A new Power of three Part 20:
The book 1 - childhood

A/N.: hey guys, the next few chapters were kinda difficult for me to write, because they are about how prue actually reads lily's book. I tried as best as I could to filter some emotions into the passages I picked and I really hope it's not too exhausting to read. i'm also hoping, you guys won't think that i'm recycling things, by just quoting from my earlier stories and charmed, but it didn't seem right to just mention things. Some of the memories – chapters of the book, whatever – also are new, as they were planned to somewhen be part of the outtakes. Who knows… maybe i'll put them on in full length one day. Tell me how you liked it… or if you liked something you don't know yet. I just picked things from larger story lines… so if you wanna read more about it just tell me and i'll put things up...

2037, Saturday

After the girls had given her the book and the CD of Meghan, Prue walked up the stairs. She knew her way around the house and so easily went to the attic. What she saw there caught her totally off guard. Their attic was a dark dusty something. This here was a living space. Bright, with windows. They had changed the roof a little so they had less roof pitch. There were new walls and she ran like right into a huge sofa. She looked around. On her left next to the stairs stood a huge desk. An old one, she smiled slightly, remembering it was the one from her father. She then looked over to the couch. It seemed like on the window there had stood plants. And in the shelf unit across it a TV and a sound system were placed. The door closest to the living was open and looked to be a bathroom.

As she scanned the huge room more she found on the right a table to eat on and a tiny kitchen tile, as well as two doors. Bedroom and kids' room she guessed. She couldn't believe this really at some point was their attic.

As she scanned the room's furniture she found some stuff she was sure had come from Meghan, other's however screamed for Lily. She didn't find anything she could connect to Anna, but she guessed Anna never lived up here, as she had moved out kinda early. Though she could have sworn there was paint on the desk, what could have been caused by Anna.

Prue walked up to the sound system and let Meghan and Robbie's music fill the room. she sat down on the black leather sofa, which definitely had belonged to Meghan, because Lily was a much lighter kind of person in her choose of colors.

She let her fingers run over the cover. Leather. She guessed Anna had bound it properly. What really wouldn't be a problem to do in a commercial agency. In golden letters 'more than just a woman' was imprinted. With her fingers she followed the golden writing, like she would inscript it right there.

She then finally opened the book and first thing she found was a family portrait. It hadn't been a photographed picture, thought it seemed it was at some point one. She trailed her fingers over Andy's face. She clearly could see how time had taken on him. She guessed the girls to be teenagers, so Andy on that picture was about 15 years older than he was now. She smiled and remembered how they had cast that spell on him and Leo, so they would actually grow older. She closed her eyes and sighed.

"I'm so sorry" she whispered. She should have taken him along. She permanently thought about how he would have reacted. How their conversations would have been if he was there. She really had put him through a lot the past week. She had barely seen him. She missed him so much. She still couldn't believe he had really clipped his wings.

But when she thought about it... they had been apart so many times. She almost committed suicide after his death as well. She could understand him. She couldn't imagine a life without him anymore either, though she also never thought about it. Andy was a whithelighter. Somewhat immortal. She never had to worry he'd go before her.

She leaned back on the couch and started to skip a few pages. With every chapter came a date so she could guess what they were about. To each chapter there was at least one portrait. She smiled a little when she found the picture of her piano recital grams had cut dad out on, reconstructed. She had to laugh so much at some of those kid's stories from her and her sisters. Some also with Andy.

1976
It was planned for weeks and now finally the day of the barbecue had come. Patty and Julia sat at a table they had set up and watched the kids, chopping some vegetables for various salads, while Richard and Victor watched some game on TV.
"How much longer do you think Piper's allowed to play with them?"
Julia asked Patty looking at her 4 year old son and his best friend Prue. A second later Piper ran up to them
"not much" Patty smirked
"Momi... pwu sais me no can pwai hid 'n siic"
"come here" Patty said gently, knowing the 'older' kids needed to do something alone as well. She laid the knife away and picked her into her lap
"me wanna pwai, too"
"I know... and you can go play later with them again..." Patty told her daughter and crawled her back, rubbing circles on her back, noticing how she seemed to get more and more exhausted every day she was missing her nap, since, according to her, she was a big girl now, just like Prue and not a baby like Phoebe. She then heard Phoebe through the baby phone
"want me to get her?" Julia asked
"nah... it's okay..." Patty answered and looked down at Piper
"sweetie... can you help Aunt Julia with the cucumbers?" Piper considered it for a second and then nodded
"otai" Patty smiled at her and got up and handed Piper to Julia. Then went upstairs to get to Phoebe to feed her. Julia put her attention on Piper, so she wouldn't hurt herself and then suddenly heard crying
"Andy! Prue!" she yelled, searching the backyard with her eyes, but didn't see anyone. She set the knife away and put Piper on the floor
"Piper can you go inside to daddy and Uncle Richard?"
"Otai" Piper nodded and went inside. Julia followed the crying and found Andy with a bleeding knee and Prue hovering over him, blowing at his knee.
"Mooom" Andy cried, seeing her there
"heeey what happened?" Julia asked, picking her little boy up
"we played hide and seek and Andy fell" Prue explained
"ooh c'mon... we get your wound cleaned, huh?" Julia asked, pushing some of his ear long hair out of his face
"I get a band aid!" Prue yelled and ran off, while Julia went inside after her and setting Andy with Richard to check up on his wound properly. Prue ran upstairs and to her mom's bedroom, where Patty sat, breastfeeding Phoebe
"mommy, mommy, I need a band aid... 'cause Andy's bleeding" she told her all excited
"hey, hey, calm down..." Patty told her gently and pulled Phoebe away, who started crying, thinking she wouldn't get more food. Patty walked with Prue to the bathroom, rocking Phoebe slightly and then got the comic band aids out of the medicine cabinet "there you go" Patty told Prue,
"thank you, mom" Prue told her and ran out again. Patty was worried and followed her downstairs, while trying to calm Phoebe down. She got downstairs and froze, when she saw Prue nursing over Andy. The sight was just too cute. Andy sitting in his father's lap and Prue planting band aids on the wound, kissing it and blowing onto it. She locked eyes with Julia and saw they were thinking the same.
"That betta?" Prue asked Andy
"ya" Andy answered and nodded
"you wanna go play again?"
"Naturally" Andy said, a smile again growing on his face, as he jumped form his dad's lap. Both of them running off
"wait fow i!" Piper yelled after them, trying to follow them
"hey! No running anymore!" Julia yelled after them
"k
ay, aunt Juli!"

Then sadder ones followed

1980
Patty and little Prue sat in Patty's car. It wass parked under a tree, close to the lake at camp skylark. Patty got out of the car and went over to Prue's side in the back. She opened the door and looks at Prue, who is buckled into her seat. She reached over to her, felt gently her forehead and played a little with Prue's hair. She had preferred not to take Prue along, but she didn't have much of a choice. Prue was a little ill and so she wasn't at school. Penny was with Gail on some holiday on the beach for a week and so Patty was settled to be alone with the three girls. She had to take Prue along. She couldn't leave her alone and she wanted this done before she had to pick Piper and Phoebe from kindergarten and elementary school
"Prue, I'm right back, okay?"
"Okay mommy"
"Remember what I told you before?" Little Prue just nodded
"No matter what I hear, I gotta stay in the car" Patty smiled at her daughter
"That's my girl"
"I love you, mommy"
"I love you too sweetheart" Patty said and gently pecked her daughter's forehead. She looked again at Prue. Her fever had gone up a bit, she could feel that.
"Try to sleep a bit" She said gently and covered her a bit more up with the blanket. Then finally closed the door and walked over to the lake. Prue followed her mother with her eyes, till she couldn't see her anymore. It was the last time, she saw Patty alive. Patty had left the radio on and all the windows were up. Prue barely heard the screams of her mother, but what she heard were the sirens of the ambulance that started just 30 minutes later.

She felt completely alone reading about her mom's death and her father's leaving. But then she read about her and Andy becoming a couple.

1987
Andy pulled away from Amanda and smiled at her
"wow... what was that all about?"
"nothing... just wanted to show you... how much I like you" he said smirking, then moved a bit away from her and moved her slightly to the right, so he could open his locker. By moving to open it, he caught sight of Prue. He looked her way and intended on looking at her like 'I don't care...' but then saw her face, her tears from far. Their eyes were locked for several minutes. Suddenly he knew what his father was talking about. Suddenly he knew, what he meant.
[…]
When Andy's gaze met her, a tear fell from Prue's eyes. She shook slightly. She started to shake her head to get these thoughts, these images out of her head, then turned and ran away. She ran back down the corridor, out of school and into her car. She heard Andy call after her, but she didn't care. She never believed, that someone so close could hurt her this much. Especially not Andy. Andy was her best friend. And maybe even more... how could he just do this to her?
[…]
Andy froze in his actions. He loved Prue. Loved not in a friendship way. Love in the sense of love. Did that even make sense? He watched in slow motion how she turned around. He darted slightly forward
"Prue!"

:-:-:-:

1987
"Oooh and... Don't get too close to one another... don't want you getting ill as well..."
"mom!" Andy yelled as good as possible. This was so completely embarrassing, especially since he read more into the sentence than his mother really meant.
"and that's my cue to go" Prue just sat at the bed, trying to stop herself from giggling
"I don't think she meant what you interpreted, honey" Andy didn't answered, but just beamed luckily up at her "what?"
"you called me honey" Prue laughed
"weird, huh?" she asked
"well, that's what girlfriends do..." Andy answered. Prue just continued to smile and leaned down to kiss him gently once more. When they finally separated – through a sneeze – Andy looked seriously at her
"you know... it's weird... but it feels very good"
"I know" Prue whispered and pecked him again
[…]
"okay... now get out of bed, okay? Don't want you getting ill as well"
"I'm fine Richard"
"I know you are... but you might not be much longer if you stay so close to Andy... c'mon..."
"my dad's right" Andy cawed
"I didn't have the feeling you dislike this here..."
"I'm not... but... you said you want me better so we can be alone you know where... what use does it have if I am doing better when you're falling ill?"
Prue sighed and sat up
"fine..." she said and moved out of the bed "are you two always matching up or where did you learn that of?" she asked somewhat annoyed
"hey not so grumpy..." Richard told Prue and moved over to her, tickling her. Prue started laughing right away
"Richard, stop!" she squealed. She loved Andy's father. He had grown to be something like a father to her. Andy chuckled slightly
"dad... let my girlfriend go!" he called
"oh right... sorry Miss Halliwell. I misjudged you as the daughter I never had instead of the daughter in law I might one day will have" he apologized.
"Richard, stop" Prue said laughing even harder

just by reading it she again felt her younger selves despair at first, but then again started to miss Andy. And also richard. Even more so, when she read things Lily had wrote down from the time they really were this teenage couple.

1988
"you're gonna get sick, if you don't dry yourself" she told him
"I'm not! It's warm in here..."
"Yeah... that's why your skin is freezing…" Prue teased him
"Oooh I'm sure you can change that" he said grabbing her book and threw it by side, then slowly started climbing her
"Andy... we're in public..."she told him
"so?" he asked seductively. They hadn't done it so far, but everyone watching the couple, would have guessed there sat two experienced teenagers. Prue bit her lip and smiled. Andy kissed her and looked back at her
"get off me... you're cold... and... wet... and..."
"And?"
"People stare at us..."
"Let them!"
"Andy…"

:-:-:-:

1988
"Andy?"
"Mmh?"
"Why do you love me?"Andy grumbled a little and forced his eyes to open again and look at Prue
"Prue... I'm almost asleep... can I tell you tomorrow or something?"
"No... I want you to tell me... without much of thinking..."
"Ya... I notice... 'cause right now, I'm actually not seriously able to think…" Andy told her, rethinking his last sentence
"did that even make sense?"
"c'mon... you say it like... 10 times a day... but don't' know why?"
"I know why... but... I just am not seriously able to put everything into words..."
"Try..."
"Prue..."
"c'mon... for me..."
"Okay... in one sentence: this here." He answered and moved back into his sleeping position, closing his eyes and pulling Prue a little closer to himself
"wha... wait... what do you mean with 'this here'?"
"You said I shall tell you not explain myself..."
"Please" she begged, turning slightly around and kissing some 'soft' spots on him. Andy again growled
"you're stubborn... you're gentle... you're able to go on my nerves without pissing me off... you're my best friend... you match perfectly into my arms... I love the sound of your voice... your laugh... I don't know what I'd do without one of your smiles, 'cause you simply drugged me with that... I love the feeling of us kissing... I love nestling into your shoulder to get lost in your hair which smells like
oranges... I love your soft skin... I love how you deal with my parents... I love how you wrap me around your little finger... I love how responsible you are... I love how you take care of your sisters... I love that you're here right now... and I love your eyes, in which I could drown in…" he told her, and then again settled to sleep, hoping she was finally done with him. Prue smiled a little, kissed his lips tenderly and got comfortable in his arms, closing her eyes as well
"Prue?"
"Ya?"
"Why do you..."
"Because... you were always there for me and I know that's never gonna change... and I know it, from the way... you wrap your arms around me... it just feels like... no matter how deep I fall... I'll always be caught by your arms... holding me safe and sound."
Andy opened his eyes again and kissed Prue's temple, fastened his arms around her and then both, slowly drifted off to sleep, both in the knowledge, that they were loved.

:-:-:-:

1989
Prue and Andy sat in a church, listening to the preacher who was just about to marry Andy's uncle. His hand rested in hers, both laying on her knee. Andy slowly looked at Prue's face, looking her over from head to toe. He looked back ahead and squeezed her hand a little. He knew, this was, what he wanted for himself and Prue. Prue narrowed her eyes and looked over to Andy, who now was looking straight ahead again. Prue smiled slightly and placed her head on his shoulder. Andy felt the motion and looked down at Prue. He saw the smile on her face and smiled back. He tenderly kissed her forehead and let go of her hand, to wrap his arm protectively around her. Prue's hand automatically searched his other, which lay in his lap. None of them looked at each other anymore. Just straight ahead at the couple being married. right now, right there, Prue realized marriages could work out. She knew, this thing between her and Andy would last forever. She had found faith in love again. After only one year of being together with Andy.

Their first time.

1990
"I wanna stay, just as much as you want me to, but…"
"Then stay!"
"I…"

finding out she was pregnant. Their prom. With again a drawn picture.

1990
The band at the moment played 'time of my life' and Prue and Andy finally managed to get back on the dance floor. Andy's arms were wrapped tightly around Prue's waist. Prue's hands were placed behind Andy's neck and in a way hugging him. Her head lay on his chest and she had her eyes closed, as Andy led her gently over the dance floor to the gentle sound of the music.
"this matches perfectly" Prue said silently with a smile on her face
"yeah" Andy answered. A few tact
s later he looked down at Prue and sighted. He could tell she was exhausted and he still was worried. He had noticed how she had a few dizzy spells even after the steps scene. That's why he never left her side, and always had an arm around her, so she could lean into him whenever it was needed. Andy could tell Prue, knew why he was always there, cause she on propose always clung onto him, when she seemed to get dizzy. Andy just kept looking down at Prue, lying in his arms. He could feel her stomach close, could feel the still little belly. He kissed the top of her head gently after the words of the song 'and I owe it all to you'
"You happy?"
"Very" She returned but kept her eyes closed. Andy smiled and started to rub her back a little

She started to sob uncontrollably when she had lost the baby. How Andy left. To that chapter a letter was attached. She put the clip away and with shaking hands slowly opened it. She gasped only seeing this letter

Dear Prue,
Last week I had to realize something. I realized that in the last months we didn't have anything which held us together. We didn't do anything anymore, just for us. All we did was cry and lay around your bed. We didn't even kiss. We just had sex. Emotionless sex. The only connection was our loss. Was Meghan. The only thing that kept us together was her. But she's gone. And while I want to finally move on, you don't. I thought I could help you. I thought you'd come over it with my help. But you didn't and I slowly doubt you ever will. This is no base for a relationship. Especially cause you don't talk to me. Cause you don't let me kiss you anymore. Because you don't let me show you how much I love you anymore. It simply has no use anymore. It's the best, believe me.
You know all the colleges, I applied to and I got a few agreements. My parents don't want to loose their little boy. As stupid as it may sounds, but it's like that. So my dad applied for jobs in every town I applied. He has an attractive job offering in Portland. And I have an agreement for the college there as well. My parents asked me about moving there after he got the offer. But they didn't want to go without me agreeing. I refused, till now. I thought you needed me. But I was wrong. You don't need me. You don't need anyone.
Before I wrote this, I thought about our whole relationship. I thought about what you told me once. How you had imagined our future. You said we'd have an apartment and in a few years you'd be pregnant. I had loved to have that future with you. But I guess after we lost Meghan, this got more and more impossible. For you probably already a while. And now I realized it as well.
Don't try to come over. When you read this, I'm already gone. Don't call. Don't try to contact me on college. Think about it more, and you'll realize it really has no use. I guess those childhood relationships never work out.
I will always love you even thought you might don't. You'll stay the love of my life till the end of times.
Forever yours
Andy

The time after that... her date with Jason. The accident of Phoebe and her. How she had suffered when grams forbade her to go to college.

1991
"Oh my god" She whispered lowly, her smile growing huge as she sped up and ran up the stairs and stormed into the kitchen. "Columbia took me!" She announced, completely thrilled while she tried to get the envelop open. But no one else was thrilled. Her grandmother and sisters even reacted in the complete different way. They were shocked.
"We talked about this, Pruedence" Penny told her in a stern kind of voice, grabbed her mug and brought it to the sink "I can't believe you even applied there. We already cleared that the Columbia was not an option for you."
"We cleared nothing. You just decided, that I couldn't go there. But, Grams, this is my chance! All famous photographers were at the Columbia."
"That doesn't mean you can't get a good photographer here in San Francisco"
"But it's already something like... a guarantee"
"Not for you"
"Why?"
"Pruedence. We're over this topic. We discussed this already a million of times and I won't discuss this again. You won't go to the Columbia. End of story and end of conversation"

after that she skipped some chapters. They just didn't really seem to matter to her anymore. How she graduated. How Andy graduated. How he got married. How she got to work for the museum. How she hooked up with Rodger and how he forced Phoebe into things. That all was behind them. Way behind them. It didn't matter anymore.