On a Bus to St. Cloud

By Harper

D: This is just a fan fic bout Charmed. Of course, I don't own anything except in my dreams! The song is Trisha Yearwood's On a Bus to St. Cloud from the album Thinkin' about You.

Note: The song is a country song and I don't usually listen to country, only the good songs, this is a good song. And incase you can figure it out by the # of times I put 'angel', this is a Piper/Leo fic. Leo has been taken away from Piper. Just like the elders once threatened. These are the years later. It doesn't really matter. Hope ya like it!!!



I sat on that bus... waiting, watching. Almost there, almost to Minnesota, almost. For the second time in this dreaded lifetime. I lived in sadness and paranoia, around every corner I saw his face. That face tricked me, my heart would make a courageous leap, and then when no one was there, it sunk back farther inside to morn some more.

There were bright spots, some, but somehow I ended up turning that dark too. Phoebe, and Paige. Both of my sisters, wondering about me back in California. I haven't seen those two in almost three years. I wrote four times, but it wore off; too many addresses of mine; too much looking for him, or so they told me.

The light on the bus flashed my stop: St. Cloud. Just the name made me feel closer to him. St. Cloud, heaven, angel, my angel. I got up and stepped down the large steps onto the dirty sidewalk. After walking two blocks I turned the corner towards my hotel where I had reserved a small, cheap, room. I turned that corner, and there he was that angel again. He smiled at me and my heart rushed as I ran towards the fading image. People walked parallel to him and me on the busy sidewalk, and when I looked again, my angel had left.

_ _ _

On a bus to St. Cloud, Minnesota
I thought I saw you there
With the snow falling down around you
Like a silent prayer
_ _ _


The hotel was close to vacant; a couple cars lined up in the parking lot. I walked up to the front doors, alone. I could feel him watching, watching everywhere I went, feeling my sorrow whenever I though about him, my angel. The woman at the front desk was old, sweet and my heart wanted to somehow stray and reach out to her, but my soul was forever bound to his.

When I closed the door to my room I intently started to cry. I dropped my one and only bag on the floor and dumped myself onto the musty bed. Why did he leave me so? Why did they tear us apart? Just to be cruel? Or because of all those rules? So many of them we broke.

The next day I took advantage of the free breakfast that the hotel gave out by the front desk were the little old lady sat. I ate two donuts, one powdered and one filled with strawberry jelly, and then a glass of orange juice. I sat on the only small couch in that front room. Then a man came down the stairs. Angel? No, my heart went back in place and I felt embarrassed as I saw the man descending was just a brunette with classy glasses. He wore a suit and I wondered why someone with that much money would be staying in a dump like this?

I exchanged glances with the women behind the desk and I took back the thought about this place being a dump, it was a hotel, that lady was just too old for this place to be called a dump. Then the suited man caught one of my thrown glances. He sat down next to me and smiled; it warmed my heart, like my angel's had.

Three days later my plans had changed and I was headed towards New York with the dark haired man. He had my angel's charm and although they looked nothing alike, they were exactly the same. But this man wasn't my angel. His name was Jacob and I was slowly growing on to him. I was afraid for him to lift me up and feel wonderful; if he ever let me down, I would fall even farther.

That night we were finally in New York on a jumbled street, when I saw my angel's face once again. The feeling was all familiar, but at first, it was all-new.

_ _ _

And once on a street in New York City
With the jazz and the sin in the air
_ _ _

Before I knew it I was in California again, but Jacob wasn't. My love for him had ended with the face of my angel and I remembered my never-ending love for that angel. Now I was on another cold bus, not sure why this bus was the one I chose. I knew it would take me to somewhere I wanted to go, I would find something.

And then it was him; he got on the cold bus with me, sat down without a word. I took a closer look and cursed myself for doing it. It wasn't my angel and now his face that had shortly escaped my mind was etched in there again.

_ _ _

And once on a cold LA freeway
Going nowhere
And it's strange, but it's true
I was sure it was you
Just a face in the crowd
_ _ _

The bus had taken me down, out of California again. For the next few days I did the same system of riding whatever bus felt like the one to take and rode it until it could go no farther. The next big city I reached was New Orleans. That's where I fell apart.

I spent the nights in a true junk hotel and spent my days in a church, weeping, staring at the mother Mary and asking her: Why did they have to take my angel away from me? Why did he agree, without that much to say? The priest walks by sometimes, and he gives me a sorrowing look. All I do is look away, and wish him back. How can he already be gone away?

_ _ _

In a church in downtown New Orleans
I got down on my knees and prayed
And I wept in the arms of Jesus
For the choice you made

We were just getting' to the good part
Just getting' past they mystery
Oh, and it's just like you, it's just like you
To disagree
_ _ _

One month later here I am. On that dreadfully cold bus again. Headed for the city that makes me feel closest to him. St. Cloud, Minnesota.
_ _ _

And it's strange but it's true
You just slipped out of view
Like a face in the crowd
On a bus to St. Cloud
_ _ _

Every day now, I think it's getting worse and worse. My angel's face seems to be watching over me, but then why do I sometimes curse it so? My sadness is conquering all I ever had of happiness and madness at you. All I do is miss you.
_ _ _

And you chase me like a shadow
And you haunt me like a ghost
And I hate you some,
And I love you some,

But I miss you the most...



Yes, I know it was short, but the song ended! And so does the story.