Revelations of the Ultimate Kind

by PrueAndyForever

NEW CHAPTER. Piper, Phoebe and Paige try to move on with their lives after the Ultimate Battle but come to learn some shocking truths about their oldest sister. A new prophecy is unearthed, an old evil is resurrected, and Billie uncovers a secret.

28. When It Rains, It Pours!

Thanks for the reviews: IDontBreakBonesJustHearts, charmedgirlalyssa-phoebe, Prue and Andy, cancer-chris, anajet, and Charmed1979. And to anyone who celebrates, I hope you had a Merry Christmas.

IDontBreakBonesJustHearts: Happy to hear that you like Prue/Billie's interaction. I'm trying to write it realistically. Which is a gradual progression b/c I just don't feel that a mother/daughter relationship happens overnight.

Please allow me to thank you once again for always taking your time to review. I appreciate it alot because you are one of my consistent readers/reviewers that has stuck with the story since you began reading it. I hope you continue to enjoy the story until its end.

charmedgirl: Thanks for sticking by the story. I know sometimes it's hard to keep up when the updates are farther apart but I still appreciate your input when I do update.

In answer to your question, I do plan on giving the readers a glimpse at Phoebe/Paige's kids but that hasn't come yet. The only ones pregnant right now are Piper and Prue but you are right about Melinda being her daughter.

Right now, Piper's soul is basically stuck/lost inside the In-Between Realm. It's a realm where souls about to enter the mortal realm temporally exist until they are born. Then they unite with their physical bodies so Piper will need to reunite with her body in order to come back.

Prue and Andy: Welcome on board. Yes, as my pen-name shows, I love Prue/Andy too, lol. So never fear. There will be a happy ending for them. I do appreciate the concept of "angst/drama" during the course of a story but I'm not one that likes to see it unresolved and I agree, I think they make a cute little family.

cancer-chris: In answer to most of your questions, yes. The story reveals all that. As for Billie, I think we should expect her to be a bit naive. After all, she's only a teenager and doesn't have the experience of the Charmed Ones yet. We learn from our mistakes.

You asked why Gideon said Wyatt and Molly's magic was linked? Because the children are related (1st cousins) and they're both part of the Twice Blessed Generation.

No, lol, Leo's not going to be too happy when he finds out about Gideon.

anajet: Glad you are enjoying this. Thanks for the compliment. I'm honored that you find this story one of the best and thanks for the Christmas greetings. I hope yours went well too.

Charmed1979: I'm glad that the story has kept your interest. I try my best, lol. In answer to your question, yes. Hope your holidays went well.

Now on with the next chapter ...

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Chapter 27: When It Rains, It Pours!

The blaring sirens could be heard approaching fast in the distance.

With a blanket wrapped around her, Prue paced back and forth. Billie's cell phone was pressed firmly against her ear and it was her third attempt to reach either Phoebe or Paige but she was having no success. She stood a safe distance from P3 as the blazing colors of yellow and orange meshed together, shooting up towards the night sky.

"Come on, Phoebe, pick up," Prue pleaded.

The police units who were already on the scene began drawing the yellow tape, sealing off the bystanders from the burning building. It also started to drizzle but neither the police presence nor the impending rain shower did little to deter the crowd of spectators. Everyone appeared oddly mesmerized and intent on sticking around until the club met its end.

Billie watched the scene unfold before her and rubbed her arms underneath the blanket that was providing some extra warmth. She stood a few distant feet away from where Prue was pacing and watched the fire trucks and ambulances arrive on the scene. Then her attention was drawn to the female figure pushing her way through the crowds of people.

"Phoebe, thank god," Billie mumbled. "Phoebe, over here! Hey, it's Phoebe!" she shouted over to Prue while making her way towards Phoebe.

Prue turned around and glanced at Billie's retreating form. Upon catching sight of Phoebe, she slammed the cell phone shut and proceeded in the same direction. As both she and Billie approached, they noticed Paige was only a few steps back. She was hidden behind some of the spectators as she desperately tried to push her way through and keep pace with Phoebe.

"What the hell happened?" Phoebe exclaimed as the distance between her, Billie, and Prue closed. "We could see the flames a block away from here."

"Yeah, we had to park the car and walk the rest of the way," Paige chimed in, joining the others. "This place is like a zoo. Minus the animals."

"Plus the demons," Prue added.

"No kidding," commented Billie, looking around.

"Short version? We had an other-worldly visitor and I'm not talking little green spacemen," cracked Prue. "And where have you guys been?" she interrogated. "Neither of you would answer our calls."

"Yeah, well, we ran into some trouble of our own," explained Phoebe. "Someone was waiting for me when I got home. Paige and I brought the kids to dad's. That's why we're so late getting here. Sorry we didn't answer."

"And it looks like we made it just in time for the fireworks," Paige shook her head in disbelief towards the fiery display before them. "Sorry. I didn't want to risk orbing us in. Otherwise, we could've been here sooner."

"Glad we didn't!" Phoebe cracked. "Walking out of there crispy or fried was definitely not on P3's venue for tonight."

"Prue, they have Henry!" Paige quickly interjected. "And we need to find him before anything happens to him."

"What?" Prue exclaimed.

"Three of them just appeared out of nowhere. In my kitchen apartment of all places but my attention went straight to the kids. When I was distracted, they grabbed him."

"That's the worst of the news," added Phoebe. "The other bad part is that you were right earlier. They're after that incantation. So take your best guess what it is they want in exchange for Henry?"

"Great," Prue sighed, bringing her hand up against her forehead.

"So. I guess that explains the cocky but bold entrance here," Billie shared.

"To send a message," surmised Prue. "A pretty big one. And my guess would be they're telling us that once the Underworld has the Ultimate Power there won't be any need to shield themselves anymore."

"Which means we need to get back to the manor and to the Book of Shadows so we can figure out what to do," Paige was determined. "And fast. We can't let him die. I won't let him die."

"Sweetie, he won't," Phoebe tried to ease her baby sister's fears. "Without him, they know they won't get the incantation from us."

Her sister's reasoning did little to reassure Paige. "Say's who?" she countered. "They're demons, Phoebe. What's to stop them from killing him anyway. Or afterwards. He's being used to spring a trap. A trap that's meant for us and we all know they'll be aiming to take us out when we come for him."

"Paige, I know that. And I understand why you're upset but we'll find a way to bring him back safely, I promise," Phoebe tried to reassure her.

"We should keep our voices down," Billie suggested, glancing around nervously. She wanted to make sure nobody was overhearing the conversation.

Prue watched Paige. She felt nothing but sympathy go out to her youngest sister at the predicament she found herself in because she could relate those feelings to Andy and what it felt like to be separated from him.

"Phoebe's right," Prue added gently. "We all need to stay calm until we come up with a plan. It's hard to do, I get it. It's just that there's no point in getting yourself all worked up about what might happen."

Paige took a deep breath. "Look, I know all that makes perfect logical sense. It's just that if anything happens to him because of me, I'll never forgive myself."

As a comforting gesture, Prue reached out her hand and placed it on Paige's arm. She smiled sympathetically. "Which is why we won't let it come to that. So lets focus. We'll get back to the manor and the Book like you said and work from there."

"Prudence Halliwell?" a voice called out from behind her.

Prue froze. "I stand corrected. You'll be getting back there first," she rolled her eyes before turning around to face the newcomer.

Turning around, she and the others came face to face with a man they had never seen before. Although, they did suspect who he might be and why he was seeking them out. Their suspicions were confirmed when the man flashed them his badge. He stopped in front of them after he had their attention. His focus went to Prue while both her sisters and Billie stood watching from the sidelines.

"Inspector Richardson," he introduced himself. "I was directed over here and told that a Prudence Halliwell was the one I should speak to."

Prue raised her hand. "Well, that would be me. And it's Prue, actually," she corrected him.

"You the owner of this club?" he interrogated with a bit of attitude.

Prue could already tell she didn't like his demeanor. "No," she folded her arms. "My sister owns it but I'm in charge until she gets back."

The Inspector picked up on her disdain for him. "Right," he pulled out his pen and notepad. "So when exactly would that be?" he countered.

"Right," Prue repeated and quickly realized she wasn't going to get out of this interrogation as fast as she would like to. "Um, would you please excuse us a minute, Inspector?" she gave him a smile.

When Prue turned to address the others, she received looks of understanding from the other three. She huddled in closer to them so their conversation wouldn't be in direct earshot of the brusque Inspector.

"We got it," Phoebe immediately nodded her head in acceptance. "We'll meet you back at the house after you finish dealing with him."

Prue nodded. "See what you can find. It sounds like you two got a closer look than we did anyway."

"They did seem familiar to me," Paige thought about it.

"Hey, I can help," Billie volunteered. After the looks she received from the others, she began to protest. "C'mon. It won't be the power of three but three heads are still better than two, right? At least until you get back?"

"Go. Just be careful," Prue relented. Billie nodded in response.

"Alright. Let's get going then," Phoebe nodded at the others.

"I'll try to wrap this up as fast as I can," Prue offered. "Sorry."

"Uh-huh," Phoebe did a scan over of the Inspector who was standing backside to them. "Yeah, good luck with that one. I certainly won't miss being the one to talk to him. He seems like a real piece of work," she rolled her eyes and turned around to leave.

After the others disappeared into the crowd, Prue turned back around to deal with the Inspector. She noticed that he was watching with intent interest as the other three women had vanished from sight.

"The blond is a potential witness to a crime," he asserted strongly, nodding in the direction of the retreating women. "She shouldn't be going anywhere. I may need to question her."

"The blond," Prue reiterated with emphasis, "has nothing to say that will be of any help to you. Whatever questions you have can go through me," she asserted.

"I'll be the judge of that," he sneered. "Name of the witness," he readied himself to write down the information.

Prue rolled her eyes and shook her head.

"Name of the witness, please," the Inspector's voice rose.

"Billie," Prue sighed and gave in.

He shot her a look expecting her to continue. "Last name?"

"Sorry, that's all I got," Prue sneered. "We just met and I don't know her that well."

The Inspector released a heavy sigh and closed his notepad. "Fine. If that's how you want to play it."

"Look, Inspector, I'm not playing anything," Prue defended quite strongly. "I barely know the girl and the others weren't even inside the club. Now what crime are you referring to?"

"Arson."

"Arson?" Prue questioned.

"Yes. I do intend to have this matter investigated fully. So anything coming from any witnesses here tonight could be helpful." He remained rather vague with the information he was willing to supply.

"And why would someone want to set fire to the club?" she narrowed her eyes.

"Are you aware of any grudges against yourself or your sister?" the Inspector countered with a question of his own.

"No," Prue immediately denied. "Why?"

"Hm," the Inspector narrowed his eyes.

He reopened his notepad and flipped to a page that already had writing on it. "Well, there's always the random psychotic type who gets off playing with matches, but I just don't think that's the case here," he shook his head.

"What do you mean?" Prue fired back.

"Oh, come now, Ms. Halliwell," the Inspector got smug. "My suspicions aren't really that far-fetched, are they? I mean, after considering your recent association with Homeland Security," he pointed his finger at the information he had written down.

This completely threw Prue for a loop. "Homeland Security?" she shook her head in confusion. "Sorry, but you have me completely lost."

"Do I?" he laughed.

"Am I supposed to know what you are implying?" she challenged.

Inspector Richardson scanned his notepad. "Lets see. Yup, here we go. About fourteen months ago. Homeland Security supposedly offers witness protection by staging your deaths. All this was allegedly done in exchange for classified information pertaining to national security. When your safety was insured, you were allowed to return home out of hiding. Yada, yada, yada," he looked back at her.

Prue's feelings of bewilderment only intensified with this particular revelation. She had no idea about everything that had happened or what was true or not during the time she was gone which meant there was really only one choice. She had to try and play it off as best she could without her sisters there to help.

"Please, Ms. Halliwell.," he smirked. "Don't look so surprised. Journalists were all over this when the news broke over a year ago. In fact, the agent in charge of your arrangement was very forthcoming about it. All over the television screen I might add. Agent Murphy, I think his name was?"

"What's your point?" she asserted firmly.

"My point, Ms. Halliwell, is that maybe you've made more enemies than you should have," he challenged. There was an icy glare coming from his stare. "So why don't we stop playing games."

"Games, Inspector?" her eyebrows arched. It was very clear to Prue who was playing the game. "Meaning what exactly?"

"Meaning you know exactly what I'm talking about," he pressed.

Prue folded her arms. "Hm. Wish I could say that I do," she mocked. "But one thing I do know is that classified information for the government usually means just that. Classified information," she played off. "So what don't you get about that?"

A smug smirk settled across the man's face as dawning realization hit. He removed the toothpick from his mouth, the same one he had been chomping on throughout most of the interrogation. After throwing it to the ground, he crossed his arms in a contemplative manner shaking his index finger at her.

"What?" Prue instinctively backed away a little.

"Hold up a minute," the Inspector was putting the pieces together. "You were the sister who wasn't around, right? The one who moved away. New York? Got married or something like that and your husband died so you moved back here. Very recently too."

How the hell did he even know all this, Prue wondered. He couldn't have gotten all this information in the short amount of time after the club fire. Had he been looking into them before this? It caused her to question his real motivation and what drove his determination. He almost came across like a man on a mission rather than an Inspector questioning a potential witness to a possible arson.

"Well?" the Inspector pushed.

Prue shrugged her shoulders. "Well, if you already knew all that, so much for being up-to-date with your line of questioning, Inspector," she mocked. "I'm the wrong sister to be asking about any of that."

"Must be all those P names," he sneered. "I can never recall all of them. My condolences for your husband, by the way.," he nodded. "I hear his death remains unsolved. Must really suck when those family skeltons come out of the closet to bite you. Sucks even more when innocent people have to die for it. Looks like some of those threats against national security might have finally caught up with you in the end too, huh?"

"With no due respect, Inspector, go to hell," Prue was rattled. "I don't know what you're implying here but leave my husband out of it. I will share he was a far better Inspector seeing as how he gave up his life to demon scum far more intimidating than you."

"Demon scum?" He laughed. "Interesting choice of words, Ms. Halliwell."

"Figure of speech," she quickly asserted.

"Is that so?" he challenged her. "Look, Ms. Halliwell. I meant no disrepect to your deceased husband," he tried to diffuse some of the tension.

Prue looked away. She immediately chastised herself for her careless slip of the tongue. Despite the literal context linked to how Andy met his end, she hadn't meant for demon to come across so literally. It was intended as an indirect figurative insult towards him. However, his responses almost seemed to becoming more and more apparent that he knew much more about her, more about all of them, then he was letting on. It caused momentary alarm to pass straight through her. Quite frankly, she had become rather unsettled by this whole game of cat-and-mouse he clearly had set into motion.

"Inspector?" Prue finally found her voice again. "It's very clear to me who the one playing games here is. And since I fail to see how my husband's death is in anyway related to this incident whatsoever or why I'm standing here being badgered over a fire that can be accidental, I'll just be on my way now."

After her bold declaration, Prue spun around on her heels intent on getting herself back to the manor and her sisters.

"I guess the truth must hit a little too close to home for you," he threw out.

Prue stopped in her tracks. "Excuse me?"

Inspector Richardson proceeded to pull out a cigarette and lit it up. He took his time to inhale and exhale, blowing the toxic fumes into the air. Annoyed by the filtering of smoke in her direction, Prue made a face and waved her hand against it. Then he pulled it away from his mouth, flicked at it, and then brought it back down to his side.

"Old habits?" he shrugged at her. "I'm trying to quit."

Her glare was still set firmly but it did nothing to deter him.

"Your sister Piper. The one who owns the club?" he continued on, nodding his head in the direction of the former club. "Or rather, used to own a club. I heard about her unfortunate accident. That's such a shame."

"Mm," Prue mumbled.

"No, really," he insisted. "I had two younger sisters. It's tragic dealing with the loss of loved ones. Take tonight for instance. Hopefully, nobody was fatally injured. I certainly wouldn't want to be the one living with that on my conscience."

"Yeah, well, she's not dead, Inspector," Prue spat out his title.

"True," he acknowledged. "Which actually brings me to my next point. A comatose sister and the cost of health care being what it is today, I'm fairly certain that an insurance claim would make a nice hefty sum to cover all those medical expenses."

Prue widened her eyes in surprise.

"How am I doing?" he smirked.

"Do I need a lawyer?" her voice was stern. Prue's thoughts also returned to what evidence might suggest foul play.

"I don't know. Do you?" the Inspector played innocent.

Prue did her best to maintain self control. "I don't wish death on anyone, Inspector." She kept her response simple and formal. Briefly, she glanced around at the masses of people and waiting ambulances nearby. Some feelings of guilt did assail her but she quickly squashed it. "That lies in the hands of a much higher power. One I'm not eager to meet anytime soon," she was remembering her own encounter with the Angel of Death years before.

"Well, in my line of work, one doesn't have to wish death," he countered. "One just has to make it happen. And they do."

Prue's frustration broke through. "Look, are you charging me with something, Inspector? Because if not, I'm done here. I've told you everything I know."

"No. But we'll be in touch," came his last retort.

Prue turned back around, intent on leaving this time, determined to reach her destination. It did worry her a bit and she questioned how many people could attest to what they possibly saw inside that club?

Inspector Richardson took one last puff from his cigarette before throwing it to the ground, stomping on it with his foot, and putting an end to the short lifespan of all the second-hand smoke. He watched Prue leave and then turned around to walk away.

X

Piper heard the same words over and over again. Like a broken record, they would repeat themselves. Of course, she knew it was all inside her mind. After all, the two child-like figures disappeared some time ago and hadn't returned. So why did those words from the little girl bother her?

Mommy

You have to go back

I'll never get born

Seth will get born

Her thoughts turned to the little boy named Seth. He also seemed familiar to her although she couldn't understand why. She had never met him before. It wasn't the same feeling she had with the girl child whom she was almost certain she had seen or met before. She just couldn't place where.

Where am I, Piper kept asking herself.

She knew the little girl calling herself Melinda had told her they were in the In-Between Realm. It was a place where they could stay until they were born but something about this place didn't feel right for herself.

Where am I supposed to go back to? Piper was trying to dig for something she just couldn't seem to find. Quickly, her thoughts reverted to the voices she had suppressed and surmised maybe they were the key in finding the answer. The problem was she didn't know how she'd figure it any of it out when she couldn't recall any of the details.

"Mommy?" a young child called out.

Piper was lying sprawled out on the grass with her eyes shut, contemplating her current state of existence when she suddenly heard the familiar voice again. Almost immediately, her eyes bolted open and she shot up. These visitations with the children were providing a comforting feeling during her time spent in the realm. However, how much time it was she had spent here she couldn't tell.

She felt small fingers glide through the hair behind her.

"I like your hair, mommy," little Melinda's voice echoed. "It's long and pretty. And soft. I want my hair to be just like yours when I grow up."

Piper smiled. Turning around, she came face to face with the little girl who was now sitting down beside her. Piper took her own fingers and glided them through Melinda's shoulder length brown hair.

"It's already beautiful, sweetie," Piper smiled.

Melinda's smile widened but then she looked down and a frown quickly replaced the happiness that was once so contagious.

Piper's smile faded. "Sweetie, what's the matter?"

"You don't really believe that you're my mommy, do you?" the little girl asked. "But you have to because they're going to make you go away soon."

A puzzled expression came over Piper. "Nobody will make me go away," she denied. "Is that why you're sad?"

"You'll have to leave." The little girl nodded her head emphatically.

"Why?" questioned Piper.

"You're lost mommy. You don't belong here. So you're going to have to choose soon."

Piper stood to her feet. She felt confused and a little bit nervous. "What do I have to choose?"

Melinda stood to her feet too. "Which home you want to go back to."

"Home?"

"Yes," the little girl nodded. "Do you want to go back to the home where I'll get to be born? Or do you want to go back home where we all come from? Over there."

Piper's gaze followed in the direction that the little girl was pointing in. Her attention settled on the sudden emergence of a bright blinding light that hadn't been there before. The amazing part was that she felt a warm welcome beckoning her towards it. She sensed an even greater peace accompanied this new realm. After staring at it for several seconds, she felt her eyes tear up at the love the light generated. She was very tempted to move towards it and embrace it completely. Then the thought of the little girl with her struck a cord and it broke the trance.

"It's not supposed to be your time yet, mommy, so you can choose," the little girl explained. "Don't worry. If you go, I won't be mad. I can get a new mommy later."

Piper gave a sympathetic smile to the child. Although she couldn't remember, there was now an even stronger pull willing her towards the little girl and pushing her towards this direction. Piper suddenly knew that the loving light beckoning her to become one with it would be back one day. It would return for her when the time was actually right.

Her decision was made.

"I think I'd like to stick around and be with you a little while longer," Piper smiled. "So if that means going back to this other home, then that's what I choose."

Melinda's smile brightened and both turned as they watched the warm loving light recede and then fade out altogether. Then the little girl turned to address Piper.

"Good. Now give me your hands, mommy?"

"My hands?"

"Yes. Trust me."

Piper extended her hands and watched as the little girl extended her hands over hers. The child closed her eyes and suddenly Piper watched as a bright light ignited. Then, the healing energy sprung to life. Traveling through Piper's hands, it extended beyond the boundaries of space and time and she felt the pull.

She was floating at a steady pace. Gone was the little girl. Gone were the pretty sky and the glowing golden grass and gone were those feelings of peace that assailed her senses. Everything around her was black but she could sense her destination was close. Her memory was returning and then suddenly she felt it.

A shift in direction.

Piper was no longer traveling forward. Instead, she felt the sudden pull and she was swirling backwards.

X

"A fire broke out tonight at a local nightclub injuring at least twenty and killing two. We've been told that the two deaths and most of the injuries have been related to the panic that broke out in trying to escape and not from the fire itself. But still no word yet on how the fire was started. This tragedy comes in the wake of local club owner, Piper Halliwell's, own tragic car accident that left her unconscious two months ago. The doors of the nightclub were being reopened after an almost two month hiatus. We promise to keep you updated as this story continues to ..."

With one flick of the remote control, Phoebe turned off the television, ending the news reporter's spiel.

"I don't want to hear anymore."

Phoebe threw herself on the couch, holding her head in her hands. The Book of Shadows was sprawled on the floor where the small table used to be and Billie was sitting on the floor opposite of Phoebe. Paige had gone to keep herself busy and her mind distracted on a potion mix since they were pretty certain they had identified the right demons. They were still waiting on Prue.

They heard the front door open and slam shut.

"Prue?" Phoebe called out.

Billie and Phoebe were on their feet as Prue rounded the corner and entered the living room.

"Yeah, it's me," Prue announced. "And we've got more problems then we thought."

"What, the cop?" Phoebe threw her an incredulous look.

"The cop," confirmed Prue. "Or should I say Inspector Richardson. Who made it a point to list off the reasons why he thinks I, no we, are responsible for the fire at P3."

"Wait, what?" exclaimed Phoebe.

"Oh yes," Prue smiled. "Right after he threw some not so discreet nonsense about Homeland Security at me. Then he decided to get personal which of course my response was to tell him exactly where he could go shove ... "

Prue halted as soon as she noted the concerned looks that appeared on the faces of both Phoebe and Billie. It was precisely just around the time she had mentioned Homeland Security. She narrowed her eyes.

"Don't look at me!" Billie threw her hands up in the air.

"Okay, lay it on me. I'm relearning to take those odd looks you're both giving me as some weird form of admission, so what is it?" Prue questioned. "And does any of this have something to do with an Agent Murphy?"

Phoebe slowly turned her attention away from Billie and addressed her sister. "Uh, yeah. Prue?" she took a deep breath. "Agent Murphy does work for Homeland Security and he knows who we are."

The revelation hadn't completely settled in yet. "Knows who we are?" Prue shook her head. "Meaning what? We all went to school together, we grew up next door to each other, our families go way back ... " she waved her hands around.

"Meaning he knows what we are," Phoebe cut in. "That we're witches. He knows about magic."

It wasn't the kind of revelation Prue had been expecting. A government agent was carrying around the secret to their identities and exactly what it was they did on a daily basis. The only thing her mind could momentarily register was to question it. How the hell did that happen?

"Whoa!" Prue closed her eyes.

Figuring out where her mind was going, Phoebe quickly jumped to the defense. "Hey, and before I explain any further let's make it clear that you don't get to bitch please? You may have regained big sister status a couple months ago but you've lost those complaining privileges to any periods of time you were absentee."

Prue huffed. "Fine. Fair enough," she relented. Reopening her eyes, she addressed both Billie and Phoebe. "What happened?"

"Well, he showed up back around the same time I showed up here," volunteered Billie. "He was following me after I had discovered who you guys were."

Prue shot her a look. "Don't look at you?" she mocked what was clearly Billie's involvement with the situation.

Billie cheesed before her face turned serious again.

Phoebe smirked. "Yeah, I think Billie understands the art of being more careful at this stage of the game."

"Definitely," Billie nodded. "Besides, I was kind of distracted with proving myself and then I began looking for Christy and everything ... "

Prue nodded her head. She knew that this was still a sensitive topic for Billie. "Right. You were starting to tell me a little bit about all that earlier."

"But it turns out it goes back a little further than that. We had another Inspector on our case a little while back," shared Phoebe. "Her name was Inspector Sheridan and she ended up getting herself killed by demons here at the manor because she didn't leave well enough alone. Homeland Security just picked right up where she left off and Agent Murphy was assigned to our case."

"Okay, so fast forward to the part on how they know about us?" Prue interjected.

"Yes, getting there," Phoebe sighed. "Well, to sum it up, we faked our deaths to try and lead a normal life away from magic. Paige was assigned a new charge that turned out to be Billie and it all went from there. Like Billie said, she found out who we were. We agreed to train her but eventually we decided that we couldn't live without being who we really were. So we admitted the truth to Agent Murphy and used him to break free from our magical disguises."

"You admitted to him you were witches?" Prue reiterated in disbelief.

"Well, yeah, because by then it really didn't matter. The Underworld was already onto us and Homeland Security was beyond suspicious at that point. It only made sense that it was to our advantage," Phoebe justified. "Besides, as far as we know, Agent Murphy is the only one who knows about the whole witch thing."

Prue sighed. "Well, can he at least be trusted to keep our secret?"

"I think so. I mean, we haven't had any problems since he covered for us. He had us run a few favors for him. Demon related favors but other than that it's been pretty quiet. Besides, Piper was the one who usually dealt with him more often then the rest of us," Phoebe finished.

"Good. Well let's hope it stays that way," Prue said just as Paige was making her way back into the living room.

"Okay, guys, I'm pretty sure the potion mix is Henry-proof so if we hurry up and scry for a location we should be able to ... " Paige was heard explaining as she entered the living room but then spotted Prue with the others. "Oh, Prue. Good. You're home. Now we're definitely all set to go."

"You guys ID'ed the demons?" Prue asked.

"Uh, yeah. We're pretty sure they're scatter demons. Low level demons but I'm thinking we might want to be prepared for the Triad too. Just in case," offered up Paige.

"But, Paige, there are no potions to go up against the Triad. You know that and I don't think we're near ready for a confrontation like that. Not yet," Phoebe protested. "Even if we use what we know to take one of them out, he'll just come back."

"Okay, but one is still better then none, right?" Paige argued. "And I don't know about you, but I'm willing to do whatever it takes to get Henry back."

"No, because they would still have Gideon to take one of their places. Which means we'd have to aim for taking out at least two and that's not even taking into account if there's anymore 'fill-ins' waiting in the wings."

"So we try to take two of them out." Paige shrugged her shoulders not understanding what all the fuss was about. "I don't see the big deal. We've done it before."

"The big deal? Paige, the big deal is that the Triad isn't going to make it that easy this time," Phoebe raised her voice.

Prue and Billie stood on the sidelines listening to the debate back and forth.

"Okay, guys, listen," Prue quickly interjected. "Let's stick to worrying about these scatter demons, whoever they are. We'll worry about the Triad if we have to but I do have a feeling we won't be seeing them. Not for a little while at least. These other demons are obviously being used as a go between in getting to the incantation. So what exactly are scatter demons?"

Billie jumped in to explain. "Well, we thought we took most of them out last year. When I went back to find Christy again. Who I thought was Christy," she corrected. "Apparently the scatter demons were hired on to watch after my sister until I came looking for her. But after I rescued her and brought her back here, she was taken again. After that, she and I used our powers, or Molly's powers, to take most of them out so the clan must be bigger than we thought."

"Right. So they're hired hands for the Triad?" Prue confirmed again.

"Yup!" came Paige's one-worded response.

"Well, I'm coming," Billie automatically volunteered. "I can use my projection power if anything else goes wrong," she suggested.

Prue sighed and shook her head. "Billie, no, you're not coming."

"What?" Billie screeched. "No way am I staying here!"

"Billie, it's too dangerous," Phoebe backed up Prue. "You should stay here until we figure out what we're walking into."

"Plus there's always that small chance the Triad will show up," Paige pointed out. "And we're not even fully prepared for it. Which means you're definitely not. We can't afford to be distracted with worrying about you. It's just better if you stay behind."

"Oh, c'mon. Seriously? I can handle some lousy scatter demons, you know I can. Besides, you said so yourself, you don't even think the Triad will be there," Billie debated, directing the last part of her protest back at Prue.

"Billie," Prue began to shake her head.

"Please," Billie pleaded. "What am I supposed to do just sit here and hope that you guys make it back? And then if you don't, how am I any safer?" she argued. "How am I even going to learn or get any better anyway if all I do is sit around and wait all the time?"

Prue just stared at Billie contemplating a way to refute her. Both Phoebe and Paige glanced at Prue, awaiting her final word on the matter. She briefly looked to her sisters as Phoebe arched her brows in response and Paige just shrugged her shoulders. Finally, she decided to give in.

"Fine, you can come, but stay close by and if we tell you to get out of there you do it!" Prue demanded. "No arguments."

"Awesome!" Billie clapped both hands together once and nodded her head. "I mean, I will. Promise."

Prue changed the subject back to finding the demons. "Alright. Since Paige has the potions ready, we should get working on finding a location."

Everyone agreed and the three sisters left the living room heading for the attic. They needed to scry for a location on Henry and the demons. Quickly, Billie retrieved the Book of Shadows from the living room floor and darted up the stairs behind them.

X

Underworld (One Week Later)

In the Underworld, Prue, Phoebe and Paige desperately attempted to take out the last of the scatter demons with the remaining potions in hand.

It had taken almost a week to find the right location and when they had they discovered it, they also found it had been much more difficult to take them out then they had originally anticipated. Billie had come along the first couple trips but each time they scried a location, they met more dead ends inside of the Underworld.

Until now.

Paige orbed out as a giant fireball flew towards her at a beyond normal speed. She reappeared behind the demon and threw the last remaining potion vial she held in hand. She released it and when it impacted him he exploded. However, like both sisters before her, she had been lured into the center as the remaining scatter demons closed in around them. There was no sign of Henry or the Triad anywhere.

"Now what to we do?" Paige questioned.

Prue and Phoebe stood side by side, throwing their own potion vials at the other scatter demons forming a circle around them. With no more vials of her own, Paige was forced to stand close by and watch. The sisters had been forced to use more than one vial to take out only one of them at a time which left them extremely vulnerable. It had meant they were unprepared.

"Okay, where the hell are they all coming from?" Phoebe panicked, her back pressed against Prue's as she stood wedged in the middle of her and Paige. "And why aren't the potions working, they should be working!"

"Because they're not strong enough," Prue gritted through her teeth. She held one last potion in her hand, hiding it behind her back.

Suddenly, the leader of the clan stepped forward, his hands behind his own back.

"Oh nice, looks like one of them is getting ready to take on the role of spokesperson," Paige nodded at the scatter demon approaching.

"Person?" Phoebe looked over at her sister.

"I take it we weren't quite what you were expecting," the clan leader mocked them and then laughed.

Prue shrugged. "Well, we certainly weren't expecting a tour guide or anything, but your buddies over there can definitely work on their aim."

"Prue," Paige nudged her.

The smile dropped from the clan leader's face. "Is that so?"

Prue cleared her throat and smiled.

The clan leader snapped his finger and the clan of scatter demons immediately brought fireballs to life.

"Uh oh." Phoebe looked to her sisters.

Fireballs were all simultaneously released in their direction and Prue's instinctive reaction was to put up her hand and send them flying back. Phoebe immediately ducked and moved to hide behind Prue and Paige while Paige also reacted by sending the fireballs back in the direction of the demons. Several lit up and evaporated until they were all finally vanquished. The only demon left standing was the clan leader.

"Phew," Prue wiped her hands together. "Now that we've gotten that over with."

The three sisters gave the clan leader smiles of smug satisfaction.

"Lets talk," Phoebe instructed.

"Yes, lets talk," the clan leader snapped his finger again. More scatter demons instantly appeared replacing the group of vanquished ones.

The looks of smug satisifaction coming from the sisters were replaced with serious faces.

"Oh my god, are you kidding me, what are they terminator demons?" Phoebe waved her hand at the new crowd.

This time the clan leader returned a smug smile of satisfaction. "While that was fun and we've all gotten that out of our systems, lets get down to real business. I believe you do have something that belongs to us?"

"I believe you have something that belongs to me," Paige retorted.

The clan leader demon sneered. "Of course. The mortal. Although, I must admit, I'd hate to see him go. He's actually provided us with some interesting entertainment in his time spent with us, hasn't he?" He laughed then turned to his fellow demons, who also made it a point to sneer and laugh. "Really. It's been awhile since I've amused myself with a mortal who dances to the beat of my target practices," he taunted her.

Paige made a threatening move forward only to be pulled back by Phoebe. The demons laughed at her reaction.

"The incantation, please. Or good ole' Henry the 8th dances to the beat of a different drum the next time I see him," the clan leader threatened.

Prue waited until the clan leader was a little closer. Then she made her move. "You know what? I think you're right. We do have something that belongs to you," she mocked.

Then revealing the vial, she immediately released it from her hand and aimed it at his chest. However, Prue received a shock when within a split second the vial was deflected back in her direction. After impacting her, it sent her off her feet and crashing into the stone wall positioned directly behind them.

Phoebe and Paige both ran to assist her. As Paige knelt down, she used the opportunity to grab onto her sisters and orb them out to safety. The orbs vanished, taking the sisters with them. Witnessing their escape, one of the demons stepped forward in protest.

"No!"

The clan leader held his hand up to stop him. "Wait. We let them go for now. They didn't have what we needed to bring back to the Triad anyway."

"But they'll be better prepared for us next time."

"Maybe so but it's imperative we don't take them out until we get what we need from them first," the clan leader instructed.

"They'll never give it up!"

The clan leader approached his follower. "We didn't expect them to give it up that easily. We'll get it from them. One way or another. Right now, I'm bored. I think it's time we paid our Henry another visit." He smirked. "What do you say?"

The remaining scatter demons broke apart and followed in the direction of their clan leader.

X

Time was of no merit to those beings who sat upon the Afterlife Council.

It was a completely different story for Leo. There he anxiously sat listening to another drawn out oral diatribe being made by the opposing Elders. He had no idea about how much time could have passed in the mortal realm since there was no real concept of measured time within the immortal realms. To him and all the others present, it didn't really feel like much time had passed at all but he knew one thing for sure and one thing only. He needed to get out of here and back to Piper and the sooner the better.

Both sides had been presenting oral arguments back and forth. Both sides hoped that the Afterlife Council would seek favor with their side. Currently, Emeritus was fully engaged with his counter allegations which were mainly being directed at Leo.

"Therefore, I request this Council to enforce what is not only fair but what applies to universal code as well," the voice of Emeritus drifted into Leo's awareness.

"I absolutely object before this Council!" Coop interjected, standing up from his seated position. "We stand before you with allegations being made against these particular Elders for breaking universal codes and now he violates universal code by making these allegations. Universal Code 1875B for these proceedings clearly states that if the accused is brought forth on charges related to breaking universal laws, he may not counter-claim with similar accusations until the matter against him has been decided first."

"Yes, we are well aware of the universal codes, Cupid!" the loud voice exclaimed. "Afterall, we have participated in their creation."

"The Elder will cotain himself now!" the second voice declared. "Otherwise, he will be heard no further."

Emeritus visibly tensed at the decision. "Yes, I understand. My sincerest apologies before this Council."

"You may take a seat!" the first voice instructed.

The Elder resumed his position beside Phalmis, Ramar, and Xenus.

Dimitri sat at a distance, sending Leo apologetic looks from across the way. Leo nodded his head to signal him that he understood. After all, Leo didn't blame the new Elder for the situation he was in. Actually, he was feeling guilty for the predicament that Dimitri now found himself in because Leo considered it his fault. If he hadn't involved him in any of it to begin with, chances were that Dimitri wouldn't be sitting here with them waiting to be used as bait in order to stick it to him.

Andy sat in between Coop and Leo. At the current moment, he felt confused about why he was even here to begin with. Thus far, none of the debating had directly concerned him in any way except for the initial claims made by Coop which involved the Elders breaking the codes. Then Emeritus and the other Elders came back with counter-allegations involving Leo's alleged mishaps throughout the years as a Whitelighter and Elder. Which in turn, Coop had been forced to use his allotted time periods to defend.

Andy leaned in against Leo's ear. "Is it just me or do they not like any of us being here?" he referenced the Afterlife Council.

"I don't think so," Leo sighed. "They're supposed to be impartial. Their only allegiance is to the greater good and the universal laws that uphold it."

"Really?" Andy's eyebrows were raised. "Well the sounds of those voices could have fooled me. I feel like I'm starring in the Wizard of Oz right now and waiting for the old man behind the curtain to reveal himself."

Leo smiled; however, both men quickly regained their composure at the sound of the voice breaking through.

"In truth, we are deeply disturbed by the allegations being made from both sides," one voice announced.

"And we have decided that we are getting nowhere with these oral declarations! Therefore, we have opted to enact Universal Code 222C," the second voice volunteered.

"They just came to that conclusion now?" Andy whispered for both Leo and Coop to hear. "I could have told them that over fifteen minutes ago," he rolled his eyes.

Closing his eyes, Coop took a seat. "Great," he muttered with disdain for the decision.

"This means we'll be handling all the questioning from here on out. No one is to speak unless directly asked a question. Violation of this will be grounds for your removal from these proceedings!" a new voice added.

"Are we all in understanding?" the first voice questioned, seeking confirmation from everyone present inside the realm.

Mumblings and grunts of affirmation were met in answer to the question.

All the voices spoke as one. "Good. Emeritus. As new head of the Elder Council, we shall begin with you."

Emeritus stood from his chair. "Yes."

"How is it that you defend yourself for interfering with the grand design and it's plan for the Ultimate Power?"

Emeritus brought his hand up to cover his mouth and cough. "Because, Council, not only were we following in Gideon's misguided steps at the time, but we believe it was never the grand design's plan to have this power come to fruition to begin with."

"Explain what you mean behind that," instructed the voices.

"What I mean is that the grand design has attempted to claim the life of Piper Halliwell on more than one occasion," he argued.

This accusation immediately grabbed Leo's attention and it put him on edge. He was sitting completely upright and glaring at the Elder with utter contempt for daring to go there.

"Not once, but twice, Leo has been involved in interfering with it," Emeritus accused. "The first incident was almost seven years ago when she was infected by an insect bite. The second time when the sisters willfully aligned themselves with the Source of all Evil so Tempus would reset time."

"Wait a minute," Leo hollered, getting up from his chair. He couldn't contain himself any longer as the idea that his wife was never meant to live filtrated through the entire Afterlife Council.

"Leo! Sit down," Coop hissed, leaning over. However, his stern warning went completely unacknowledged.

"It was you and the rest of your Council who approved that idea" Leo continued to shout. "Not me. I only passed it along to the sisters as one of the options. So don't you dare turn this around on us and don't you ever use my wife as your scapegoat."

"The fact remains that Piper was killed in the unchanged time line. Not to mention the first time she died until you wrongfully intervened and brought her back. Shall we bring up your adventures while serving as an avatar?"

"Really? Well if you were so intent on seeing her die," Leo spat back "then why did you heal her and save her life that day in the manor? I'm sure you recall it. That very same day when Shax attacked and you healed Prue too, taking her with you and interfering with the grand design? You're a liar, Emeritus. You have no right serving on the Elder's Council anymore than Gideon did."

"That was only done to save the Power of Three!" Emeritus seethed, desperately trying to defend his motivations before the Council. "Time was reset, Phoebe was undetectable, and they were the only two left."

"Silence!" the loud thunderous voices roared. "Enough!" It succeeded in breaking up the shouting match.

Andy remained silent and listened with heightened interest as he absorbed the details that had apparently led to his own resurrection. So the Elders had been the ones responsible for taking Prue so they would stop some Ultimate Power from existing? This was what he had just pieced together from the small amounts of dialogue being thrown back and forth between Emeritus, Leo, and the Afterlife Council. Some Elder by the name of Gideon had also played a major role. Although, at this particular moment, he did feel pretty bad for Leo. Being separated from Piper couldn't have come at a worse time and not knowing whether she would live or die had to be rough.

"We will have order!" the voices continued. "We were very clear about the rules before we engaged in this session and we will not stand for this insubordination."

There was dead silence as everybody looked around at each other.

"Therefore, we shall remove ..."

"I beg your pardon, but I beg this Council to allow me to intervene just this once," Coop stood up and interrupted the voices in a pleading manner, hoping to save Leo from the impending consequences.

"Our patience wears thin, Cupid. Please make your point quickly!" the voices instructed in unison.

"I thank the Council," Coop sighed in relief. "Please. I beg the Council to show some leniency to Leo. I'm sure you can understand that his wife is an extremely sensitive subject right now, considering her delicate condition. If the Council will just reconsider and allow him to stay, Leo will promise not to disregard the rules again."

Coop issued Leo a warning glare and there was a brief moment of silence that followed. Emeritus and the other Elders waited, smug expressions plastered across their faces. Then the voices resumed in unison, seeking clarification from Leo himself.

"If the Council agrees to allow this, does the Elder in question consent to this demand?"

Leo stared around at everyone once. "Yes!" he finally gritted through his teeth.

"Very well. All will remain seated."

"But, Council, I ..." Emeritus was prepared to object before being cut off.

"Silence, Emeritus. We were fully prepared to eject you as well. Now take a seat!"

This time it was Dimitri's turn and the turn of Leo's side to share a smug smirk as the Elder slowly returned to his sitting position, his wounded pride still intact.

"However, it has come to our attention that Piper Halliwell's resurrections are questionable. Therefore, we will call forth an imprintation."

Concern for Piper graced Leo's features. Immmediately, he turned his attention to both Coop and Andy. "A what?"

Suddenly, a giant flash blinded everyone until an unexpected figure appeared before all of them looking just as stunned and confused.

X

The orbs reappeared in the center of the attic and deposited all three sisters onto the floor.

Billie, standing at the podium flipping through the Book of Shadows, immediately rushed over to help as soon as she noticed the orbs and the reappearance of the three women. By the looks of the grand entrance they had just made, she quickly concluded that something had gone horribly wrong.

"Oh my god, what happened?" she exclaimed.

Phoebe, who had hit her head against the floor as they dropped, was the first to speak. "Paige, no offense, but you could really use some work on your landing!" she cried, holding the back of her head while sitting up.

"Um, excuse me, but we were about to become scatter demon trophies if I didn't get us out of there very fast," she defended. "I didn't exactly stop to think about where we would be going okay?"

Prue was the first to stand to her feet but quickly felt a jolting pain shoot up through her abdomen. Instinctively, she lurched over grabbing ahold of her stomach area. Alerted to her sudden and visible discomfort, all concerned eyes immediately turned in her direction.

"Prue, what's the matter?" Phoebe's quickly reached out for her.

"Nothing," she lied. Then catching her sister's glare, she changed her stance. "I'm not sure."

"Is it the baby?" Paige asked, her voice full of concern. "You did take a nasty hit against that rock. Are you sure you're okay?"

Prue looked over at Paige but didn't say anything.

Billie tried to offer assistance. "Maybe you should sit down," she suggested.

"No, it's fine, just give me a minute," Prue declined. "I'll be fine."

Phoebe shook her head. "Prue, you really need to learn to take it easy," she scolded lightly. "Especially when you've got someone else to think about. There was no one down there that you needed to prove anything to," she enforced strongly.

Prue took offense. "I wasn't trying to prove anything!" she argued. "I was trying to take out the leader of a clan of demons about to annihilate us."

"No, what you did was make a careless move against demons that our potions already proved to be ineffective against! Why would you bait him like that?" countered Phoebe.

"I didn't bait him!" Prue raised her voice in protest. Then dizziness overtook her. She closed her eyes and swayed. "Uh, whoa."

Both Paige and Billie each reached out to steady her.

"Uh, yeah. You're definitely sitting down," instructed Paige as they both guided her to the couch. "And guys, can we cut out the arguing?"

"I'll go get you some water," offered Billie. She made a hasty exit from the attic.

Paige extended her hands and sought out the extent of any injuries that might have been caused. A short time later, Billie returned.

"Here," Billie extended Prue the glass.

Prue accepted it. "I'm fine, people," she stressed in an agitated fashion. She hated the fact that they were all making such a huge fuss over her.

Paige pulled her hands back after some healing. "Well, you are now."

Phoebe closed her eyes and released a sigh full of tension.

"So what exactly happened down there?" Billie questioned. "No Henry?"

Paige sighed. "No! But I'm not giving up."

Prue shook her head in contemplative thought. "None of us are giving up but what I'm not understanding is why none of those potions are working right. We did everything straight from the Book. That potion is specifically designed to take scatter demons out so what went wrong? What are we missing?"

Paige turned to Billie. "Billie, you're sure you used all the correct ingredients, right?"

"Yes. All the ingredients you told me." Billie had been the one to concentrate on making more of the potions during the course of the week while the sisters scried and checked out various locations.

"It's not the potions," Phoebe finally spoke up. "It's gotta' be Gideon and those damn stones that Billie told us about. He's using them to make the demons stronger. At least the ones being sent after us."

Billie folded her arms. "And I already checked all that out too. There's nothing in the Book that mentions magical stones or anything about a box. Except for information on the Hollow." Then a sudden idea occurred to her. "Hey, you think Magic School might have some information about it somewhere?"

"Maybe," answered Phoebe. "It might be worth a shot."

"Well, if not, then we got a problem. How are we supposed to use potions if demons are going to be resistant to them?" Paige voiced her concern.

"We can still use them, we'll just have to find a way to strengthen them," Prue thought about what she remembered seeing in the Underworld. "The potion was taking scatter demons out but we needed more of the potion to make it happen."

Paige stood up from the couch where she had been sitting beside Prue. Finally, her worries were beginning to catch up with her. "Henry might not have that kind of time," she vented. "We just can't sit around trying to figure out potions when god knows what can be happening to Henry down there!"

"Paige ... " Prue tried to interject.

"No. Look, I really think we need to reconsider our plan of action here!" Paige boldly declared. "I mean, seriously. They're not stupid. The demons know we're not going to just hand over the incantation to them without a good reason to do it and I say Henry is a good enough reason."

"Hold up! Paige, what exactly are you suggesting?" Phoebe responded heatedly. She had a feeling what direction this line of talk was heading in and she didn't like it.

"I'm saying we need to bring that incantation with us the next time we go so they know we have something to trade off."

"Whoa! No way!" Phoebe strongly objected. "Paige, have you completely lost your mind? There's no way we're risking the Triad getting their hands on the Ultimate Power. Do you have any idea what that would mean?"

"What it means is we don't really have to give it to them," Paige countered her sister. "But Henry's life is at stake here!"

"And the lives of everybody else will be at stake if the Underworld gets their hands on that incantation. You saw what they did to the club? And just look at the effect some stupid stones are having on our ability to take lower level demons on? Can you imagine how much worse it would be if they had the Ultimate Power? It would be over for us and the entire mortal world. I'm sorry, Paige, but sometimes one innocent has to be sacrificed to safe the lives of many more," Phoebe argued back.

They were now engaged in a full blown argument that made even Billie cringe. It had been a rare occasion when she would witness any of the sisters involved in heated arguments with each other. One thing was clear to her though. All the buried frustration surrounding Piper's sudden disappearance, Henry's abduction, and the constant demonic assaults were catching up and revealing itself.

Prue hid her face under her hands with her own nagging feelings of doubt and frustration rising to the surface. "Guys! Just stop!" she yelled out.

Paige huffed and ignored Prue's plea. "Easy for you to say," she shot back at Phoebe. "I wonder if you'd be so quick to jump to that conclusion if we were talking about Coop right now. And do I need to remind you that we're screwed anyway without Piper!" she shouted their sister's name. "There is no power without her. So maybe we should just give it up already."

Everyone was stunned into complete silence. In shock, they all stared at Paige, absorbing her last declaration. It gave life to the one fear that everyone had been harboring in the room since the accident. The fear that Piper wouldn't be returning home. That she would leave them one witch short to use the power they needed. That they would be left to endure the wrath of a demonic reign, a formidable Armageddon, one that Piper would be spared. But it also went deeper and more personal. The fear of losing a sister. Piper, the voice of reason. The one sister skilled with surrogating as the oldest sister but could still manage to perform her role as middle sister and a crafty mediator.

After calming down, Paige spoke up. "C'mon. Don't look at me like that. You know we've all been thinking it. The Power of Three just isn't going to cut it anymore. With or without Piper. I just said it first."

Prue, Phoebe, and Billie remained silent each just glancing to the other.

"And this has been a difficult adjustment for me. These past five years it's been the three of us, Phoebe. You, me and Piper," Paige vented to her sister. "We fought demons together and we got pretty close. That's all I've known." She shut her eyes and shook her head. "And I don't want this to sound all wrong because this is nothing against you, Prue," she turned to her oldest sister. "For a long time, I felt really insignificant to you without even knowing you. I wanted to live up to what you had been so that Piper and Phoebe would accept me."

Prue lowered her gaze.

Phoebe sighed. "Paige, it was never our intention to make you feel that way."

"No, listen." Paige closed her eyes again. "I really need to get this off my chest. I don't blame you guys for how I was feeling. Not anymore."

Phoebe nodded. "It was a difficult time for all of us."

Paige addressed Prue. "I'm not trying to dump all this on you. And I know two months isn't that long but I am really glad I've gotten he opportunity to get to know you, Prue. Because now I have more reasons to admire you instead of resenting you. But it's just that Phoebe has a past fighting demons with you. I don't. For her, or Piper, it's just a matter of readjusting. For me, I need time to adjust to something new I'm not used to at all. We've jumped into doing it these past couple months because we've had to. And I think if you're honest, you can admit to kind of feeling the same way."

Prue admired her brute honesty. Paige was right. After Piper's accident, the three remaining sisters were thrust together and forced to take on the role as the new combination to the Power of Three. There hadn't been time to stop, learn, and grow comfortable with each other's way of getting things done. So, yes, Prue could relate to what Paige was feeling. She also was used to the way things had been when she fought demons alongside Piper and Phoebe which was no longer the case.

"You're right," Prue admitted. "It's different. I really don't know where we go from here. I don't know what it means for us when Piper gets back and I certainly don't want to dwell on what it means for us if she doesn't come back at all. But what I do know is that right now it is just the three of us. Which means we have to find a way to continue to make this work. We will make it work. It's just going to take time."

"True," Paige sighed.

However, they were suddenly interrupted by the distant ringing sound that filtrated from the downstairs all the way up to the third floor attic.

"Was that the doorbell?" Paige uncrossed her arms. "Who could that be?"

"Yup, I think so." After answering, Phoebe proceeded to exit with Prue, Paige, and Billie following closely behind.

As all four women made it to the first floor, Phoebe approached the door and opened it. She was greeted by the sight of a man she hadn't been expecting to see.

"Agent Murphy? What are you doing here?" came the inquiry.

X

It was somewhere unknown to her where ever she found herself standing. Standing on something that appeared to be a small circular platform. The first thing she caught sight of were her bare feet and then her sight traveled up past the long hospital gown she appeared to be wearing with her long brown her flowing around her shoulders.

"Piper!"

Upon hearing her name called, she looked into the vast space. She did not recognize this place; however, she did recognize who sought her attention.

"Leo?" she called out, confusion grabbing ahold of her.

Leo had rushed forward in a flash, pulling her into a tight embrace. Piper returned his embrace as both her arms encircled around his frame. However, this intense encounter did little to ease the confusion she was still feeling at the moment. In fact, the moment multiplied it.

"Thank god you're here," she heard him mumble into her shoulder.

Pulling away gently, she looked to him for an answer. "Uh, where exactly is here?"

"Before the Afterlife Council. But that doesn't matter. What matters is that you're okay," he answered her.

Piper took the time to gaze around the realm and noticed a group of Elders sitting at a table to one side while Coop and Andy were sitting on the opposite side. She shifted her focus onto Andy and realized why exactly they were here.

"Oh," came her reply. "But what I'm I doing here? Shouldn't Prue be here instead for Andy?"

"I don't know. But at least you're alive."

Piper pulled away. "Leo what's going on?"

"What do you mean?" he asked, confusion clearly evident.

"What do you mean what do I mean?" she mimicked. "I mean why do you keep talking around me like something went wrong? Of course I'm alive. I'm okay, I'm fine. See? Why wouldn't I be?" she asked with a hint of annoyance thrown in.

Leo released a worried sigh. "You mean you don't remember?"

"Remember what?"

"The accident!" he announced.

"Accident? Leo, what accident? All I did was go to pick the kids up from Dad's and ... " then her voice trailed off. Suddenly, the memory hit her head on. "Oh, no! The accident. I was hit and then everything went black."

"You were comatose. The doctors didn't think you'd make it. But wait a minute. If you don't remember ever waking up and leaving the hospital then that must mean ... " Leo was cut off by the loud voices overhead.

"The Elder will back away from the platform and take a seat!"

The loud sound startled Piper who immediately jumped. "Mean what, Leo?" she asked in a panic. "Spill. Now!"

Leo backed away almost looking distraught. He turned around and took a seat back at the table, proceeding to place his face in his hands. If anything, his actions only served to cause more alarm. Piper knew his reaction wasn't good.

"The soul of Piper Halliwell is present and accounted for! We shall proceed with the imprintation," the voice declared.

"Imprintation?" Piper mumbled. But then her mind backed up a few words, noting the use of the word soul. " Uh-oh. Am I dead?"

"Silence please!" came the automatic response.

"Answer me, please!" Piper retorted. "Cuz' I'm guessing if I am dead, they're ain't a whole lot you can do to me right about now," she cracked.

"I wouldn't be so smug about that if I were you!" the voices scolded. "You don't know what else we can do. But in answer to your question, you are not dead yet. That decision will remain with us. After the unveiling of the imprintation."

"What imprintation?" she asked.

"A reading of your soul and soul journey. You, your soul, is here with us. But not your body. Your soul energy carries a guide to your destiny. A pattern, unique to you. Sometimes deaths are sudden and before their time. Other times, it is destined to be. We are here to determine your fate."

"My fate?" Piper had no idea what the Council was referring to but she had a good hunch that the men sitting opposite her husband were in some way responsible.

"This will not take long."

Piper released a weary sigh and closed her eyes. She could sense the presence of something merging with her soul. She wouldn't necessarily say it felt like an invasion but there were some subtle feelings of vulnerability at the presence of a different energy that had suddenly appeared out of nowhere.

And just as quickly it was done.

"The woman referred to as Piper may step down from the platform," the voices instructed.

She did and everyone sitting at the tables watched as anxious energy flowed throughout their own beings. As if this one revelation would seal their fate forever. Quickly, she proceeded in the direction of her husband who stood back up to hug her once again. Then, they broke apart. While standing side by side, they awaited what the Afterlife Council discovered while holding hands.

"The reading has demonstrated to us that Piper Halliwell's fate was superceded by the highest of all powers. Interventions were successful because it was allowed to be so through this higher power. Therefore, this Council concludes that it was not in Piper Halliwell's destiny to die at those precise moments in time!" the voices concluded in unison.

Leo reached out and grabbed Piper. Relief spreading over him like a wildfire. "Oh thank god. I couldn't stand it if I had to lose you! Not after everything."

"Impossible!" Emeritus' voice broke up the happy reunion.

Piper, Leo, Andy and Coop were all alerted to the Elder's sudden outburst. Leo shook his head in disbelief at the audacity displayed by the head Elder. All he could think was that Gideon's temperament had somehow rubbed off on him. Andy brought his hand up to cover his mouth. The open defiance wasn't so unbelievable since Andy had dealt with those types on the job all the time during his mortal life both times. However, because of his position in the afterlife, he thought the man just had nerve and he was interested in seeing how the Council would handle his outburst. Coop just sat beside Andy anxiously awaiting the Council's next move because while he acknowledged that they were out of the woods were Piper was concerned, he knew the same thing couldn't be said for Leo.

"You dare to challenge the authority of the most high power?" the voices declared.

"No, Council. But Leo broke the rules ... " Emeritus barely got his sentence out before they interrupted him.

"We will hear no more. As far as this Council is concerned, all are free to go. Except all the Elders present. We find you all in contempt of breaking universal codes."

Piper and Leo froze and Piper immediately turned to Leo. "Leo, do they mean you too? Please tell me you're coming home," she pleaded.

"I ..." Leo stammered, not sure what to make of the Council's decision.

However, before he had the opportunity to respond in more detail, both of them were alerted to the next decree being made by the Afterlife Council.

X

Agent Murphy proceeded to barge into the manor.

"Not exactly the greeting I was expecting, but it'll do," he announced, walking past Phoebe and into the foyer. "We need to talk!" He turned back around to face her.

Phoebe turned around and sent Prue, Paige, and Billie a look over the Agent's shoulder. "It's nice to see you too. Please, won't you come in?" she mocked him.

"Yeah. Ha ha. Look, I don't have time for the pleasantries. I know what happened at P3 and what caused the fire. And I'm receiving alot of pressure on this one so what I need to know is what it is you're going to do about it?" he pressed.

Phoebe allowed a bewildered expression to appear across her face. "I don't follow," she denied.

Impatiently, the Agent shook his head. "Cut the crap. I don't have the time to be playing games with you on this one. You know what I'm talking about, it was your club. I'm getting eye-witness accounts thrown on my desk ID'ing what looked like a man dressed in black throwing balls of flaming fire into the crowd. Not to mention, non-stop calls from some Inspector Richardson digging for dirt on our arrangement last year and information on some dead sister. Now, look, I don't know what's going on around here ... " and he was cut off by Prue's interjection.

"Wait. Did you just say Inspector Richardson?" she inquired.

Agent Murphy spun around at the sound of the intrusive voice and then placed his hands against his hips. Taking in the sight of the woman before him, he went in for his own unique introduction.

"Ah. And you must be the sister who's supposed to be dead, right? Prudence, but people call you Prue?" he inquired back to her, quite smugly. "I'm Agent Murphy. We'll probably be seeing alot of each other in the future."

Everyone stood still, a bit shocked by his blatant conclusion.

"No, I'm not ... " Prue began to deny but was cut off by the Agent.

He put up his hand. "Don't bother. I don't get how it happened, how or why you're back, whether you used magic to fake your death or whatever but honestly it doesn't even matter to me. What I do care about is how and when you're going to stop civilians from being attacked by these inhuman creatures in very public places. I'm sure you can understand the pressure I'm under here."

"Wait. How do you know about Prue?" Phoebe was curious.

"Well, what I do know is from sometime back. She supposedly died here at the manor in 2001 along with some doctor named Griffiths. But none of that information can be found in any files anymore. It's like it just disappeared, like it never happened!" he informed them, looking back and forth between all the women as he spoke.

"So you can remember?" Paige muttered, locking eyes with Phoebe.

Nodding his head in confusion, he answered. "Of course I can remember. Although others seem to be having a problem in that department and I have no idea why. My only guess is that it's somehow connected to you and whatever it is you do."

Prue closed her eyes and shook her head to regain her composure. "So then what did this Inspector Richardson want? Does he know too?"

"Don't think so. He was digging for information on your sudden reappearance here. After your move from New York. Which supposedly transpired in the wake of your husband's death after he was killed in the line of duty."

"Right," Prue mumbled. She averted her gaze to the floor.

Agent Murphy watched her with interest. Then he glanced between her and Billie. "Although, perhaps, had I dug a little deeper myself maybe I would have found out more too. When your daughter first showed up here last year, I figured she knew something. I just never knew how much."

Billie shot her head up. With a shocked expression, she glanced between Prue and the others who were also shocked by the Agent's bold revelation. "Excuse me?" she asked him. "Are you saying that you knew who I was all along? Even before I did?"

Agent Murphy smirked. "Please. Don't look so surprised. The Agency looked into all your backgrounds and when I took over the case, I just dug some more, that's all. I took the liberty of looking into Billie's background after she showed up here and then I followed her. It wasn't too hard to connect. Not once I got a hold of the birth certificate."

Billie huffed in disbelief. "But adoption records are supposed to be sealed?" she argued.

The Agent smiled at her. It signaled to Billie and the others that he had his own ways of finding and getting his hands on what he needed to. "You're right. They are."

Prue interjected. "Okay. So you've known Billie's my daughter. I don't see the big deal there. What does this Inspector Richardson think he's going to find?"

The Agent took a moment to digest the situation and what it could mean. It was clear to him that everyone in this house was clearly on edge. And why shouldn't they be? After all, he heard about what happened to Piper, the other sister. Then add into the mix what was happening on the outside with demons attacking in public places.

"I'm not sure," he relented. "But if you want, I can try and look into it. Maybe see what I can find out about him."

"That would be helpful," Phoebe immediately accepted. "Thanks."

Agent Murphy approached the door to leave. "Sure. But, in the meantime, please do something about preventing what happened the last time." Before exiting, he turned slowly and added his condolences. "And I'm sorry to hear about your other sister. I hope everything works out," he offered.

"Thanks. We appreciate it," Phoebe responded as she closed the door after his exit.

Phoebe released a heavy breath and a low whistle. She turned back around to meet the same concerned faces of the others all staring back at her.

X

Coop and Andy stood up from the table very slowly. Andy was completely baffled by what the Council's decision meant for him and he turned to address Coop.

"I'm not sure I understand," he stuttered.

Coop knew why Andy was confused so he looked at him and then quickly turned forward to readdress the Afterlife Council. "Council? We seek clarification. Are you confirming that this decision effects Andrew as well? His mortal life will be granted?"

"Yes," one of the voices answered. "We find that the Elders were guilty of tampering with the grand design when they interfered with the destiny of the Charmed Ones. They are guilty of rearranging the time line when they removed the oldest sister from the power link."

"Therefore, we will allow the technicality to stand. Because of the mortal binding of marriage, Andrew will be granted his mortal life back," a second voice continued.

"The Cleaners will rearrange the already changed time line just one more time to include Andrew's return as well. However, be aware. Some minor consequences may have resulted from the Cleaners need to interfere more than once."

"We understand," Coop responded. "We thank the Council." Then, with a smile, he turned to address Andy. Using his hand, he patted the other man's back. "Congratulations, man. You're going home," he reached out to shake his hand.

Andy arched his brows and released a heavy breath he didn't even realize he was holding. It was all the built up tension that had been mounting along with the knots forming in his stomach. He never actually believed this would really happen but now it was. He was going home. He would be with Prue again and he would get to see Molly grow up.

"Wow," he shook Coop's hand. "I can't believe this is actually happening."

"Well believe it," Coop answered.

Andy was approached by Leo and Piper next. Leo placed his hand on Andy's shoulder to grab his attention. Andy turned around and Leo extended his hand.

"Congratulations, Andy. Good luck and make good use of the time you get," Leo advised.

Andy smiled and shook the other man's hand. "Thanks. I intend to. But don't give up. You have a reason to fight standing right beside you." He glanced at Piper who stepped forward to hug him.

"See you back home, Andy," she told him.

Affectionately, Andy placed a kiss against her forehead. He had a long history with the Halliwell family and Piper had always been like a sister. "Sure thing, kiddo."

Piper smiled and then broke away. Facing her husband, she addressed the next important matter at hand. Her husband's safe return home. "Leo, if you're not coming home yet then I'm staying here with you until you do."

"No, Piper you can't," he protested.

"Yes, I can!" she countered.

"No, you can't because the boys need you back home. And what about your sisters? Without you, they're one sister short to the Ultimate Power. And then they won't be able to stop the Triad," he argued logically.

"The boys need you too, Leo!" she argued back. She used her hands to cover her face and then groaned loudly. "Damn, you know, I can't believe this is happening again. Not after what we went through last year. This isn't what's supposed to happen."

"It won't happen," he tried to reassure her, using his own hands to pull hers away from her face. "I promise. I'll come back."

Piper wanted to argue further but she knew that everything her husband was saying was the truth. The boys needed at least one of them there and her sisters would be in big trouble if and when the Triad targeted them. She did need to return. It was a necessity so it seemed as if she would have to put her trust into that very important element that had gotten her through all the heartache of the previous year. Her faith.

"You better!" she declared, pulling him into one last tight embrace. "Otherwise, I'm coming after you," she tried joking. "I mean it." Her eyes began to water at the prospect of being separated from him again for god knows how long.

"I know you do." Then they broke apart. Leo's own eyes were watering over.

Piper backed away to join both Andy and Coop. How they would be returned, she really had no idea but she felt it was about to happen soon. She wiped at her eyes and mouthed one last I love you to her husband. Andy brought his arm up around Piper, pulling her in close as a comforting gesture. She leaned in as she and the two men were suddenly whisked away in one quick flash.

X

The four women gathered together in the foyer, each questioning what their encounter with Agent Murphy actually meant.

"Okay, so he remembers the other time line?" Phoebe offered up. "That doesn't necessarily mean anything bad. Does it?" she asked, her own doubt breaking through.

"Well Darryl remembers everything," Paige reminded them. "Maybe people that already know the truth about us aren't effected by the Cleaners?"

"It's possible," Prue relented. "But I still think we need to be careful especially with this Inspector Richardson nosing around."

A couple seconds later, everything changed for good. Phoebe was the first one to catch a glimpse of the pink glow reflecting from inside the living room. Her brows arched and her curiosity piqued, she knew it could only mean one thing. Without saying anything, she walked around her sisters and entered the living room. She was right. The sight before her caused her to break out in cheer as she squealed and then ran over into the arms of the man only a small distance in front of her. Coop accepted her charge towards him and held onto her tightly with a smile of relief. They kissed. She was so engrossed with her own excitement, she barely registered the other man standing beside them.

"Coop!" she exclaimed. "I can't believe you're finally back," she cupped his face. "I missed you so much, how did it go?" she fired her question.

They broke apart and Coop pulled back a little still holding onto her hands. "Well, why don't you see for yourself?" he nodded towards the side of him.

Phoebe noticed Andy for the first time. "Andy, oh my god," she reached out to hug him. "You're back."

"I'm back," Andy accepted the embrace. "That's quite a guy you got," he smiled and pulled back. "None of this would have been possible without him. Or Leo."

Phoebe looked around. Her face turned serious. "Yeah, speaking of Leo. Where is he?"

Andy sighed but before either he or Coop could offer any explanation, Prue was entering the living room with Paige and Billie. Phoebe smiled and turned around, acknowledging what this would mean for her sister so she was happy.

Prue froze and Andy locked his eyes with hers.

It took a moment for Prue to realize what was happening. "Andy?"

"Well, what can I say?" Andy smiled. "I guess you're really stuck with me now," he joked.

Prue immediately rushed forward and closed the distance between them. As they met, they embraced, and Andy shut his eyes tightly. It felt good to hold her again. Prue felt tears slide down underneath her closed eyelids as she held back onto him. She couldn't believe it. Andy was being allowed to return home.

"I guess I get to keep my promise afterall," Andy whispered near her ear.

The shared sentiment was something that would only be understood between them. It was a promise made sometime ago after Andy met his fatal end at the manor. In an afterlife replica of a special place shared only between the two, their souls had met at the Golden Gate park bench. It was the same day he had sacrificed his life for hers and her sisters.

"I love you," she mumbled against him.

"I love you too," he sighed.

Everyone watched the emotional reunion.

X

She awoke with a sudden gasp.

Where the hell was she? Piper attempted a deep intake of air but only began choking as she soon discovered there was some type of heavy tubing jammed down her throat. Her head moving back and forth, her eyes took in the sight of monitors beside her that were bursting to life with the sounds of her heartbeat and brainwave patterns. Her hearing could make out the beeping sounds.

The tiled ceiling above her was a pale white in color and her brain quickly pieced together that she was lying inside of a hospital room somewhere. Next she was alerted to the sight and sound of two nurses hustling into the room.

One nurse immediately went for the monitors, reading the patterns, while the second nurse stood close by. Then the first nurse turned back to her with instructions.

"Hurry. Go get the doctor. She's awake."

---

To Be Continued: Okay, as promised, finished this chapter during the holiday. I hope it was worth the read. Thanks for reading and don't forget to review. I'll be back soon with the next chapter.