Our Screwed-Up Destiny

[*Sammi!*]

haha! A microwave solves everything!
thats lovely sisterly love. So tempremental, and yet, busting with soooo much love.
Great update!

[woogyinthehouse]

lol great updates, after all that they are going to put it in the microwave, that was good. Loving the updates, do it again soon ;D

[~.:Alysha:.~]

Yeah i found that funny! Had this huge fight over who was going to put it in the oven then they end up putting it in the microwave! Glad they sorted everything out!! ;D

[pipercharmedphreak]

I love to see the tension break between Prue and Phoebe. Also again, I love the use of names and nicknames--Prue calling Phoebe Phoebs. It really shows the emotion within the story. Prue admitting she was wrong, what a rare sight to see and I loved it!! Great job ladies!

[Esmeralda]

I'm *so* glad you guys are still enjoying this, even tho we're passed the funeral. I especially like the fact that you liked Prue calling Phoebe "Phoebs" (the spelling I prefer to Pheebs, since her name *is* spelled Phoebe), since that's something that I missed during the last 5 seasons of Charmed--once Prue was gone, Piper never seemed to call Phoebe Phoebs, so, naturally, neither did Paige, and I always thought it was a cool way to show the closeness in the sisters. Maybe it was because Kern kept forgetting that despite not being the youngest, Phoebe *was* the baby of the family.

I also hope you guys like the middle names we've chosen. We were never told middle names during the show, but Prudence Victoria (named after Victor), Piper Melinda (named after Melinda Warren) and Phoebe Penelope (named after Grams) always seem right to me. Oh, if you're wondering, I think of Paige as Paige Samantha after Sam, even if her adopted parents wouldn't know that that was her blood dad's name.

I also smiled about you liking the fact that our Prideful Prue could actually admit that she was wrong (thanks to Andy!), while I also like that Phoebe, who Primrose and I always call "Little Miss Itsnevermyfault" could admit that she, too, was at fault. Without Piper around, these two are going to have to do that a lot!

Again, thanks so *very* much for reading and all of your fantastic reviews! Here's hoping you like the rest of our fic just as much!

[Primrose_Empath]

^ I will ditto that, Es.

*reads reviews and is temporarilly rendered speechless -- yet again*

I honestly don't know what to say to all of you, aside from "thank you a million times over" and giving you a huge hug. ;D

Here's a new piece for your reading pleasure!

---

--PHOEBE--

I shrugged sheepishly. "OK, so I forgot about the nuker. I would've starved in New York without it."

--PRUE--

So I put the chili in the microwave oven and set the timer for two minutes and the temperature on high. While it was cooking, the two of us began setting the table. Now this was something we had done for Piper a lot over the years, so we had no problems. Somehow it seemed like at any moment, Piper would walk out of the kitchen, carrying some wonderfully-aromatic dish, but of course she didn't.

When the microwave oven dinged, I checked it and it was plenty hot enough, so I brought it out to the dining room table, Andy reminding me to be sure to put it on one of the duvets that was sitting on the hutch. I smiled at the reminder. Piper loved our dining room table--she would've hated it if I put a burn mark on it.

--PHOEBE--

Meanwhile I took my salad out of the fridge and brought it out, along with the milk. After Prue had dished out some chili for everyone, we called the guys to the table. Cole and Andy walked in from the conservatory and sat down at the table, immediately tasted both the salad and the chili, everyone complimented me on my salad and laughingly complimented Prue on her chili, even as we all were thinking how much better Piper would've done with both.

--PRUE--

Even as I smilingly accepted the compliments, I noticed that someone was missing. "Be right back," I told the others, then I walked into the foyer and called up the stairs. "Leo?" I waited for a couple of seconds, and tried again, this time a little louder. But upon hearing no movement from the upstairs nor seeing my brother-in-law appear in his usual manner, I returned to the dining room, shaking my head; a puzzled expression on my face.

"Well, that's weird," I said, taking a seat at the table and looking around as if expecting Leo to appear at any second. He wasn't usually one to miss a family meal. "Come to think of it, have any of you guys seen Leo since we got home? Phoebs? Cole? Andy?"

--PHOEBE--

I shook my head, as did Cole and Andy. "Nope. The last time we saw him was a couple of hours ago when he was heading into his and Piper's room." Then a thought struck me as I reached for some crackers to dip in my chili. "You know what?"

"What?" Andy wanted to know.

"I didn't see him during the infamous 'oven argument' either." I continued. "I didn't think anything of it at the time, but now that I've had time to..."

--PRUE--

"It was kind of strange that he didn't come down and see what was going on." I finished, nodding. "After all, it wasn't like we were having a whispered conversation."

--COLE--

"You got that right," I snickered, earning me a swat on the arm from Phoebe and a slightly unamused look from Prue. "Ouch!" I said with a feigned injured look while rubbing my arm. "I've got an idea." My eyes lit up and I glanced across the table at Andy. "Is it possible for you to sense other whitelighters?"

--ANDY--

I shrugged. "I think so. I've never tried it--but I think so. Why?"

--COLE--

"Because if you can, then we'll at least have solved the mystery of Leo's whereabouts." I concluded, taking a drink of my milk.

--ANDY--

"Good idea. Guess it wouldn't hurt. Then at least we can find him to see if he's all right." Setting down my salad dish, I closed my eyes and tried to sense my whitelighter colleague. After about a minute I opened them again and found three sets of eyes staring at me in anticipation.

--PRUE--

"Well?" I asked, stopping my spoonful of chili halfway between my bowl and my mouth.

--ANDY--

I grinned. "Found him."

--PHOEBE--

"Where?" I inquired, setting down my glass.

--ANDY--

"On the top of Golden Gate Bridge."

--PRUE--

"That makes sense." After Andy gave me a questioning look, I explained further. "I remember Piper saying something once about Leo telling her that he goes to the top of the bridge whenever he needs to think or needs some downtime. She said that he calls it his 'sanctuary'."

--PHOEBE--

I nodded and smiled as I also recalled that conversation. "Of course!" I glanced across the table. "Andy? Would you mind doing a favor for us and going to check on him? At least then we'll know that he's okay. It's been a hard day for him, too."

--ANDY--

"No problem. I'll let him know that dinner's ready, too, just in case he's hungry. We whitelighters may not need food, but we still get hungry." Leaning over, I gave Prue a quick peck on the cheek. "I'll be right back." With that, I disappeared in a swirl of white lights.

---

Hope you're enjoying, and please leave your reviews after the beep. BEEEEP!

[~.:Alysha:.~]

Oh Andys a darl isnt he!! Going to see how Leo is!! Poor Leo i feel so sorry for him I just want to go and give him a great big hug!! Love the update girls! Kepp em coming

[pipercharmedphreak]

Aw! Love it as always. I was wondering when they were gonna mention Leo was gone!! ;D

[woogyinthehouse]

Hey it Rachel, just leaving a message on your machine to say, GREAT UPDATE!!! and that i ant wait for another.

Call back when you get this.

[Primrose_Empath]

And I'm just returning everybody's calls from yesterday to say "thank you!". ;D

So what's Leo up to? Let's find out....

---

--ANDY (continued)--

I orbed onto the top of the Golden Gate Bridge where I found Leo sitting on the top beam, looking even more worn out than that last time I had seen him.

--LEO--

Seeing my fellow whitelighter, I immediately jumped to my feet in fear. "The sisters..."

"They're fine," Andy told me soothingly. "They're just having dinner and were wondering where you are. Prue heated up some chili."

The words made me smile wryly. "Prue cooked?? Are you sure she won't poison you?"

--ANDY--

I smiled back. "Well, I'm a whitelighter now, remember? She can't poison me and she can't poison Cole and she won't poison Phoebe. It's one of the casseroles that one of the neighbors brought over. Chili. Prue simply microwaved it, and it's not that bad. Not as good as Piper's, of course...." But seeing the way Leo's smile fell, I knew that I had said the wrong thing. "Look, if you're not hungry and don't want any, I'm sure the girls will understand, and it's not like they were actually the ones who made it."

--LEO--

"They??" I asked. "You mean Phoebe helped?"

--ANDY--

"Yeah, she made the salad and didn't do that bad of a job."

--LEO--

I nodded. "Yeah, Piper showed her how..."

--ANDY--

"I'm serious, Leo. If you don't want to come to dinner, I'm sure the girls will understand."

--LEO--

I sighed. "You're right. I don't want to come to dinner, and I don't want to go to that celebration at P3 tonight. If I truly have to be there, then, OK, I will, but listening to all of those memories at the funeral and then thinking about all of them, it's just so hard, much harder than I ever imagined."

--ANDY--

"I'll talk it over with the girls. With Cole and me there, I don't really think they'll need you, although some of the people there might wonder why you're not there." He paused for a moment. "Victor may wonder why you're not there," and Leo laughed wrly at that. "But," I continued. "If you don't think you can handle it, I'm pretty sure they'll understand."

--LEO--

"Thanks, Andy; you've been a Godsend, both for me and for the sisters. If after you talk it over with them, if they think I should be there, or if when you get to P3, you sense I should, this is where I'll be, so you can come get me."

--ANDY--

I nodded. "Sounds good. Just take care of yourself and remember that you have a lot of people who care."

--LEO--

"Yeah, I know that, and that's what helps me to keep going. But I think I've had just about all the sympathy I can handle for one day."

--ANDY--

Again I nodded as I stood up. "Yeah, I think I can understand that. Take care," and after giving my fellow whitelighter a soothing pat on the back, I orbed back to the Manor.

---

To Be Continued...

[Prue's Empath]

Hey I love the story just calling to tell you the newest update is even more touching! I have some matters we need to speak of call me when you get this!

[woogyinthehouse]

lovely update! Sad, but lovely. I feel so much for Leo.

Continue...

[~.:Alysha:.~]

Yeah loved the update! Poor Leo, He loved Piper so much I feel so bad for him Please update very soon girls!!

[pipercharmedphreak]

It's nice to see Leo and Andy have a scene together. Just the two of them. We never really got to see them interact during the show. I feel that this is how they would have acted towards each as both fellow whitelighters and as family members (I consider Andy part of the family)

Can't wait for an update!!

[Primrose_Empath]

A special thank you to woogyinthehouse, Phoebe_Halliwell, pipercharmedphreak, and Sammi for being such loyal readers -- you guys are awesome. And we love that you loved that last update.

*smiles* Poor Leo -- don't you just want to give him a big hug? I know I do.

Pipercharmedphreak, we're glad that you liked how we wrote our Leo - Andy conversation. Even though we as viewers didn't get to see them interact a whole lot during the actual show, Es and I thought that this is pretty darned close to how they would've interacted with each other -- both as colleagues & family members (like you, we also consider Andy to be part of the family!).

And without further delay, today's update...

---

--PHOEBE--

Cole, Prue, and I were in the midst of a very animated conversation when Andy reappeared in the dining room. Cole was the first to notice and he nudged me on the arm. "How is he?" I inquired, my expression switching from laughing to concerned.

--ANDY--

I pulled out my seat at the table. "He's all right. Well, as all right as he could be, considering..." I shrugged and took a bite of chili, not really needing to continue the sentence. "He said that he's within 'calling distance' if you need him tonight, but that he's going to take a pass on dinner and the celebration at P3. He hopes you girls will understand."

--PRUE--

"Well, I'm glad he's all right," I smiled and Phoebe nodded. "And honestly, if I were him and found out that it was me who cooked dinner -- I'd take a pass on that too." Phoebe snickered at the comment, earning an eye-roll from me as I then continued. "And if he doesn't want to come tonight to the club, I most certainly won't hold it against him. How 'bout you, Phoebs?"

--PHOEBE--

Spearing some salad with my fork, I shook my head. "Nope. If he thinks it'll be too painful to be there, why should we force him to come? I mean, we'll definitely miss him being there...and I'm sure people will notice his absence, but I bet they'll understand too."

--ANDY--

The rest of the meal progressed uneventfully, as memories and laughter were shared and clean up was a tag-team affair, with the girls clearing the table while Cole and I tackled the dishes. Before we knew it, it was almost time to head to P3 for the celebration. Fifteen minutes later, after everybody had spruced up, we piled into Prue's car to head for the club with me once again behind the wheel.

--PRUE--

We were maybe halfway to P3, when suddenly Andy gasped, then quickly parked the car on the side of the road.

"What's wrong?" I turned to look at him with wide eyes.

"One of my charges! I've gotta go! Now!"

"Andy, no!" I cried. "I need you for this!"

"I'm sorry, Prue. I love you, but I gotta go!" and he orbed out.

"No!" I cried as I slammed my hand on the dashboard. "No, no! If he hadn't come, I could've done it on my own, truly I could've. But I got used to leaning on him." Leaning back in the seat, I covered my eyes with my hands.

--COLE--

I shrugged. "So I guess you lean on me and Phoebe and all the others who will be at P3. But we gotta go."

--PHOEBE--

"He's right, Prue," I told my big sister as I leaned over from the back seat to pat her reassuringly on the shoulder. "And you heard what Andy said. One of his charges needed him."

--PRUE--

"Yeah, and any other day, I would've been the first to tell him to go, but not today! What if he doesn't come back? I didn't even get to tell him good-bye or thanks for all he's done for me today. How can I lose him when this is the day we told Piper good-bye?"

--PHOEBE--

"You know better. If he can come back, he will, because he knows how much you need him. But obviously his charge needs him more. And remember what he told us at dinner...if we need a whitelighter, Leo is within 'calling distance'."

--PRUE--

I gave a heavy sigh, knowing that Phoebe was right, but not wanting to do this alone.

--COLE--

Again I shrugged. "Hey, at least he was here for the funeral. That would've been the hardest part to do without him."

--PRUE--

Reluctantly, I had to agree. "Yeah, you're right and I'm just being stubborn."

--PHOEBE--

"No, you're hurting, just like we are. I know just how you feel...it's how I felt when I couldn't get Cole to wake up this morning and thought I couldn't do this without him. But we're past the hardest part. This part, this is celebrating Piper's life! We can do this, Prue, we can! Remember what you told us before we left?"

--PRUE--

I gave her a weak smile. "Yeah, I said let's go make Piper proud of us."

--PHOEBE--

"Yep, so let's do it."

--PRUE--

And nodding, I scooted over to the driver's seat and started up the car.

---

More To Follow....

[*Sammi!*]

*woop* great update!

I have to say that I think Cole was being a tad insensitive when it came to Andy having to leave, just shrugging like that. Its a shame Andy had to leave though. Prue really needs him. Charges know how to tune in at the wrong time dont they?!

Keep the updates comin!

> Iv updated mine btw! hehe!

[woogyinthehouse]

great update! Im a little upset Andy had to go, i do hope that he comes back, Prue needs him to be there.

I cant wait for the next update and see what happens at P3

[pipercharmedphreak]

Like everyone else I hope Andy comes back. I really love this line:

primroseempath said:

"No, you're hurting, just like we are.

Totally captures what one of the sisters would say-especially Phoebe!! Great job ladies! Can't wait for an update!

[~.:Alysha:.~]

Yeah love it, love it , love it!! Poor prue, it would be so difficult having to go through it on her own. Phoebe has Cole to lean on so i really feel for Prue! Those dam charges! Talk about wrong timing lol! I love this story!!

[Prue's Empath]

I have an idea for a youtube Channel! Please could you and Es message me and talk to me. I think It could become a hit!