"I think I found something," said Paige from her place in front of the Book of Shadows. It was open to the same page with Remler's picture that they'd seen before, only this time it was accompanied by a vanquish.
"This wasn't there before," Piper said, turning to her husband askance. "Why wasn't this here before?"
Leo shrugged, baffled himself. "I don't know. Maybe it was Them. Maybe They wanted you to learn something."
"Okay," Phoebe said, her voice rising, "But if they want to teach us something, they can send us the mail-order course, they don't have to resort to nearly getting Piper and the baby killed."
"Yeah, Leo, couldn't they at least have given us some kind of warning first?" Paige put in.
Leo put both hands up, giving them a 'don't-shoot-the-messanger' kind of expression. "Do you think I like this any more than you do? Piper's my wife, I don't want her hurt." He put his arms around her protectively, and her sisters seemed to calm down.
"Okay, well look, I'm fine," Piper said as soothingly as possible. However, this was of small comfort to her family, because as she said it a few loose coughs escaped. She took a breath, and continued. "At any rate, I'm not dying. So let's just take care of the demon, and then we can figure out exactly why the Elders did this."
Prue stepped in. "Piper's right. Leo, you stay here with Piper. Paige, Phoebe, and I are going to vanquish the demon. Paige, you can orb us there, right?"
Paige nodded. "Yeah, but I'm not that good at sensing evil yet, so we'll have to scry."
"I'm on it," Phoebe said, pulling out a map and crystal.
"Okay, while she's doing that, Paige, do you want to help me make the potion?" Prue asked.
"I'll do the potion," volunteered Piper weakly.
"Oh, no, honey, you rest," Paige insisted. "Prue and I can do the potion."
With this game plan, everyone went to their respective stations. Leo brought a still-sickly Piper down to their bedroom to rest, while Prue and Paige went to the kitchen and Phoebe stayed in the attic. However, none of them was fully concentrating on the demon.
"Do you know why the Elders did it this way, or what they want us to learn?" Paige asked as she got out the necessary potion ingredients.
Prue shook her head. "They wouldn't tell me. I think it has something to do with your relationship as sisters, though."
Paige looked at her quizically. "Our relationship as sisters? Why would the Elders care about that, as long as we did our job as witches?"
"Because it's all intertwined," Prue explained. "Your bond as sisters is what keeps the Charmed Ones together. Your powers, your ability to function as the Power of Three, it all depens on that bond."
"Wow," Paige breathed. "I thought I was the only one who thought that stuff was important." She looked up sharply. "Sorry. I shouldn't have said that, it wasn't fair to Piper and Phoebe."
Prue put an arm around her. "Honey, I know it's hard, but you have to trust that they're not purposely shutting you out. They're trying. It scares them, but they're trying." She paused. "Maybe that's the problem," she added thoughtfully.
"What do you mean?" asked Paige.
Prue shrugged. "I don't know, it's just a thought... Maybe the reason you can't get close to them is because you're all trying to hard. They're trying to make you feel extra-welcome, you're trying to be... well, be like me, you're hoping to fill some kind of gap for them instead of creating a place for yourself. None of you are giving yourselves the chance to just be a family."
Paige turned back to making the potion. She had a sneaking suspicion that what her eldest sister had said was true, more than even Prue could know. She stayed quiet, and tried to concentrate on the potion, but she couldn't keep her sister's words from running around in her head...
* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *
A/N: You asked for an update, and you got one. Review, and you'll get more.
"This wasn't there before," Piper said, turning to her husband askance. "Why wasn't this here before?"
Leo shrugged, baffled himself. "I don't know. Maybe it was Them. Maybe They wanted you to learn something."
"Okay," Phoebe said, her voice rising, "But if they want to teach us something, they can send us the mail-order course, they don't have to resort to nearly getting Piper and the baby killed."
"Yeah, Leo, couldn't they at least have given us some kind of warning first?" Paige put in.
Leo put both hands up, giving them a 'don't-shoot-the-messanger' kind of expression. "Do you think I like this any more than you do? Piper's my wife, I don't want her hurt." He put his arms around her protectively, and her sisters seemed to calm down.
"Okay, well look, I'm fine," Piper said as soothingly as possible. However, this was of small comfort to her family, because as she said it a few loose coughs escaped. She took a breath, and continued. "At any rate, I'm not dying. So let's just take care of the demon, and then we can figure out exactly why the Elders did this."
Prue stepped in. "Piper's right. Leo, you stay here with Piper. Paige, Phoebe, and I are going to vanquish the demon. Paige, you can orb us there, right?"
Paige nodded. "Yeah, but I'm not that good at sensing evil yet, so we'll have to scry."
"I'm on it," Phoebe said, pulling out a map and crystal.
"Okay, while she's doing that, Paige, do you want to help me make the potion?" Prue asked.
"I'll do the potion," volunteered Piper weakly.
"Oh, no, honey, you rest," Paige insisted. "Prue and I can do the potion."
With this game plan, everyone went to their respective stations. Leo brought a still-sickly Piper down to their bedroom to rest, while Prue and Paige went to the kitchen and Phoebe stayed in the attic. However, none of them was fully concentrating on the demon.
"Do you know why the Elders did it this way, or what they want us to learn?" Paige asked as she got out the necessary potion ingredients.
Prue shook her head. "They wouldn't tell me. I think it has something to do with your relationship as sisters, though."
Paige looked at her quizically. "Our relationship as sisters? Why would the Elders care about that, as long as we did our job as witches?"
"Because it's all intertwined," Prue explained. "Your bond as sisters is what keeps the Charmed Ones together. Your powers, your ability to function as the Power of Three, it all depens on that bond."
"Wow," Paige breathed. "I thought I was the only one who thought that stuff was important." She looked up sharply. "Sorry. I shouldn't have said that, it wasn't fair to Piper and Phoebe."
Prue put an arm around her. "Honey, I know it's hard, but you have to trust that they're not purposely shutting you out. They're trying. It scares them, but they're trying." She paused. "Maybe that's the problem," she added thoughtfully.
"What do you mean?" asked Paige.
Prue shrugged. "I don't know, it's just a thought... Maybe the reason you can't get close to them is because you're all trying to hard. They're trying to make you feel extra-welcome, you're trying to be... well, be like me, you're hoping to fill some kind of gap for them instead of creating a place for yourself. None of you are giving yourselves the chance to just be a family."
Paige turned back to making the potion. She had a sneaking suspicion that what her eldest sister had said was true, more than even Prue could know. She stayed quiet, and tried to concentrate on the potion, but she couldn't keep her sister's words from running around in her head...
* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *
A/N: You asked for an update, and you got one. Review, and you'll get more.
