Chapter 12: Not Going Home
Disclaimer: When Prue comes back and whacks Phoebe for leaving her to die while she made out with her boyfriend in the Underworld—that happy, happy day—I'll own Charmed.
A/N: Sorry it took so long to update. The chapters are written it's just that I (that's right, it's just LeoPiperAndyPrue now) don't have any time to update since school started up again. Honestly, it was my birthday on the 20th and guess what my present was? Three hours of homework. Oh, and lots and lots of dirty dishes to clean—can't forget those. So Anywho, here's the chapter. And by the way, it anyone terribly confused? Cause its okay if you are. Just let me know and it'll all be sorted out.
"Piper honey," Grams called from the top of the stairs.
"Yes Grams?" Piper said, meeting her grandmother on the landing.
"Grams," Piper's voice lowered to see Grams up and about, "What are you doing out of bed? You're supposed to rest at least five hours after you take those pills."
"Well, five—two and a half—it's all the same, you know," Grams answered to her granddaughter's chides as she came down the last step.
"Grams…"Piper repeated, planting her hands on her hips and trying to look serious.
Grams gave a hearty laugh at Piper's attempts to be imposing with her messy hair, still-askew glasses, and jeans adorned with many pen-ink drawings.
Soon after she began laughing however, Grams broke out into a fit of coughing that caused Piper to rush forward hurriedly.
"Grams!" She called out, coming to the woman's aid.
"Stop," Grams began, "Don't worry about me—it's just a cough. Can't an old woman cough in front of her granddaughter without being physically accosted?"
Piper let go of Grams and gave a small smile.
"Just looking out for you," Piper intoned.
"Well I was just coming down to see how things were doing in my elongated absence," Grams said sarcastically as she and Piper made their way into the kitchen.
"Well…" Piper began, "The thing about that is—"
"I know," Grams cut Piper off, "I know they left."
"I—" Piper tried again.
"And I know you tried to stop them," Grams finished Piper's sentence once more.
"Well Paige is still here," Piper said cheerfully, trying to lighten up the mood, "Maybe we can have a dinner for three."
"Something tells me she won't be in the mood to eat for a while," Grams unintentionally countered.
Piper's face fell deeply as she stole a glance at the table she had set for five and the meal that had taken her the last two hours to fix.
Grams picked up on Piper's disappointment and tried to catch herself and lighten her granddaughter's mood.
"But I'm sure if we got her to come up here and smell what wonderful food you've made she'll have to eat it," Grams said as she ushered Piper to the basement door and followed after her.
The two went down the steps and looked around in the darkness for a moment.
"Paige?" Grams called out through the gloomy room. The two were met with nothing but silence.
"Here," Piper said as she switched on the dwindling light.
The small light did nothing to change what the both of them already knew.
Paige walked down the familiar pathway to leading to the one place that she could clear her mind. She came to a door that had to be her favorite color in the world. She rang the doorbell and waited to see the face that would make everything better.
"Paige, what are you doing here?"
"Glen," Paige began, "I have something to tell you—"Were the only words Paige could utter before Glen ushered her into his house and into safety.
"How'd they let you out of prison so soon?" Todd said to Phoebe as she approached him and the rest of the gang. They were all hanging out on a bench in Golden Gate Park.
"I guess you could call me talented," Phoebe laughed as she took a seat next to Todd.
"So what made you fly the coop this time?" Rick solicited, handing Phoebe a cigarette.
"Oh, you know," Phoebe began, "Nothing in particular," Phoebe spoke every syllable like it was a curse word.
Todd handed Phoebe a light and a flask and she put both to good use.
"I think you have just the right components to make 'non-particular' things go away," Rick laughed.
"You know what?" Phoebe said; slurring her words heavily.
"What?" Todd teased.
"I don't think I'm going home tonight," Phoebe said as she and the rest of the group broke out in guffawing laughter.
"She must be here somewhere," Grams fretted as she looked behind battered chairs and under old hutches.
"Grams, look at the window," Piper said as she pointed to the open window near the ceiling of the basement. It was still ajar and had a wardrobe and many large books stacked right under it.
Grams sighed heavily in both frustration and weariness.
"I should've known…" Grams began, "I should've known she was too young for this…"
"Grams it's not your fault—" Piper started.
"No—" Grams said, cutting her granddaughter off, "It is."
She swept past Piper and started up the stairs.
"This only makes it all the more clear why I have to do this."
"Do what, Grams?" Piper questioned as she followed after her grandmother.
But Grams was too far away from her to hear anything Piper was saying.
"He loves me," Prue said under her breathe, trying to let the words chase away the doubts that were finding their way into her mind.
She drove down the street, trying to keep her eyes on the road and her mind off the many romanticized possibilities of what Andy was hiding from her.
Despite her best efforts, her eyes veered from what was straight ahead of her to a house of her left.
She recognized it as Missy's—why she did, she had no idea.
Her eyes lingered on it for a moment as she saw a figure emerging from the front door.
It was Andy.
She slowed and turned her car into a nearby vacant driveway before bringing it to a halt. She then saw someone come close after Andy.
Missy.
'No,' Prue thought to herself, 'No. This isn't happening. This—it can't be what I think it is.'
She watched as Andy walked down the driveway to his car and Missy followed. She called Andy back to her and swung him around to face her. She pulled him close—too close to stop tears from forming in Prue's eyes.
"No," she spoke aloud this time, "This can't be. They're not going to—"
But Prue's words did nothing to change what she already knew.
Missy brought Andy close and kissed him hard.
"No…" Prue whispered to herself as she broke out in deep sobs.
She let herself drop across the driver and passenger seat as she dug her face into the upholstery.
And just as everything went black, Prue felt everything she knew about Andy, love, or anything for that matter turn into terrible lie after terrible lie.
Prue Halliwell didn't think she was going home tonight.
A/N: Wow. That's all I can say. Please review! And if you know what's going on don't tell it in a review because that'll just ruin it for other readers, silly! I want to be the one to let the cat out of the bag.
