| After the service everyone returned to the manor for a wake, celebrating Prue�s life. Friends and family gathered around the manor discussing Prue and her life. Phoebe and Piper were busying playing hostess while everyone else sat and tried to comfort each other. Maria was staring out the window, not relating to anyone in the room. Her father noticed this and came and sat next to her. �Maria? Honey?� he whispered. �You gotta come back. We need you too much.� Maria gave no inclination that she heard him. So he just wrapped his arms around her and rocked her, probably more for his benefit than hers. He just felt like he needed to be close to his baby. Eventually, her father needed to mingle with the rest of the guests so he left Maria to sit alone again. After her father left she turned and surveyed the crowd. Her eyes landed on various members of her family, both blood and not. Suddenly she got the overwhelming urge to run. She knew that if it wasn�t for her Prue would be alive, and no one would be mourning. She saw that no one was paying attention to her at the moment, so she took that opportunity to slip out through the back door unnoticed. Michael was the first to notice Maria�s absence. He had left her sitting by the window, but when he returned she was gone. He looked around the room hoping she had just changed her sitting location. But he could feel the tightening in his chest telling him that he wouldn�t find her anywhere in the house. Despite his gut feeling he still searched upstairs. He knocked on her bedroom door then entered, finding nothing but an empty room. Michael went tearing downstairs and into the kitchen, where he found the whole gang congregating. �Maria�s gone!� he said in a rush. �What? Are you sure?� asked Liz. �Maybe she is just hiding out somewhere to be away from the crowd.� Michael shook his head. �I have looked everywhere. She is not in the house anywhere.� �Let�s not panic,� Cole said calmly. �Piper and Phoebe you check around the house. Ask anyone if they have seen her. Your father was the last person I saw with her. Max, Liz and the rest of you can take your car and drive around the neighborhood.� �What about you?� asked Phoebe. �I have a place I can check, where she might head.� �If you think you know where she is, then I want to go with you,� Michael said. Cole shook his head. �I am not sure she will be there, but if she is, then I will bring her back. Now, we all have cell phones so if anyone finds her, call the rest.� Having said that Cole kissed Phoebe on the cheek and headed out the door. Michael watched as Cole jogged to his vehicle. He wanted so badly to follow him, but he knew he had to trust him. If there was anyone else besides himself he knew he could trust with Maria it was Cole. And he was going to have to rely on that. *~*~*~*~ Maria was huddled next to the plaque inside the crypt that held Cole�s sister. She ran her fingers over the engraving that was beginning to wear. Despite it�s dreary looks and sad story, this was one of the few places that Maria felt safe. Cole had always told her that if she felt afraid or was lost she could go there and he would find her. When she left the house she didn�t consciously head to the cemetery. But it seemed as though her feet moved of the own will, and carried her. Once she reached the crypt she leaned against the cool stone wall. The place was so eerily quiet, Maria felt she could finally hear her own thoughts. The past few days it seemed like there had been too much noise, she couldn�t think straight. Her mind was all mixed up, and she wasn�t sure she would ever be able to straighten it out. But one thing she did know, she needed to get away from the manor. Everywhere she looked she was reminded of Prue. She woke up this morning and for a split second forgot that her sister was dead. Then when her brain cleared and she remembered, it was like losing her all over again. All the feelings of loss and guilt piled onto her small shoulders, and she needed to get away. She could feel the anger building in her small frame. It wasn�t fair! Prue should still be alive. Maria stood up suddenly and starting beating her fists against the wall. "I'm sorry! I made a mistake alright! How could you take my sister away, she was only trying to protect me! Give her back, I need her...." Maria yelled as tears ran down her face as she looked up at the ceiling, hoping the elders were listening. Maria screamed and screamed, her voice becoming hoarse. She looked around, realizing that nothing had come of her request. She knew the elders could hear her, but they were ignoring her cries. After her realization she did the one thing she could think of, even if it was forbidden. "In this night and in this hour, I call upon the ancient power. Bring back the power of three,� she chanted. Nothing happened "NO, bring her back! I'm sorry, I'm so fucking sorry," Maria cried out as she fell down onto the floor. Just as she partly touched the ground a pair of arms took a hold of her, she knew who it was. He sat down on the floor with her in his arms and rocked her like a baby. Despite his demon qualities, he was one of the people who cared about her the most. He was the one who told her where she could go if she ever needed to be alone, and he would always come find her. *FLASHBACK* "Maria if you ever feel overwhelmed and need to run, go to this place. I will find you. I will never leave you.� "Thank you, Cole" *END OF FLASHBACK* "Maria�" Cole said as he kissed her forehead. "I need her back," Maria cried into his chest. "I know." "I can't lose her, I need her more now then ever. It wasn't suppose to be this way, she wasn't suppose to die...." Maria got angry and rose from the floor and yelled at the ceiling: "I followed the damn rules, I did what they told me to do, so why can't I get my sister back?" "I don't know Maria, but what I do know is that you have two very worried sisters at home," Cole said to her. "I don't want to go home," Maria said. "Why not?" Cole asked. "How can I face them knowing I killed our sister?" Maria said as tears started to run down her face again. "Maria, you didn't kill her," Cole said. "Yea I did, I killed her," Maria whispered. "Maria listen to me," Cole said and took hold of her arms so that she was looking him in the eye and he continued. "You DIDN'T kill Prue, she died trying to help good." "And you see what that got us," Maria said and drew her arm away and walked to the other side of the tomb. Cole saw Maria's face and knew what she was about to do. "NO MARIA DON'T" Cole yelled. Maria didn't listen, she knew what she had to do. "Take this life, divide into two Bring back the heart that belongs to Prue." Maria felt a great power being drawn from her. She felt weakened, but continued the spell. �TAKE THIS LIFE, DIVIDE INTO TWO BRING BACK THE HEART THAT BELONGS TO PRUE!� Cole was trying desperately to reach her, but the spell was putting a shield between him and Maria. It was until she fell unconscious to the floor that he was able to reach her. "MARIA!" Cole yelled and caught her as she fell. "LEO..........LEO!" Cole yelled moments later he orbed in. DREAMLEVEL "Maria�" a voice whispered. "Prue?� TBC |
 |
 |