Author's Note: Second to last chapter! Just because I like to leave y'all
hanging ;)
**********
Prue had been lying awake for a little over an hour. Piper was still asleep and her grandmother was writing furiously on her notepad. As much as Prue wanted to crawl into her grandmother's lap and ask for the longest, most comforting hug she'd had in a while, she knew she should stay put and let her grandmother work on her plan. Getting her mother back to normal was the most important thing at the moment. Prue's hug could wait.
Piper turned over with a whimper. She had been sleeping rather restlessly for the past half hour or so. Prue ran her hand over her arm, trying to gently calm her down before she interrupted Grams from her spellwriting. "It's okay, Piper," she whispered softly into her ear. "It's okay."
Piper settled down with a sigh. Prue smiled slightly and turned onto her back, staring up at the ceiling. So much had happened in the past few weeks and it was staggering to think about what she and Piper had endured. They had been terrorized and manipulated by pure evil and somehow they had made it through without much harm. A few bruises here or there, but for the most part, they were fine. She couldn't wait for her grandmother to finish her spell. She didn't understand everything, but she knew that once the plan was finished, her mom would be fine and everything would go back to normal. And she desperately wanted everything to return to normal. As normal as things could be around her house, at any rate.
The door creaked open slowly, startling Prue from her reverie. Prue sat up slightly, propping herself up on her elbows, and involuntarily drew in her breath when she saw her mother walk in. "Morning, baby," Patty whispered.
"Morning, Mommy," Prue answered hesitantly. She edged closer to Piper as Patty crossed the room.
Patty's heart dropped when she saw Prue so frightened. She longed to run over to her, hug her tightly, and tell her she loved her like crazy, but she didn't dare get too close to either of her daughters. She couldn't be sure when Laurel was going to come through again and she didn't want to be near the girls when she did. "It's okay, sweetie," she said with a smile. "It's me."
Prue nodded, then glanced down to make sure Piper was still asleep. She sighed with relief when she saw that she was. The last thing Prue wanted to deal with was Piper panicking about seeing their mom.
Patty smiled and knelt down next to her mother's chair. "How's it coming?"
"It's almost there," Penny answered without taking her eyes off the paper. "Just give me like, another half an hour."
"Okay." Patty stood up and headed for the door. She knew that her presence was making Prue uneasy and that was something Laurel thrived on. She didn't want to give her any openings to come through while she was in the room.
"Patty," Penny called quietly.
She turned around expectantly. "Hmm?"
"I promise you, I'll fix this today."
Patty smiled, nodded, and left the room, closing the door quietly behind her.
**********
"Aha!" Penny exclaimed. "Perfect!"
Prue sat up, her eyes brightening when she saw the triumphant look on her grandmother's face. "You got it?"
"Yes, I did," she grinned. She stood, crossed the room, and sat down on the bed to wake Piper. There was something about her plan she had to explain to the girls, and she knew it was something Piper wouldn't like. "Piper, sweetie, open your eyes."
Piper groaned reluctantly, but she did as she was told. She sat up, rubbing her eyes. "Morning, Grams."
"Morning, darling," she said with a smile. "Guess what. I finished the spell to make the evil person go away--"
"You did?" Piper asked excitedly. "Yay!"
"Yeah, I did," she answered cautiously, "but in order for my plan to work, I need you girls to help me. It's not going to be easy, though."
The excited expression on Prue's face dropped slightly. Piper's hand found hers under the covers. She squeezed back comfortingly. "What do we have to do?"
"Laurel's hold on your mother is very strong," Penny explained. "The more Laurel hurts you and the more scared of her you become, the stronger her hold gets. She's not going to go easily. I need you girls to keep calling to your mom and telling her that you love her. If I'm right, that should weaken Laurel's hold on your mom."
"That sounds easy enough," Piper said with a small sigh of relief.
"Remember, though, it's not going to be your mom when we go down there. It's going to be Laurel and she's going to be very, very mad." Penny reached over and pulled Piper onto her lap. "You girls have to be very strong and very brave for me. Do you think you can do that?"
Piper glanced at Prue, apprehension in her eyes. Prue smiled, letting Piper know that everything would be okay, then looked her grandmother directly in the eye. "We can do it. You can count on us."
**********
Prue had been lying awake for a little over an hour. Piper was still asleep and her grandmother was writing furiously on her notepad. As much as Prue wanted to crawl into her grandmother's lap and ask for the longest, most comforting hug she'd had in a while, she knew she should stay put and let her grandmother work on her plan. Getting her mother back to normal was the most important thing at the moment. Prue's hug could wait.
Piper turned over with a whimper. She had been sleeping rather restlessly for the past half hour or so. Prue ran her hand over her arm, trying to gently calm her down before she interrupted Grams from her spellwriting. "It's okay, Piper," she whispered softly into her ear. "It's okay."
Piper settled down with a sigh. Prue smiled slightly and turned onto her back, staring up at the ceiling. So much had happened in the past few weeks and it was staggering to think about what she and Piper had endured. They had been terrorized and manipulated by pure evil and somehow they had made it through without much harm. A few bruises here or there, but for the most part, they were fine. She couldn't wait for her grandmother to finish her spell. She didn't understand everything, but she knew that once the plan was finished, her mom would be fine and everything would go back to normal. And she desperately wanted everything to return to normal. As normal as things could be around her house, at any rate.
The door creaked open slowly, startling Prue from her reverie. Prue sat up slightly, propping herself up on her elbows, and involuntarily drew in her breath when she saw her mother walk in. "Morning, baby," Patty whispered.
"Morning, Mommy," Prue answered hesitantly. She edged closer to Piper as Patty crossed the room.
Patty's heart dropped when she saw Prue so frightened. She longed to run over to her, hug her tightly, and tell her she loved her like crazy, but she didn't dare get too close to either of her daughters. She couldn't be sure when Laurel was going to come through again and she didn't want to be near the girls when she did. "It's okay, sweetie," she said with a smile. "It's me."
Prue nodded, then glanced down to make sure Piper was still asleep. She sighed with relief when she saw that she was. The last thing Prue wanted to deal with was Piper panicking about seeing their mom.
Patty smiled and knelt down next to her mother's chair. "How's it coming?"
"It's almost there," Penny answered without taking her eyes off the paper. "Just give me like, another half an hour."
"Okay." Patty stood up and headed for the door. She knew that her presence was making Prue uneasy and that was something Laurel thrived on. She didn't want to give her any openings to come through while she was in the room.
"Patty," Penny called quietly.
She turned around expectantly. "Hmm?"
"I promise you, I'll fix this today."
Patty smiled, nodded, and left the room, closing the door quietly behind her.
**********
"Aha!" Penny exclaimed. "Perfect!"
Prue sat up, her eyes brightening when she saw the triumphant look on her grandmother's face. "You got it?"
"Yes, I did," she grinned. She stood, crossed the room, and sat down on the bed to wake Piper. There was something about her plan she had to explain to the girls, and she knew it was something Piper wouldn't like. "Piper, sweetie, open your eyes."
Piper groaned reluctantly, but she did as she was told. She sat up, rubbing her eyes. "Morning, Grams."
"Morning, darling," she said with a smile. "Guess what. I finished the spell to make the evil person go away--"
"You did?" Piper asked excitedly. "Yay!"
"Yeah, I did," she answered cautiously, "but in order for my plan to work, I need you girls to help me. It's not going to be easy, though."
The excited expression on Prue's face dropped slightly. Piper's hand found hers under the covers. She squeezed back comfortingly. "What do we have to do?"
"Laurel's hold on your mother is very strong," Penny explained. "The more Laurel hurts you and the more scared of her you become, the stronger her hold gets. She's not going to go easily. I need you girls to keep calling to your mom and telling her that you love her. If I'm right, that should weaken Laurel's hold on your mom."
"That sounds easy enough," Piper said with a small sigh of relief.
"Remember, though, it's not going to be your mom when we go down there. It's going to be Laurel and she's going to be very, very mad." Penny reached over and pulled Piper onto her lap. "You girls have to be very strong and very brave for me. Do you think you can do that?"
Piper glanced at Prue, apprehension in her eyes. Prue smiled, letting Piper know that everything would be okay, then looked her grandmother directly in the eye. "We can do it. You can count on us."