Disclaimer: OK, I'm over here, wondering what the point of this is but I figure...hey, its a traditions so here goes: I don't own Charmed. *Waits for the applause* Alright, so that wasn't real flashy and I didn't use big words, but the least you could do is pretend to be happy....
AN: Hey, people! Thanks for reading!
Trunks Ichijouji: That is very nice of you, I appreciate you taking the time to read. Thanks!
wAnNaBpIpEr: Hey! I thought you were gone! Glad to see you still read! Great to get reviews from you, as always : D
blondekat: Awwww, thanks. I really really appreciate it!
Charmed Fanatic: I've always wanted to have a flare for something!!!! (lol) Thanks for reviewing, and reading this story. Makes my day!
Kristen's Paige: Hey sis. Thanks for still reading!
Lara-Beth: Hey! and the sun...woah, that is really great. Thank you soooooo much for reviewing! Look, I'm continuing soon!
Prue glanced at her sisters and let out a frustrated sigh. They were so SLOW! She wanted things done, and she wanted them done now. Period. Grabbing her list, she ran over in her mind her previous ideas and tried to think of better planned means of protection. One week was all they had to become the most cautious, wary, and safe witches this side of the prime meridian, and at the rate her sisters were moving, they would need a hell of a lot longer than seven days. Sighing loudly once more, she half glared, half glanced at her sisters, checking on their progress.
"Prue, if you want this done so quickly, why don't you just do it yourself?," Paige asked, taking notice of her sister's exasperated sounds. Prue made a face at her back and stalked over to stand with them.
"You know, I would, but you aren't doing anything," she retorted, taking in the mess on the table and the still unfinished potions. Piper stepped in, trying to stop a fight before it started.
"Hey, we have a potion for each of our powers, with the exception of Paige's orbing. We do have a way to astral project, but...it needs to be tested. Any volunteers?," she inquired, looking at Prue pointedly.
"Fine. What do I do with it?," she asked, rolling her eyes.
"Ingest it. Hope the herbs don't taste too bad," she replied sarcastically, intentionally leaving out the animal tongue she'd had to add. Prue gagged as she gulped it down, and soon found herself staring at...herself. After a few minutes, she pulled herself together, literally, and put the vial down roughly on the counter.
"That was strange," she stated, feeling a little dizzy. Piper reached out to steady her, placing a hand at her elbow.
"I'm alright, what else do we have?," Prue demanded, waving away Piper's support.
"TK, freezing, explosion....and about twelve protection potions," Paige answered as an herbal reaction caused her to jump back, "Make that thirteen."
"Great, is that it?," Prue inquired, choking back the urge to snap.
"Yes, Prue," Paige answered in a child voice. What was with her sister? She was so intense when she focused her attention on something! Remembering her sisters comments on how much she was like Prue, she wondered if she'd inherited that little gene as well.
"Nah, Prue's worse. You are only annoying, bossy, and a little impatient. Prue is annoying, bossy, and really impatient. Big difference," Piper teased, leaning towards her and whispering conspiratorially. Paige only let it surprise her for a second, before remembering her sister's sudden knack for reading minds.
"Heard that," Prue interrupted. Piper pretended to look guilty, but knew she'd wanted her older sister to catch the last of that conversation. "While you guys are telling secrets, I'm going to go see what I can do about getting protection amulets, or charms. You know, just in case Naruk decides to attack us when we agree to his plan. Oh, and hey, while I'm gone, do you think either of you can find the time to...I don't know...work?," Prue sneered, casting daggers at them both. Before Paige and Piper could come back with an insult, Prue was already halfway to the front door.
"I hate it when she does that!," Piper growled through clenched teeth. Paige smiled faintly. Something about the conversation triggered her thoughts and she was reminded of how fun it used to be to joke with Phoebe about their older sisters. Phoebe could always lighten her mood with some crack about how totally un-fun Prue was, and how she never wanted to be THAT goal-oriented. Discreetly, she wiped away a few tears that had managed to escape and were tracking down her cheeks. Piper caught the subtle movement, felt the pain that struck Paige so quickly.
"Let's see what else Prue has on 'The List'," Piper said, trying to distract Paige from her grief-filled thoughts. "Can you believe she wrote down "Come up with an all purpose spell"? If we could do that, we would have no hassles being witches," she joked, attempting to cheer Paige's mood a little. No such luck.
"Yeah, what was she thinking...," Paige responded half-heartedly. Piper gazed at her for a minute, wishing she could say something witty or encouraging. That was Phoebe's job, and she'd always been so good at it. Any motivation she'd had before seeped out of her, leaving her to think about how much she missed her younger sister. She could almost see her beside her, leaning on the counter, doing her best to distract everyone from the dreary 'all work, no play' policy Prue had them all on. As she sank deeper in her thoughts, her hands stopped chopping the leaves she was using for her next potion. She imagined her sister's expression as she mimicked Prue. She'd be hiding a smile, trying to imitate the 'serious look', but it would be easy to see through, because her eyes always danced with amusement, betraying her act. The image was so vivid, Piper nearly fooled herself into believing it. In this case, nearly wasn't close enough. Tears streamed down her cheeks, slowly forming a puddle on the counter below her. Green and brown leaves shimmered with the salty drops. Paige rushed to her side, holding her upright as Piper weakened and slipped to the floor.
"I saw her, too, Piper," Paige whispered, in awe of the picture that had flashed in her mind a moment before Piper had broken down. Piper leaned into her, relaxing into the comfort being offered to her.
"I never thought she would be gone. You know? Any time I imagined the future, she was just... there, making the best of every situation, having the best time.... I remember when we were smaller, we always made plans about how our lives would be. Like, we were going to be millionaires and marry rich doctors, who'd be the best of friends. I wasn't much older than seven, eight at the most. I loved to make up stories back then. That was before school and the real world drained all of the creativity out of me. She used to beg me to tell her about our lives, how it would be when we 'grew up'. So, I made up long, incredible stories about being princesses and living in castles, marrying princes, and living happily ever after... Every time I'd finish, she'd look at me and make me promise we would always be together. And I did....but I lied. I LIED. We aren't together, she's dead, gone forever... and I would give anything, anything to be little again, cuddling up to her and making huge promises that I never would have broken for anything in the world, instead of here, where the most important promise I ever made, I just couldn't keep," Piper finished, breaking completely down into sobs that left her empty inside. Paige clung to her, needing the closeness as much as her sister.
"You didn't break your promise Piper, we are going to get her back. Maybe you will never live in castles, and no one lives 'happily ever after', but you are going to be together. That much I know, without a doubt," Paige whispered, her chin resting on her sister's head. Piper's sobs quieted to match her own silent weeping.
"I've never wanted anything in my life more than I want her back," Piper said fiercely, her voice raw with emotion. Paige nodded her agreement and tightened the embrace.
"We'll get her back. I'll make sure of it," Paige promised. Oddly, Piper felt comfort in her words. Paige was so much like Prue. Prue always made her feel secure, wiped away her doubts with a stubborn, unwavering confidence.
"I know you will," Piper assured, rising slightly to kiss her younger sister's forehead, "Right now, we better get busy. Prue will kill us if we don't get anything on 'The List' done." Quickly, she scrambled from the floor and held a hand down to her sister. Paige locked her eyes and Piper's as she clasped her sister's hand and pulled herself up.
"What else does she have on that list of hers?," Paige asked, smiling slightly. It still didn't feel right to smile, but she forced it for both of them. They needed to concentrate on the task before them. It might be the answer they were searching for, and neither wanted to miss the opportunity to bring back the soul of their family.
AN: Hey, people! Thanks for reading!
Trunks Ichijouji: That is very nice of you, I appreciate you taking the time to read. Thanks!
wAnNaBpIpEr: Hey! I thought you were gone! Glad to see you still read! Great to get reviews from you, as always : D
blondekat: Awwww, thanks. I really really appreciate it!
Charmed Fanatic: I've always wanted to have a flare for something!!!! (lol) Thanks for reviewing, and reading this story. Makes my day!
Kristen's Paige: Hey sis. Thanks for still reading!
Lara-Beth: Hey! and the sun...woah, that is really great. Thank you soooooo much for reviewing! Look, I'm continuing soon!
Prue glanced at her sisters and let out a frustrated sigh. They were so SLOW! She wanted things done, and she wanted them done now. Period. Grabbing her list, she ran over in her mind her previous ideas and tried to think of better planned means of protection. One week was all they had to become the most cautious, wary, and safe witches this side of the prime meridian, and at the rate her sisters were moving, they would need a hell of a lot longer than seven days. Sighing loudly once more, she half glared, half glanced at her sisters, checking on their progress.
"Prue, if you want this done so quickly, why don't you just do it yourself?," Paige asked, taking notice of her sister's exasperated sounds. Prue made a face at her back and stalked over to stand with them.
"You know, I would, but you aren't doing anything," she retorted, taking in the mess on the table and the still unfinished potions. Piper stepped in, trying to stop a fight before it started.
"Hey, we have a potion for each of our powers, with the exception of Paige's orbing. We do have a way to astral project, but...it needs to be tested. Any volunteers?," she inquired, looking at Prue pointedly.
"Fine. What do I do with it?," she asked, rolling her eyes.
"Ingest it. Hope the herbs don't taste too bad," she replied sarcastically, intentionally leaving out the animal tongue she'd had to add. Prue gagged as she gulped it down, and soon found herself staring at...herself. After a few minutes, she pulled herself together, literally, and put the vial down roughly on the counter.
"That was strange," she stated, feeling a little dizzy. Piper reached out to steady her, placing a hand at her elbow.
"I'm alright, what else do we have?," Prue demanded, waving away Piper's support.
"TK, freezing, explosion....and about twelve protection potions," Paige answered as an herbal reaction caused her to jump back, "Make that thirteen."
"Great, is that it?," Prue inquired, choking back the urge to snap.
"Yes, Prue," Paige answered in a child voice. What was with her sister? She was so intense when she focused her attention on something! Remembering her sisters comments on how much she was like Prue, she wondered if she'd inherited that little gene as well.
"Nah, Prue's worse. You are only annoying, bossy, and a little impatient. Prue is annoying, bossy, and really impatient. Big difference," Piper teased, leaning towards her and whispering conspiratorially. Paige only let it surprise her for a second, before remembering her sister's sudden knack for reading minds.
"Heard that," Prue interrupted. Piper pretended to look guilty, but knew she'd wanted her older sister to catch the last of that conversation. "While you guys are telling secrets, I'm going to go see what I can do about getting protection amulets, or charms. You know, just in case Naruk decides to attack us when we agree to his plan. Oh, and hey, while I'm gone, do you think either of you can find the time to...I don't know...work?," Prue sneered, casting daggers at them both. Before Paige and Piper could come back with an insult, Prue was already halfway to the front door.
"I hate it when she does that!," Piper growled through clenched teeth. Paige smiled faintly. Something about the conversation triggered her thoughts and she was reminded of how fun it used to be to joke with Phoebe about their older sisters. Phoebe could always lighten her mood with some crack about how totally un-fun Prue was, and how she never wanted to be THAT goal-oriented. Discreetly, she wiped away a few tears that had managed to escape and were tracking down her cheeks. Piper caught the subtle movement, felt the pain that struck Paige so quickly.
"Let's see what else Prue has on 'The List'," Piper said, trying to distract Paige from her grief-filled thoughts. "Can you believe she wrote down "Come up with an all purpose spell"? If we could do that, we would have no hassles being witches," she joked, attempting to cheer Paige's mood a little. No such luck.
"Yeah, what was she thinking...," Paige responded half-heartedly. Piper gazed at her for a minute, wishing she could say something witty or encouraging. That was Phoebe's job, and she'd always been so good at it. Any motivation she'd had before seeped out of her, leaving her to think about how much she missed her younger sister. She could almost see her beside her, leaning on the counter, doing her best to distract everyone from the dreary 'all work, no play' policy Prue had them all on. As she sank deeper in her thoughts, her hands stopped chopping the leaves she was using for her next potion. She imagined her sister's expression as she mimicked Prue. She'd be hiding a smile, trying to imitate the 'serious look', but it would be easy to see through, because her eyes always danced with amusement, betraying her act. The image was so vivid, Piper nearly fooled herself into believing it. In this case, nearly wasn't close enough. Tears streamed down her cheeks, slowly forming a puddle on the counter below her. Green and brown leaves shimmered with the salty drops. Paige rushed to her side, holding her upright as Piper weakened and slipped to the floor.
"I saw her, too, Piper," Paige whispered, in awe of the picture that had flashed in her mind a moment before Piper had broken down. Piper leaned into her, relaxing into the comfort being offered to her.
"I never thought she would be gone. You know? Any time I imagined the future, she was just... there, making the best of every situation, having the best time.... I remember when we were smaller, we always made plans about how our lives would be. Like, we were going to be millionaires and marry rich doctors, who'd be the best of friends. I wasn't much older than seven, eight at the most. I loved to make up stories back then. That was before school and the real world drained all of the creativity out of me. She used to beg me to tell her about our lives, how it would be when we 'grew up'. So, I made up long, incredible stories about being princesses and living in castles, marrying princes, and living happily ever after... Every time I'd finish, she'd look at me and make me promise we would always be together. And I did....but I lied. I LIED. We aren't together, she's dead, gone forever... and I would give anything, anything to be little again, cuddling up to her and making huge promises that I never would have broken for anything in the world, instead of here, where the most important promise I ever made, I just couldn't keep," Piper finished, breaking completely down into sobs that left her empty inside. Paige clung to her, needing the closeness as much as her sister.
"You didn't break your promise Piper, we are going to get her back. Maybe you will never live in castles, and no one lives 'happily ever after', but you are going to be together. That much I know, without a doubt," Paige whispered, her chin resting on her sister's head. Piper's sobs quieted to match her own silent weeping.
"I've never wanted anything in my life more than I want her back," Piper said fiercely, her voice raw with emotion. Paige nodded her agreement and tightened the embrace.
"We'll get her back. I'll make sure of it," Paige promised. Oddly, Piper felt comfort in her words. Paige was so much like Prue. Prue always made her feel secure, wiped away her doubts with a stubborn, unwavering confidence.
"I know you will," Piper assured, rising slightly to kiss her younger sister's forehead, "Right now, we better get busy. Prue will kill us if we don't get anything on 'The List' done." Quickly, she scrambled from the floor and held a hand down to her sister. Paige locked her eyes and Piper's as she clasped her sister's hand and pulled herself up.
"What else does she have on that list of hers?," Paige asked, smiling slightly. It still didn't feel right to smile, but she forced it for both of them. They needed to concentrate on the task before them. It might be the answer they were searching for, and neither wanted to miss the opportunity to bring back the soul of their family.