Disclaimer: I own no one, everyone appearing in this fic belongs to Charmed, Aaron Spelling, the WB and whoever else owns the show.

This story takes place when Prue is nine, Piper is seven, and Phoebe is three. Patti never died, but Victor did leave them… No Paige, no Sam [sorry].

~~~

Patti stood in front of the crowed for her mother’s funeral, her eldest daughter Prue sat on her right, her middle daughter Piper and her left, and her baby, Phoebe in her arms. She wasn’t really paying attention to what the priest was saying; no Patti’s mind was elsewhere.

FLASHBACK:

Penny Halliwell drove her car as fast as the speed limit would allow. Her mind was racing, and filled with worry. Worry for her baby, her only daughter, Patti.

Patti had gone out earlier saying she was running up to the store to pick a few things up and asked if her mother, Penny, could watch her girls. Happy to spend time with her grandchildren Penny happily agreed. But after an hour had gone by and still Patti had not returned, or called to say she was going to be a little longer than she had planned Penny figured out what was going on. Patti had gone to vanquish the water demon on her own.

Quickly Penny gathered the girls up and led them to their neighbour’s, and family friends, house, the Trudeau’s before getting in her car and speeding off to the camp where the water demon resided.

Stopping the car Penny jumped out, not even bothering to close the car door. She sped off as fast as she could, which considering her age, was pretty fast. She ran to the docks and her heart stopped.

Patti was trying to get the power box open [forgot what it’s called my apologies] and in doing this Patti had her back turned to the other side of the dock, where the demon was slowing emerging.

Taking off to save her daughter, Penny screamed Patti’s name several times before reaching the dock. Patti looked up, surprised to see her mother standing a few feet away, looking behind her. Patti turned around as the water demon prepared to take its next victim. Patti braced herself, she braced herself for death but then something she didn’t expect happened, her mother jumped in front of her and the water demon took over Penny Halliwell and then went back into the water.

Patti screamed, she screamed for her mother. She searched through the water for an arm, a leg, anything that would help her get her mother out of the water and back to safety. But as she saw nothing she realized what happened, her mother was dead; saving her.

END OF FLASHBACK:

People began moving around as Patti came out of her thoughts. She started walking towards her mother’s coffin, with Phoebe still in her arms and instructed Prue and Piper to follow.

“Mommy?”

“Yes Piper?”

“Where are you going?”

Patti looked down and into the innocent eyes of her older daughters. She knew that Prue understood what was going on. Ever since Patti had told her girls what had happened Prue had become very quite, very sullen. But Piper, Piper [as well as Phoebe] didn’t understand. Patti lowered herself to Piper’s height, pushed a stray hair out of her face and answered her question.

“We’re going to go so bye to grams baby.”

“Is she going to heaven?”

“Yes.”

“Oh.”

And with that Piper grabbed her mother’s free hand and held on tight. She didn’t completely understand what was going on. But she knew that her mother had told her that her grandmother had died and was going to heaven to be with grandpa. And she knew she wouldn’t see her again. And then the tears came, and then Phoebe started crying. Although Phoebe didn’t understand, she knew Piper was sad, and she didn’t want Piper to be sad, so she cried with her.

But Prue, Patti noticed, didn’t shed a single tear. She looked upset, her eyes looked watery but not one tear fell. Prue tried to comfort Piper, and Patti knew Prue was trying to be strong.

She stood up and continued walking to the coffin as it was being lowered into the ground. She said her good-byes to her mother, and placed her rose on the coffin, instructing her daughter’s to do the same. And then, Patti led her girls out of the cemetery and into the car that was waiting to take them home.

---

LATER THAT NIGHT:

Patti sat on the couch and pulled her feet up. She had just put the girls to bed and needed some time to think. How was she going to go on without her mother? She was a single parent now. Sure, she had been a single mother for quite some time now, but her mother had always helped her. But now her mother wasn’t there. But Patti would make it all work; she had to, for her daughters. And then her thoughts switched to those of her girls. How close they had come to losing their own mother, only to lose their grandmother, all because of their magic. It was then that Patti knew, in order for her girls to be safe she would have to bind their powers, all of their powers.

She was brought from her thoughts by the squeak that came from the hallway. She turned her head and saw Prue staring at her. She opened her arms to her oldest daughter, he ran into them. Patti saw once again as Prue’s eyes watered, but no tears would come. She placed her chin on Prue’s head.

“It’s okay to cry Prue.”

“I…I…I miss her.” Prue felt the dampness on her cheeks.

“I know baby, I miss her too.” She looked down at her daughter and saw her crying, and then she saw the tears turn into sobs.

“Why…why... did she have…have to d…d…die?”

“I don’t know baby, I don’t know.”

She felt Prue move in her arms and then settle back down again. She felt her daughter’s body rack with sobs and all she could do was hold her.

---

Patti woke up early the next morning and instantly felt the two small bodies attached to her midsection. Moving carefully, so as not to wake Prue and Piper as she untangled herself from them Patti made her way out of the room and into the nursery.

Walking in Patti saw the two brown orbs looking into her eyes.

“Mama, up!” Said little Phoebe. She seemed unfazed at the moment and it was then that Patti came to the realization that Phoebe would have little or no memories of her grandmother. Phoebe was too young to understand and feel the loss that her two older girls and she felt.

“Morning baby girl.” Patti said as she scooped Phoebe into her arms and headed downstairs with her.

She placed Phoebe in the high chair before proceeding to make breakfast. And then Patti remembered, she couldn’t cook. She felt her eyes well up with tears and she felt her cheeks become moist.

Little Phoebe saw this and beckoned her mother towards her.

“Mama.” Patti turned and walked to her baby. Phoebe reached up with her hands and attempted to wipe away Patti’s tears just as Patti had done in the past for her girls. Patti reached up and grabbed Phoebe’s hand before kissing her forehead.

“Thanks baby girl.”

---

Prue slowly opened her eyes and looked into those of her younger sister.

“Morning Piper.”

“Morning Prue.”

They sat in an awkward silence for a few seconds before Piper started crying. Prue saw this and reached up to wipe the tears away.

“N…no Prue. L…leave th...them.”

Piper pushed Prue’s hand away from her face as she continued to cry.

“Why, why did she ha…have to d…die Prue?” Piper managed to get out between sobs. “I mi…miss her. Why did sh…she leave? W…was it be…because she does…doesn’t lo…love me any…anymore?”

Prue sat there stunned, how could her seven year-old sister feel that their grandmother died because she didn’t live her?

“No Piper, grams loved you, and Phoebe, and me, and mommy.”

“Then why…why did she d…die?”

“Sometimes things happen Piper,” Prue began telling Piper what her mother had tried to explain to her last night, “things that we can’t stop. Grams didn’t want to die Piper, but she did. And now, she’s watching us with grandpa, and we’ll see her again eventually.”

This calmed Piper down somewhat as she squirmed closer to Prue and fell asleep again.

This whole time Patti watched from the door, she watched as Piper opened up to her sister and as Prue tried calming and reassuring her.

‘They shouldn’t feel this pain so young.’ Patti thought. ‘It’s not fair to them.’

She felt Phoebe get heavy in her arms and looked down to see the sleeping baby, so she walked over to her bed and lay Phoebe down beside her sisters, before climbing in herself.

THE NEXT DAY [afternoon]

Prue walked into the living room after hearing her mother calling for her and her younger sister, Piper. Piper was a few steps ahead of her, and Prue followed quietly. Piper sat on the couch next to Patti, and Prue went to sit in the armchair across from them, but Patti indicated for Prue to sit on her other side, so she did.

“Girls, this is about your powers. It’s not safe to have them.” Patti started, “Bad people can find you with them, and they can hurt you. So Mommy has to take them away for a while.”

“Okay mommy,” Piper said calmly.

Patti turned to Prue to see her reaction, and she was surprised to see Prue fuming at the idea of having no powers.

“No.”

“Prue, this isn’t your choice.”

“THEN WHY’D YOU ASK! I’M NOT GIVING UP MY MAGIC! NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!”

Prue stood up and ran out of the room, and then out the door. Patti sat in shock for a moment before hearing the front door being slammed open, and then she got up, set Piper aside, and followed Prue out the door.

“PRUE!” She yelled, “PRUE!”

No answer. Patti grew worried. At first when she opened the door Patti couldn’t see Prue, she thought that she was hiding, but Patti also heard nothing. No crying, no talking, no movement, nothing.

“PRUE!” She yelled once more before turning back and going inside.

She ran into the living room, got Phoebe out of her playpen, and grabbed Piper’s hand and led them next door to the Trudeau’s. She knocked at the door before it was opened by Mike Trudeau.

“Patti, is something wrong?”

“Prue took off and I have to go find her, could you watch the girls for me?” She got all that out in one breath.

Luckily, Mike understood what she was trying to say and ushered the young girls inside.

“Hold on Patti, I’ll just tell [I’m going to call Mrs. Trudeau Mary b|c I don’t know her name, k] Mary and I’ll help you look.”

Patti nodded and a few seconds later Mike Trudeau reappeared and led Patti to his car.

“Which way did she go Patti?”

“I don’t know, she just took off and when I got to the door she was gone.”

“Okay, do you have any idea where she might have gone?”

“No, she was upset about me wanting to bind their powers [yes, in this story the Trudeau’s know about their powers, it makes my life easier and she just took off.”

“Okay, then I guess we should head towards town and see if we see her there.”

Patti nodded, before turning her head and looking for her oldest daughter.

After about 15 minutes of driving around and no sight of Prue, Patti spoke up.

“Mike, maybe we should split, I’ll go one foot this way, and you go that way.”

Nodding in agreement, Mike pulled the car over and hopped out as did Patti.

Patti sped off to where she thought her daughter might be. For the past 15 minutes, as well as looking for Prue, Patti was also thinking of where her daughter might have gone, and she kept coming up with the same answer: the cemetery.

She ran up to the entrance, and then in the direction of her mother’s grave. Sure enough as Patti got close enough, she saw Prue, crawled up in a ball, sobbing next to her mother’s head stone. Her heart broke seeing Prue so upset. She kneeled down next to her daughter and gently eased her into her arms before standing up with the sobbing child and heading back to the car.

Walking up to the car, Patti opened the back door and sat down with Prue, waiting for Mike Trudeau to get back.

“Hey baby, shh it’s okay. Shh it’s okay.”

Patti tried soothing her daughter, but at the moment she was inconsolable. So she sat there, holding her, waiting for Mr. Trudeau to get back. And within five minutes, Patti saw Mike walking back to the car.

“She okay Patti?”

“I don’t know. Physically yeah, but she hasn’t stopped crying.”

Nodding Mike Trudeau got into the front seat of his car and headed home. He dropped Patti and Prue off at the Halliwell manor, saying he’d bring the other girls home later.

Patti walked into the living room, Prue on her hip. Sitting down, Patti placed Prue on her knee before speaking.

“Calm down baby, tell mommy what’s wrong. Shh come on honey, tell mommy what’s wrong.”

“I don’t wantwant ttto lose my, my powpowerssssss!”

“Why not honey? Tell me why.”

“Grams, she, she said that, that our powpowers were the saaaaaaaaaaame. It was our special conconconnection. It’s all I have lefleft of heeeeeeeeeeer!”

Prue broke down in sobs again. Patti hugged her close.

“Oh baby, your powers aren’t all you have left of grams. Oh honey, she loved you so, so much. You, and Piper, and Phoebe, and me. She loved us all. She doesn’t live in your powers Prue; she lives in your heart, our hearts. You don’t have to keep your powers to hold on to your grandmother.”

Prue calmed down considerably, but kept on sobbing. Patti held her closer and rubbed her back.

“Please don’t take my powers mommy! Please don’t. Please don’t take them” Prue’s voice trailed off as she felt her eyelids get heavy and sleep overtake her, “Please don’t take them.”

She drifted off to sleep, while Patti kissed her forehead.

“We’ll see baby, we’ll see.”

The words left her mouth as she leaned back, Prue in her arms, and joined her daughter into the world of sleep.

---
WHEN THEY WAKE UP

Prue awoke with a start. She felt the familiar arms of her mother envelop her in a hug as she settled back into them, for the moment, she was at peace. She turned her head and looked into her mother’s eyes.

“Please don’t take them, please.”

“Oh honey, I don’t want to take them, believe me. I want you and your sisters to grow up knowing who you are, but it’s not safe. Demons would be coming after you three girls all the time”

Prue interrupted her, “But demons have always come after us. I don’t understand why are having powers now different then when Grams was alive?”

“Oh Prue,” Patti began, “it wasn’t any different when your grandmother was alive. I just didn’t realize how much danger your powers brought to you. Death never seemed real to me. It seemed like something that wouldn’t happen, not because of magic anyway. And I hope that when you do get your powers back, you’ll understand why I have to take them, and maybe you’ll forgive me?”

“You’re taking them?”

Prue felt the lone tear roll down her cheek, and she also felt the hand wiping it away.

“I’m sorry baby, I have to.”

Prue thought for a moment before answering, “I don’t understand, but I forgive you.”

She grabbed her mother around the neck and hung on tight, resting her face in the niche of her mother’s neck.

Patti was at a loss of words. Prue had forgiven her for something that she had yet to forgiver herself for. Or maybe she didn’t understand why she was doing it herself. She knew it had to be done, but she didn’t know why. So she decided to take Prue’s advice, to forgive herself, whether or not she understood why.

Patti hugged Prue back, holding her safely in her arms.

DING DONG DING DONG DI-------

Patti pulled away from Prue and looked her in the eyes.

“Be right back baby.”

She placed Prue on the sofa before getting up to answer the door.

Opening the door, Patti saw that is was Mike Trudeau, with Piper and Phoebe.

“Hi Mike, thanks again, for everything today. Tell Mary I said thanks also.”

She took a sleeping Phoebe from Mike’s arms as she began to stir, and moved aside to let Piper enter the house.

“Anytime Patti. And, if you don’t mind me asking, what is going to happen?”

“I’m going to bind them Mike, I have to. There is no other way.”

“When?”

“I don’t really know, within the week. There are some things I need to take care of first. And thanks again Mike.”

“Anytime Patti. See you around.”

As Mike Trudeau turned and left, Patti carefully shut the door behind him. Walking into the living room Patti placed a slightly awake Phoebe in Prue’s arms.

“Prue, can you hold her for a little, I have something to take care of?”

Nodding her head, Prue took the sleeping Phoebe from her mother.

Thanking Prue, Patti made her way into the kitchen, and to the phone. Picking it up, Patti dialled a number, one she hadn’t called in over a year. After a few rings, someone on the other line picked up.

“Hey Victor, it’s Patti”

---

Plopping down on the living room couch after a two hour telephone conversation with his ex Victor’s mind began to race. After an hour of arguing, it was agreed that Victor would move back to San Francisco and would be apart of his daughter’s lives. It wasn’t that Victor didn’t want to be part of his daughter’s lives, but things were complicated. They always were with Patti. There were two major reasons that Victor didn’t want to go back. One was because of magic. He knew his girls weren’t safe with their powers and, he felt, that if he didn’t get close to them, when they were hurt it wouldn’t hurt as much.

After realizing that the girls wouldn’t have their magic anymore, Victor became a little more accepting towards moving back. But, reason number two was holding him back. Reason number two, Patti Halliwell. Yes, Patti Halliwell was reason number two, and the biggest reason that Victor couldn’t go back. You see, Victor didn’t originally leave because of Patti; he had left because of magic. But as the time went on, Victor realized that he never really got over Patti, and he knew he never would. He knew she was the one, but he also knew that after walking out on her and the girls, and many months of separation that Patti did not feel the same about him. He also knew that the only reason Patti called him was because the girls had lost so much, and they needed their father. Not because Patti wanted, not because the girls wanted it, but because the girls needed it.

---

Patti Halliwell walked into the living room after ending her conversation with Victor and found the scene pretty much the same. Prue and Phoebe were on the couch watching the television and Piper was on the floor playing with her dolls.

Walking over to the couch Patti sat down next to Phoebe, so that Phoebe was now between her mother and big sister.

Phoebe crawled onto her mother’s lap and rested her head on her mother’s chest, listening to her heartbeat.

Stroking Phoebe’s head, it was a while before Patti spoke.

“Piper, could you come here for a minute, Prue could you turn the TV off?”

Obeying their mother, Piper crawled on the couch on the side of her mother that Prue wasn’t already occupying and Prue turned the TV off.

“What is it mommy?” Piper asked as she played with her mother’s hair.

“Well girls, you know how daddy left a little while ago?”

Seeing the girls nod in understanding, Patti continued.

“How would you feel about daddy coming back?”

Looking at Piper, Patti saw her eyes dancing with excitement.

“Really! Daddy is coming home! Yay!” Piper shouted.

Looking down at Phoebe she wasn’t surprised to see no reaction. Chances were, Phoebe probably didn’t remember her father.

Looking over at Prue, Patti was shocked to see the same expression on her face as when she told her about binding their powers.

“Piper, can you take Phoebe upstairs for a little bit baby?”

“Sure mommy.”

Taking her little sister’s hand in her own, Piper led Phoebe up the stairs and into her room.

Turning to Prue, Patti began to speak.

“Prue, honey what’s wrong?”

“I don’t want him to come back.”

Not the reaction she was expecting, Patti drew Prue into her arms and held her tight.

“Why not baby?”

“Because he’ll just leave again. It’s what he does best.”

“Prue, he’s your father, and although leaving shouldn’t have been the solution, it was his. He couldn’t deal with magic honey. And that was his way of coping. I’m not saying it was right, I’m just trying to get you to understand.”

“But you don’t know that he won’t leave again. Phoebe doesn’t understand, she doesn’t remember. And Piper still thinks that he’s on a long trip. They don’t know what it’s like to be abandoned by him, and they shouldn’t have to feel that.”

“Oh Prue, oh honey. Are you afraid that your father will leave again if he comes back?” Feeling the slight nod of the head Patti continued, “Oh baby, he won’t leave again.”

“How do you know that?”

“I have faith that he won’t make the same mistake again. He loves you three Prue, very much. He just, he couldn’t’ deal with magic, he didn’t like the danger it puts you three in. And I see now just how right he was. We understand each other now; we have similar objectives this time baby. He won’t leave again.”

“But you don’t know that.”

“I do baby, I do. He won’t do that to you three again. I won’t let him.”

“I still don’t know.”

“Just give it some thought baby. But you’re going to have to accept it, whether or not you want this baby. I’ve spoken to him already and he’ll be here Friday and then he’ll start looking for places to live.”

Prue felt her anger rise.

“He’s coming, he’s coming! IF YOU KNEW HE WAS COMING WHY DID YOU ASK US HOW WE FELT ABOUT IT? YOU ALWAYS DO THIS! YOU ASK US HOW WE FEEL, EVEN IF IT DOESN’T MATTER! YOU ALREADY HAD THIS ALL PLANNED!”

Wriggling out of her mother’s arms Prue was upstairs in a shot, slamming the room to her door as she entered.

“Give me strength,” Patti mumbled into her hands as she buried her head in them.

---

It had been a few hours since Prue’s outburst and nothing more had been discussed on the matter of Victor Halliwell coming to live with his family. But Patti had something to do, something she promised Victor would be done before his arrival; to bind the girl’s powers.

Walking up the stairs Patti first stopped outside Prue’s door. Taking a deep breath, she braced herself for the fight she was sure would ensue. Knocking on the door twice, Patti slowly opened the bedroom door.

“Prue?”

“What?” Came the snide response.

“Don’t give me that attitude Prue. Despite your wishes right now I am still your mother.”

“Whatever.”

“Prue, not now. Look, I have to bind your powers now Prue. So come on, let’s go.”

Prue glared at her mother.

“No.”

“Prue!”

“No!”

“Prue, we talked about this, and if I recall correctly, you said you didn’t understand why I need to do this, but you forgive me for doing it.”

“You recall correctly.”

“Then why all the drama Prue?”

“Because I changed my mind.”

Running her hand through her hair Patti decided that enough was enough.

“That’s it!” Patti stalked over to Prue, grabbed her arm, and forced her to follow her out the door.

With Prue struggling behind her Patti made her way to Piper and Phoebe’s room.

“Piper, Phoebe, can you come with me to the attic for a few minutes.”

Nodding, Piper took a hold of Phoebe’s chubby little hand and led her to the attic.

“What are we doing mama?” asked Piper.

“It’s time to bind your powers sweet heart.”

Getting the necessary utensils, Patti lit the candles and prepared to say the spell.

“Okay girls, ready?”

Not waiting for a response Patti started the spell, and as soon as she began it, she finished.

Prue looked around. “Mom, what are you doing?”

‘Good, it worked,’ thought Patti.

“Cleaning Prue, I’m just cleaning this mess up.”

---

The days passed slowly, with Prue trying her best to avoid her mother ((she was still mad about her father coming back into heir lives)), and finally, Friday had came.

Patti walked into the living room, Phoebe on her hip, and Piper at her side.

“Prue!” She yelled upstairs, “You have to come down now; your father will be here soon!”

Patti placed Phoebe on the couch next to Piper before bustling around, cleaning up last minute messes.

“Prue, I mean it! Get your butt down here right now missy!”

Still no response.

“Prue, I…”

“What?”

Patti turned around to find Prue at the bottom of the staircase.

“Nothing Prue, nothing.” Patti sighed, “Just go wait in the living room with your sisters.

Sighing, Prue dramatically turned around and slouched into the living room.

“This is going to be fun,” Patti sarcastically remarked to herself, “oh such fun.”

---

DINGDONGDINGDONGDING----------

“Okay girls, this is it. He’s here.” Patti said, standing up picking up Phoebe with her.

Piper excitedly stood up but Prue remained where she was, but followed obediently after receiving a glare from her mother.

Opening the front door, Patti smiled at the man before her. The man she once loved, the man that left her.

As the door opened Prue stared, she just stared. There was nothing else she could bring herself to do. There stood the man that had abandoned her, her sisters, her mother. She just stood there, and stared.

“DADDY!” Piper screamed. As soon as the door opened Piper had launched herself into her father’s arms. “YOU’RE BACK, YOU’RE BACK!”

“Yep princess, I’m back.”

Prue at first felt angry with Piper, for being so welcoming. But then again, Piper didn’t understand that the man she was so eager to see was the same man that abandoned them over a year ago. She didn’t understand, and she couldn’t be blamed for that.

Prue stopped staring at her father and turned her attention to Phoebe. Phoebe, she noticed, buried her head further into her mother’s shoulder. Prue had found this odd; normally Phoebe was the most outgoing Halliwell, but then again Phoebe was only outgoing when she was with people who knew her. And to her, Victor was a stranger. And Phoebe was shy around strangers.

“Hello Victor, it’s nice to see you again.”

“It’s nice to see you again too Patti.”

The family of five stood in awkward silence for a few seconds before Piper hopped down from her father’s arms and started leading him away. Attempting to give him the grand tour.

“Whoa, hold on there princess. Let me grab my bags first and then you can show me around.” True to his word, Victor picked up his bag and then allowed Piper to lead him around the house he already knew so well.

“Mama,” little Phoebe started, “who dat man?”

Looking down at her baby daughter Patti replied, “That’s your daddy baby, that’s your daddy.”

---

LATER THAT NIGHT:

Patti carried Phoebe into the bedroom she shared with Piper, and placed her in her “big girl bed.”

Tucking Phoebe in Patti made her way over to Piper’s bed and kissed her good-night as well.

Walking out of the room Patti passed Victor in the hallway, saying good-night to her ex; Patti made her way to her room and got settled for a peaceful sleep.

Meanwhile ((dun dun dun)):

Prue was sitting in her bed, she was supposed to be asleep, but she wasn’t tired. She had too much on her mind.

The door creaked open and she figured it was her mother, but when she looked up she didn’t look into the blue eyes that mirrored her own, but into the deep brown ones she longed to see a year ago. That longing had soon left her, and now all she wanted was for them to go away, to stop haunting her.

“Sit up!” Victor barked, but he was careful not to raise his voice loud enough to wake anyone else up.

Prue sat up, afraid of what was going on.

PUNCH!

Prue felt the impact of her father’s fist slamming into her stomach and she doubled over in pain.

“Wha…?”

Victor didn’t allow Prue to finish what she was saying.

“You listen to me Pru-dence,” they way he pronounced her name sent shivers down Prue’s spine; she knew something bad was going to happen. “You’ve been a bad girl. First, you don’t welcome me; give me a hug/kiss, anything when I came today. And then you completely ignore me. That is unacceptable missy. I AM YOUR FATHER, and you will respect me.”

Prue nodded.

“Good, now go to sleep, and if you tell anyone, I will kill your mother and take custody of you three, and I will ruin your life Prue. You understand me?!”

Prue nodded.

“ANSWER ME!”

”Yes, yes I understand!”

“Good girl.” His mood changing completely, “Good-night Prue.”

With that he left his very frightened daughter alone, to think about what had just happened.

‘Daddy hurt me,’ Prue thought, ‘daddy hurt me.’

The voice kept repeating itself over and over again in Prue’s mind.

Victor’s plan was working. He was ‘daddy’ again to Prue. But for how long?

---

Prue awoke the next morning to the chirping of the birds outside her window. Getting up she opened her shade and looked at the mommy bird and the baby bird, and she watched how the mommy bird patiently, tried to teach the baby bird to fly, she watched a mother try to teach her child to soar through the sky, to soar above the world, to soar away from her.

After about five minutes of watching the baby bird try to fly Prue saw the baby bird take off and start flying. It flew in circles and then it flew away. She watched as the bird did the one thing that she (Prue) had wished to do. To fly away from her home, from her problems. But then Prue saw the baby bird fly back to its mother, as it flew back home.

“Why did it come back?” Prue wondered out loud, “I would keep flying.”

Patti watched from the doorway of Prue’s room. She watched her daughter become mesmerized by the affectionate sight of a mother bird and baby bird. A smile crept across her face as she saw Prue reach out and touch the glass with her hand, resting it there, trying to be a part of the special moment between mother and child. But Patti’s smile turned into a frown as she heard Prue question the baby bird’s reasoning for coming back, and her from deepened as she heard Prue say she would keep flying. Was Prue really that unhappy? She was only nine; did she even understand true unhappiness?

Patti walked across the room and sat behind Prue on the window seat.

“The baby came back because she loves her mommy and her mommy loves her.”

Prue tilted her head up and looked her mother in the eye before turning her attention back to the mother and baby bird.

“Oh.”

Patti pulled Prue closer to her before asking a question herself. “Why would you keep flying, baby?”

Prue sighed, “Because when you can fly away, when you can fly above everything else you can forget about it all.”

Patti nearly chocked on air at that comment. Her little girl, her nine-year old baby girl felt the need to escape the world by flying away.

Giving Prue a kiss, Patti got up and went to leave the room but stopped before exiting.

“Prue, when you are finally old enough to fly away, to fly above me I want you to know that I can’t stop you. But I want you to remember this, I love you, I love you so much. And it hurts me that you are hurting and that you would rather fly away, forever instead of talking to me.”

With that Patti left her eldest daughter’s room and headed downstairs.

As soon as her mother left the room Prue felt the tears prick the back of her closed eyelids. She felt the tears stream down her face and then she felt them stop.

She turned around, and prepared to leave her room but stopped when she saw her father in her doorway. She saw the fire in his eyes.

“What was that about?”

“No… nothing.”

“What did you do?”

“Nothing daddy, really I didn’t do anything.”

Victor lunged forward and grabbed Prue by the arms and held her at eye level, pinned against the wall. He had his giant hands wrapped so tightly around her small arms, it felt as if he was squeezing the life out of her arms.

“Daddy, you’re hurting me.” Prue cried out.

“I don’t care you little brat, tell me what you did! What did you do to make your mother so upset?!”

In her best interest, Prue told her father of the bird incident, which only enraged her father even more.

“You listen to me Pru-dence, you are not going to ‘fly’ away, you are going to stay were I can keep an eye on you. And if you don’t, well you remember what I said last night, don’t you?”

Prue nodded, “Yes daddy, I remember.”

“Good.” Victor through Prue, roughly, to the floor, “Now, fix yourself up before coming downstairs, ready to go out for breakfast.”

“Yes daddy.”

“Good girl.” With that, Victor left the room.

Now, more than ever, Prue felt the need to fly away, and now, more then ever, Prue knew she couldn’t. She was stuck with her father for a very long, long time.

---

Walking downstairs Prue saw her family waiting for her in the foyer.

“Hurry Prueeeee! I’m hungry!” Piper whined.

Prue quickened her pace after seeing the glare her father sent her. She reached the front door.

---
((At I.H.O.P))

“So Victor, have you any idea where you want to live?” Questioned Patti.

“Not really, I haven’t had time to look yet.” Answered Victor.

Finally the meals came.

Patti looked up from her pancakes and looked at Prue who had remained quite throughout breakfast. She looked closely at her daughter, and then she saw something out of place. On her right arm she saw what looked like a ring shaped bruise around her upper arm. It looked swollen and blistered.

“Prue, what happened to your arm?” Patti asked?

Prue looked up and looked her mother in the eye, “What are you talking about?”

Victor too looked over ((after taking a bite of his Egg Benedict)) at Patti. And then he looked at Prue, her arm ((he noticed)) was swollen and blistered where he had held her that morning.

Patti pointed to Prue’s swollen arm.

“There baby, what happened there?”

“I don’t know.”

“Prue,” Patti started, “tell me the truth, what happened to your arm?”

“I told you the truth, I don’t know. I didn’t even know anything was wrong before you said anything!” Prue next to yelled.

CHOKE CHOKE – CHOKE CHOKE

“Daddy’s choking!” Piper yelled. “Mommy, help daddy!!!”

Patti turned her attention away from Prue and over to Victor, who she noticed was indeed choking on his Egg Benedict.

Not knowing what to do, Patti called a waiter over to the table and pretty soon the waiter had the Egg Benedict out of Victor’s throat and he had Victor back to normal.

“Daddy, are you okay?!” Piper cried.

“I’m fine princess, daddy’s okay.”

---

Later that night: DUN DUN DUN

Prue sat in bed once again, afraid to go to sleep; afraid her father would hurt her again.

She heard the door squeak open and she turned around and once again looked into the brown eyes, filled with rage.

Throughout the day Prue had relieved varies punches and slaps for ‘causing’ the commotion at I.H.O.P that morning, and she knew that now was the time for the BIG punishment, the one she had feared.

“Come here Prue-dence. You were a bad girl today, you know. First you had your mommy worried, and then you made me choke on the Egg Benedict. You were a very bad girl.”

Prue got up slowly, afraid of what was to come. Walking over to Victor, Prue stood tensely in front of him.

She felt her father pull her shirt off and her pants down, leaving only her panties on.

She heard him slide his belt off and she felt Victor turn her around. And then she felt the stinging of the belt slamming into her back. This punishment went on for a half hour and when it was over Victor put Prue’s close back on her and put her back in her bed.

“Now remember Prue, one word and I’ll ruin everything for you and your sisters.”

Prue, vigorously, nodded her head.

“Good, and tomorrow, we are going to have a ‘Daddy Prue Day,’ and you are going to cooperate understand me?”

‘Ye…yes daddy.”

“Good girl, g-night Prue-dence.”

---

The next morning Prue woke with the stinging feeling in her back, and memories of last night came back to her. And then she remembered, she was supposed to go with her father all day.

Getting out of bed, Prue headed downstairs, figuring if she was punctual she would receive no punishment.

Prue dressed quickly and walked downstairs, and saw her father in the living room, dressed and ready for the day. He smiled when he saw her; she was ready without having to be told to get ready.

“Patti,” Victor called, “We’re leaving.”

Patti walked into the room.

“Alright, hold on.”

She saw Prue waiting by the door and went over to her. She went to give her daughter a hug, but she felt Prue tense, and she figured Prue was still angry with her for everything that had happened in the past week.

“Have a good day hun,” Patti said, and turned around and walked back into the kitchen.

Once in the car Victor turned to Prue.

“Well Prue-dence, I was talking to my friend and he said he wanted to meet you, so we’re going to go meet him, and you’ll do as he says, got it!”

“Ye…yes daddy, I go…got it.”

“Good.”

They drove in silence for ten minutes before Victor pulled into the driveway of a small, old house.

Getting out of the car, Victor instructed Prue to do the same.

Together they walked up to the front door, knocked twice and waited for the door to open.

After a few seconds the door was opened by a large man with blood shot eyes.

“Vic, good to see ya. And let me guess, this must be little Prue-dence!”

The men shared a laugh before Victor and Prue were ushered inside the house.

“Now remember Prue, be a good girl for James, and if you behave you won’t need to be punished.” Victor instructed.

Prue nodded, tears in her eyes, as she followed James into the bedroom. She took one last look at her father, hoping he would change and stop James, but her father didn’t stop James, and she was forced into the bedroom.

---

An hour later Prue and James emerged from the bedroom. James had a grin across his face, obviously satisfied with what he had done. Prue on the other hand had a look of terror and pain.

“Did she behave, James?” Victor asked his friend.

James nodded, “She was really well behaved Victor. Thanks for bringer her over.”

“Prue, go wait by the car!” Victor barked.

Prue jumped at the sudden change in pitch but quickly ran out to the car.

Once Victor was sure that Prue was out of earshot he turned to James.

“What did you do to her?”

“What do you think I did Victor?”

“Right, so you’re satisfied now?”

“Completely.”

“Good, so, is that payment enough for the stuff?”

“Yeah, but just this once Vic. I did you a favor this time, next time you’re going to have to pay me.”

“Alright.”

James handed Victor a package which Victor took gratefully.

“I’ll see ya later James.”

“Bye Vic.”

Victor stood up and headed towards the front door; he opened it and stared at the people in front of him.

“Victor Bennet?” Asked the first male cop.

Victor nodded.

“Who’s your friend?” The second male cop asked seeing James in the other room.

“James, James McKeon.”

“You two are under the arrest for the abuse of Prudence Halliwell. You have the right to remain silent, anything you say can and will be held against you in a court of law.”

Each cop took a hold of the two other men in the room, placing their arms behind their backs and cuffing them together.

“Hey dude, what are you talking about?” Asked James.

“It’s Officer Adams,” Said the first cop, “and this is Officer Mearhead. And you know what I’m talking about.”

The two cops ushered the two men out of James’ home and into the waiting cop car.

“Officer, where’s my daughter?” Asked Victor.

“She’s been taken to San Francisco Memorial Hospital by Officer McGullen.” Answered Officer Adams.

“What gives you the right to take her without reason?” James asked.

“We drove by and Amy McGullen saw her in front of this house and asked us to stop. She asked the girl if she was alright and the girl said no, and told us what a ‘Mister’ James and her father have done to her. So we sent her to SFMH, and we are taking you two into custody now. And I suggest you stop talking, before you get yourselves into more trouble.” Answered Mearhead.

---

SFMH:

Prue sat in the hospital room; she hadn’t spoken since she told the cops what her father had been doing to her and what James had done to her.

The doctor stood in front of Prue, Officer McGullen stood off to the side.

“Okay hun, how about you tell me your name, huh?” Asked the doctor. “How about if I tell you my name and then you tell me yours? I’m Doctor Kriphol, but you can call me Julie if you want.”

There was silence for a moment, and Julie didn’t think Prue was going to speak.

“I…I…I’m Prue Hal…Halliwell.”

“Prue, that’s a pretty name. So Prue, can you tell me what happened to you?”

Prue looked up at the doctor, she looked into her eyes and saw the care in them, and it was then that she knew she could trust the doctor, that the doctor could help her.

“My grams died three weeks ago. My daddy had left us a year ago and we hadn’t heard from him. But when grams died mommy thought that we needed him to come back, that we needed two parents.”

Prue looked up at the doctor who urged her to continue.

“Keep going honey, you’re doing great.”

“Well, mommy called daddy and they both agreed that daddy should come back home. Mommy said that until daddy found some place to live he would be staying with us. I wasn’t happy that daddy was coming home, I hated him, he left us. But he came anyway. That night he hurt me for the first time, he said I was a bad girl, that I didn’t give him a hug when he came home. He said if I told anyone he would hurt my mommy. I didn’t want my mommy to get hurt. He hurt me some more before he took me to James’s. Then he took me to James’s. James, he hurt me down here.” Prue paused to point between her legs. “It hurt so bad, it, it…” Prue started crying, the tears she had to bravely kept under control began falling. She had no control over them.

Amy McGullen had heard enough. “Shh… it’s okay Prue, you don’t have to talk about it anymore, it’s okay, we’re going to make it better.”

Prue looked at the officer with a tear stained face. In her eyes too Prue saw the care.

“I just have to ask you one thing, okay Prue.”

Prue nodded.

“Did your mommy ever hurt you or did your mommy know that your daddy was hurting you?”

Prue shook her head, “NO! Mommy never ever hurt me, and if she knew daddy was hurting me she woulda hurt him real bad!”

Satisfied that Prue was telling the truth Amy McGullen looked at the doctor.

“I’m going to go call her mother now.

---

Halliwell Residence:

The phone started to ring so Patti Halliwell placed the laundry basket down before entering the hall to answer the phone.

“Hello?”

“Ms. Halliwell?”

“Yes, may I help you?”

“This is San Francisco Memorial Hospital, your daughter Prudence has been brought in …”

“Prue, is she all right, what happened is she hurt?!”

“Ms. Halliwell, your daughter has been beaten and severely raped; we need you to come down immediately.”

“I’m on my way.”

Patti hung up and quickly ran into the living room, gathering up her two youngest daughters.

“Come on girls, you have to go stay with the Trudeau’s for a little bit.”

She ushered Piper and Phoebe out the door and to the Trudeau’s house as quickly as possible before speeding off to the hospital.

---

Patti ran up to the nurse’s station and quickly demanded them to tell her where her daughter was.

“Prue Halliwell, where is she?!”

“Slow down ma’am. Have you any relation to Prudence Halliwell?”

“Yes, I’m her mother, where is she, where’s my baby?!”

The nurse looked up at the dishevelled mother and her heart went out to her.

“She’s upstairs in room 221 ma’am.”

Thanking the nurse Patti ran off to the elevator, and then rushed out of it and up to room 221.

Pushing the door open Patti walked into the room and saw her oldest daughter laying on the hospital bed.

“Prue.” Patti whispered.

Prue turned around and looked into her mother’s eyes, and saw the love, concern, and care that was always there. She held her arms out to her mother he rushed over to her and picked her up.

“Oh baby, are you okay what happened.”

Prue couldn’t speak; all she could do was cry in her mother’s arms.

“Shh, shh baby it’s going to be okay, shh.”

Prue continued to sob into her mother’s chest, she was still sobbing when the doctor walked in.

“Ms. Halliwell?”

“Yes, how’s my daughter, what happened to my daughter?!”

So Julie explained what had happened to Prue, leaving out nothing and leaving Patti in shock.

“My baby, oh Prue I’m so sorry, I should have listened to you when you said you didn’t want your father to come back home. Oh baby I’m so, so sorry.”

Patti at this point had tears in her eyes.

The doctor spoke again, “Uh, Ms. Halliwell, we’re going to have to do surgery on Prue, to fix the damage from the rape.”

Patti looked up at the doctor, “Do whatever you have to, to help my baby.”

The doctor nodded, and took Prue from Patti and took her to surgery.

---

A little bit later:

The doctor walked into Prue’s room to speak to Patti.

“Ms. Halliwell.”

Patti looked up, “How is she?”

“She’s going to be fine Ms. Halliwell, physically that is.”

“I know doctor; she’s going to need a lot of love and support from everyone now. And I want to get started on that as soon as possible. Before she gets the chance to fly away from me, I want to help her.”

“I know Ms. Halliwell. They’re bringing her to recovery now, you can go see her in ten minutes.”

“Thank you doctor.”

“You’re welcome Ms. Halliwell. Just remember, she needs all the love and support she can get right now. Have a good life, and take care of Prue. She’s a special girl.”

The doctor left the room leaving Patti alone, alone to think of what Victor and James had done to her baby. She knew it was going to be a long journey back to normal, whatever that was. But she knew that they would make it, they were Halliwell’s, and they always bounced back.

THE END!!!!!!!