He circled her as he told her his plan. Really, she was the most magnificent woman and immortal he had ever come across which meant something considering how old he was. The others continued to come for her and she kept cutting them down as if they were nothing more than the smallest of pests.

Soon, though, they would have allies. He had sent for them even if they didn't know it yet. It was just a matter of time before the immortals who were after her would band together to take her out. Of course, that would mean they would all turn on each other just like those who play the game always would.

She, magnificent and powerful, would put an end to the game one way or another and he would be by her side. All that was left to wonder was who else would be on their side.

Piper stormed the house, her face red and blotchy from her tears as she climbed the stairs.

"Uh, Piper has skated straight from overly emotional and sad to pissed off," Leo warned the girls who had moved their meeting to the dining room where snacks were strewn across the table. "I'd be careful right now if I were you."

"Why? What happened," Paige asked.

Duncan had taken a moment or two to just be outside and breathe. Staring at the manor, he took one last look away before deciding that he needed to stick this through 'til the end. He was tempted to just walk away and never come back. It was all too much for him.

He hadn't asked to feel this way. Mac had turned off any of the remaining feelings for Persephone years ago, or at least he had buried them far enough where they weren't a constant reminder of his heartache and her betrayal. Duncan hadn't asked to feel this again.

Striding up the steps, he entered the manor and passed Leo and the sisters as he walked up to the attic.

"What do you know," he demanded and Piper looked up from an old book she had spread open on their ceremonial table.

"I need you to come here," the oldest surviving Halliwell told him.

"What is it," he asked. His voice was calm and strong as he forced his emotions back into the dark hole he had buried them in.

Crouching, he looked at what appeared to be a photo album and before he could help himself, Duncan was picking up an old picture. "How do you have this," he barked.

"The initials on the back of your locket," Piper began to tell him, "they stand for…"

"Phoebe Bowen," Paige asked bewildered. "Isn't she one of our ancestors? I've seen that name before on the family tree."

"That's impossible, Leo. This woman can't be the reincarnation of Phoebe Bowen," Phoebe said. "It has to be a mistake or someone who just looks like her. Piper is wrong," Phoebe said and before anyone could stop her she had grabbed her purse and ran out the doors.

"Why's it such a big deal if this chick is some relative or something," Billy asked.

"Because," Leo started, staring between Paige and Billy. "Phoebe Bowen's reincarnation was Prue."

Paige's face contorted in disbelief. "Are you kidding me?"

"Prue? Their sister," Billy asked. "But she died—"

"—eight years ago," Leo answered. "For an immortal that's pretty recent and she died a violent death which would have triggered the transformation."

"But why wouldn't she have come back," Billy asked, only sparing Paige's strange expression a passing glance. "Wouldn't she have come back to her sisters? I mean…ouch!" Billy tried to grab her arm away from Paige who had it in a vice grip and man, were her nails digging in!

"Paige?" Leo tried to get a hold on her. "Are you okay?"

"I think I'm in labor," she said.

"Ooh, ooh," Billy said. "We need to get Piper and Phoebe and someone has to call Henry!"

"Good idea. Why don't you go do that," Leo said. "I'm gonna try and get her upstairs to the guest room," he said and began to walk her upstairs when they disappeared in swirling particles of light. "You're right, that was quicker," he said when they appeared in the room.

"Leo, this is happening really fast and it hurts," Paige grunted. "Go get my sisters," she began to yell and Leo ran for the attic.

Phoebe found herself in the only place that felt free of betrayal and heartache. Ironic, since this was the reason for everything that happened in her life.

The lake had been where her childhood had been changed forever and where her mother had been killed when she was barely three. Sitting at the picnic table, Phoebe stared out at the calm body of water knowing that it was free of the poison that had once inhabited it.

She and her sisters had fought against that poison, a demon that was responsible for their mother's death. Phoebe had thought that had meant something to her bond with Prue and Piper. They had avenged their mom's death together.

Now she was back at square one, right where she was when they had first discovered they were witches. The screw up of the family with tenuous ties to the only people she had ever truly been able to rely on other than herself. How could Prue be alive and not want to be with them; her?

Phoebe laid her head on the table and sobs began to wrack her body. Prue had been everything to her; a mother, sister, and eventually a friend. How could a mother not want to be with her child? How could Prue just get up and walk away?

"Where the hell is Phoebe," Paige screamed and her entire body tensed as another contraction came on.

Henry was sitting behind her in the bed, his body a giant pillow for her to lean into during the birth of their first children. He pulled her sweaty hair away from her face and gave her his hand to squeeze as she breathed through the pain. Daylight had disappeared as the heavens seemed to open at the very first screams of Paige's labor and were now pouring down on San Francisco.

Leo, Coop, Duncan and Richie were downstairs while Piper got ready to deliver her youngest sister's twin daughters and Billy was there to assist her even as the sky rumbled with thunder and lightning.

"Coop said Phoebe was blocking him," Billy answered. "Don't worry. I'm sure she'll come as soon as she check's her cell phone and sees that she has a million messages."

"Paige, I need you to concentrate. Everything with Prue and Phoebe will still be there after we deliver your daughters, okay? Right now we have to worry about Payton and Priscilla. Can you do that?"

Paige glared at her before pushing through another contraction. Henry winced in pain as he felt his hand being ground into dust. "If she misses this," Paige heaved, "I will never forgive her!"

Piper spared Billy a glance. "Go see if you can find my sister before I have to worry about our other sister killing her."

"Sure thing," Billy said and through a vial at her feet.

Paige relaxed into her husband as the pain subsided. "I might have to vanquish her for this."

"But then Payton won't have a godmother," he told his wife.

"We could upgrade Billy," Piper suggested.

"Oh God," Paige said. "Someone please find her!"

Phoebe ran up the stairs, followed by Billy. "What'd I miss," she asked and right before her eyes Piper delivered a beautiful baby girl. Cleaning her, Piper swaddled her in a blanket and handed her to Paige.

Paige kissed her head before her sister took the baby away and placed her in a basinet. She wasn't expecting it when the next contraction hit her and Paige remembered that there was another one waiting to be born.

Phoebe moved around to Paige's other side and grabbed her hand. "I am so, so sorry that I almost missed this."

"Better late than never," Paige said and tensed as she began to push.

"Come on, Paige! One really good push," Piper told her. "One really good push and you'll be done."

Two minutes later Piper delivered the second twin and handed her over to Billy to clean and clothe. Washing her hands, Piper picked up the first baby and handed her over to her sister as Billy handed the other baby to Henry.

"So…what are their names," Phoebe asked.

"Well, this little one is Priscilla Evelyn Mitchell and the other little beauty is—"

"—Payton Mackenzie Mitchell," Henry announced.

"Those are beautiful names," Phoebe said.

"Alright," Piper said. "I think it's time to let the new parents get some rest. I'll come back in an hour or so with dinner."

"Thanks," Paige said unable to tear her gaze away from the babies.

Ushering them out, Piper left after Phoebe and Billy and went to head for the kitchen when Phoebe grabbed her arm.

"What is it?"

"We need to talk about Prue," Phoebe told her. "And about what we're going to do."

"We are going to wait for the morning," Piper said and glared at Phoebe when she tried to argue. "Right now, we owe it to our goddaughters to celebrate their lives. We can figure everything else out later," she said and headed down the stairs.

Phoebe glanced at the flight that led up to the attic and pondered only a minute before she climbed them, just as she had eight years earlier on another stormy night.

"Are you sure that it's time," Prue asked him.

She had longed for this day for eight years now; always waiting and praying that she could cling to that part of her life, where she had known safety and love with her sisters.

Prue had spent the last eight years training with him and growing stronger. She was a fast and strong opponent who moved with grace and ease. It was why she had survived for so long with all of the attacks. And let's face it; the quickening was the most soul wrenching, cosmic, life affirming experience one could ever go through.

The power afterwards was invigorating and addictive. Every time she took a head off an assailant Prue learned more about the world. Sure, she could identify any object back to the most ancient of societies and she was educated in history and cultural groups, etc etc. Knowledge had always been one of her true loves and she thirsted for it like someone who was lost in a desert. Now, she gained knowledge each time she took down one of her attackers.

Yet she still wanted only one thing. Prue wanted to go home. Normal immortals would have had been forced to leave their old lives, come up with new identities and start over again. Well, Prue was far from normal and that seemed to be the problem. Because Prue knew that if she returned now than the same thing would happen that she had been afraid of when she died the first time. Her sisters would fight to keep her and then they wouldn't be safe.

How could she do that to them? Piper had two successful businesses to run as well as two beautiful sons and a mortal husband to protect and Phoebe…well, Phoebe had recently been married. Paige didn't know her but Prue had checked up on her since she had reconstituted the power of three. Now she would have two newborns to care for. It wasn't right, Prue thought, to do this to them now that they had reached their happily ever after. No matter what it meant for her.

Still, if there was one thing about Prue that would never change, it was the fact that she would always be there for her family when they needed her. Gathering the items in her hand, Prue disappeared through ripples in the air and when she took form again she was in the guest room where Paige and Henry were sleeping.

Quiet so not to wake them up, Prue picked up one of her nieces and wrapped her in a silk baby blanket with the triquetra on it before kissing her head and picking up the other baby to do the same. Once both were in their basinets Prue left two matching pendants in jewelry boxes on the dresser with a note that read 'For the twins. Love, their favorite Aunt.' And then she disappeared.