When Piper and Paige walked slowly back into the kitchen, Leo noticed how
numb they looked, and almost defeated in a way. Rising from the kitchen
table, he approached his wife cautiously and placed a hand on her arm. When
she looked up at him, tears glistened in her eyes. He pulled her into an
embrace, and Leo could feel her fingers pressing into his back.
"How's Phoebe?" he asked.
"She's..." Piper hesitated, suddenly feeling incredibly helpless that she could say nothing to her little sister that could alleviate her pain.
"We don't really know," Paige admitted. "She's upset and she wants to be by herself for a while."
Leo looked down at Piper, who was pressing her face against the softness of his sweater. "I'm sure she'll feel like talking later," he said as if he could read her thoughts.
Hauling in a deep breath, Piper managed to let go of Leo, even though she wished he could hold her forever. She wanted to listen to his heart beating, feel his lungs expanding, so that she would know that what Phoebe had seen could never happen. "How's Samantha doing?"
"She's--"
"I'm better," Samantha spoke from behind Leo, who turned at the sound of her voice. She stood unsteadily, gripping the back of her chair with a fist. "I just, uh... Could I have some tea, maybe?"
"Sure, honey." Paige moved to the sink, grabbing the teapot from the stove and filling it with water.
With a glance downward, Samantha began pulling at the end of her shirt, fidgeting uncomfortably. She felt exposed to them now, and, oddly enough, like she had betrayed them--as though telling them about their deaths made her somehow responsible for killing them. "So now that you know," Samantha hesitated when she noticed that her mother's gaze wavered, "what do we do?"
Piper shifted a little uncertainly, leaning closer to Leo. "I don't know. Normally I'd say we vanquish whoever is going to kill us, but this time..."
"It's Phoebe," Paige finished.
Piper turned to face her sister. "Paige, don't say that. It's not Phoebe who kills us--it's Cole."
"Piper, you know how much I hate Cole and I would love to blame him for everything, but I can't. Not this time." The vehemence with which she was speaking seemed to illuminate Paige's eyes as they gazed fiercely into Piper's. "You can tell me that the fact that our sister is going to be willing to risk our lives again by being with Cole after we almost died the last time doesn't make you angry?"
Piper stared silently at Paige for a few moments, and then she slowly shook her head. "No, I don't believe that she would do that to us again. Not unless he tricked her or put her under a spell."
As Paige began to argue, the teakettle whistled and she grudgingly closed her mouth, taking the kettle off the stove and pouring the steaming water into waiting mugs.
"She's our sister," Piper said firmly. "She wouldn't do that to us."
"Well, she's done it before," Paige replied quietly under her breath as she added tea leaves to each of the cups.
She's right, Piper thought. She has. Phoebe chose Cole over them and endangered all of their lives--even her daughter's. But she wouldn't, she couldn't, do that to them a second time. Could she?
Piper glanced over her shoulder and she could see Samantha out of the corner of her eye, staying close to Leo as she had been doing only moments before. "Sam?"
Her daughter raised her eyes, which had been focusing so intently on her hand that tugged the bottom of her shirt, to look at her in response.
"Do you know what happened to Phoebe? Why she became..." Piper paused, reluctant to say the word. "Why she left?"
Paige's shoes clacked on the tile floor as she walked from behind Piper over to her niece and handed her a mug, the steam rising ghost-like over the rim. "Be careful. It's hot," Paige warned her as Sam cradled the cup in her hands. She was glad to have something to hold--something to do with herself--so that she could try to hide her awkwardness.
"Did you want sugar or anything?" Paige asked.
Samantha shook her head. "No, thank you." She took a sip of the tea and burned her tongue, but she didn't care. It was better than just standing there not knowing what to say. "I don't really know what happened," Sam admitted after a few moments.
"With Phoebe?"
Sam nodded. "When she...left, I was really young--about six or seven--and ever since then you and Aunt Paige have never told me what happened. You've just warned me about what she could do to us." Samantha could feel the lump growing in her throat and the back of her mouth began to ache, but she was determined not to cry again. "You were right."
She felt her hands begin to shake so she placed her mug on the kitchen table. When she turned to face her mother again, Sam was surprised to find her standing only inches away.
Even though time had changed many things about her mother, her eyes were exactly the same--warm, brown pools that seemed to reflect her emotions and yours at the same time. And as Samantha looked deep into her mother's eyes, she felt as though they had reached an understanding.
"Sam, this isn't fair," her mother began, taking one of her hands. "It isn't fair that you have to do this, and I hate having to ask you these questions that cause you so much pain, but--"
"I know." Samantha's mouth curved in an understanding smile. "Just, could we not do it in here?" She glanced around the kitchen. "Could we go to the living room instead? It's always been my favorite room in the manor because that's--" Sam stopped herself before she revealed too much. "Well."
"Sure." Piper turned to retrieve her tea from where she had left it on the kitchen counter. When she reached for the mug, Paige's hand caught hers.
"Piper do you want to be alone...?" Paige glanced at Sam.
"Maybe later," Piper said thoughtfully. "But right now I think it would be best for us to surround her with as many familiar faces as possible."
Paige's mouth softened and she smiled, nodding her head slightly.
"Uh, honey," Leo said gently, placing a hand on her back. "I, uh, have to go." He glanced upward.
"Now?" Piper asked. "But Sam--"
"I know. But it's important--someone's in trouble."
"You're leaving?" Leo turned at the sound of Samantha's voice. Her eyes seemed very large and round, and she looked at him as though she feared she might never see him again. "Yes, but I'll be back as soon as I can," Leo assured her, approaching her slowly. "I promise." A little awkwardly he pulled her close to him and hugged her, and after a few seconds Sam returned his embrace.
"Be back soon," Piper said tugging on his sweater as Leo leaned in to kiss her.
"I will." Casting one final glance at Samantha, his mouth curving into a shy smile, he orbed out.
Samantha could feel her insides becoming shaky again and her hands beginning to tremble. She closed her eyes and took a deep breath, telling herself to calm down, that she hadn't lost her father again.
"Don't worry." Her mother's voice interrupted her thoughts. "He'll come back."
For some reason, just her mother's assurance seemed to ease her fears. She'd always been able to do that. If her mother told her everything would be okay, she would believe it and everything would be. Sam smiled slowly. "I know. He always does."
Piper raised an eyebrow questioningly. Something about Samantha's expression hinted that her statement might mean more than it seemed. "Sam, do you know something I don't know?"
"There are a lot of things I know that you don't, Mom." Her eyes twinkled rather mischievously as Sam turned to walk from the kitchen.
"How's Phoebe?" he asked.
"She's..." Piper hesitated, suddenly feeling incredibly helpless that she could say nothing to her little sister that could alleviate her pain.
"We don't really know," Paige admitted. "She's upset and she wants to be by herself for a while."
Leo looked down at Piper, who was pressing her face against the softness of his sweater. "I'm sure she'll feel like talking later," he said as if he could read her thoughts.
Hauling in a deep breath, Piper managed to let go of Leo, even though she wished he could hold her forever. She wanted to listen to his heart beating, feel his lungs expanding, so that she would know that what Phoebe had seen could never happen. "How's Samantha doing?"
"She's--"
"I'm better," Samantha spoke from behind Leo, who turned at the sound of her voice. She stood unsteadily, gripping the back of her chair with a fist. "I just, uh... Could I have some tea, maybe?"
"Sure, honey." Paige moved to the sink, grabbing the teapot from the stove and filling it with water.
With a glance downward, Samantha began pulling at the end of her shirt, fidgeting uncomfortably. She felt exposed to them now, and, oddly enough, like she had betrayed them--as though telling them about their deaths made her somehow responsible for killing them. "So now that you know," Samantha hesitated when she noticed that her mother's gaze wavered, "what do we do?"
Piper shifted a little uncertainly, leaning closer to Leo. "I don't know. Normally I'd say we vanquish whoever is going to kill us, but this time..."
"It's Phoebe," Paige finished.
Piper turned to face her sister. "Paige, don't say that. It's not Phoebe who kills us--it's Cole."
"Piper, you know how much I hate Cole and I would love to blame him for everything, but I can't. Not this time." The vehemence with which she was speaking seemed to illuminate Paige's eyes as they gazed fiercely into Piper's. "You can tell me that the fact that our sister is going to be willing to risk our lives again by being with Cole after we almost died the last time doesn't make you angry?"
Piper stared silently at Paige for a few moments, and then she slowly shook her head. "No, I don't believe that she would do that to us again. Not unless he tricked her or put her under a spell."
As Paige began to argue, the teakettle whistled and she grudgingly closed her mouth, taking the kettle off the stove and pouring the steaming water into waiting mugs.
"She's our sister," Piper said firmly. "She wouldn't do that to us."
"Well, she's done it before," Paige replied quietly under her breath as she added tea leaves to each of the cups.
She's right, Piper thought. She has. Phoebe chose Cole over them and endangered all of their lives--even her daughter's. But she wouldn't, she couldn't, do that to them a second time. Could she?
Piper glanced over her shoulder and she could see Samantha out of the corner of her eye, staying close to Leo as she had been doing only moments before. "Sam?"
Her daughter raised her eyes, which had been focusing so intently on her hand that tugged the bottom of her shirt, to look at her in response.
"Do you know what happened to Phoebe? Why she became..." Piper paused, reluctant to say the word. "Why she left?"
Paige's shoes clacked on the tile floor as she walked from behind Piper over to her niece and handed her a mug, the steam rising ghost-like over the rim. "Be careful. It's hot," Paige warned her as Sam cradled the cup in her hands. She was glad to have something to hold--something to do with herself--so that she could try to hide her awkwardness.
"Did you want sugar or anything?" Paige asked.
Samantha shook her head. "No, thank you." She took a sip of the tea and burned her tongue, but she didn't care. It was better than just standing there not knowing what to say. "I don't really know what happened," Sam admitted after a few moments.
"With Phoebe?"
Sam nodded. "When she...left, I was really young--about six or seven--and ever since then you and Aunt Paige have never told me what happened. You've just warned me about what she could do to us." Samantha could feel the lump growing in her throat and the back of her mouth began to ache, but she was determined not to cry again. "You were right."
She felt her hands begin to shake so she placed her mug on the kitchen table. When she turned to face her mother again, Sam was surprised to find her standing only inches away.
Even though time had changed many things about her mother, her eyes were exactly the same--warm, brown pools that seemed to reflect her emotions and yours at the same time. And as Samantha looked deep into her mother's eyes, she felt as though they had reached an understanding.
"Sam, this isn't fair," her mother began, taking one of her hands. "It isn't fair that you have to do this, and I hate having to ask you these questions that cause you so much pain, but--"
"I know." Samantha's mouth curved in an understanding smile. "Just, could we not do it in here?" She glanced around the kitchen. "Could we go to the living room instead? It's always been my favorite room in the manor because that's--" Sam stopped herself before she revealed too much. "Well."
"Sure." Piper turned to retrieve her tea from where she had left it on the kitchen counter. When she reached for the mug, Paige's hand caught hers.
"Piper do you want to be alone...?" Paige glanced at Sam.
"Maybe later," Piper said thoughtfully. "But right now I think it would be best for us to surround her with as many familiar faces as possible."
Paige's mouth softened and she smiled, nodding her head slightly.
"Uh, honey," Leo said gently, placing a hand on her back. "I, uh, have to go." He glanced upward.
"Now?" Piper asked. "But Sam--"
"I know. But it's important--someone's in trouble."
"You're leaving?" Leo turned at the sound of Samantha's voice. Her eyes seemed very large and round, and she looked at him as though she feared she might never see him again. "Yes, but I'll be back as soon as I can," Leo assured her, approaching her slowly. "I promise." A little awkwardly he pulled her close to him and hugged her, and after a few seconds Sam returned his embrace.
"Be back soon," Piper said tugging on his sweater as Leo leaned in to kiss her.
"I will." Casting one final glance at Samantha, his mouth curving into a shy smile, he orbed out.
Samantha could feel her insides becoming shaky again and her hands beginning to tremble. She closed her eyes and took a deep breath, telling herself to calm down, that she hadn't lost her father again.
"Don't worry." Her mother's voice interrupted her thoughts. "He'll come back."
For some reason, just her mother's assurance seemed to ease her fears. She'd always been able to do that. If her mother told her everything would be okay, she would believe it and everything would be. Sam smiled slowly. "I know. He always does."
Piper raised an eyebrow questioningly. Something about Samantha's expression hinted that her statement might mean more than it seemed. "Sam, do you know something I don't know?"
"There are a lot of things I know that you don't, Mom." Her eyes twinkled rather mischievously as Sam turned to walk from the kitchen.
