The Funeral

Prue watched as the paramedics loaded Grams' body into a black body bag. Her eyes followed the tall man's hand as it zipped the bag up. She couldn't watch anymore. It made her feel sick. She turned around walked into the conservatory where Piper and Phoebe sat huddled together.

"What's going to happen to us?" Phoebe asked, her voice diminutive in volume.

"I don't know Pheebs," Prue answered truthfully.

She had heard the paramedics talking. They said Grams had a heart attack. It all felt eerily familiar to the ten-year-old. She closed her eyes and the scene that filled her eyes made tears slither down her cheeks. She saw the paramedics loading her mother's soaked, dead body onto a gurney. She opened her eyes again and rubbed at the tears with her sleeve so neither of her siblings would see. She had to be strong for them. She sat down on the couch next to Piper. Piper had tears in her eyes and she couldn't fight them. She was really scared.

"I'm scared," she voiced, laying her head on Prue's shoulder.

"I know you are. We all are," Prue whispered in a motherly tone. So it came down to this. She had to take of her sisters now.

Back in the hallway the medics had wheeled Grams' body out of the house and were loading it into the ambulance. Just then a tall woman walked in and was headed in the direction of the conservatory. Prue looked up first and saw the woman standing in the doorway. She was wearing a grey pants suit with her dark blond hair swept out of her face in a graceful bun.

"Hi girls," she greeted softly, moving into the room and sitting in the chair opposite them.

"Who are you?" Phoebe asked through a loud sniffle.

"Phoebe, don't be rude," Piper scolded only halfheartedly.

"It's ok. My name is Janice. I'm a social worker," the woman introduced herself.

"You can't split us up," Prue stated instantly.

"I know you're very upset right now," Janice tried to counter.

"No. You don't know anything about us. You aren't taking my sisters away from me," Prue snapped defiantly.

"Well I know that you just lost your grandmother and that is a very emotional experience," Janice stated calmly.

"Prue, maybe we should listen to her. We don't have anywhere to go," Piper whispered.

"Fine. On one condition," Prue mumbled. Janice nodded.

"You keep us together," Prue stated her demands as calmly as she could.

"I will do everything in my power to keep you girls together," Janice promised. Seeming satisfied that her wish would be granted, Prue stood up and took a sister in each hand and led them after Janice. She led them outside and to her car.

"Where are we going?" Phoebe asked, looking fearfully back at the Manor.

"We're going to put you girls in a temporary house overnight until we can arrange a funeral for your grandmother," Janice replied.

"Why can't we stay here?" Prue interjected.

"Well won't you be scared. It's a very big house," Janice answered.

"No. We lived here our whole lives. We're not scared," the eldest sister stated, stopping dead in her tracks. Janice let out a breath.

"Ok. But why don't we go get something to eat. You girls must be hungry," she suggested. Prue looked at her sisters and they nodded. Slowly they climbed into the back of the car. Janice climbed in the driver side and took off down the street.

An hour later the girls found themselves back in the protectiveness of the Manor. Prue was sitting at the dining room table, looking a framed picture. Piper, after making sure Phoebe was ok in the other room, joined her older sister.

"What are you looking at?" Piper inquired. Prue turned the framed photograph so Piper could see it. It was a picture of Patty, their mother, and all three girls.

"I found it in Grams' room," Prue answered.

"We're not supposed to go into Grams' room without permission," Piper murmured.

"Piper, Grams is dead," Prue spat. She immediately felt guilty and gave her sister an apologetic hug.

"I miss her," Piper sniffed, taking in the smiling image of their mother. It was two years ago that they had lost her but right now, today, it felt like just yesterday.

"We all do," Prue assured her. Just then, the front door opened and Janice walked in. She walked past Phoebe and into the other room. Seeing the woman, Phoebe got up and ran into the other room as well.

"How are you girls doing?" Janice asked.

"Fine," Prue replied.

"Are you going to stay with us?" Phoebe asked innocently.

"Tonight, yes. We've arranged for the funeral tomorrow morning. So you girls should get to bed," the social worker explained. Prue looked at the clock.

"It's only seven o'clock. We don't go to bed until at least nine," she informed the woman.

"Well, right now I think you should go to bed. It's been a long day," Janice said firmly. Prue rolled her eyes but got up, picture still in hand, and once more ushered her siblings from the room.

"I don't want to go to bed, Prue," Phoebe whined. Prue just picked Phoebe up around the middle and sprinted up the stairs, Piper hot on her heels.

"Shh," Prue ordered, setting the youngest Halliwell back on her feet once they'd reached Prue's room.

"I don't like her," Piper commented quietly, sitting down on Prue's bed.

"Me either. I don't trust her. We're not little kids, well Phoebe is but you and I aren't. She's not Mom or Grams so she can't tell us what to do," Prue agreed. The three sisters lapsed into silence as the moon began to rise in the night sky. Time ticked by slowly and with it the girls became drowsy. Phoebe fell asleep, resting in Piper's lap.

"Here help me," Piper whispered and together she and Prue managed to get Phoebe under the covers.

"I don't want to sleep in the other room tonight," Piper whispered to her older sibling.

"You can sleep in here tonight. It will be tight but its better to be together," Prue answered and both girls climbed in.

The morning dawned early for the Halliwell sisters. The sun shown through the curtains onto Prue's face. She groaned and rubbed her eyes. The first thing she saw made her jump. Janice was standing in the doorway, a sickly-sweet smile on her face.

"Good morning, Prudence," she greeted, moving into the room, three black dressed draped over her arm.

"Don't call me that," Prue snapped, shaking Piper until she woke up.

"What's going on?" Piper mumbled, still half asleep.

"I got dresses for you. I hope they fit. I'll have breakfast ready in a half hour," Janice said and handed the garments over to Prue before leaving the room.

"Here. You can use the bathroom first. I'll get Phoebe up," Prue instructed her eight-year-old sister. Piper tentatively took the dress and headed down the hall. Prue bent over the still sleeping Phoebe, brushing a lock of hair from her face. The motion startled the child from her slumber.

"What's….Prue I had a really bad dream…Grams was dead and this scary social worker lady was trying to be our new mom," Phoebe said, clutching at her older sister.

"Honey…Grams is dead," Prue whispered, preparing herself for the onslaught of tears. She rocked Phoebe until the tears stopped and Piper returned, wearing the plain black dress.

"Come on, Pheebs lets get you dressed," Piper called, extending her hand to the five-year-old. Phoebe wiped at her eyes as she took Piper's hand. Prue watched them go and set about putting on her own dress. She stared at herself in the mirror. She looked pale in the garment. She hated black. It always reminded her of death and loss. Prue didn't hear her sisters come back into the room.

"Stop tugging on it," Piper scolded.

"But it's itchy. I don't like it," Phoebe pouted.

"Look, Pheebs. Just keep it on for the funeral. You can take it off right after," Prue promised. As she had done the day before, she took each of her sisters by the hand and led them downstairs. They were met by Janice who ushered them to the table. Three plates of heavily scorched pancakes sat waiting.

"Eat up. We have to leave soon," Janice ordered, disappearing in the direction of the living room.

"Where's the syrup?" Phoebe asked, looking shocked. They always had syrup with pancakes.

"I'll go get it," Piper muttered. She pushed her chair back and headed into the kitchen. Pans and batter covered the counter and some spots on the floor. She looked horrified at the state of the kitchen. Grams would never have stood for such a mess. But Grams wasn't here. So she moved around the puddles of goopy batter and retrieved the syrup from the cabinet next to the sink.

"Here," she stated, setting it in front of her baby sister.

"Thanks," Phoebe murmured, pouring a large amount of the sugary liquid on the dry breakfast. All three of them managed to down the pancakes with an ample amount of syrup and several glasses of orange juice.

"Finished, girls?" Janice asked, walking back in as if on cue.

'We have to clean up first," Piper started to say.

"We can do that later. We have to get going. Don't want to be late for your Grams' funeral," the woman said with a smile.

"You don't have to sound so happy about it," Prue grumbled as she grabbed their coats from the front hall closet. They donned the coats and once more found themselves in the social worker's car.

They arrived at a small church and were nearly dragged out of the back seat. Prue looked around. She didn't recognize many of the people here. The unfamiliarity caused her to keep tighter grip on her siblings. They sat in the front row of the pews in the sanctuary and watched silently as a grey haired minister performed the celebration of their grandmother's life. Prue barely remembered her mother's funeral. At that moment she wasn't sure whether that was a good thing or not. Piper fidgeted with her hair, getting the feeling someone was watching her. As inconspicuously as she could, she turned her head but found no one there. When she turned around again, Prue was tugging at her sleeve to stand up.

"Can we go home now?" Phoebe asked, once more tugging at the dress.

"I think we have to ask Janice," Piper stated. Just then, Prue looked to the back of the church and nearly fell over. Standing there next to Janice was none other than Victor Bennett, their father. She wasn't sure whether to be happy about his presence or not. Janice looked cross but her features suddenly softened when she saw the girls looking at her. She motioned for them to join her and Victor. Prue slowly dragged Piper and Phoebe to the back of the church.

"Good news girls. Your father has agreed to take you," Janice said, trying to sound happy.

"Wow. He's actually being a father. That's a first," Prue spat.

"Prudence," Victor said sternly.

"We want to go home and change," Piper interjected shyly. She remembered the day Victor left. She'd cried for hours. Victor scratched the back of his neck and cleared his throat.

"Ok. Well let's get your coats and we'll stop by the Manor so you can change," Victor muttered.

"Thanks for taking care of them," Victor whispered to Janice.

"Of course," she said with that sickly-sweet smile she'd had earlier that morning when she'd woken them up.

The Halliwell sisters followed after their father and pulled on their coats once more. Prue shot one last look over her shoulder at Janice. The woman gave a small wave which made the ten-year-old roll her eyes again. She got a really bad feeling from that woman.