Moving Out
The walk to the car was silent as Prue protectively gave Phoebe's hand a squeeze. They reached the vehicle and Victor turned to face the girls, looking a bit nervous.
"She doesn't need a car seat or anything does she?" he asked.
"I'm five not two," Phoebe snapped, crossing her arms over her chest like she'd seen Prue do many times before.
"Just checking," he mumbled before pulling the door open so the girls could get in. The drive back to the Manor was quiet, only punctuated by the brakes stopping and starting at the stop lights. Phoebe was growing restless, forever tugging on the dress.
"Phoebe, stop it," Prue demanded, giving her baby sister the 'Grams evil eye'. Phoebe immediately stopped tugging on the garment. Victor just shook his head slightly as he pressed down on the gas, speeding down Prescott Street until he reached the old Victorian. He put the car in park and cut the engine. He had to take in the old house. He hadn't been there in two years.
"We're here," he announced and climbed out of the vehicle. The girls hurriedly unbuckled their seatbelts and bolted from the back seat. Prue pulled her key from her small purse. She'd found it in her desk drawer that morning before heading down to breakfast. She stuck it into the lock and pushed the door open. Victor followed his daughters into the house, closing the door behind him. Without a word, Prue led her siblings upstairs. Phoebe sprinted into her and Piper's room and began pulling open drawers, trying to find something to wear.
"Phoebe those are my clothes!" Piper exclaimed, seeing the five-year-old holding one of Piper's favorite shirts.
"You have better clothes," Phoebe muttered, shrugging it off. Piper grabbed the shirt from the child's grip and tossed it back into the bottom drawer of her dresser. With a huff she pulled open Phoebe's drawer and pulled out a pair of overalls and a long sleeve shirt.
"Here, you can wear this," Piper stated, tossing the clothes at her baby sister. Phoebe, with Piper's help, climbed out of the dress and into the play clothes. In the next room over, Prue was pulling her hair back into a ponytail. The black dress lay in a heap on the floor. She wore jeans and a long sleeve t-shirt. Just as she set her brush back on her dresser Phoebe came bounding in.
"You're supposed to knock first," Prue scolded.
"Not when the door is open," Phoebe retorted. Piper soon joined them, wearing the shirt Phoebe had been eying. The picture of the three girls and Patty sat on Prue's desk. They all looked so happy.
"Can we put the picture downstairs?" Piper asked.
"Ok," Prue answered, reaching for the only reminder of their mother. Upon descending the stairs, they found Victor, looking none too pleased.
"What happened in the kitchen?" he asked.
"We didn't do it. The social worker lady made the mess," Phoebe answered.
"Prue? Piper? Is that that what happened?" he asked, eying the two older girls.
"Yeah. We didn't do it. I went in to get syrup and it was all messy like that. We said we had to clean up but she made us leave," Piper explained hurriedly. He ran a hand through his hair and looked around.
"Alright, well someone needs to clean it up. So why don't we all do it together. It will go faster," Victor suggested. Prue let out a groan but started the hot water and began scrubbing plates and silverware. Piper grabbed the sponge and began to sop up the hardened pancake batter from the counter.
"What can I do, Daddy?" Phoebe asked of Victor. Prue cringed slightly at the last word. She had to remind herself that Phoebe was young and didn't understand what had happened.
"Why don't we mop the floor," Victor answered and went in search of a bucket and mop. He handed the bucket to Prue who shoved it under the tap to fill it with water.
"Don't forget the soap," the five-year-old reminded. Prue reached under the sink, pulling out the box of soap and pouring some in. Roughly she handed it back to Victor. He gave her a stern look but she ignored it. Soon he was guiding Phoebe around the kitchen, cutting a large swath with the mop.
"Everything's clean," Piper announced, sounding proud. Prue wiped her hands with a semi-damp dish rag and tucked a few strands of dark hair behind her ears.
"That was fun," Phoebe giggled. Prue just shook her head and left the room. Piper watched her sister go. She didn't entirely understand it but she knew her sibling didn't trust their father.
"Well, I know you girls have had a very long two days but I think it would be better for everyone if we start packing your things up," Victor suggested.
"Packing? Where are we going?" Piper inquired.
"Well…to move in with me," he answered. Piper's brow furrowed. She didn't lie the sound of that. Quietly she headed upstairs. Feeling left out, Phoebe scurried after Piper.
"Girls!" Victor called out but he got no response. Piper and Phoebe ended up at Prue's closed door. Piper knocked.
"Prue can we come in?" she called through the wooden barrier. The lock clicked and Prue appeared.
"What's wrong? What did he do?" Prue asked.
"We're moving," Piper murmured, pushing past her older sister. Phoebe slipped through the gap between Prue and the doorframe.
"We're what?" Prue rasped.
"He said we should start packing," Piper added.
"No. We're not moving. He can't tell us what to do," Prue spat.
"But Prue…he's our Dad," Phoebe piped up. Piper caught Prue's eye and gave her a warning look.
"Prue, please don't," Piper begged before Prue could say something rude about Victor. As if on cue, the door opened and Victor walked in.
"This is my room. You can't just come in here," Prue shouted.
"Prudence, do not take that tone with me," Victor shot back.
"Get out!" the ten-year-old growled. Victor's hands balled into fists but he released them. Getting into an argument with her wouldn't solve anything. It hurt him that his first baby hated him.
"Start packing your things. We're moving," he said, his teeth clenched. With that he turned and left.
"You made him mad," Phoebe whimpered, looking at the anger on Prue's face.
"Come on, Pheebs. Let's start packing," Piper said softly, ushering her sibling into their room.
Piper pulled open the closet doors and pulled out their small suitcases. She set Phoebe's on her bed and helped her sister pack up her pajamas and favorite clothes.
"Don't forget socks and underwear," Piper added, pointing to the drawer. Phoebe giggled a little as she tossed the items in.
"Now you have to pack," the five-year-old stated.
"Thanks but I can do it myself," Piper responded as Phoebe once more dove into the eight-year-old's dresser.
"Can I go help Prue?" Phoebe asked.
"No. She doesn't need help either," Piper answered, folding her pants neatly before placing them the suitcase. Phoebe sighed and flopped down on her bed, her small legs barely hanging over the edge.
"Why do we have to move?" Phoebe asked after a brief silence.
"Because Dad said so," her sibling answered.
"Can we leave Prue here?" the five-year-old questioned.
"Phoebe that's a really mean thing to say," Piper scolded.
"Why? She wants to stay here. And I don't like it when she's mean to Daddy," Phoebe retorted, sitting up. Piper sighed, joining her sister.
"Prue and Dad have problems, ok," she tried to explain.
"What problems?" the younger girl pressed.
"I don't know. But she just doesn't like him. You can't hold it against her. She wasn't the one that left," Piper expounded as best she could. Her sister's comment subdued Phoebe. Piper pulled her suitcase to her, zipping it up.
"Come on, let's go downstairs," Piper murmured, helping Phoebe get a good grip on her suitcase.
Prue watched them walk down the hallway. She stepped back and shut her door. She had her suitcase on her bed but it wasn't open. She hated this. How dare he just walk back into their lives after two years and expect them to go anywhere with him. She knew he would come back if she didn't get downstairs soon. Begrudgingly she tossed clothes into the suitcase. She dragged it downstairs and found her sister sitting in the living room, their coats on.
"Dad is putting our suitcases in the car," Piper informed her older sister. Prue just set hers by the front door. She wasn't going to give him the courtesy of bringing it out to him.
"Is this the last suitcase?" Victor asked, poking his head into the room. Prue averted her gaze but Piper nodded for her.
"Alright come on then," he said, and the foursome climbed back into the car. Phoebe's eyes were glued to the window as she watched the shops and alleyways pass by. She had never seen this part of the city before.
"Where the heck do you live?" Prue grumbled, growing irritated by the long car ride.
"Watch your language around your sisters," Victor reprimanded. Twenty minutes later he pulled into a parking lot and helped the girls with their suitcases. He led them up to a four bedroom apartment.
"Each of you gets your own room," he said and gave them a brief tour of the living quarters.
"Phoebe's not big enough for her own room," Prue stated.
"I am too big enough, Prue," Phoebe countered.
"You still get nightmares," Prue retorted.
"I do not," the five-year-old tried to argue but it was no use. Prue was older and was going to win.
"I'll let you get settled," Victor mumbled and disappeared into the remaining room.
The girls set about unpacking their suitcases into the dressers that lined the walls. Prue slammed the top drawer angrily. She didn't want to be here and she certainly did not want to have Victor telling her what to do.
That night passed quickly, ordering take out for dinner. Phoebe was tucked into bed around 8:45. Piper and Prue hit bed shortly thereafter. Prue drifted off to sleep both dreading and rejoicing that the next day was Saturday. In Phoebe's room, a shadowy figure hovered over the five-year-old. A ray of moonlight hit the figure, reflecting on dark blond hair. The child squirmed in her bed. With a shimmer the figure was gone, reappearing in Piper and then Prue's room. Once more the figure disappeared from view. She reappeared in a cave, a lone figure levitating.
"We are close. We need to strike soon. They have yet to receive their powers," the woman spoke.
"Must you use that disgusting form?" the demon hissed. The woman rolled her eyes and transformed into her demonic form.
"Why would we strike now? We want their powers. With their powers we will be revered throughout the Underworld," the demon snarled.
"We will have to get their father out of the way. But that won't be hard. He's a mortal," she said with a snicker.
"Then do it. I tire of waiting. I thought the witch's spell would have broken already," he ground out.
Back in the world of mortals, Phoebe sat bolt upright. She could have sworn she felt someone standing over her. She crawled from the bed and turned on the light, flooding the room. Nothing was there. Still, she got the eerie feeling like something was very wrong. As quietly as she could she padded to the next room to find Prue. She climbed into the bed, the ten-year-old, stirring from her sleep.
"Phoebe what are you doing?" Prue grumbled.
"I had a bad dream," the five-year-old whispered, snuggling closer to her older sibling. Sighing, Prue wrapped an arm around the child protectively.
"Go back to sleep, Pheebs," she murmured, giving the girl a kiss on the forehead as the both drifted back to sleep.
