A new Power of three Part 27:
Brunch

2037, Saturday

Prue and Piper walked downstairs together. Both a smile on their face. As soon as everyone in the living got they were coming downstairs Jenny ran over to the stairs and ran into her grandmother. Prue was completely caught off guard. She looked at Piper who just smiled and Prue eased up, wrapping her arms around her granddaughter, softly caressing her back

"Hey" she smiled and couldn't hold back the thought of holding Meghan, though her Meghan was still younger than her granddaughter now was. Justin followed his sister not long after

"grandma" Prue laughed

"hey buddy" she smiled at him. Piper just grinned as well and pecked Prue's cheek.

"I'm gonna go back to the manor" she told her sister. Prue pulled away from her grandchildren

"you two wait a second." she told them and hugged Piper again

"i will miss you" Piper whispered

"I'll always be there. Just close your eyes and listen to your heart. I'll be there. I promise. You just need to listen."

"i love you, Prue"

"i love you, too" Piper pulled away again and turned to her nieces

"i want that table back in a piece!"

"of course" Meghan nodded

"now you two..." Prue turned and looked at her grandchildren "will definitely sit right beside me on that table" she told them and wrapped her arms around them as they walked back to the other adults

"hey Mike" she said and gave him a quick hug. Then looked around the round "and you're Robbie" she said and moved over to him, also hugging him quickly

"yes, hey" Prue looked him over and nodded

"nice to actually meet you" she said and laughed a little, feeling completely weird "and nice job with my grandchildren"

"did what I could" Robbie answered and again wrapped his arms around Meghan and kissed the side of her head. Prue smiled. She always used to have a good knowledge in human nature. And she immediately felt he was one of the good guys. A warm and happy kind of man. He might have not looked that way with his tattoos, but when she looked into his eyes she kinda found Andy in them. She had read in Lily's book already, that she had seen similarities between the two. She leaned over to Meghan

"good choice" she whispered into her ear. Meghan laughed and nodded grinning from ear to ear "i know" Prue then found Kevin. Lily sitting in his lap and walked up to him. The couple got up as she approached them

"and that would make you Kevin." she told him and also hugged him "thank you" she whispered into his ear during the hug

"umm… it's alright, Prue" Kevin said, not sure what she meant. Prue just smiled at him, seeing he was confused

"from what I heard so far, you were the best that could happen to Lily. So, thanks for everything, okay?"

"it was my pleasure" Kevin now answered her, grinning as he looked deeply into Lily's eyes. Lily smiled as well and kissed him.

"okay. Enough already. There are kids in the room!" Meghan told them

"we're barely kids anymore, mom!" Justin protested

"see, dad, I also could have brought Luke"

"Luke?" Prue asked

"no way, Jenny, this is a family day" Meghan told her

"Jenny's boyfriend. The first." Lily whispered to Prue, who nodded, showing she understood

"and Mags doesn't really like him" Anna whispered in her other ear

"no, mom actually hates him" Justin said out loud

"that's not true, right mom? you're such a jerk, Justin!" Jenny told her brother and pushed him slightly back. Meghan bit her lip and looked innocently at her mom. Prue tried her best not to start laughing, seeing how Meghan clearly showed that she really hated the guy, but was glad her daughter's anger right now flew onto Justin. As soon as she thought she had gotten everything she stepped between the siblings to stop the cat fight they had started

"okay, okay. Stop you two. I'm not here to hear about your fights. I wanted to have a nice family brunch. So you two stop now and we finally go eating." Prue told them as she moved with the siblings over to the table. And like always each side of the table held one party of the family. Meghan kept her place where she stood and just starred at the table, like she had about 24 hours before.

A small smile played on her lips. It felt like they were complete again. But soon her smile faded and she started to cry again. This one side of that table belonged to her mom. It always had. No matter if they were little and it was the four sisters sitting there or they grew older and she and her sisters had gotten each one side and her mom and dad the last. For almost two years noone had sat on that side of the table. And after tonight again it would be unoccupied. She just couldn't stop her tears from flowing. Robbie returned to her side and put a hand on her cheek. Softly he pushed her tears away with his thumbs

"it'll be okay, baby" he said softly. After Prue's death he had often found Meghan in a similar state. And after Andy had clipped his wings and they had gotten the dining table of Prue and Andy, he often caught Meghan sitting at the table and starring at the empty spaces. He knew how she felt about these 'empty' spaces. They had talked a lot about it. It was the only thing that really was able to upset Meghan. She always was the one handling things after her parent's death reasonably. Like Prue had done it with Patty and Penny, she stayed straight headed. She had organized everything. Arranged everything. She had somehow accepted things as soon as she had grown over the shock, but seeing her mother's place unoccupied always reminded her on their loss and pulled her in a deep kind of depression she barely could have been pulled out of. And noone ever dared to take Prue's place.

"c'mon, honey" he whispered and tried to pull her over to the table. Robbie knew Meghan wouldn't want anybody to notice and so tried to pull her out of it, before she fell too deep. Meghan just shook her head and headed out to the backyard. Robbie sighed and looked up. Everyone seemed busy and hadn't noticed anything. The only one he crossed eyes with was Prue. Prue just nodded. Robbie understood. He sat down on one side of the table. Prue kept on chatting for a bit and then excused herself.

She went to the hall and grabbed for a long cardigan which hung there. She wrapped it around herself and like that hoped wouldn't be recognized by anyone inside the manor. She slid into the backyard and moved over to her oldest daughter

"you okay?" Prue asked softly, sitting down on the steps. Meghan just shook her head and pushed her tears away. She sniffled in try to calm down

"noone will ever take your place..." Meghan finally got out. "when you and dad were gone, Anna and I told Lily that it was ridiculous to stay living in the attic. Especially when dad made himself clear, that Lily should get the house. But Lily said she didn't want to move down. She couldn't especially not with your furniture everywhere. So we decided each of us should take one or two things from the house we really wanted… and then get everything else out. I took your dining table..." she told her. Prue could clearly tell how it upset Meghan. And she noticed how Meghan again started to cry.

"shshsh" she made as she pulled Meghan closer "it's okay" she tried to calm her down, but felt how it kinda had the opposite effect.

"i sometimes sit at that table and just stare at the empty spaces. And then I completely loose it. I fall so deep and I don't know how to get up again. At the beginning it was worst. I dealt with it, I thought, but then I sat at that table and… and it's definitely not okay… this place is not empty today, but it will be again tomorrow… so what the hell is okay with that?" she asked desperately. Prue sighed. She understood where she was coming from. But what could she tell her?

"you're right. it's not okay. And I never said it was fair. But that's just how life is… people come into our life and they leave again. Some stay just for a little while. Some stay all your life. Some go earlier. Some come into your life when you least expect it. But that's how life is, princess. You have to let it go. I know it's hard. My mom died, too, remember? Holding onto that is not helping you. it's not making anything better. It doesn't change a thing. It doesn't make my death undone. Justin and Jenny soon will bring new people into your life. Give them my space on that table. They won't mind. And it will help you heal that wound my death left." Prue told her while pulling away and looking into Meghan's eyes.

"and how will I stop myself from falling?"

"let yourself fall. that's completely okay. fall and Stay. try to get your strength back before you get up again. But don't stay down. Recollect yourself and then get up again. that's what people do every day. that's what I did. Stay in that whole you fall into… for as long as you want. for as long as you need... but you have to get up and pull yourself out of it at some point again. You can't stop yourself from falling. But you have to get up again." Meghan smiled a little

"that's also what you told me when I started to ride a bike. You will fall. But you need to get up again. Or else you'll never learn to ride a bike." Prue smiled

"so? Have you learned to ride a bike?"

"i still don't know how to ride this bike…" Meghan countered

"you'll learn it. I promise" Prue told her and pushed the last of her tears away

"soooo… Lily had her breakdown and you did. What about Anna? Will she have one as well?" Meghan tried not to laugh

"no. I don't think so. I dunno… Brianna really let herself dwell when you and dad died. She wore black for like forever. She… fell apart right away. Even felt kinda guilty when dad left. Because of her and Mike. But… she let it out, you know? Me… I just I had to work. Lily buried herself in her room. Anna was completely out of it. Someone needed to stand strong. Handle things. Deal with things. And so I did. And Lily… well you heard her. She didn't deal with her grief either. She just replaced it."

"so Anna is safe?"

"why do you think Mike and her got together? Why do you think he wanted to cheer her? She really was out of it… but she's fine now. Trust me. she's more than safe. I'm really glad she has Mike. It makes me worry less." prue smiled a little and then looked down

"you should go back inside" Prue told her

"what about you?"

"i think you know what's with me..."

"mom… no. you need to say goodbye… they..." Prue smiled and shook her head

"do you really think it makes things easier? Makes me leaving easier? For me? For you guys?" Prue again shook her head and smiled "i have to leave at some point. When will be a good time, Meghan?" Meghan looked down "go back in. don't tell them I left. Enjoy yourself. Make a party. Celebrate my life." Meghan hugged Prue and kissed her cheek, then got up and started to go inside

"Mags?" Meghan stopped for a second and looked back at her mom "i love you. I love them all. Please tell them… tell them that I'm proud on you. All of you. Tell them I love them." Meghan didn't answer, but just continued to go inside. Prue swallowed. She knew she'd hurt them again. But no matter when she'd leave again she'd hurt them. She looked at the sky

"you need to show them, you're with them… they have to know they're not alone" she said lowly. Feeling like she somehow could connect with herself and her husband that way. Then she closed her eyes and took a few breaths to calm down, then starred for several more minutes ahead. She then took some deep breathes and started to chant again

"take me back from
whence I came
to time and place
that are the same
let past be present
that time regain"

2004, Saturday

when Prue opened her eyes again she wasn't in the backyard anymore but sat on her bed. She looked around the room to check if she was back home. On the nightstands again stood Andy's picture and on the other side one of her. She got up and to their bathroom, where still the purple dress Julia had borrowed her laid from last night. She was back. She looked into the mirror and starred at herself. She let everything she had learned once more run through her mind. Then closed her eyes again. Knowing she was going to forget everything in the next few minutes made her sick. How could she just accept all of that happening by forgetting it. She could change things. She again looked at herself in the mirror. And shook her head. She couldn't change things. They needed to happen. No matter how much they'd suffer under them. She closed her eyes again in try to remember the spell. She again looked into her own eyes in the mirror. then went back to the bedroom and laid down. She got the note out she had copied from Lily's book, laid it on the bed and again started to chant

"after this memory
is seen and said,
erase these thoughts
from my
heart and head"

Prue now closed her eyes. She again thought about her complete trip to the future. She said out aloud, what she saw. This way, she was like ripping out pages of her diary. She felt how she step by step forgot about the past – to her - 24 hours. She felt how her mind eased. How it felt like her head was becoming 'lighter'. The feeling scared her. She definitely felt that something left her body. She wanted to stop, but knew she had to do it all. She needed to. She needed to let it all play out. She needed to protect them. She needed to let them have this happy ending she saw. She witnessed. and so she continued to think about every single detail she had seen. Last but not least she repeated her words from before in the backyard

"you need to show them, you're with them… they have to know they're not alone" and then she suddenly shrugged up of the bed like she just had been asleep and woke from a nightmare. She felt dizzy. Light headed. She looked around the room in confusion. didn't she want to find out some things about… the baby! Where was Andy? Did she do something? Did Andy? She got up and just wanted to leave the room to go to the future, when suddenly she felt like something wasn't right. She looked back at the bed and found a small note there

Dear Prue,
I can only imagine how confusing it must be to wake in our bed and can't remember anything about the last 24 hours. I'm sorry for that confusion.
You went to the future to get some answers. And you found so much more, that's why I – we – you cast the memory spell. To answer your question: you'll have a beautiful girl. But you need to know, that despite everything that will happen, your girls will be fine.
Prue (before casting the memory spell)

"I've been to the future..." she mumbled and then smiled and placed her hand on her tummy "a girl..."