Disclaimer – I DON'T OWN CHARMED!

Recap - If one could feel those three emotions all at the same time Prue didn't know. She gently tore a blade of grass from the ground and began twirling it between her right thumb and forefinger. She finally let it sink in as she lay there, quietly. She let a smile light her face.

She was going home.

Chapter Seven

"Leo?" Piper inquired, "What's going on here?" Her brown eyes searched Leo's face for any clues to the puzzle he had created. He knew something. He had to. How else would one explain the apologetic looks and smiles he gave to her as well as to her sisters? Phoebe and Paige moved away from their grandmother and closer to Piper. Phoebe gently took Piper's hand in her own and gave it a reassuring squeeze. She hoped that Leo's answer, whatever it may be, would be a positive one. She didn't know how many more negative occurrences the family could take. Paige stood on Piper's other side, her hands on her hips. She shot a glance at Leo only to find him smiling apologetically in return. This only caused the anticipation and worry that was present in the room to increase, causing the air to become thick and slightly overwhelming. All four women looked at Leo expectantly, waiting for a response. After what seemed to be an eternity Leo finally caved. He took a long, deep breath and let it out slowly, silently preparing himself for what was to come.

"Well," He began, letting his gaze settle on his wife and her sisters, "I was hoping I wouldn't have to tell you so soon but, I guess it can't be helped. Piper, it's…. Prue…she's coming back."

Piper stared at her husband in disbelief. Had she heard him correctly? Yes, she had. Her knees felt weak and unsupported as she lowered herself to the floor, tears threatening to fall from her eyes. Piper shifted her gaze to her grandmother. She needed conformation of the impossible. All Penny could do was nod and watch as the girls reacted to the news. Piper, seeing this, let her unshed tears fall, sliding down her face and onto the oriental carpeting that covered the floor. Beside her, Phoebe tightened her grip on Piper's hand and sent a happy, watery smile to Penny and Leo, her face a light red as a result of the tears that she let flow down her face.

"Really?" she asked hopefully, lowering herself to embrace Piper gently.

"Yes." Penny answered happily as Paige, who hadn't moved at all since the announcement was made, finally let the news sink in. She extracted her hands from her sides; eyes alight with surprise. She looked at her older sisters and smiled happily. She was elated. At last she was going to meet the legendary Prue. The woman whom she had heard countless stories about and whose actions she had tried to live up to when she had first began learning about being a witch and all the trials and tribulations that came along with it. She knelt down next Phoebe and Piper, enclosing them in a warm, happy embrace.

"Grams, are you absolutely sure that she is coming back? I mean bad things always, always seem to happen to us when things appear to finally be going great. What if we loose her again?" Piper reasoned, determined to find truth, once again, in the impossible and unlikely. Her eyes shone with tears, body shaking with emotion. Phoebe gave Piper's right shoulder a reassuring squeeze.

"Piper, don't worry. If Prue really is coming back, and I think she will, we are not going to loose her again. No one will let that happen. I promise." Piper gave her younger sister a grateful smile and rose to her feet, allowing Phoebe and Paige to release their hold on her as well as each other. Paige turned to Penny, one final question lingering in her thoughts, and gave her an imploring look.

"Grams, I'm happy about Prue, really I am, but that still doesn't explain why Andy is here." Penny looked unaffected by Paige's abrupt question as if she had been waiting for the subject to be broached for the past few minutes.

"Well, why don't you ask him that, yourself?" Paige flushed in embarrassment as she gave her grandmother what she believed to be a well deserved glare.

"Well maybe I don't want to ask him myself! I mean really, I barely even know the guy. And besides, isn't he supposed to be dead?" Andy, who had been silently observing the family throughout the last few minutes, turned to glower at Paige, his voice strangely calm and even.

"Paige, you do know that I can hear every word you say, right?" He walked over to the doorway that led to the sun room and leaned up against the polished frame, keeping his eyes focused as to not reveal any unwanted information.

"Of course, but, I want some answers as to why you suddenly show up out of the blue as if you owned the place, and don't you think you owe a girl an apology?" Andy sighed, this was getting extremely exasperating.

"When can I get the hell out of here?" he thought silently, hoping someone would appear and distract Paige from continuing on the path of questioning that she was heading down.

"Look, I'm sorry for scaring you, but, you will get your answers."

"When?" Piper inquired, adamant as to not letting him leave without at least divulging any information he knew or what sources in which to find the answers she so desperately wanted.

"Soon."