Disclaimer: I do not own any of the characters used in this story, those belong to the WB. I do however, own the story and it should not be recreated without my permission. Co-Written with CJ Heart. Thanks.

Prue moved her wheelchair next to the window seat and transferred herself. Looking down, for the millionth time, and cursing the dead weight of her legs. She backed up against the wall and let her eyes glance up at the moon the stinging sensation in her back making it impossible for her to lose herself in the moon's beauty like she longed to do. She closed her eyes and let a few tears slide down her cheeks as she let her mind flood wiith the memories she longed to live again.. memories of a time when she was Prue Halliwell WHOLE and strong.. everything she knew she wasn't now... and never would be again.
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~
"Mama!"

A little brown haired girl shouted as she scampered into the kitchen of the old manor where her mother and aunt had just sat down to a cup of coffee. It was November and the weather in San Francisco was crisp and sharp, a stake through the heart of summer’s memory. The little girl wore overalls and a long pink shirt. Her brown eyes sparkled with innocence as she climbed into her mother’s lap and curled up.

"What Carly?" Phoebe Halliwell asked as she held her five year old daughter.

"Aunt Prue fell asleep by the window again," Carly informed. Phoebe sighed and patted her daughter’s back as she slid her off her lap.

"Thanks for letting me know," Phoebe smiled, "could you go ask daddy if he could move her to the bed?"

"Okay," Carly agreed and she streaked out of the room as fast as she’d come. Phoebe watched with a happy glow in her eyes, but underneath the pride of motherly love was the deep concearn of a sister.

"Does she do that a lot?" Phoebe’s sister asked.

Phoebe stared at Paige. It was still hard to believe what had happened in the last ten years. How Prue had survived Shax’s attack, but was crippled for life. How Paige had come into their lives and sent a burst of energy through the mourning manor. Demons had come and gone and with each it seemed more of the old Prue Halliwell faded away.

"Lately," Phoebe nodded, "but she won’t talk about it. She doesn’t like to admit that having no use in her legs actually takes a toll on her."

"She’s definitely stubborn," Paige agreed.

"Seems like that’s the only thing that stayed the same," Phoebe said quietly.

"Well she was always down and out too," Paige pointed out. "There has never been much light in her eyes." Phoebe shook her head.

"No," she corrected, "there were days when those tired blue eyes used to shine. I wish you could have known her then Paige. You wouldn’t even believe how she used to be. She had dreams, ambitions, she liked to live. Now..." Phoebe took a sorrowful breath, "now I think she’s waiting for death. Welcoming something that used to scare the living crap out of her. She’s so different now. I can barely even believe that it is my older sister sitting in that chair upstairs, asleep by the window."

Paige easily saw the sorrow and grievance for past times in her sister’s eyes. The same look she often saw mirrored in her other sister, Piper’s eyes. Paige had felt welcomed as a Hallliwell since her first vanquish. She felt like she belonged to the Power of Three, and the new Charmed Ones. But she knew there would always be those three years, three years when Prue Halliwell was the oldest. Three years that she would never, ever, belong to.

"I have a question," Paige posed gently. Phoebe didn’t object so Paige continued. "If you’re so worried, maybe you should be talking to Piper, not me."

Phoebe scoffed, "Piper and I can’t talk about Prue. It just makes us both angry."

"I’ve noticed," Paige answered, "and I don’t understand."

"Piper is mad because Prue...for some strange reason....needed me after she lost her legs. I don’t think Piper ever really forgave me for that," Phoebe sighed.

"But you two seem fine," Paige pointed out, Phoebe and Piper always seemed like model sisters. They finished each other’s sentences, smiled, touched, were everything healthy sisters needed to be.

"There are some things," Phoebe said, "that just go to deep to talk about. A place where words can’t touch you know?"

"Yeah," Paige sighed, "but maybe you should try."

"The four of us are holding onto a fragile balance here Paige," Phoebe tried to gently explain to her little sister, "and I’m definitely not going to try and rock that."

Paige didn’t know what to say, luckily she didn’t have to say anything. At that moment a cry rose from the living room. Paige stood, and Phoebe followed her into the living room. Paige’s one year old son, Brenden, sat crying on the couch, having just woken from his nap. Paige scooped him into her arms and kissed his cheek softly. The tears dripping out of his watery hazel eyes slowed and finally he was quiet, staring curiously around the manor living room as if seeing it for the first time. Children’s wonder never ceased to amaze Phoebe, for it seemed she’d lost her own so long ago. Now everything seemed so harsh, the world was full of sharp corners and buried feelings.

"I guess I should get out of your hair," Paige smiled. Phoebe smiled back and kissed her sister on the cheek.

"Thanks for the talk," Phoebe said, "I love you."

"I love you too," Paige answered as she walked toward the door and called up the steps for her daughter, Bekkah. The blonde haired girl appeared at the top of the steps with Carly behind her. She came quickly and obediently to her mother’s side. Carly joined Phoebe as they watched their family depart.

"Come back later," Carly demanded as she hugged her cousin.

"Okay," Bekkah agreed as she waved to her aunt.

"Tell Shane I say hi," Phoebe said, "see you at the club tomorrow."

"Bye," Paige said as she opened her car door and buckled her children in. Phoebe stayed in the doorway as she watched her sister’s car pull away and disappear around the corner.

After a few minutes Phoebe finally turned back to her daughter. Carly smiled and lifted her arms. Phoebe smiled too and picked her daughter up, balancing the small girl easily on her hip. Carly laid her head against her mother’s shoulder and sighed deeply.

"Daddy put Aunt Prue in her bed," Carly said, "but Aunty Prue woked up and cried again."

Phoebe sighed, "Your Aunt Prue misses the way things used to be."

"You mean when she didn’t need her chair?" Carly asked, she’d heard many stories of times before the "accident" and before Aunt Prue couldn’t walk like her.

"Yes," Phoebe said. "How about you go see if your daddy will take you and your brother to the park. How does that sound?"

"Can’t you come too?" Carly begged.

"No," Phoebe said, "I have to make sure your Aunt Prue knows that I love her. You know, like I do to you and Colton when you’re sad. Aunts need that too sometimes. So you three go to the park this time."

"Okay," Carly agreed and Phoebe set her down. "Colton!" Carly ran off in search of her older brother.

Phoebe stood at the bottom of the stairs and took a deep breath. She knew that this would not be an easy task and now more than ever she wished that Piper were there. But Piper and Prue didn’t speak much anymore, Piper was angry and Prue was indifferent. Phoebe lifted her foot and let her hand balance on the railing a minute. Prue’s face flashed across her mind and Phoebe, for one second, felt the ache of a sister lost. She knew Prue was not physically gone, she would never mentally be the same sister Phoebe had once loved as a mother. But now, Phoebe reminded herself, the Prue of here and now needed her. So Phoebe Halliwell took another step up the stairs, and then another. All the time reminding herself that Prue, a girl who’d already lost so much in her life, would never get to take steps like that again. And that, she thought, was why life was not fair.

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~
"Prue?" Phoebe called softly as she pushed open the door to her older sister’s room at the end of the hallway.

Phoebe had moved Prue into the room with the adjoining bathroom so Prue wouldn’t have to move around as much. Getting her downstairs for breakfast was a hard enough effort that led to countless arguements, frustrated tears and hurt feelings. But through it all Prue had counted on Phoebe fully, something Phoebe had never experienced from her sister, and had taken pride in.

"Phoebe? Can you give me a hand?" the voice came from the other side of the bed.

Phoebe walked around and found her sister on the floor. She sighed as she leaned down and put her arms under Prue’s armpits and hoisted her sister up. From there she walked sideways to the bed, dragging her sister with her. Then Phoebe carefully lifted her onto the bed. When this was over, both sisters were breathing heavy.

"What happened?" Phoebe asked.

"I woke up and reached to get some water," Prue gestured toward the table at her right, "but I fell. Stupid table, somebody moved the damn thing! I bet it was Colton, that kid is always messing around in here," Prue exploded. Phoebe waited patiently until Prue’s fit was over. Prue sighed and shook her head, "I’m sorry," she whispered.

"I know, it’s okay," Phoebe assured, she’d gotten used to Prue’s fits. The dcotor had warned her that the psychological damage of losing legs to a usually healthy person was tremendous. And Phoebe knew it was extra hard for Prue, who was not used to ever needing anyone before. "Why can’t you fall asleep? Carly said you were crying."

"That child," Prue said with a smile playing on her lips, "does not forget a thing."

"Don’t change the subject Prue," Phoebe said firmly, "is something wrong?"

"Well I can’t use my legs for starters," Prue said, edge in her voice, "then there’s the fact that I am now the oldest of FOUR girls, the youngest of which seems to fit more into this family than I do..."

"Prue that’s not true," Phoebe defended.

"Oh it’s not?" Prue asked, "when was the last time we all sat down and had coffee Phoebe? Come on, when was the last time I sat down with any of my sisters and did what you just did with Paige?"

"Prue you know anytime you want to do that, all you have to do is say the word," Phoebe pointed out.

"But I don’t want to have to ask," Prue snapped, she paused apologetically and continued in a gentler tone, "I never used to have to ask."

Phoebe was silent, she knew that her older sister was right, as Prue usually was. It was just so hard to get Prue dowstairs that it didn’t happen much. And it was even harder to get her into the attic, especially