. "Okay, Billie, I'm done."
Prue swallowed over the growing lump in her throat. There was certainly an element of truth to it because she thought back to her dreams. Although she didn't remember most of the details, she recovered pieces of lost memory that involved both her and Andy. A memory that involved break-ups, a secret, and finally his death. A death she blamed herself for because if he hadn't been in her life, he wouldn't have had to die. So Billie was the secret? As unbelievable as it seemed, that appeared to be the case.
"I'm leaving," Prue turned around and headed over to retrieve the Book of Shadows returned to the podium. "And you can hate me, you can blame me for whatever the hell you want but let's just break even now before you ever try and use Andy to punish me."
Billie knew she crossed a line and regretted it. "Sorry," she apologized. "I probably shouldn't have said it like that. I'm sure you tried to save him."
"Yeah, well, trying to save somebody doesn't always work out the way you want it to," Prue came off a bit harsh but then reeled her emotions back in. "Billie, look," she softened her tone. "We should probably just leave it there. I think we both could use some time and space with all this."
Billie looked away. Prue walked back over to her with the Book of Shadows in her arms.
"But when I say that I'm sorry about your parents, I really do mean it," she offered. "And all I can do for you is tell you what was told to me. It's not your fault," she placed a reassuring hand on her shoulder before leaving the attic.
Billie stood there.
"Hey," Billie heard and turned around.
Prue stood at the attic door. "And when you need to cry, just cry," she advised before disappearing out of sight. "I did."
Everyone had been trying to reassure Billie of that for so long. It wasn't her fault. But that's not how she really felt and Prue seemed like the perfect target to lash out at.
Billie did break down.
X
Leo and Coop found themselves thrown from the portal and into a dark void.
After their bodies made impact against the solid surface with a loud thud, both men instantly lifted themselves up. Coop brought his hand up to rub the back of his head, where it had impacted the floor, while Leo began brushing down his clothes.
"You were saying?" mocked Coop.
"Where the hell are we?" Leo inquired as he began pacing around. He looked around but his surroundings appeared to give way to nothing but miles of empty dark space. "I don't see any council," he observed.
"Well, that would be because we weren't invited to it," interjected Coop. "Which means we don't even belong here. So we need to go. Now," he concluded with clear-cut determination.
"No, there's got to be a way to summon them," Leo mumbled more to himself rather than Coop. A serious expression was featured on his face as he continued to pace and survey the area. "Or at least a way for them to know we're here," he surmised.
"Yeah, that's even if we're in the right place?" argued Coop. "I told you, it's easy to get lost in the Mystic Realm if you don't know what you're doing. Now, try to refresh my memory again? Why exactly did you feel it was necessary to find the Afterlife Council?"
Leo stopped pacing and stared at Coop for a few moments before answering his question. Then, he sighed. "Because the Elders broke the rules. They gave Andy his mortal life back and then snatched it away so they could cover up their own mess," he replied defensively. "Andy should be allowed to keep his life and the Afterlife Council has the authority to give it back. They monitor the placement of souls throughout the realms," he concluded.
"What mess?" Coop questioned, wanting to know the details.
"The one where they messed with the grand-design and faked Prue's death in order to prevent the Ultimate Power from ever existing," explained Leo. "It's the sisters. They're that power. And the Elders gave Prue a new life to keep them apart and that new life included Andy's resurrection."
"Wait, the Elders were responsible for Prue?" Coop asked disbelievingly.
"Yes. Well, technically, Gideon and a few other senior Elders. Gideon's gone now but some of the others are still carrying around his god complex," he spat with distaste, thinking back to Wyatt.
"Phoebe didn't tell me all of that," Coop replied. Suddenly, the wheels in Coop's brain began spinning as he weaved an idea together. "So, then Andy became Prue's husband?" he inquired.
"Uh, yeah. Why?" Leo confirmed, wondering where Coop was going with it.
"Well," Coop paused. "There might be an argument you can make on his behalf because they were married," he began to explain. "It's a slim shot but it might work. See, as a Cupid, I work in accordance with this universal rule of law that applies throughout the entire immortal realm. And that is, we're not allowed to interfere with the mortal binding of marriage," Coop continued. "Marriage is honored as a sacred union and mortals are the only ones who possess the free will to tamper with it, whether it be right or wrong to do so."
"Wait, but you're a Cupid," Leo questioned, furrowing his brows, feeling somewhat confused. "Cupids unite mortals all the time. Isn't that interfering?" he asked.
"No, technically, we inspire love between them," Coop corrected. "The rest is up to them because they have free will. Besides, we're only responsible for the inspiration before a marriage binding occurs. We're not allowed to interfere after a marital union is put into place. Not without express permission from the mortals themselves. Anything that happens after a marriage is due to the choices the mortals, themselves, choose to make," he concluded.
"Okay, I think I get it," replied Leo. "So, where are you going with this?" he pressed further.
"Well, the Elders are immortal. So they're bound by that rule. Try arguing that they tampered with the sacred marriage right between mortals. Whether or not Andy's resurrection was ever approved by the Council, still doesn't change the fact that he was a mortal during the time period he married Prue," Coop clarified. "I mean, unless you have reason to believe that they were never really married?" he pressed.
Leo appeared to be considering the argument that Coop had just provided for him. That argument could actually work. But Leo still wanted to make sure the Elders were held accountable for everything they had done. These individuals were supposed to help protect and represent the greater good; yet, they intentionally messed with the sisters lives and the grand-design.
"No, it's not that," he stated simply.
Coop considered the direction he thought Leo's mind was most likely going.
"Look, Leo? It's obvious you want the Elders to go down for what they did to Prue and whatever else they may have done but you might have to make a choice here. If the main objective is to get Andy back, you may have to let the rest go for now," he advised. "Just go for the technicality and leave the other details out of it."
Leo sighed and began pacing again.
"Yeah, but, there's still the chance it won't work. I mean, what if the Council acknowledges what the Elders did was wrong but because they took corrective measures, there isn't a problem. They did reunite Prue with her sisters and Andy's back in the immortal realm where he was supposed to be all along," he reasoned. "So I might as well just lay it all out there and see what happens."
"Hey, man, do what you think is best," Coop gave in with a shrug of his shoulders. "I was just tying to offer a suggestion."
"I know. And I do appreciate the insight," Leo offered.
Suddenly, both men were startled by a loud booming voice that echoed throughout the vast space. They looked to each other and then scanned everywhere around them only to see no one there.
"Who dares to enter this Realm?" the voice challenged.
X
"Paige?" Dimitri called out, as all three sisters headed for the staircase leading to the first floor of the manor.
Piper and Phoebe continued their descent down the stairs but Paige stopped after hearing her name called out. However, she felt uncomfortable being in the Elder's presence after everything that had transpired with the Elders during the past few days but in order to be courteous, she had stopped to hear him out.
After all, he had saved her sister's life.
"Yeah, what can I help you with?" she immediately inquired, cutting to the chase.
"Well, it's nothing serious but," he stammered before deciding on how he'd deliver the news. "I just wanted to reassure you that there wasn't anything wrong with your ability to heal your sister. Uh, it wasn't really my place to say anything upstairs but the problem was that the poison wasn't just affecting Prue," he began to explain.
"What do you mean?" questioned Paige, clearly confused by the admission.
"Well, I have no idea whether or not your sister is aware yet but the poison was affecting the baby too," he revealed.
"The baby?" Paige was surprised. "Prue is pregnant?"
"Well, the baby was absorbing most of your healing energy and that's why it wasn't taking any effect on Prue," he explained.
Paige closed her eyes and breathed out a deep sigh. "Well, that's some unexpected news," she remarked. "But thank you for coming when you did," she offered with a sincere nod of her head.
"No problem," Dimitri replied with a smile. "And if there's anything you ever need, please don't hesitate to ask. I happen to respect Leo very much and that extends to his family as well."
"Well, thank you. We'll definitely keep that in mind," Paige accepted.
Paige watched as the young Elder orbed away back to the Magic School. The first step was to find Piper and Phoebe to share the news. Besides, now that she knew Prue was alright she wanted to check up on Piper and her baby news.
So now it's two baby showers we need to plan for? The budget. Eh, maybe Phoebe can just take one and I'll take the other, she reasoned. Better yet, she had the perfect excuse to ask Mr. Brennan about a raise. She smiled. Those were her final thoughts on the matter as she resumed her walk downstairs.
To Be Continued: Okay, finally found the time to wrap up this chapter. Hopefully I'll be able to get the next chapter out to you sooner. Anyway, I hope you liked it and stay tuned for more.