"Dan's here! Dan' here!" Piper yelled, scooting back up to her room and peering cautiously out from behind the door. It had taken a while to convince her that Dan only had good intentions, but she still was not sure about the idea.
"Try to be nice, Piper…he is doing this for you" Prue said, hurrying towards the door. "Dan…hi" She said, opening the door for Dan. "Um…yeah so Piper is still a bit temperamental, so…"
"Yeah, I figured that", Dan replied, staring up the stairs to where Piper's head had, upon seeing him, whisked back inside her door.
"Ooh, flowers! Are those for Piper", Phoebe said, coming into the hallway. "Yeah…I thought she would like some…at least I think…"
"Oh I'm sure she will love them" Phoebe said brightly "Once she comes down to see them" She said, in a pointedly loud voice, ensuring that her peeking sister would overhear.
There was a silence as each of them waited for Piper to appear.
"Hey Piper, come on down honey, Dan's here, and he brings flowers." Prue said, at the same time checking her watch.
After another few moments of awkward silence, Phoebe spoke up "Hang on, I'll just get her… she's probably just being a bit shy and stubborn today…it happens a lot lately." She said, dashing up the stairs to Pipers room, only to collide with her sister in the hallway. "Oh there you are Piper! Better go down now." She said, taking her sisters hand and turning to lead her downstairs.
"Phoebe" Piper said quietly
"Yeah, what is it?" Phoebe asked, turning to her sister.
"Will he help me write the letter?"
Phoebe frowned for a moment "What let…oh yeah he will help you" she said, remembering that Piper had her heart set on writing a reply to the letter she had received from the hospital. Piper smiled in relief. "Now come on downstairs… and don't forget to be nice… and smile" She said, giving Piper a little encouraging nudge in the general direction of Dan.
"Hey Piper," Dan said when he saw his girlfriend coming down the stairs accompanied by her younger sister.
"Hi Daniel" Piper said, forcing a smile
"Okay well me and Phoebe have to go, so remember I will be back around midday and Phoebe will be back by two, in case I can't make it. Also, Piper hasn't had breakfast yet, so that's up to you." Prue said, kissing her sister on the cheek "Bye sweetie." She said, hugging her, Phoebe doing the same.
"Dan…um, she wants you to help her write a letter, ok, so don't forget " Phoebe said, as she was dragged out the door by Prue, leaving Dan and Piper alone.
"I… I brought you flowers." Dan asked after an awkward silence, holding out the bouquet of flowers to her.
"Thank you" Piper said taking the flowers, and setting them down on the stairs.
"So… do you want breakfast now?"
"Uh huh" Piper said, turning and heading to the kitchen, Dan following after her.
"What do you want?" Dan asked once they were in the kitchen
"Rice Krispies Please" She said, taking a seat at the table
"Ok then" Dan said, going through the cupboards until he found the packet of Rice Krispies and the milk. "Here you go." he said, once he was done, placing the bowl in front of Piper and handing her the spoon.
"Thank you" Piper said starting to eat her cereal, deliberately chewing each individual piece extremely slowly and never taking her eyes off Dan.
***
"Are you finished now?" Dan asked after about half an hour of Piper chasing her Rice Krispies around the bowl
"Uh huh" Piper responded reluctantly, pushing the bowl over to Dan who took it and placed it in the sink.
"The weather has been horrible lately." Dan commented, trying to make conversation.
"I like the rain." Piper replied, staring at Dan sullenly. Another awkward silence ensued and Piper continued her awkward stare.
"So… umm… do you want to write that letter now?" Dan said in a strained voice, attempting to break the icy silence which had settled over the table.
"Okay" Piper said, her expression instantly brightening as she dashed up to her bedroom, racing back down again a few minutes later with a pad of paper and a pen. Placing her materials down on the table, she immediately began to write. After a few of seconds she stopped, looking up at Dan, her brown crinkling in a confused frown. "Umm… how do you spell Phoebe?" she asked timidly.
"P …- h - o… - e - b - e" Dan spelt out slowly
"Thanks" Piper said, going back to writing the letter. After a couple of minutes she let out a sigh, scrunching up the paper and throwing it onto the floor, getting out a fresh piece of paper and commencing writing once again. After only a few minutes of this she stopped writing once more and frowned angrily then looked up at Dan apologetically. "Dan… how do you spell Phoebe again?" She asked.
"P… h…. o…. e… b…. e…" Dan said, sighing inwardly. He was beginning to wonder if he could cope with looking after Piper, who at the moment seemed to have the mental abilities of a four-year-old. He tried to reassure himself that this was part of the disease and not just some trick of hers to put him in an awkward position.
***
It had almost been two hours since Piper had started writing to Phoebe, and the kitchen table was now littered with scrunched up pieces of paper. Dan's tolerance level for Piper's constant spelling questions was quickly dissolving. He had been forced to make a flash card for Phoebe's name, along with the word "thank you", for she was constantly forgetting how to spell these.
"Dan… how do you spell charmed?" Piper asked, more confidently now, as yet oblivious to Dan's growing impatience and annoyance.
"C-H-A-R-M-E-D!" He yelled, grabbing the piece of paper that Piper had been writing on, along with her pen and scribbling it in big letters over the page. "CAN'T YOU REMEMBER ANYTHING… A-N-Y-T-H-I-N-G!" he said, picking up some of the scrunched pieces of paper and hurling them at Piper. Her bottom lip starting to tremble violently, Piper burst into floods of tears, dashing out of the kitchen door, avoiding Dan's outstretched and apologetic arms. Her eyes were so misted up with her tears that Piper tripped in the hallway, sprawling across the floor. Picking herself up, her sobs intensifying, Piper flung open the door and hurled herself onto the street into the rain, the large, cold drops mingling with her already tear-soaked face.
"Try to be nice, Piper…he is doing this for you" Prue said, hurrying towards the door. "Dan…hi" She said, opening the door for Dan. "Um…yeah so Piper is still a bit temperamental, so…"
"Yeah, I figured that", Dan replied, staring up the stairs to where Piper's head had, upon seeing him, whisked back inside her door.
"Ooh, flowers! Are those for Piper", Phoebe said, coming into the hallway. "Yeah…I thought she would like some…at least I think…"
"Oh I'm sure she will love them" Phoebe said brightly "Once she comes down to see them" She said, in a pointedly loud voice, ensuring that her peeking sister would overhear.
There was a silence as each of them waited for Piper to appear.
"Hey Piper, come on down honey, Dan's here, and he brings flowers." Prue said, at the same time checking her watch.
After another few moments of awkward silence, Phoebe spoke up "Hang on, I'll just get her… she's probably just being a bit shy and stubborn today…it happens a lot lately." She said, dashing up the stairs to Pipers room, only to collide with her sister in the hallway. "Oh there you are Piper! Better go down now." She said, taking her sisters hand and turning to lead her downstairs.
"Phoebe" Piper said quietly
"Yeah, what is it?" Phoebe asked, turning to her sister.
"Will he help me write the letter?"
Phoebe frowned for a moment "What let…oh yeah he will help you" she said, remembering that Piper had her heart set on writing a reply to the letter she had received from the hospital. Piper smiled in relief. "Now come on downstairs… and don't forget to be nice… and smile" She said, giving Piper a little encouraging nudge in the general direction of Dan.
"Hey Piper," Dan said when he saw his girlfriend coming down the stairs accompanied by her younger sister.
"Hi Daniel" Piper said, forcing a smile
"Okay well me and Phoebe have to go, so remember I will be back around midday and Phoebe will be back by two, in case I can't make it. Also, Piper hasn't had breakfast yet, so that's up to you." Prue said, kissing her sister on the cheek "Bye sweetie." She said, hugging her, Phoebe doing the same.
"Dan…um, she wants you to help her write a letter, ok, so don't forget " Phoebe said, as she was dragged out the door by Prue, leaving Dan and Piper alone.
"I… I brought you flowers." Dan asked after an awkward silence, holding out the bouquet of flowers to her.
"Thank you" Piper said taking the flowers, and setting them down on the stairs.
"So… do you want breakfast now?"
"Uh huh" Piper said, turning and heading to the kitchen, Dan following after her.
"What do you want?" Dan asked once they were in the kitchen
"Rice Krispies Please" She said, taking a seat at the table
"Ok then" Dan said, going through the cupboards until he found the packet of Rice Krispies and the milk. "Here you go." he said, once he was done, placing the bowl in front of Piper and handing her the spoon.
"Thank you" Piper said starting to eat her cereal, deliberately chewing each individual piece extremely slowly and never taking her eyes off Dan.
***
"Are you finished now?" Dan asked after about half an hour of Piper chasing her Rice Krispies around the bowl
"Uh huh" Piper responded reluctantly, pushing the bowl over to Dan who took it and placed it in the sink.
"The weather has been horrible lately." Dan commented, trying to make conversation.
"I like the rain." Piper replied, staring at Dan sullenly. Another awkward silence ensued and Piper continued her awkward stare.
"So… umm… do you want to write that letter now?" Dan said in a strained voice, attempting to break the icy silence which had settled over the table.
"Okay" Piper said, her expression instantly brightening as she dashed up to her bedroom, racing back down again a few minutes later with a pad of paper and a pen. Placing her materials down on the table, she immediately began to write. After a few of seconds she stopped, looking up at Dan, her brown crinkling in a confused frown. "Umm… how do you spell Phoebe?" she asked timidly.
"P …- h - o… - e - b - e" Dan spelt out slowly
"Thanks" Piper said, going back to writing the letter. After a couple of minutes she let out a sigh, scrunching up the paper and throwing it onto the floor, getting out a fresh piece of paper and commencing writing once again. After only a few minutes of this she stopped writing once more and frowned angrily then looked up at Dan apologetically. "Dan… how do you spell Phoebe again?" She asked.
"P… h…. o…. e… b…. e…" Dan said, sighing inwardly. He was beginning to wonder if he could cope with looking after Piper, who at the moment seemed to have the mental abilities of a four-year-old. He tried to reassure himself that this was part of the disease and not just some trick of hers to put him in an awkward position.
***
It had almost been two hours since Piper had started writing to Phoebe, and the kitchen table was now littered with scrunched up pieces of paper. Dan's tolerance level for Piper's constant spelling questions was quickly dissolving. He had been forced to make a flash card for Phoebe's name, along with the word "thank you", for she was constantly forgetting how to spell these.
"Dan… how do you spell charmed?" Piper asked, more confidently now, as yet oblivious to Dan's growing impatience and annoyance.
"C-H-A-R-M-E-D!" He yelled, grabbing the piece of paper that Piper had been writing on, along with her pen and scribbling it in big letters over the page. "CAN'T YOU REMEMBER ANYTHING… A-N-Y-T-H-I-N-G!" he said, picking up some of the scrunched pieces of paper and hurling them at Piper. Her bottom lip starting to tremble violently, Piper burst into floods of tears, dashing out of the kitchen door, avoiding Dan's outstretched and apologetic arms. Her eyes were so misted up with her tears that Piper tripped in the hallway, sprawling across the floor. Picking herself up, her sobs intensifying, Piper flung open the door and hurled herself onto the street into the rain, the large, cold drops mingling with her already tear-soaked face.