A new Power of three Part 7:
Fight

2004, 3 days ago, Wednesday

"Trudeau?"Andy asked into his phone at the station

"Hey Andy, it's Piper. Sorry, I really didn't want to interrupt you but..."

"what's wrong? Anna? Mags? Prue? Demons?" he asked already worried after 'it's Piper'

"No! No. It's… it's nothing, I guess. I just… I brought Prue some soup over this noon and I caught her throwing up heavily again. Is there really no way, she could get an earlier appointment? This ain't normal and I really don't think she's getting any better, like she says..."

"Thanks for calling, piper, I'll try to call the practice again right away"

"Please don't tell her, I called you" piper said silently

"I won't. Promise. Gotta go, okay?"

"Bye"

"Bye" Andy hung up and sighed. He knew she was lying to him. He always did. But she hadn't allowed any private conversation. She always had kept them busy or in public. He didn't know how to get through to her anymore. He lowly banged his head on the desk. This whole situation was wearing on him. He knew something was going on. But she didn't talk to him. He was worried about her, but what was he supposed to do? He was no doctor. Morris looked worried over at Andy

"Something I wanna know?"

"Piper says Prue seems not to get better" Andy told him as he looked up again. He then started to stare at his cell, searching for a contact. Prue had some when saved those important numbers in his cell and he like never needed them, because she was always there and dealt or knew those things.

"What are you doing?"

"I'm searching for the fucking number of that goddamn doctor… and I just can't remember his name and Prue somehow saved this shit… and I just can't find it!" Darryl noticed how short tempered Andy seemed to be and stepped up to him. He opened his hand in front of him

"May I?" he asked and Andy just gave him his cell phone. Darryl started to push a few buttons on Andy cell and then started to grin

"Here… Sheila did the same… they put a 'Z' at the beginning of important numbers, because there's just a little amount of people starting with 'Z'. Must be a women-thing" he told Andy and gave him his cell back. Andy took it and was about to press the call button, as Darryl stopped him from it

"But if you ask me, you don't need a doctor. This sounds like something else"

"Like what?"

"Like pregnancy?" Darryl asked him back

"That's ridiculous Darryl. Prue would have told me if she was pregnant. I mean… it'd be good news… and it would make us all stop worrying. The way she behaves… no." Andy told him, looking into his eyes, as it started to work on Andy's mind. He shook his head "No. That'd be too easy" he said and finally pressed the call button, directing his cell to his ear, still looking at Darryl

"Yes, hello, Trudeau speaking here… hi… um listen, I call about my wife. Misses Pruedence Trudeau… Yes exactly, born on October, 28th in 1971… Well she called on Monday asking for an appointment, but… she didn't? Are you sure? … Positive. Okay, well then I must have misunderstood something. I'm sorry, bye!" Darryl just watched as Andy's whole body started to tense with every word he had heard on the phone and after all these years easily could tell how a huge anger grew in his partner and friend.

"Andy?" he asked carefully. Andy had started to hold onto the plate of his desk on the phone and now his knuckles were turning white by the immense grip on hit. He threw his cell phone into the corner on his desk forcefully and Darryl was surprised that the poor thing survived the attack

"She didn't call… at all" he mumbled through gritted teeth as he finally let go of the desk plate, spun around and grabbed for his jacket

"She lied. She lied the whole time! I'm worried sick and she just… goddamn it! This stops immediately. I can't believe she…. This is…." he continued to rant as he got all his stuff together to leave

"Andy!" Darryl almost had to scream at him, to stop him in his furious actions

"What?!" Andy almost yelled back and finally looked at Darryl again. He put a hand to his face and breathed a few times in try to calm down

"Where are you going? We still are on duty for almost four hours"

"I need to go home, Darryl. I need to find out what the hell is going on. Why would she lie to me in all this?! I just don't get it. She pushed me emotionally away ever since this all started… and all of that makes me even more worried! I finally want to understand what's going on here! And I know that Prue knows what! Tell the chief..."

"Your wife got worse and you needed to check on her. I got it. Don't worry"

"Thanks man" he answered and then headed home.


After Piper had stopped by at noon, Prue was sure she'd have no more visitors that day. Usually one of her sisters checked on her once a day. She finally got properly dressed again, what she hadn't done for days and drove off to the nearest drugstore. Once there she searched the floors. She never had needed such a thing and actually had no clue, where to search the shelves for a pregnancy test. Once she finally found the shelf she was surprised how many of them existed. She took a few and read the inscriptions in try to find out the best. Some when she just sighed

"This is ridiculous! How can there be so many SAME things!" she almost yelled in frustration, grabbed 3 different ones and went to pay them. Back in her car she got one out of the bag again and starred at it. This little thing would change her life. She softly rubbed her forehead, feeling a migraine coming up. Why did she even buy them? She knew the truth already, or did she? Frustrated she stuffed the test back into the bag and drove back home. Once home she – like always – started her routine. She hung up her keys, got out of her jacket, hung it up and got out of her shoes again. Just as she started for the stairs to get dressed back into her comfy pants, she shrugged together heavily. She had finally noticed Andy, now right in front of her, as she almost had run into him

"Oh my god! Andy! You scared the hell out of me!" she told him panting, a hand pressed to her chest

"Where have you been?" Andy asked coldly. Both of his arms crossed in front of his chest, as he stood in her way to keep her from getting away "And don't you dare lie to me again, Pruedence! I want the truth. And I want it now. I'm absolutely sick of your lies. I'm sick of you running from me." Prue bit her lip. She could practically feel the anger radiating from Andy right now

"I was at the drugstore" she answered shortly and tried to walk past her husband, to avoid his anger. But Andy caught her by the arm and almost pushed her back into his sight. Instinctively she looked into his eyes

"You're not going anywhere now. We are going to have a talk now, Prue! You lie to me since Sunday and we both know that, so don't even bother to deny it. I wanna know what's going on here. Now!" Prue again bit her lip. She barely had seen Andy this angry. She eyed him carefully, not sure what to tell him. She knew he was right. But she didn't want to admit it. She knew the truth, but just wasn't ready to tell him yet. She opened and closed her mouth several times, but none of the things which were about to come out of her mouth seemed 'right' to her. They both starred into each others eyes. Both seeing how the others mind was racing right now.

"I KNOW you didn't call the doctor. I KNOW you're not better. And I KNOW, that you know exactly what's going on here! Where have you been? What did you do? Is this about some freaking demon? Are you just trying to protect me here again?! Goddamn it we're in this together! And no matter what it is that's going on here, if it has to do with you, it's my right to know! You're my wife for god's sake!"

"Okay. I didn't call the doctor, alright? And yes, I know what's going on, at least I think so… but I really was at the drugstore, alright? Happy now?" she asked as she finally disconnected her eyes from his, rounded him and went to the kitchen.

"What did you get?" Andy asked, right away following her

"A test..." Prue answered calmly as she got herself a bottle of water out of the fridge. She knew, she would have to tell him. He'd explode any second, if she just gave him one more lie. She opened the bottle, took a sip and placed it on the kitchen counter. Both her hands leaned on it as she looked down to the counter. This way putting something between her and Andy

"A test?! A test..." Andy almost laughed "A test what for, Prue? What is going on? What the hell is happeni…"

"Oh my god, Andy, seriously? I thought you were a detective! Do I really have to speak it out for you to get it?" Prue interrupted his angry rant as she saw how he couldn't even think anymore as angry as he was. She again looked at him and saw how he expected her to go on "Okay" Prue sighed and rubbed her forehead again 'thanks, now I also have a migraine' she thought to herself

"Alright… let me put the facts for you into words. Three weeks ago we had our anniversary. What did we do? 2 weeks ago, I started to feel sick. And now I got a test. Ringing any bells?!"

Andy at first looked confused at her. What did their anniversary have to do with anything. Then he slowly started to put things together and he suddenly heard Darryl's voice in his mind

"but if you ask me, you don't need a doctor. This sounds like something else"

"like what?"

"like pregnancy?"

"Oh my god! You're pregnant!" he exclaimed. His face changing from confused to shocked to a huge smile. A baby! This was amazing! He already had thought the worst and now there was… a baby! He was absolutely thrilled right away and went around the counter to get to Prue "Why didn't you tell me earlier? I was so worried about you. We all were. And now this is… I mean… it's..."

"This is an absolute mess, that's what it is!" Prue finally finished for him. Andy's smile right away disappeared from his face again. He was just about to hold Prue from behind, but now let his hands fall to his side immediately as he heard what she said. Prue immediately took the chance to run off again, before he had any chance to touch her again. She slid out from between him and the counter and out of the kitchen. Andy just stood there, trying to understand what was going on, but once he thought he got it, went after her

"You don't want another baby, now do you?" he asked calmly as she looked back at him from the couch

"No. I don't"

"But… why?"

"Why?" Prue let out a laugh "Because I don't, okay?! You, me and the girls. It's perfect the way it is. Why should I want more? We have two amazing daughters..."

"And we could have another one. Or maybe we'd have a sweet little boy."

"Or we just simply don't!"

"I don't get it. I mean… when you - okay we - didn't want Meghan I understood, because it was just… a mess… but now we have everything..."

"Yes, we do have everything. Why mess with it? In half a year we're off diapers again. In a year, I could go back to work again, Andy!"

"Okay stop. That's what's bothering you? Seriously? Diapers? I mean, okay they really aren't the nicest thing in the world, but what about the rest? How cute they are so small… hearing them say mom and dad for the first time… their first steps… how adorable they look with just those two tiny teeth in the front..."

"Oh now that's an argument for a baby… it is cute. Very convincing, really! What about the sleepless nights? What about the screaming? What about… what about the space? We only have TWO kids rooms."

"Well, while it's small it could sleep with us..." Prue just let out a hysteric laugh

"No, Andy, no! WE could have time for us again. Oh what am I even saying? Not again. We FINALLY could have time for you and me. After you returned we barely spend an evening or night alone… with all the breast feeding and getting teeth and children being sick… and the nightmares and..."

"Then we just turn our closet into a baby room, like we did at the Manor..."

"And that changes exactly what?! Anna has her own room and still spent most of her first year in our bedroom! Right between us!" Prue raged, threw her covers off of her and got up again "But you just DON'T get it"

"What am I not getting, Prue?"

"That I'm simply sick and tired of this! I finally want… no more important NEED time to be me, Andy! I guess you can't understand it anyway! You HAD parents! You DIDN'T have to take care of two little sisters since you were only 8 years old..." Andy sighed and looked down

"But I stilled helped" he put in, but Prue now was way too much in her rage to even hear him

"YOU could go off to whatever college you wanted. Had fun. Partied. Slept around. YOU lived your dream! Your youth! YOU didn't have to give your first self earned money to your grandmother, so everyone could have a better life but you! YOU didn't have to move back in with your parents to take care of them, because they were sick! You weren't left alone by that one true love you ever had to feel like nothing but shit! Twice! And then, when you're finally over it… when you finally start to live… when you finally can be who you really want to be… do what you wanna do… then you suddenly just have a partner in marriage and two little girls like over night! I don't even know who I am, Andy! I never could be me. Just me. Just Prue. I never could do exactly what I wanted to do! Go where I wanted to go! NEVER! I finally want to be free, I want to work. I want to go out. I want to be be someone! Who am I if I'm not a sister, a mom, a wife or a grandchild?! I'm no one, Andy. I finally want to be Prue…" she told him, at first furious, but then calmer and at last crying

"I'm sorry, okay? I'm sorry that life sucked for you. I'm sorry your mom died. I'm sorry your dad left. I'm sorry that I left you. And I'm really sorry I died. I know life wasn't kind to you. And I always have been there for you through the most of this mess. I'm really sorry life isn't what you wanted it to be. But is it really that bad with me and the girls?" he asked kinda hurt by her words. He understood every bit of it. But still, it sounded like she also didn't want him. Not Meghan. And not Brianna.

"No. No it's not. I love you. And I don't wanna live one day without you and our girls anymore. But I was so looking forward to Anna going to kindergarten. To spending time with you. We haven't spend time alone in 4 years. You were gone so long and I missed you so much, but we never truly enjoyed just being you and me anymore… like we did when we were teens"

"We did on our anniversary..."

"Yeah and I miss that feeling ever since! In a year I could be so much more than a mom again… I could work… get out of the house… we could take a weekend off from everything, because the girl's wouldn't be this small anymore. Anna would be used to being away from me for a while. Don't you see the opportunities?"

"What about you? Can't you see a little good in this situation? Cause… like it or not, Prue, everything looks like we're gonna have another baby."

"No! No because I'm not pregnant! Not until I took that goddamn test on Friday"

"Prue, that's just ridiculous and you know it. We both know, that you can feel…"

"We know nothing yet. We assume something. There's no proof. You as cop should know that without a proof there's practically nothing!"

"Okay. Fine." Andy reasoned "So let's play this out. What IF it was Friday. What IF you took that test already. What IF it was positive. What then, Prue? Will you have an abortion, then?"

"No!" Prue cried out, but that didn't stop Andy in his rant

"Are you gonna kill our baby, Prue?!"

"No"

"Are you gonna give it up for adoption?" he continued in a scary calm voice which raised slowly as he continued to ignore her

"No"

"Is that the reason you didn't tell me?! Because you knew, I wouldn't agree with any of these options as you may call them?!"

"No! Andy, no!"

"Then what, Prue?!" he finally again yelled at her. Silence fell over them. Prue had no answer to Andy's question. And Andy tried to calm down again. Even the thought of his baby being treated like that made him sick. This whole fight was a huge Ferris wheel on emotions for both of them. Andy swallowed deeply.

"Okay. Then what are you gonna do? What are WE gonna do? You don't want any of the options we have. You don't want it, but you don't wanna kill it. You don't want it to live with us, but you won't give it away either. What do you want at all, Prue?" he asked her almost calm again.

Tears by now were freely flowing down Prue's eyes. That was exactly what she was afraid of, when she told Andy. That he made her choose. But she just couldn't choose right now. For weeks she now tried to find a solution but she never did. She just ran from the problem. She knew she did. But until now she liked her run. She knew there was only one option, but she felt like she would break making it. She didn't want to give up everything again. She couldn't go back into being a no one. Because that's how she felt sometimes. And not just now. Her whole life. Every now and then she thought about this all. She asked herself, who am I if not a sister? A mom? A Lover? How could she describe herself if she didn't relate herself to somebody else? She never had an answer to it. And so she ran from being a mom again.

"I… I dunno..." she answered silently and finally turned away from him and pushed the tears away. "And I don't have to know, because it's not Friday yet" she mumbled and Andy just shook his head in disbelief. He couldn't understand how she could just act like that. How could she deny that she was pregnant, because a test didn't tell her she was

"This is ridiculous, Prue!" he finally told her

"If you'll excuse me now, I wanna get changed into something more comfy again..." she told him and started to go out of the living again

"No, I won't excuse you now. Not until we found a solution to this"

"Well, too bad, because I won't discuss this now!" Prue told him. She was determined not to talk about this until she had made that test.

"Prue, we have to talk about it. Really. Maybe you could go back to work anyway. I could step back a little this time…" Andy was interrupted by a loud laugh of Prue

"You? You wanna step back?! How? When you had that case last week, you did nothing but work and sleep. You didn't notice anything around you anymore. How would that play out if you had to stop chasing the bad guy at noon? No calling from the station… hey I'll be late, don't wait up. Now THAT'S ridiculous."

"Maybe… but maybe I could get a desktop job at the station as well." Prue again laughed

"Like you'd be happy then" she said dryly, as she continued on her way

"Family just matters more" that fired Prue up again

"You don't have to tell me that. Like I said before. I gave up everything for my family. First my sisters. Then grandma. You. The girls. When is it finally my turn?"

"Prue…"

"No! I said I'm not discussing this now and I won't, alright?! I'm gonna shower now and then change into some more comfortable clothes."

"We could figure this out, if we'd just talk about it..."

"What part of I'm not discussing didn't you understand, Andy?!" she finally yelled, turning on her heel to look at him again

"I understood very well, but it looks like you don't understand that not talking about this is not an option for me!"

"Leave me alone, Andy" she said as she had taken another step towards the stairs and he had followed. She turned abruptly again as she took another step and he still followed. Andy almost ran into her now

"I mean it, Andy! I'm not in the mood for this game now.!"

"Well I hate to repeat myself, but this pregnancy won't go away over night, so..."

"There IS no pregnancy so far!" she yelled at him at the top of her lungs

"Yes there is! And you can't ignore it!"

"Watch me..." she told him and now stopped on her way to the stairs and went back to the floor, immediately starting to get dressed again

"Where are you going?"

"Out!"

"Prue..." he said softly and reached for her arm. Prue shrugged his hand off harshly

"I said leave me alone" she warned dangerously and grabbed for her keys

"At least tell me, where you go..." Andy almost begged, already worried about her. Prue didn't answer, but went for the door opening it. Andy quickly orbed right in front of her, blocking her way out

"Where are you going?"

"Get out of my way"

"Where are you going?"

"I mean it, Andy, go out of my way" she told him accentuating every word as she glared dangerously at him

"I'm not scared of you"

"You should be. Now one last time. Out of my way!"

"Answer me!" but Prue didn't answer. Instead she forcefully threw him back into a wall with her powers, then looked back at her injured husband

"I told you to go out of my way. Don't you dare follow me." she threatened as she continued out of the house and slammed the door shut behind her.