Title: Home Away from Home
Rating: PG
Author: Alcandre
This is loosely based on the Roches song "Home away from Home" on their CD "Can we go home now?" This is, once again, a really random story that I just thought of last night and typed it up in two hours. Let's just say I am very tired right now and don't feel like doing anything but sleep.
I don't own Charmed or the characters of Charmed.
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It all happened the summer I was 14. Things were pretty bad at home. Phoebe was 12 and Prue was 16. Of course, I was in the middle. I have also been in the middle. Okay, so maybe not but you know what I mean.
Anyway, Prue and Phoebe were always fighting. And when I say always, I mean *always*, like all the time. They never quit. From the moment I got up in the morning to the time I went to bed, they were always at it. "That's mine!" "No it isn't!" And so on and so forth. I thought I was going to go crazy!
One day, I was in the kitchen, reading the comics when Prue walked in, still in her PJs. It being Saturday, I wasn't surprised. I, however, had on a pair of blue jean shorts and a tank top.
"Morning, Prue."
"Morning," she mumbled as she sat at the table.
We sat in silence for a few minutes until Phoebe came down the stairs like a herd of elephants.
"Good morning, all!!"
I raised an eyebrow and Prue rolled her eyes. "Morning, Phoebe. You sure are happy this morning." I smiled at her and she smiled back.
"I am so excited about the trip to the mall with my friends today!" She exclaimed. "We're gonna have so much fun!"
I laughed at her excitement and looked over at Prue. She seemed mad about something.
'Oh crap,' I thought. 'Here it comes.'
"Did you ask Grams if you could go?"
Phoebe sighed in frustration. "Of course! Why? Are you jealous because you don't have any friends to spend a Saturday with?"
'Ooo, not good,' I thought.
Prue exploded. "I do to have friends!"
Phoebe gave an evil sounding laugh. "Then why are you staying at home with Piper today? "
'Mmm, something about the way she said that..'
Prue gave a huff of defiance. "Because I like spending time with my sister."
"Right, I bet you just feel sorry for her!"
My head snapped up at that. I felt my eyes widen and my throat go dry.
"You told me yourself you hated staying at home on Saturdays with Piper and Grams," Phoebe continued. "You said it felt like a loser convention when you were with them, especially Piper."
I felt anger build up inside me. But sadness followed it close behind. I stood up, the chair scrapping on the floor. Prue and Phoebe looked over at me, both of them seeming to see me for the first time.
"Oh, God," Phoebe muttered.
I opened my mouth to yell something. What, I don't know. But all I wanted to do was yell at them. I usually got thrown in the middle of their fights but never like that. My own sisters just degraded me!
I looked at Prue and Phoebe with disbelief and sadness clearly etched on my face. We must have stayed like that for five minutes until a sob finally escaped my throat.
"Piper," Prue started, walking toward me.
"No," I whispered. "No." And I ran out of the house as fast as I possibly could, slamming the door behind me.
The hot summer air hit my face as I ran down the front steps and to the sidewalk, tears streaming down my cheeks, leaving a hot wet trail of salt on my face. I turned left and just ran away from the Manor, just wanting to get away. I don't know how long I ran. But I finally just sat on someone's lawn in exhaustion. I was out of breath from running and crying at the same time.
I pulled my knees up to my chest and cried even harder. I never really showed my emotions that much around others. Prue was usually the only one I talked to. She would hold me and whisper soothing words in my ear as I cried my heart out. But she apparently didn't like doing that for me. She thought I was a loser.
"Honey?"
I snapped my head up at the unfamiliar voice. Wiping my eyes, I saw a tall, blonde haired woman, in her mid 20s standing over me with a concerned look in her eyes.
"Are you okay?"
I just nodded, giving a very weak smile. "I'm fine," I lied.
She eased herself onto he ground and it was then I noticed that she was pregnant, really pregnant. She turned back to look at me with a concerned smile. "You are a terrible liar, honey. What's the matter?"
I just looked at her. This total stranger was worried about me? Why me, of all people?
But then I felt the tears start to come again. Prue was right. 'I am a loser. I have no friends and all I do is sit at home and do homework or bug her and Phoebe,' I thought.
The woman seemed to have noticed that I was about to break down and she pulled me into her arms, hugging me and patting me on the back.
I cried into her shoulder, sobbing uncontrollably, glad to have someone to talk to.
After a while, I sat up and wiped my eyes. "I'm sorry," I muttered, not looking at her but at the ground we were sitting on.
"For what?" she asked, putting an arm around my shoulders.
"For sitting on your lawn and crying desperately."
She laughed and gave my shoulders a squeeze. "I understand the need to cry, honey. And if you just happen to be in front of a lawn, then shoot, cry there."
I gave a shaky smile and she smiled back. "Now, what's your name?"
"Piper Halliwell," I answered. "I live right down the street in the big Victorian Manor."
The woman nodded. "I know the house. I have always admired it whenever I go by it." She smiled. "My name is Lisa Goodrow. Me and my husband just moved here from Tennessee."
"Oh," I said. "Welcome to San Francisco."
"Thank you." She paused as she studied me. "Now, what's wrong Piper? You are awfully upset."
I sighed and looked back at the ground. I heard her start to stand up.
"Why don't we go inside for a glass of lemonade?" She said over me.
I gave a shy nod and stood up beside her. "That sounds good," I answered.
When we entered the house, I felt a sense of peace fall over me. This house was nothing like the one I lived in. There was no yelling upstairs or banging in the kitchen; no TV was on and no radio was blaring music. It was just peaceful.
I followed Lisa into the kitchen. "Why don't you get the glasses down?" She motioned to one of the cabinets and I obeyed, happy to help.
After she poured the lemonade we sat at the kitchen table and drank it in silence. Finally, I got up the nerve to talk.
"I have two sisters," I said, looking into my empty glass. "I'm the middle sister."
"Oh, a regular Jan Brady, huh?"
I laughed softly. "I guess in a way, but then again, no. They are always fighting. And not about important stuff." I looked up at Lisa. "They fight about trivial matters, like what to wear to school, what to read at night, and stuff like that." I sighed. "But they never made fun of me; until today." I moved the glass away from my hands that were starting to play with it. I do that when I'm upset; play with things around me.
"I was just sitting there, trying not to get involved and then Phoebe goes and starts making fun of Prue for not going anywhere today. And then she says, out loud, that Prue thinks I'm a loser. They completely forgot I was there! They forgot their own sister was in the room with them, listening to every word they said. And the way Phoebe was talking it made it sound like she felt the same way about me."
A tear fell down my face and I angrily wiped it away. I heard Lisa get up and felt her sit down beside me. Drawing me close, she said, "And that hurt, didn't it?"
"Like hell."
She gave a smile giggle and rubbed my back. "They still love you, Piper."
"How could they?" I pulled out of her motherly embrace, a kind of embrace I hadn't felt since Mom died, and looked at her. "I am a loser. I'm a nobody. I have no friends, no social life, and no boyfriend."
Lisa's gentle brown eyes seemed to fill up with love at that moment. "Piper, listen to me. I have known you for all of twenty minutes but I can tell you are not a loser. You are a wonderful girl, sensitive, beautiful, and very nice. And your sisters; they love you. I know they do. They are your sisters. No one can love you like your sisters can! Through you may fight, you may call each other names and you may seem to hate each other, love is still there." She paused. "I have two sisters as well."
I felt my eyebrows shoot up in surprise. "Really?"
"Yep, and I'm the middle sister."
"Wow!"
"But," Lisa continued. "I never let the name calling get to me too much. Sure, I cried and screamed but I still loved them and they still loved me. They always apologized later. They'd come into my room looking sheepish and guilty. And to set the record straight, I never started the name-calling. That was always my younger sister's fault."
I giggled and gave a genuine smile. "You're right," I said. "I shouldn't let this bother me too much."
She winked. "But there is no rule that says they don't have to suffer for making you feel bad."
At that moment, Lisa's doorbell rang. She stood up and smiled. "I'll be right back."
I nodded and placed my empty glass in the sink, then sat back at the table, feeling much better.
"Piper?"
I looked over at the doorway to the kitchen and saw Lisa standing there with a smile on her face. "You have some people here who want to talk to you."
I swallowed, already knowing who it was. As I passed Lisa, she gave me an encouraging hug. "You are welcome here anytime, Piper. Even if you just need a hug."
I hugged her back and smiled. "Thank you so much!"
When I got to the door, my sisters were there, looking guilty and worried. I stopped just outside the door, having closed it on my way out, and just looked at them, still weary of them.
"Piper," Prue began. "I am so sorry."
I just looked at her. Licking my lips, I took a deep breath. "You both hurt me really bad." I stated.
They looked down, Phoebe wringing her hands in front of her.
"We didn't mean to, Pipe," she whispered.
I sighed. "I know you didn't mean to but it happened. You hurt me real bad. I mean, you two were the ones I trusted with everything and I knew I could be myself around you guys. But now, I'm not too sure."
Prue looked back up at me, tears falling down her cheeks. "I didn't mean it."
"I know, honey. I know." And with that said, I pulled her into a hug, a feeling of relief flowing over me. I saw Phoebe squirm a little and I opened my arms wider, inviting her in as well. "Just promise me you won't say that ever again," I said firmly.
"We promise," they said in unison.
We started walking home then, all three of us as close as we could possibly get. When we were almost home I stopped and looked at them. "How did you find me?"
Prue gave a sheepish grin and Phoebe just giggled. "We went from door to door looking for you."
I laughed at that and shook my head. "I have the craziest sisters. But I still love ya anyway."
Phoebe crossed her arms in front of her chest. "I think the craziness runs in the family, Piper."
I gasped in fake shock and grinned. "You are so in for it, sister dear." And with that, the chase was on.
I went to Lisa's house around once a week after that. I would sit and talk with her about anything; school, sisters, and homework. She had her baby a few months later. It was a boy and they named him John.
I visited her and her family until I was 18. Her husband, Ben, got a job in Colorado so they packed up everything and left. I never saw them again. But I will always remember how nice Lisa was to me, how I felt so at home with her. I loved her so much, almost like an aunt. I hope one day I see her again so I can thank her for everything. Her house was my home away from home, a place I could go if Prue and Phoebe were fighting, or if I just wanted to talk. I hope one day, I can do the same for some other girl. Thank you, Lisa, for everything.
The End
There it is. I hope you liked it. Please Review!!!!!!!!
This story is copyrighted J. Ruffin April 8, 2003
Rating: PG
Author: Alcandre
This is loosely based on the Roches song "Home away from Home" on their CD "Can we go home now?" This is, once again, a really random story that I just thought of last night and typed it up in two hours. Let's just say I am very tired right now and don't feel like doing anything but sleep.
I don't own Charmed or the characters of Charmed.
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It all happened the summer I was 14. Things were pretty bad at home. Phoebe was 12 and Prue was 16. Of course, I was in the middle. I have also been in the middle. Okay, so maybe not but you know what I mean.
Anyway, Prue and Phoebe were always fighting. And when I say always, I mean *always*, like all the time. They never quit. From the moment I got up in the morning to the time I went to bed, they were always at it. "That's mine!" "No it isn't!" And so on and so forth. I thought I was going to go crazy!
One day, I was in the kitchen, reading the comics when Prue walked in, still in her PJs. It being Saturday, I wasn't surprised. I, however, had on a pair of blue jean shorts and a tank top.
"Morning, Prue."
"Morning," she mumbled as she sat at the table.
We sat in silence for a few minutes until Phoebe came down the stairs like a herd of elephants.
"Good morning, all!!"
I raised an eyebrow and Prue rolled her eyes. "Morning, Phoebe. You sure are happy this morning." I smiled at her and she smiled back.
"I am so excited about the trip to the mall with my friends today!" She exclaimed. "We're gonna have so much fun!"
I laughed at her excitement and looked over at Prue. She seemed mad about something.
'Oh crap,' I thought. 'Here it comes.'
"Did you ask Grams if you could go?"
Phoebe sighed in frustration. "Of course! Why? Are you jealous because you don't have any friends to spend a Saturday with?"
'Ooo, not good,' I thought.
Prue exploded. "I do to have friends!"
Phoebe gave an evil sounding laugh. "Then why are you staying at home with Piper today? "
'Mmm, something about the way she said that..'
Prue gave a huff of defiance. "Because I like spending time with my sister."
"Right, I bet you just feel sorry for her!"
My head snapped up at that. I felt my eyes widen and my throat go dry.
"You told me yourself you hated staying at home on Saturdays with Piper and Grams," Phoebe continued. "You said it felt like a loser convention when you were with them, especially Piper."
I felt anger build up inside me. But sadness followed it close behind. I stood up, the chair scrapping on the floor. Prue and Phoebe looked over at me, both of them seeming to see me for the first time.
"Oh, God," Phoebe muttered.
I opened my mouth to yell something. What, I don't know. But all I wanted to do was yell at them. I usually got thrown in the middle of their fights but never like that. My own sisters just degraded me!
I looked at Prue and Phoebe with disbelief and sadness clearly etched on my face. We must have stayed like that for five minutes until a sob finally escaped my throat.
"Piper," Prue started, walking toward me.
"No," I whispered. "No." And I ran out of the house as fast as I possibly could, slamming the door behind me.
The hot summer air hit my face as I ran down the front steps and to the sidewalk, tears streaming down my cheeks, leaving a hot wet trail of salt on my face. I turned left and just ran away from the Manor, just wanting to get away. I don't know how long I ran. But I finally just sat on someone's lawn in exhaustion. I was out of breath from running and crying at the same time.
I pulled my knees up to my chest and cried even harder. I never really showed my emotions that much around others. Prue was usually the only one I talked to. She would hold me and whisper soothing words in my ear as I cried my heart out. But she apparently didn't like doing that for me. She thought I was a loser.
"Honey?"
I snapped my head up at the unfamiliar voice. Wiping my eyes, I saw a tall, blonde haired woman, in her mid 20s standing over me with a concerned look in her eyes.
"Are you okay?"
I just nodded, giving a very weak smile. "I'm fine," I lied.
She eased herself onto he ground and it was then I noticed that she was pregnant, really pregnant. She turned back to look at me with a concerned smile. "You are a terrible liar, honey. What's the matter?"
I just looked at her. This total stranger was worried about me? Why me, of all people?
But then I felt the tears start to come again. Prue was right. 'I am a loser. I have no friends and all I do is sit at home and do homework or bug her and Phoebe,' I thought.
The woman seemed to have noticed that I was about to break down and she pulled me into her arms, hugging me and patting me on the back.
I cried into her shoulder, sobbing uncontrollably, glad to have someone to talk to.
After a while, I sat up and wiped my eyes. "I'm sorry," I muttered, not looking at her but at the ground we were sitting on.
"For what?" she asked, putting an arm around my shoulders.
"For sitting on your lawn and crying desperately."
She laughed and gave my shoulders a squeeze. "I understand the need to cry, honey. And if you just happen to be in front of a lawn, then shoot, cry there."
I gave a shaky smile and she smiled back. "Now, what's your name?"
"Piper Halliwell," I answered. "I live right down the street in the big Victorian Manor."
The woman nodded. "I know the house. I have always admired it whenever I go by it." She smiled. "My name is Lisa Goodrow. Me and my husband just moved here from Tennessee."
"Oh," I said. "Welcome to San Francisco."
"Thank you." She paused as she studied me. "Now, what's wrong Piper? You are awfully upset."
I sighed and looked back at the ground. I heard her start to stand up.
"Why don't we go inside for a glass of lemonade?" She said over me.
I gave a shy nod and stood up beside her. "That sounds good," I answered.
When we entered the house, I felt a sense of peace fall over me. This house was nothing like the one I lived in. There was no yelling upstairs or banging in the kitchen; no TV was on and no radio was blaring music. It was just peaceful.
I followed Lisa into the kitchen. "Why don't you get the glasses down?" She motioned to one of the cabinets and I obeyed, happy to help.
After she poured the lemonade we sat at the kitchen table and drank it in silence. Finally, I got up the nerve to talk.
"I have two sisters," I said, looking into my empty glass. "I'm the middle sister."
"Oh, a regular Jan Brady, huh?"
I laughed softly. "I guess in a way, but then again, no. They are always fighting. And not about important stuff." I looked up at Lisa. "They fight about trivial matters, like what to wear to school, what to read at night, and stuff like that." I sighed. "But they never made fun of me; until today." I moved the glass away from my hands that were starting to play with it. I do that when I'm upset; play with things around me.
"I was just sitting there, trying not to get involved and then Phoebe goes and starts making fun of Prue for not going anywhere today. And then she says, out loud, that Prue thinks I'm a loser. They completely forgot I was there! They forgot their own sister was in the room with them, listening to every word they said. And the way Phoebe was talking it made it sound like she felt the same way about me."
A tear fell down my face and I angrily wiped it away. I heard Lisa get up and felt her sit down beside me. Drawing me close, she said, "And that hurt, didn't it?"
"Like hell."
She gave a smile giggle and rubbed my back. "They still love you, Piper."
"How could they?" I pulled out of her motherly embrace, a kind of embrace I hadn't felt since Mom died, and looked at her. "I am a loser. I'm a nobody. I have no friends, no social life, and no boyfriend."
Lisa's gentle brown eyes seemed to fill up with love at that moment. "Piper, listen to me. I have known you for all of twenty minutes but I can tell you are not a loser. You are a wonderful girl, sensitive, beautiful, and very nice. And your sisters; they love you. I know they do. They are your sisters. No one can love you like your sisters can! Through you may fight, you may call each other names and you may seem to hate each other, love is still there." She paused. "I have two sisters as well."
I felt my eyebrows shoot up in surprise. "Really?"
"Yep, and I'm the middle sister."
"Wow!"
"But," Lisa continued. "I never let the name calling get to me too much. Sure, I cried and screamed but I still loved them and they still loved me. They always apologized later. They'd come into my room looking sheepish and guilty. And to set the record straight, I never started the name-calling. That was always my younger sister's fault."
I giggled and gave a genuine smile. "You're right," I said. "I shouldn't let this bother me too much."
She winked. "But there is no rule that says they don't have to suffer for making you feel bad."
At that moment, Lisa's doorbell rang. She stood up and smiled. "I'll be right back."
I nodded and placed my empty glass in the sink, then sat back at the table, feeling much better.
"Piper?"
I looked over at the doorway to the kitchen and saw Lisa standing there with a smile on her face. "You have some people here who want to talk to you."
I swallowed, already knowing who it was. As I passed Lisa, she gave me an encouraging hug. "You are welcome here anytime, Piper. Even if you just need a hug."
I hugged her back and smiled. "Thank you so much!"
When I got to the door, my sisters were there, looking guilty and worried. I stopped just outside the door, having closed it on my way out, and just looked at them, still weary of them.
"Piper," Prue began. "I am so sorry."
I just looked at her. Licking my lips, I took a deep breath. "You both hurt me really bad." I stated.
They looked down, Phoebe wringing her hands in front of her.
"We didn't mean to, Pipe," she whispered.
I sighed. "I know you didn't mean to but it happened. You hurt me real bad. I mean, you two were the ones I trusted with everything and I knew I could be myself around you guys. But now, I'm not too sure."
Prue looked back up at me, tears falling down her cheeks. "I didn't mean it."
"I know, honey. I know." And with that said, I pulled her into a hug, a feeling of relief flowing over me. I saw Phoebe squirm a little and I opened my arms wider, inviting her in as well. "Just promise me you won't say that ever again," I said firmly.
"We promise," they said in unison.
We started walking home then, all three of us as close as we could possibly get. When we were almost home I stopped and looked at them. "How did you find me?"
Prue gave a sheepish grin and Phoebe just giggled. "We went from door to door looking for you."
I laughed at that and shook my head. "I have the craziest sisters. But I still love ya anyway."
Phoebe crossed her arms in front of her chest. "I think the craziness runs in the family, Piper."
I gasped in fake shock and grinned. "You are so in for it, sister dear." And with that, the chase was on.
I went to Lisa's house around once a week after that. I would sit and talk with her about anything; school, sisters, and homework. She had her baby a few months later. It was a boy and they named him John.
I visited her and her family until I was 18. Her husband, Ben, got a job in Colorado so they packed up everything and left. I never saw them again. But I will always remember how nice Lisa was to me, how I felt so at home with her. I loved her so much, almost like an aunt. I hope one day I see her again so I can thank her for everything. Her house was my home away from home, a place I could go if Prue and Phoebe were fighting, or if I just wanted to talk. I hope one day, I can do the same for some other girl. Thank you, Lisa, for everything.
The End
There it is. I hope you liked it. Please Review!!!!!!!!
This story is copyrighted J. Ruffin April 8, 2003