A new Power of three Part 17:
The spell

2004, Saturday

"hear these words, hear the rhyme. Heed the hope within my mind..."

"Prue..." he tried again to interrupt her. To touch her, but Prue just moved away and continued

"… my mind. Send me forward to where I'll find, my answers in place and time" Prue finished, without Andy being able to do anything. As she had said the last words, her eyes closed and suddenly she just vanished into tornado like wind.

"Prue!" he yelled, darting forward to hold her back, then looked at the empty space before him "what have you done?" he asked her shocked. He looked a round searched for any signs on what she was doing, planning. Nothing. He saw the candles and concluded she didn't get answers from penny and patty.

"damn it!" he yelled. He left her side and went to the book of shadows, reading the page which was open

to go back in time

hear these words hear the rhyme

heed the hope within my mind

send me back to where I'll find

what I wish in place and time

"but… that doesn't make sense" he mumbled, shaking his head. Why would Prue go to the past to find out what sex their child was going to be? Unless. He stumbled over the words 'back in time' he though. 'no. not back in time. Forward… she said forward…'

"fuck!" he cursed, realizing Prue had gone to the future. He sighed deeply. Cursed. Walked with no aim around their attic. What could he do now? What could he do at all? He stopped his movements and starred at the book of shadows. Scanned every inch of the room. He knew this wasn't good. wasn't right. He knew he had to do something. Just what? He only had his whithelighter powers, so actually he could do absolutely nothing alone.

"damn it, Prue!" he yelled and knocked over some bookshelf close in which all kind of magical ingredients stood. Then went downstairs, got dressed and walked to the kitchen where he got himself a beer from the fridge, which he poured down at once. If he wouldn't have needed a clear head right now he'd go on to their house bar and would have poured himself a whiskey.

"damn it!" he cursed again and threw the empty bottle into the sink, then started back for the manor, to tell the rest what had happened

as Andy appeared in the solar of the manor, where the kids were playing with each other, everyone's attention right away cast onto him. Within a movement everyone left the kids and headed with him into the living room

"where is she?" Piper dared to ask. Andy sighed deeply

"in the future"

"what?!" Andy just shook his head

"i couldn't stop her. She was determined to get answers… and as your mom and grandma didn't give them to her, she went to the future..."

"what answers?"

"and what was that about something hurting the kids or us earlier?"

Andy sat down on the sofa. He put his head into his hands and breathed deeply a few times. He didn't know where to start. He didn't know what he could tell them. He couldn't… hell! He couldn't even come to one thought on his own. His mind was racing. Time travel was dangerous. Everything – whether good or bad – could easily be destroyed by just one change in the past. And then there was Prue. And the baby. And this nagging feeling in his guts, that Prue seriously had a point. Three magical girls. New charmed ones. His girls could be mighty witches. What was dangerous as hell for them. He knew and experienced it himself! Prue… was she okay? Was the baby okay? Gosh… she didn't even eat something this morning. Everyone starred at him. He could feel their eyes. The pressure. And he just sat there in turns either shaking or nodding his head while trying to sort his thoughts.

Cole in the meantime had left the room a minute and now returned to Andy with a glass full of whiskey. He sat down next to him and handed him the glass. As Andy felt the couch moving he looked at Cole, then at his hand. He let out a laugh, took the glass and poured it down

"thanks" Andy mumbled

"well, you really looked like you'd need it" Cole said nodding. Andy nodded and again sighed

"look… umm. Sit down and please stop starring at me. I'll give you answers. I just… I have to figure out how..." he said and now got up. He again randomly walked around the room

"i… it's a long story and I need you to listen. Really. I can't do this more than once… cause my wife just was like… eaten by a tornado..." when he noticed he had their attention he continued

"Prue actually wanted to tell you on her own… but…" Andy hesitated again "oh well… damn it!" he again cursed. Piper put a hand on his arm

"it's okay..." Andy just shook his head

"no. no it's not. I told her we'd breakfast with the girls… talk with you guys and then we could have… just handled things but no… she has to be miss stubborn again!"

"hey, we all know Prue. You know Prue… this is just her… now please. Just tell us what's going on here?" Leo told him seriously and Andy just nodded

"well..." Andy again stopped. He didn't want to tell them about the baby. Not this way. This sucked. "Prue's pregnant" he finally shot out and everyone started to smile and started to congratulate him, but he just put them off

"no. I told you… you needed to listen. Prue was sick because of being pregnant and she… she's had a really bad feeling about it. She only told me Wednesday night when I caught her, lying to me about seeing a doctor..."

"but… wasn't that when you had that fight?"

"yes… she said… well she had a bad feeling. She said she never considered or wanted another child. That this was absolutely not what she had planned and that it in some way wasn't right. And then to me… it really didn't make sense… but she said, in the same sentence she didn't want the kid nor would she abort it or give it up for adoption. She simply said it just shouldn't have happened at all. And I told her that it did happen and that we'd now have to face the truth. So we yelled at one another and she ran..." he told them. He saw from the edge of their eyes they wanted to say things but he couldn't talk to them about things now. He needed to explain. Not talk.

"when she returned last night we talked a lot. Also this morning. And we suddenly came to the question of the sex of the baby… and that's when Prue completely freaked. She meant… that we'd completely screwed up because if our baby would be a girl… there would be a possibility… well three magical girls, ringing bells?" Piper moved her hands to her face as everyone gasped

"a new set of charmed ones..."

"… and Prue's now trying to find out whether you'll be having a boy or a girl" Phoebe finished for Piper

"she meant… it wouldn't be only dangerous for our girls… but also for you guys… a baby power of three rising would be a good catch for the bad side. She meant, they could get to the girls, take their powers and in worst case then turn with that new power against you guys..."

everyone sat in shock. It had been a long time demons had dared to touch any of them. If they had demon attacks earlier about once a week or even more frequent, since Paige had completed them they barely had a demon attack once a month! Barely anyone had dared to touch them or their kids. Prue had been right. This was huge. And it was bad.

"but… if Prue's right… that baby power of three already exists. We have to do something before anyone catches onto this. I mean… seriously. This is… beyond a catastrophe!" Phoebe finally spoke out what everyone was thinking

"wait. What about the whole going to the future part? ain't it dangerous" Paige asked

"it is… but if Prue's right… that's the least of our problems." Leo answered

"Leo, Cole… can you take the kids somewhere… I dunno… safe?" Piper asked and the men just looked at one another

"we'll think of something" Leo nodded

"okay… then we now will have to get prepared. If this is seriously true we need to have a plan. We have to show the evil world once and for all, that they won't get one of us. We'll have a huge vanquish to start" Piper said. Worried about her son as well. Andy took another breath and nodded. Phoebe put a hand to his arm

"we'll figure this. I promise" Andy again just nodded unconsciously and forced a smile

"this is not just about what you heard, Pheebs. it's everything… this future trip… my girls. My wife. This baby. She didn't even eat anything this morning. I dunno what or how she did the last days… what if the spell only worked on Prue and not your baby? and all of that because of her goddamn stubbornness… I dunno where to start to worry and where to end… I can't concentrate. I can't come to one clear thought." he told her, starring into her eyes

"maybe you should talk to the girls..." Phoebe said softly. She had Brianna already for a while, though Andy seemed not to. But she didn't only mention it because of the girls but also because of Andy himself. She hoped, talking to his kids would calm him down. Andy nodded and went to the solar. He forced himself to smile, but already saw tears in Meghan's eyes and Brianna was wailing already. He sighed deeply. He knew whenever Prue and him where high on emotions and were close to the girls, they always reacted. Prue and him had already discussed the possibility of them being empathic. In extreme situations they even could feel the other's emotions when the kids were with them. So it seemed like there was even more to that, if they really were empathic. He sighed deeply. He hide his feelings. Try to. But they were still inside of him. And his kids still seemed to feel it. He picked Brianna up. Leo was all over, packing some essential stuff and toys.

"come here" Andy said softly and sat down on the floor. Meghan obeyed and stepped closer to her dad. He ruffled Mags hair and patted Anna's back in try to calm them both down

"what is it daddy? where's mom? what's going on? Where are we going? Why aren't you and mommy coming?" Andy sighed deeply

"everything will be okay again, princess, I promise. There are a lot of dangerous things going on right now. Your aunts will try to fix it. Mommy and I have to help. You two and Chris will go on a little trip with uncle Leo and uncle Cole."

"momi" Anna cried

"i wanna see mommy, too. Where is mommy?" Andy sighed

"she went to find out a way to solve this all. You can't see her right now"

"Andy. We gotta go." Leo told him. Andy just nodded and looked back at his girls. It ripped his heart out to let them go. Meghan clung to her dad

"i wanna stay with you. Please."

"stai"

"you'll be safer with your uncles"

"what's with you?"

"you just have fun. we'll see tonight. I promise." he said and got up

"where's Cole?"

"he wanted to talk to Phoebe" Leo answered. He took the girls along and tried to find Cole. He found Cole. and Phoebe discussing heatingly in the foyer.

"you need to tell them Phoebe! I can't just go with Leo and the kids… what about..."

"Cole. stop. I can't just go!"

"then finally tell them! There has to be another solution than for us to leave! Or you call them."

"this is not the time to tell anybody anything!"

"Phoebe this is dangerous! you're pregnant for Christ's sake!"

Andy stood in the door. He didn't want to interrupt their fight, but as he heard Phoebe was pregnant, he couldn't hold back

"you're…?"

"Andy!"

"Cole's right..."

"no. god damn it!" she said and pulled away from Cole.

"daddy, aunt Phoebe swore..." Meghan told Andy, but they all kinda ignored her. Andy just starred at Phoebe and suddenly realized how big she actually was already. Phoebe caught his sigh

"about 4th month, okay?!"

"why didn't you say anything?"

"that doesn't matter right now. Prue's gone already. I need to help Piper and Phoebe or else there won't be a baby anyway..."

"where's a baby?" Meghan asked, not getting it all

"There will be no kids at all. And probably neither will be the charmed ones. I get it, okay? you're worried. I'm pregnant. And if this is all true, I'm more in danger than Piper and Paige. But what's the alternative?"

"daddy?" Meghan again tried, hearing what her aunt had said. Andy just turned to Cole. and locked eyes with him

"I'll take care of yours, if you'll take care of mine..." Cole. nodded and took Anna from his arms and then grabbed Meghan's hand

"c'mon, sweetie. I'll explain it to you as soon as we're gone, okay? I promise we'll have some fun, okay?"

"Cole.?" Cole. turned back around. Phoebe went up to him, put a hand to his cheek and kissed him "i love you" she told him. Meghan took her chance to get rid of Cole's hand and ran back to Andy. Brianna astral orbed there as well.

"girls..."

"I'm not going" Meghan insisted

"stai" Brianna said as well

"Meghan, please. Be a good role model..."

"no!"

"Meghan" Andy warned, an eyebrow raised