A new Power of three Part 25:
Phoebe
2004, Saturday
It was getting kinda late and Piper, Phoebe and Paige had whole day planned on what they could do. Andy, Leo and Cole watched the kids. They had decided to leave them at the manor. First of all Meghan and Anna had made a huge scene and second, where would they be safer than around the power of three? A few hours ago the girls had magic proofed the bedrooms, then ate dinner. They now all sat around the kitchen of the manor except Leo who was putting Chris to bed and Andy, who too, had brought his girls to bed and then hadn't returned. They decided there was no use in continuing to work. They needed a break. Some time off. Maybe they'd finally have an idea that way. Paige got up and went over to the fridge to grab something to drink
"someone else something?" she asked and looked back at the rest spread in the kitchen
"no." Piper said and shook her head. Phoebe and Cole didn't react either. Phoebe and Cole were weird all day anyway. She didn't understand what was going on with the two. Normally Phoebe and Cole were not the kind of couple who the whole day like practically sat on one another. But today Cole followed Phoebe's every step. She just closed the fridge again as something in the backyard caught her eyes. Some kind of glowing which was at just that moment getting brighter. She walked over to the sink and pushed the curtain away to get a better look. She couldn't believe what she saw there.
"uuuh guys..." Paige said and turned to her sisters "look at that" Paige told them Phoebe and Piper went up to her and glanced outside as well "is that Andy smoking?" Paige asked. Piper sighed and turned away from the window. Phoebe kept her stare out of the window as Piper explained it to Paige
"Andy's not a real smoker… well he smoked in college and ever since he smokes when he's upset."
"Prue said it somehow calms him..." Phoebe mumbled
"i never thought Andy was the kind of guy to smoke..." Paige said still unbelievingly "do we have to..." at that Phoebe was already out of the door "ok, I rephrase that then… are we going as well?"
"Andy will probably want to be alone… trust me one talking to him will be more than enough..." Piper told her
Andy just once again sipped on the bottle of whiskey next to him, his cigarette still in his hand as he noticed Phoebe coming closer. He had felt so completely helpless in all of this and now that his kids were asleep he felt completely useless. He couldn't stop his racing mind and with no responsibilities left for him, he decided to get wasted.
"you shouldn't be out here" he told her and tried to get the smoke away from Phoebe. Phoebe completely ignored him and sat down beside him
"that bad, huh?"
"Pheebs.… go back in" he told her taking another breath of his cigarette
"we'll handle it, you know?" Phoebe asked, continuing to ignore him. Andy sighed as he noticed he wouldn't get rid of the former youngest
"did you tell them?" he asked, hoping Phoebe would finally shut up like that and it indeed worked for a few seconds. Andy took another breath of his cigarette and kept starring ahead, just like Phoebe did as well "how long do you know already?" he asked her
"a few weeks… if I calculate correctly I should be in 14th week by now." she told him with a sigh. Andy starred at her tummy for a few seconds, then sipped again at his bottle
"i can't believe they didn't notice… normally they notice when you guys cut a half an inch from your hair… but you growing..."
"i changed my clothing." Phoebe argued
"you okay?" Andy asked her "i mean what did the doc say?" Phoebe looked down again
"haven't seen one yet..."
"Phoebe… 14th week is almost 4th month… you need to check this out..." Andy lectured her
"i know… Cole keeps telling me the same… but I'm just so… so scared, you know? You guys and Piper… you already had problems with your little angels at the doctor's… I'm carrying a demon..." Andy let out a laugh
"don't get me wrong, but I wouldn't call my girls angels" he told her and turned off his cigarette
"Prue's gonna be alright" Phoebe whispered again
"i know that… it's just… this goddamn stubbornness is one day going to get me into my grave. I told her to wait. To rethink the plan. I told her… we'd go talk to you guys and figure something… and she just goes off and does something..."
"well stubbornness is a Halliwell trait.. you knew that all along"
"yes I knew that" Andy sighed and lit another cigarette. Phoebe sighed as well "i just can't believe she did it without talking to me… what if we mess this? What if she gets to know something she shouldn't? What if she somehow changes something?"
"we just need to trust, that she knew what she was doing." Phoebe said softly "but that's not all that's bugging you right? you're not only worried about Prue? you're not only worried about the consequences of the time traveling. you're not only mad at her, right?" Andy shook his head and exhaled some smoke, just to right away take another breath
"if Prue's right… everyone I care about is in danger… my girls, my unborn baby, my wife… you guys… just because of that goddamn powers..." he sighed and took another breath "I just dunno Phoebe… I can't remember the last time magic did something good..."
"well it brought you and Meghan back, right?"
"but just think about it… if Penny hadn't known about your destiny she might never had been as hard as she was on Prue… we might never would have lost Meghan in the first place. I never had left… Prue and I would have gotten married… Prue could have been a photographer… I still could have become a policemen… I might never would have died… your mom might still be around… maybe even Penny. Without magic your dad wouldn't have left..."
"that's all water under the bridge, Andy. You can't live in a world of what ifs."
"all I know is, that since I know about magic it seems to me like it screws everything. It permanently threatens and endangers the people I love most. And you… you could just simply go see a doctor without magic."
"without magic I probably wouldn't even be pregnant. I wouldn't have met Cole. Piper wouldn't have met Leo. Paige probably wouldn't even exist. Magic is not only bad, Andy. But don't worry. We all had our bad times with magic..." Andy just nodded. He knew about it. All of it. He saw all of their little doubts about it. But right now he was in some huge emotional turmoil. He again took a deep breath of his cigarette
"i just… I feel so completely helpless. I just can sit around here and wait… I can't do anything to protect any of them. Though I'm now completely involved with my own powers and all… I still feel like that useless mortal. I can't do anything about loosing anyone I love. Including you" he told her and looked Phoebe, for the first time that night, in the eye. He always really had cared for Phoebe as well. She and Piper were like his little sisters. The thought of loosing any of them drove him just as insane as thinking about Prue and the girls. He broke the eye contact and took another sip of his whiskey. The bottle was definitely emptying. "you should go back inside..." he again said, showing this conversation was over for him. Phoebe sighed and got up.
"good night, bro" she told him as she started to go back inside
"Pheebs..." Andy called her before she disappeared again "you need to tell them"
"i know" Phoebe whispered
