Happy April Fool's Day!

Thank you charmingbrenda, Allen Pitt, littlemissbad, lizardmomma, and PrueAndyForever (we got your message sweetie and fully understand -- so catch up whenever you can!) for your loyalty and reviews. :)

Now without further delay, we bring you the latest update...

Happy Reading!

PART TWENTY-THREE: "Here He Comes!"

As soon as the dust settled and Kernus once more stood in their midst, Prue cried out, "Now quickly--freeze him!"

Paige threw out her hands and Kernus froze. "Done. Got the potion ready?"

Phoebe nodded. "Yup. Hey, Kernus! Catch!" and she threw the potion at his frozen figure.

Paige grinned wickedly as she glared at the man who had killed her parents.. "That should loosen all of his joints so they'll easily break off. Now let's just speed things up a little," and she flicked her hands. "...and...done," as Kernus' body moved forward while his arms stayed put, falling to the floor.

"Ouch!" cried Phoebe sarcastically as Kernus screamed. "That's gotta hurt."

"That was for my parents!" Paige shouted in fury. "One arm for each of them!"

Prue smiled. "And now he can't throw more air at us!"

Phoebe gave out a loud yell as she ran towards Kernus, levitated into the air and kicked one of Kernus' legs, yelling, "That was for all of the innocents you killed!"

Kernus' leg fell off and now he was yelling and screaming as he hopped on his one remaining leg.

But not for long. "This is for Piper!" and Prue waved her hand and TK'd his remaining leg all the way across the room.

Now Kernus was nothing but a body, rolling around on the floor, yelling and screaming and cursing.

"And this is for trying to kill the Power of Three!" The Charmed Ones held hands and began to chant. "The Power of Three will set us free! The Power of Three will set us free! The Power of Three will set us free!" and Kernus exploded.

"Think we got him?" Phoebe coughed as she waved her hands to try to clear the air of the lingering smoke from Kernus' demise.

Prue flicked her gaze around, surveying the damage. "Well, if we didn't, he's really gonna miss his ear 'cause it looks like part of it is dripping off the coat rack over there." She pointed out, snickering.

"Eww," Paige wrinkled her nose. "So that's it? He's gone...for good?"

Phoebe picked up an object lying near her feet. "Here are his glasses, so I'd say that that's a big 'yes'." She grinned and put them on. "Whatcha think? Are these a fashion statement or what?

"Ummm...honestly?" Paige asked. "I'd go with 'or what'."

While the two younger Charmed Ones were playfully bantering with each other, Prue stared off into space--a strange smile on her face. Thank you, Piper. We couldn't have done it without you, sweetie. Just thinking of what he did to you gave us the hatred Phoebe and I needed to do that.

When she glanced back at the other two, she saw Phoebe searching the attic. "What are you doing?" she asked.

"I thought we should do a candle ceremony for Mary Jones and the other witches Kernus killed."

"That's a nice idea," Prue smiled. "We've never done one for Piper."

"Is it okay if I'm part of it?" Paige asked. "I'd like to do one for my parents," and both sisters smiled.

Soon all three were gathered around the table in the middle of the attic. Phoebe handed each of them a candle while keeping one for herself. Then she lit a match and handed it to Prue.

Prue lit her candle. "This is for Piper. May she always know how much we love her and may her spirit soar," then handed the match to Paige.

Paige lit her candle. "This is for my parents, fellow witches. May they always know how much I love them and how grateful I am to them for all that they did for me," then handed the match to Phoebe.

Phoebe lit her candle. "This is for all of Kernus' other victims, especially Mary Jones who died just because she happened to look like Piper. May she find peace," and she blew out the match.

But the match didn't go out. The flame was frozen. And when Prue looked at the candles, she saw that they were all frozen. She turned angrily towards Paige. "Did you do that?"

Paige threw up her hands. "Not me. I wouldn't know how."

"No, she did not. I did."

Spinning around, the women saw a tall, thin man dressed in silvery robes with long white hair.

Prue jumped to her feet and flung out her arm.

The man stayed put.

"Paige! Freeze 'im!"

Paige flung out her hands.

The man stepped forward and shook his head. "I am beyond your powers. They will not affect me. I am the Angel of Destiny and I have come to offer you a chance to change yours. You three have accomplished your destiny, vanquishing the Source of All Evil much sooner than we ever thought you would."

"Whoa, whoa, whoa. Wait a minute here." interrupted Prue, waving her hands in the air. "You're the what of what?"

"I am The Angel of Destiny."

Paige gave him a skeptical look. "No way," she insisted, shaking her head. "You're pulling our leg, aren't you? You're just a figment of our imagination."

The Angel was momentarily taken aback and slightly insulted by this last comment. "I most certainly am not 'figment of your imagination'." He cleared his throat and smoothed out his robes. "Now, as I was saying. You three have accomplished your destiny by vanquishing the Source of All..."

Now it was Phoebe's turn to jump in. "You mean to say that when we vanquished Kernus..."

"We were really facing The Source of All Evil?" squeaked Paige, her eyes wide with shock.

"Yes," sighed The Angel, obviously not happy with this second interruption. "Kernus and The Source of All Evil are...well, were one and the same"

"Figures," muttered Prue. "Of course he'd want to try to kill us on his own rather than sending out some assassin demon."

Phoebe nodded. "And that's why it was so hard for us to vanquish him."

"So what's this 'change our destiny' bit?" Paige wanted to know.

Again The Angel sighed, obviously used to being in charge of the situation. "Due to his demise, the demons under his control will no longer be bothering humankind. They will be trapped in the Underworld."

"Cole," Phoebe interrupted. "What about Cole? Will Cole be trapped down there, too?" Wondering if she should run downstairs and see if her guy was still there.

The Angel shook his head. "Because Cole Turner has shown that he can control his demon half, he will be allowed to remain on Earth. Should he allow Belthazar to appear, he would also be imprisoned down there." Phoebe nodded. "Now may I continue?" he asked.

Phoebe nodded. "Go ahead."

The Angel sighed, then continued. "As I was saying. Due to the demise of The Source of All Evil and his demons, there is no need for The Charmed Ones, nor is there a need for you to be witches. So if you wish, I can remove your powers and you three will just become mortal women with no powers.

"Although if you wish to remain witches, then you will retain your powers. And you will no longer have to follow the rules of personal gain as closely as you did before. If you use your powers to punish or hurt another being, there will be dire consequences for you and everyone in the magical world. But otherwise you may more closely follow the Wiccan rede: ''An it harm none, do what ye will.' "

"You mean like Samantha on 'Bewitched'?" Phoebe exclaimed, unable to stop herself from mentioning her favorite TV show.

The Angel glared at her for this newest interruption. "Exactly so. And each of you have one hour to decide. Since you no longer need the Power of Three, each of you will make your own decision.

"But keep one thing in mind. The three men who are in the living room of your home are all part of the magical world. If you decide to give up your destiny as a witch, you will also give up your destiny with them.

And keep in mind that this is just a one-time offer. Your spell to remove your powers will not work after today. You have one hour to decide," and he was gone as the match went out and the candles began to flicker.

"Who needs an hour?" Prue asked. "Of course we give up our powers. It's what Piper would've wanted us to do."

"But, Prue!" Phoebe protested. "Are you sure? They're our inheritance from our ancestors! They're who we are!"

"But you heard what he said. The innocents wouldn't need protecting anymore. We can go back to being who we were before we were Charmed!"

"But how do you know that the innocents would be safe? He said the demons would be trapped. Think of all the other magical baddies we've faced over the years!"

Prue sighed. "Yeah, you're right. I couldn't give up my powers if it means the innocents aren't safe. That goes against everything we stand for and what Piper died for. I'll ask the Angel first and if he says those other baddies can still get them, then I'll keep my powers."

"But even if he says that the innocents are safe, what about Andy, Prue? Could you give him up again?"

"Well, it will hurt a whole lot to give him up again, I won't deny that. But I could lose him at any moment when the Elders take him away. I've gone with him just in my heart for the last two years; I can do that again."

"I think it sounds kinda fun," Paige spoke up for the first time since the Angel left. "I've never had powers like this before and I can think of all sorts of fun things to do with them. And not having to worry about personal gain, just being able to do what I want, oh!"

Prue turned to glare at her. "Powers aren't a toy. They can be dangerous if you use them wrong. We found that out last year when we were sent to the future and saw what could happen if we misused them."

Paige looked insulted. "I wouldn't misuse them. My parents trained me to be an ethical witch."

This surprised Prue. "So you were a witch even before you gained your powers? You could do spells and make potions?"

"Of course. Couldn't you?"

"No...wait, I don't think we could. Maybe we could and just didn't know we could."

Paige nodded. "Yeah, like I didn't know I could orb."

Prue also nodded. "Makes sense." Then she noticed Phoebe. "Phoebe, what's wrong? You're as pale as a ghost."

"Prue, I can't keep my powers! I can't!"

"Why not? If you want to, you can. I wouldn't hold it against you. And you're the one who's always enjoyed being a witch the most. And getting to use your powers however you want like your heroine, Samantha Stephens?"

"But that's the point. Remember what the Angel said? The only thing we couldn't do is use our powers to punish or hurt others. But that's what I did! What if I do it again?"

"Do what again?" asked a confused Paige.

"Last year, the Elders sent us to the future to show us what could happen if we used our powers the wrong way," Phoebe explained. "I was burnt at the stake in 2009. No way do I want to go through that again!"

"But you wouldn't, Phoebs! You're good now!"

"Am I? You were the one who said so. I'm the one who lied to you so much about Cole that you couldn't trust me. I'm the reason Piper died."

"No, Phoebs! I just said that because I was hurting and needed someone to lash out at!"

"But you were right, Prue! I'm the one who was born here at at the Manor which is on top of the Nexus. I'm the one who can most easily turn evil! What if I get angry at someone and use my powers against him like I did in that future? What if that future becomes my future? I can't take that chance."

Prue asked her little sister the same question Phoebe had asked her. "But, Phoebe. What about Cole?"

Tears filled Phoebe's eyes. "Giving up Cole is going to kill me, Prue, it really will. And it could kill him! Force him to remain chained in the Underworld! I hate leaving Cole in the lurch like that, but but, I can't take that chance of ending up back on that stake again! Especially if it means the start of the witch trials and all those other witches who would die due to me. I have to think about the greater good; that's what having our powers is all about, isn't it?"

"Of course it is," Prue agreed. "But much as I hate to admit it, Cole is an innocent now. I hate the idea that it would be him who would be be punished if you choose to give up yout magic. We can't use our magic for punishment--that's what the Angel said would bring dire consequences to all witches, even more than you landing on the stake."

"So what should I do?" Phoebe begged, almost in a panic.

It was Paige who came up with the right idea. "Well, from what I understand you saying, Cole is good now because he has his evil side under control." Phoebe nodded and Paige continued. "And his good side is his mortal side, right?"

Again Phoebe nodded. "But he's good on account of love of me! Without me, he'd probably turn evil again, but with him, I could do evil again! Oh, what should I do?"

Paige shrugged. "It sounds like it's up to him. If he can stay good for the love of you, even if he doesn't have you, then he'd be able to stay up here. If not, then he's no longer an innocent and wouldn't actually deserve to stay up here. You can't live his life for him, especially if having him means that you might do evil."

Phoebe nodded, tears in her eyes. "And I can't go with go with the choice that might bring dire consequences to all other witches. I could never do that to them."

Prue reached out to hug her little sister. "Of course you couldn't do that."

"Of course she couldn't do what?" Cole asked as he, Andy and Leo walked into the attic. "What's wrong?"

The women quickly explained what had happened.

Leo smiled proudly at Prue and Phoebe. "Of course you'd want to give up your powers and live a normal life. You've done what you were supposed to do with them. If the Angel agrees that innocents are now safe from the magical world, you can enjoy the rest of your lives. It's what Piper would've wanted you to do."

Andy smiled at Paige. "And it makes sense that you would want to keep yours, Paige. It's what your parents would've wanted you to do." Then he turned to smile at Prue. "And I understand your decision, too, Prue. I just wish I could've been alive to see you become normal again."

"Have you all gone mad?" Cole screamed. "Her," and he pointed at Paige, "maybe not, but you two?! Phoebe! What about us? I love you! I thought you loved me!"

Phoebe began to cry. "Please, Cole, don't make this any harder than it already is! Of course I love you! I always have; I always will. But look how much I've changed since I've known you and it hasn't all been for the good. I can't take that chance of ending up on the stake again! I simply can't!"

Cole began to respond, but he stopped mid-word. Leo and Andy also froze. When the sisters spun, they saw that The Angel of Destiny was back. "Your hour is up. Have you each made up your mind?"

Prue nodded. "But first we have some questions, if that's allowed." The Angel nodded his assent, so Prue started. "You said that thanks to our vanquishing The Source of All Evil, all of his demons would be powerless. But what about all of the other magical evil that we've seen over the last three years, like warlocks?"

"Their powers have weakened since The Source of Evil became so strong. Now they will have no powers to be able to harm or influence humankind. The only ones who will be able to harm humankind is other humankind, with the exception, of course, of witches who use their powers the wrong way. And those who do that -- use their powers against mortals with malicious intent -- will have their magic bound unless they see fit to change their ways."

That made Phoebe sniffle. Even as she sadly looked at Cole, she asked, "And what about any children we might someday have? Our powers are our inheritance from our ancestors. If we give them up, are we also giving up their powers?"

The Angel shook his head. "By the time the next generation is of age, there is a good possibility that there will be a new Source of All Evil for them to battle. If you have any sons, they, of course, will not have any powers, since your powers are for women only, and since you would become non-magicals, you would marry non-magicals. But if you have daughters, they will receive a Warren power when they are of age and find The Book of Shadows, as you did. And should any of you have three daughters, they will become the new Charmed Ones."

Prue looked questioningly at Phoebe and she nodded before sadly asking, "If we decide to give up our powers, will we still remember being witches?" and when The Angel nodded his assent, she then gave her big sister the "Go ahead and say it," sign.

Prue smiled as she turned towards The Angel. "Then Phoebe and I wish to give up our powers. We wish to become mortals again and live the lives we were leading before we became Charmed, except they'll be better because we'll be closer and doing the jobs we were meant to do."

"And I wish to keep my powers," Paige added, "and use them the way my parents would've wanted me to use them."

For the first time, the Angel smiled. "You are all wise and have all made the proper decisions, decisions that will allow you to follow the destinies that were always meant to be yours. Thanks to that, these three men will be given the same choice."

"What!" cried Prue. "But Andy and Leo are dead!"

"And Cole is half-demon!" cried Phoebe

The Angel nodded. "If Andy or Leo wishes to give up immortality, they will become mortals. If Cole decides to give up his powers as a demon, he will become fully human, demon no more."

Even as Prue and Phoebe gasped at the implications while realizing what would have happened if they had decided to keep their powers, the men began to move again. After The Angel made his offer, neither Andy nor Cole needed a second to think about it. They both agreed to give up their powers and soon Andy was hugging Prue and Cole was hugging Phoebe.

Paige smiled at both couples, especially Andy. "Looks like I'm gonna get myself a new whitelighter," and they all laughed.

"Leo Wyatt?" The Angel asked.

Leo was much more hesitant in making his decision. He wanted to be mortal and have the chance to die and be with Piper again, he did, more than he could possibly imagine, but how could he clip his wings and stop doing what he knew she would want him to do?

"Leo Wyatt?" The Angel asked again.

Leo took a deep breath and let it out slowly. "This isn't truly my time period, so I don't think I'd fit in here well as a mortal. And I know my charges need me to continue to help them use their powers the right way, especially now with this change. So I wish to keep my powers."

"Leo, are you sure?" Prue asked.

Leo nodded. "Yes, it's what Piper would've wanted me to do."

Again the Angel smiled. "You three have also shown yourselves to be wise and have made the choices that will also allow you to continue the destinies that you were always meant to have.

"And now there are three other witches who helped you fulfill your destiny. They have been given the same choice and have agreed to remain witches as they were always meant to be."

Even as the six people in the room looked at each other in confusion, The Angel vanished.

In his place stood three witches who were still witches:

John Matthews

His wife, Mary Matthews

And Piper Melinda Halliwell-Wyatt

And they were alive!

The End!

Unfortunately, all good things must eventually come to an end, and this fic is no exception! Thank you once again to all our loyal readers and reviewers -- you guys are what helped us to keep going.

However, we have an offer for you. While writing this, Primrose and I came up with a couple of scenes that for dramatic reasons were left out of the fic. If anyone wants to read these "deleted scenes" and get another chance to be part of this universe as written by Primrose and me, we'll post them.

FYI, the first is the scene between Prue and Andy when she brings him back to her bedroom to look for his shirt and he decides to glamour into Manny. The second is a scene between Andy and Paige just before he feels Prue's pain and decides to go to her, Elders or no Elders.

So please click that wonderful purple button and let us know what you think!