A/N: thanks for the reviews! and to Mony19...all will be revealed! keep reading and reviewing
Billy rocked Priscilla back and forth unable to soothe the wailing child. She had no idea when she agreed to watch Paige's twins that babysitting would be so hard. The young witch took for granted the fact that Wyatt and Chris had already been potty trained by the time she started watching them.
Still, Paige and Henry deserved a night out. The girls were only four weeks old and everyone was still on edge about finding Prue. The sisters had been devoting their time to looking into their family history and the legends surrounding the Fianna. That and managing the club with raising two newborns had taken a toll on the new parents and what better way was there to recharge their batteries than by taking a night off.
Piper had sent over food earlier during the day and Billy couldn't wait to have some of it. Unfortunately she was otherwise engaged with the crying child. The doorbell rang and Billy made her way through the tiny apartment to answer it.
"You called," Richie said.
"How did you do it," Billy asked in wonderment. "I tried everything and Priscilla didn't seem to care for any of it. How did you walk in and have sleeping in under five minutes?"
"I was around a lot of kids when I was younger. Just something I picked up I guess," he told her and laughed at her bewildered expression. Laughing, he turned his head. "Honestly, I'm just glad that Payton seemed to have slept through her sister's tantrum."
"Uh, tell me about it! Maybe it's some kind of defense mechanism," she pondered. "I wish I had it. Are you hungry? Piper left us a chicken pot pie that she made earlier. I was thinking of having some. Do you want a piece?"
"Uh, yeah. That would be great," he said and followed her to the kitchenette, sitting at the counter. "I'm glad you called. Connor and Duncan are great but there a little—"
"Intense," Billy guessed. She pulled out a couple of plates from the cupboards and rummaged through the draws for utensils. "What's their story, anyway? I mean, I know that they've lived hundreds of years but they never told us how they died. Is it a sensitive subject?"
"Well, Duncan and Connor are cousins. Connor is about seventy some years older than Duncan. You see, they were born into the same clan; the clan MacLeod in the highlands of Scotland. They're distant cousins, and when Duncan died and was cast out Connor took him under his wings because the same thing had happened to him."
"That's so sad," Billy said. "But I guess it makes sense considering the times and what they believed about religion and science. Still, it must have been hard for them both, to never be able to go back home."
"Well, Connor has made the journey back a couple of times but yeah. His entire family turned away from him because they thought he was in league with the devil."
"It kind of makes sense, though," Billy said and dug her fork into the pot pie. "Think about it; Duncan and Prue are soul mates and both of their ancestries lead us back to the same country. Both sides of the Halliwell line have ties to Scotland."
"Yeah, but Leo said we should be focusing on their past lives and whatever unfinished business Prue and Duncan have with one another."
Billy nodded in agreement. "Sure, but isn't Scotland where it all began? I mean just think of everything we could learn if we just took a small field trip," the blond said with a mischievous gleam in her eyes.
"Small field trip," Richie said. "Am I right in assuming we would be traveling air Paige?"
"Is there a better way to travel?"
"I want to talk to you about something," Billy told the sisters.
"Should we be afraid," Phoebe asked. She was feeding Payton while Paige changed Priscilla's diaper.
"I think," she paused trying to phrase it the right way, "that it would be educational for us to take a small trip to where it all began in order to figure out what it might be that we need to learn about Duncan and Prue's past."
"Scotland," Piper said.
"It's not an entirely bad idea," Paige defended her charge.
"There has to be a better way," Phoebe told them. "I mean, if we go to Scotland chances are we hear exaggerated or water downed versions of stories from centuries ago. We should try to write a spell that will allow us to see things as they happened."
"Maybe Paige can ask the Elders about it," Piper said. "I mean, Leo said he was allowed to see his past lives when he became a whitelighter. Have they ever let you—Wyatt Matthew Halliwell, give your little brother his toy back! I'm sorry," she said after she turned her attention back to the women. "Have they ever let you see your past lives," Piper asked Paige.
"No, but then again I never went through a typical whitelighter training. It wouldn't hurt to ask, right? Maybe we can arrange to look at their history and give us a one up on this thing. The Elders have really been interested in our progress so they might be willing to do us a favor," the youngest sister said.
"So no Scotland," Billy asked and was met with three death stares. "Okay, then."
"Hello, Prudence. How are you doing," he asked her.
Turning to her mentor, Prue finally smiled for what seemed like the first time in weeks. "I can't seem to stop painting," she said and dipped her brush in water. "I've always been so passionate about my photography but I can't stop the dreams from coming."
"Let them come," he told the raven haired beauty. "You will soon find answers to every question you have ever had."
Prue wiped her hands with a hand towel. "Like why I had to die," she said morosely.
He embraced her and rubbed a hand up and down her arm. "All will be revealed. Have you been practicing your new power?"
"Yeah, I think I have it mastered," Prue told him. "Do you want to see?"
"I believe you, Prudence. If I've come to learn anything these previous eight years, it's to trust you."
"Yeah, well I hope you feel that way when the time comes to—"
"I will," he assured her. "There's a reason why it has to be you, Prudence," he gave her a grin even though she grimaced at the use of her full name. "Of everyone I've ever met during my lifetime, you're the most consistent and dependable."
"I just hope that I can keep them out of this," she said and walked back to her paints.
"Your sisters are almost as strong as you," he reminded her. "I'm sure that they could be helpful in this if you would only go to them."
"I can't do that," she said turning to face him. "After all I've done to keep them from harm's way and everything they've suffered through since my death they deserve to be happy," Prue exclaimed. "I've been strong for eight years; I can be stronger still until the time comes. If it ever does," she muttered under her breath.
"Then you will just have to find a way to reach the one you've been dreaming of. He, along with you, has been destined to defeat this evil."
"I can do it alone," she argued. Even after years of knowing that there was a connection to this unknown man, Prue was still extremely distrustful of him. Images of them making love stabbed at her gut. The oldest Halliwell couldn't remember what had happened between them but she knew that there was betrayal. It was holding her back, and she was just as determined to leave him out of this fight too.
Shaking his head, Prue's mentor laid a comforting hand on her shoulder before passing her to head for the exit. "You still surprise me, Prudence. I'm not sure if your ability to stand and bear the weight of the world is strength or weakness."
Prue watched him leave, pondering his comment as she tried to answer the question for herself.
"It's been a while since Paige left to go up there," Phoebe said. "These little sweeties are missing their mama," she told Piper as she bounced Payton up and down.
Piper was swaddling Priscilla in her pink blankie after her diaper change. Turning to look at her sister, she was interrupted in her speech by two brawling little boys. "Wyatt! Christopher! If you can't learn to share your toys then I'll have to give them to other little boys who will," she reprimanded them.
It had been difficult taking care of them ever since Paige had the babies. As it was, Piper was due to have Prue any minute now and the thought of adding another child into the mix seemed crazy. Luckily, their quarrels only lasted a few minutes but Piper wondered if having a little sister would be good for them.
The phone rang and Billy got up to get it. "Yeah, sure Paige," the blond said and hung up the phone. "Paige got back from her meeting but she had to go to the club to work out some kinks with the band that's playing tonight. She said she might be there awhile and asked us to meet her down there so we could talk about what the Elders told her."
"Um, but what about the kids," Piper asked. All of a sudden a burst of red light appeared out of nowhere and Leo, Coop, and Henry appeared.
"Did someone need a baby sitter," Leo asked and picked Chris up. Tickling his belly, the boy began laughing uncontrollably.
Piper looked back and forth from her husband to her sisters to her in-laws. She had a sneaking suspicion that something else was going on.
Henry answered the door and invited Connor, Duncan and Richie into Halliwell Manor. "We put the girls down for their nap and the boys are playing in the sunroom," he told them. "We've got the game on in the conservatory and there's pizza and beer too. Just don't spill anything," he warned them. "Piper gets a bit testy when we wreck the place."
"Where are the girls," Duncan asked.
"Surprise!"
Piper's jaw looked completely unhinged as it hit the floor. P3 had been transformed with a projector hanging from the stage; pictures of her as a child with her mom, Grams and sisters appeared and faded to make room for her wedding pictures and pictures of Wyatt and Chris. The tables were covered in pink tablecloths and the bar was serving pink non-alcoholic concoctions.
Friends from the bar and her restaurant were there, as well as friends from her life before she was Charmed. The moms from the day care were there and Piper even saw some friends that she and her sisters had made because they were Charmed. Waiters were walking around with the cutest little appetizers and there was a desert table with cake pops and tarts. Everything was perfect.
"You guys," she cried. "I thought I successfully got through this pregnancy without a shower," Piper laughed.
"Oh, come on," Paige said. "You didn't think we'd let you off the hook so easily, did you?"
"How'd you get Phoebe to keep her mouth shut?"
"Hey! I can keep a secret," the middle sister insisted.
"I didn't tell her about it until this morning," Paige said at the same time. "And I told Billy we were doing it next week."
Piper laughed and rubbed her belly when she gasped. Her sisters caught her as she stumbled and quickly steadied her. "Just a pregnancy thing," Piper lied through her teeth for the guests who had stopped to stare. "Can you guys help me to the office for a minute?"
The three witches escorted her to the office before they asked her what was going on.
"We don't have to wonder about Prue's powers anymore. I just had a premonition," her voice wavered in fear.