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: Thanks everyone for stickin with me even though I left town for so long. Nice to know I have such great reviewers! You guyz are awesome! I can't wait to see what you have to say about this chapter, so read on and I'll shut up...:P
Missy-Paige: Sissy!!! Sorries, didn't mean ta scare you. Thanks for reviewing sweetie. Love ya!
Lara-Beth: you guys ROCK! Thanks for stickin' with me for sooooooo long!
Pippergurl: I know, I'm really sorry. The last few chapters have been really tough...I think maybe Writer's Block is going to leave me alone now. Thanks for reviewing, and tune in for the next story...please!!
lmcheese: phoebe was left out because she was in heaven, so I couldn't really show any kind of torture there..lol. Well, don't worry, next story she will definitely be included more!!
Wotcha: I know, I know. I'm confuzzling, and this will probably make it worse..I promise eventually, I'll quit throwing curve balls atcha...maybe!
Starring Piper: TWIN!!!!!!!! I know, you are out of town *cries* You will still get a spot on all chapters, though!!!!
Prue3: AWWWWW. thank you sooo much for taking the time to read my stories, that means a WHOLE lot to me. You rock!!
Rea!!! You're baaaaaaaack! YAY! *does a dance* welcome back and thanks for stickin' with me! :D
FuryPiper: wow! thanks lotz and lotz and lotz and lotz!!!!!! Of course I'll be your friend, you sound like a lovely person. You deserve a spot, so you don't have to review every chapter unless you want to. My favorite character is Piper, but I find it really hard to do Piper-centric stories, so I try to portray each character equally, although Phoebe was kinda left out in this story some...:S I read Psychosis, and Psychosis:Revelations... chillingly great stories! I'm really glad you took the time to read all of my stories, that means a lot to me. My twin's stories are AWESOME, so I'm glad you read hers two. Jsut is an intention mistake. I should have explained that to everyone, but I kept forgetting. It's a twin thing...we have lotz of words, and Jsut is one of them. hey, if you wanna email me or something, my email is on my profile. Are you planning on writing fanfiction yourself? If you are, I will definitely check your stories out!!! Insanity is bliss!!!!!! hehe. I didn't start out being a Paige fan either, but I really changed my mind when I started writing fanfics. Well,thanks sooooo much for your fantastically long review, and I hope to hear from you!!!
Throughout the drive, Prue argued with herself. On one side, she had the need to go to the park, the need to feel the solace and to remember things. On the other, she knew she had things to figure out and half believed that this was jsut a way to escape the inevitable. "It doesn't matter now," she told herself and climbed out the car, "You're here. Make the most of it."
She wandered around slowly. When she got to her and her sisters' spot, she felt tears burn in the back of her eyes. Sitting down, she picked up a leaf and rolled the stem between her thumb and forefinger, causing the leaf to twist and twirl at alternating speeds. Amazingly, she felt a calm in her emotions, but, still, she couldn't help but wonder if this was anything like the calm before a huge storm. Could she go through another agonizing tornado of emotions without snapping back into the killer mode. She hoped so, otherwise she was terrified of what she could do.
So much had gone wrong in such a short time. She'd had love, happiness, life. Now she had hopelessness, grief, and death. An unfair trade, if anything. She chose to make the barter, and had lost everything. All in a one quick stab of a knife. It was a sick, cold reality that she had yet to face. Somehow, she doubted that she could face what she had done without risking her sanity..or whatever was left of it. Right now, she had to focus on something else.
Panic and anger gave way to unconditional love as she stared down at the angelic face of her son. Piper reached down to cup his face in her hand, then knelt down to be eye level with him.
"Mommy, can I help you make breakfast?," he asked, and everything was back to normal. Piper looked around and saw her kitchen. Would it stay this way? She had to believe it would. If things jsut stayed like this, she would be OK.
"Sure sweetie," she answered, smiling down at her son. A picture of Parker flashed through her mind. He was dead, but still staring at her, with his rotted skin and missing eyes. Shaking her head, the image faded and she saw her son, perfectly healthy and looking up at her. "Want do want to make?," she questioned, forcing a smile back on her face.
"Pancakes and bacon," he told her excitedly, and she gathered the ingredients needed. Cooking had a calming effect on her, and gradually the earlier scene became a silent terror in the back of her mind, threatening to surface if she so much as gave it an inch. So, she didn't.
Paige was so confused. So much had happened in the course of a few hours. She'd gotten her sisters back only to lose them again. In a way, it was even worse this time, because she'd seemingly never had them to begin with. She walked through Golden Gate Park in a slow, leisurely manner, but it wasn't as relaxing as she had hoped. Mostly, she jsut felt more tense. Nothing was making any sense to her. She felt an intense wave of sadness pass through her body as she stepped into the place where she and her sisters had celebrated Prue's birthday. Had that truly happened? Phoebe and Prue certainly hadn't remembered her, but it was so real to her. The looks Prue gave her sisters when she opened presents, the delight on her face when Andy had shown up. No way she imagined that.
A brief memory flashed through her mind. The first time Prue had said she loved her. She couldn't have made it all up. It was impossible. Prue, Piper, and Phoebe were her sisters, regardless of their lack of memory. Only problem was, if part of it was true, then all of it was true. Phoebe and Piper were dead. So, this had to be a test. Naruk was torturing her for his own sick pleasure. It made more sense than anything she'd thought of today. Finally, she felt peace come over her, and she began to plot ways of escaping this reality. It didn't take her long to get drowsy in the warm sun. She lay back with her hands behind her head, leaves crunching underneath her. Soon, her mind shut down and she was fast asleep.
"Wait a minute," Piper interrupted, "Why the hell are you showing me this?!" Leo shot her a cautionary look, warning her about her language. Instantly, Piper scowled and turned her anger onto him. "What?! Afraid your precious Elders are going to get mad at me for a little swearing? My sister jsut DIED Leo, and all They can do is show me horrible pictures and images of me and my sisters going through...who knows what. I want to know what this is!"
"My Child," Elder Thomas said softly. Piper glanced at him through narrowed eyes. "We had to show you what could happen if Prudence was returned to you."
"You mean, you heard me performing spell after spell and you were refusing me?," she demanded hotly. Elder Thomas nodded. "Damn you!," she hissed and Leo put a hand on her shoulder, which she shrugged off.
"Piper," Thomas explained, "You cannot give your powers up. You must continue to fight for good...jsut, without Prudence."
"You don't understand," she argued brokenly, tears tracking down her cheeks, "I can't do it without her!" Thomas and the others stared at her sympathetically. With a motion, Thomas dismissed the prophet He'd called to show Piper what had been foretold. Silently, He hoped that all the magic They had used hadn't been in vain.
"Leo," she said suddenly, still sobbing, "How can I go through life without Prue? She was the only one I had to take care of me...I need her." Leo couldn't speak past the lump in his throat. He wouldn't have been able to, regardless. He had no idea what to tell her. After a few minutes, Piper calmed down some. Her rational side kicked in and she knew she had to make a decision. Did she say the spell to undo what Phoebe had done that fateful day in the attic? Did she rid the world of the Charmed Ones or did she continue in her destiny with her newly found half sister, Paige? The benefits of the latter seemed few, but still, she couldn't discard the innocents they were meant to help.
"I'll try," she offered. Elder Thomas sent a silent message to Leo, who wrapped his arms around his wife and orbed them both back to the Manor.
Phoebe leaped off the couch at the sight of Piper. "Where have you been? You've been gone for hours!," she asked worriedly. Piper looked at her guiltily, but she was too weary for a whole lot of any emotion, except grief.
"The Elders needed to talk with her," Leo supplied, Phoebe appeared curious, but pushed her questions aside. Piper looked more in need of a hug than an inquisition. Pulling her older sister into a tight embrace, Phoebe closed her eyes and soaked in the comfort. Piper let herself cry into Phoebe.
"Shhh, sweetie," Phoebe whispered. It wasn't supposed to hurt this much. Nothing was supposed to hurt this much.
"She isn't coming back, Phoebe," Piper stated, her voice thick with emotion.
AN: I know you weren't expecting that! Well, frankly neither was I. I got this wild idea in the midst of the longest battle with Writer's Block I've had in a while. (damn WB!) I hope you guys got what I was aiming for. If not, I will be happy to explain. This story is over, but if I get any requests for explanation I will be happy to include one...Well, I suppose that is all. Thank you everyone again for being with me through this story, I hope you will continue to read my series.
AN: Thanks everyone for stickin with me even though I left town for so long. Nice to know I have such great reviewers! You guyz are awesome! I can't wait to see what you have to say about this chapter, so read on and I'll shut up...:P
Missy-Paige: Sissy!!! Sorries, didn't mean ta scare you. Thanks for reviewing sweetie. Love ya!
Lara-Beth: you guys ROCK! Thanks for stickin' with me for sooooooo long!
Pippergurl: I know, I'm really sorry. The last few chapters have been really tough...I think maybe Writer's Block is going to leave me alone now. Thanks for reviewing, and tune in for the next story...please!!
lmcheese: phoebe was left out because she was in heaven, so I couldn't really show any kind of torture there..lol. Well, don't worry, next story she will definitely be included more!!
Wotcha: I know, I know. I'm confuzzling, and this will probably make it worse..I promise eventually, I'll quit throwing curve balls atcha...maybe!
Starring Piper: TWIN!!!!!!!! I know, you are out of town *cries* You will still get a spot on all chapters, though!!!!
Prue3: AWWWWW. thank you sooo much for taking the time to read my stories, that means a WHOLE lot to me. You rock!!
Rea!!! You're baaaaaaaack! YAY! *does a dance* welcome back and thanks for stickin' with me! :D
FuryPiper: wow! thanks lotz and lotz and lotz and lotz!!!!!! Of course I'll be your friend, you sound like a lovely person. You deserve a spot, so you don't have to review every chapter unless you want to. My favorite character is Piper, but I find it really hard to do Piper-centric stories, so I try to portray each character equally, although Phoebe was kinda left out in this story some...:S I read Psychosis, and Psychosis:Revelations... chillingly great stories! I'm really glad you took the time to read all of my stories, that means a lot to me. My twin's stories are AWESOME, so I'm glad you read hers two. Jsut is an intention mistake. I should have explained that to everyone, but I kept forgetting. It's a twin thing...we have lotz of words, and Jsut is one of them. hey, if you wanna email me or something, my email is on my profile. Are you planning on writing fanfiction yourself? If you are, I will definitely check your stories out!!! Insanity is bliss!!!!!! hehe. I didn't start out being a Paige fan either, but I really changed my mind when I started writing fanfics. Well,thanks sooooo much for your fantastically long review, and I hope to hear from you!!!
Throughout the drive, Prue argued with herself. On one side, she had the need to go to the park, the need to feel the solace and to remember things. On the other, she knew she had things to figure out and half believed that this was jsut a way to escape the inevitable. "It doesn't matter now," she told herself and climbed out the car, "You're here. Make the most of it."
She wandered around slowly. When she got to her and her sisters' spot, she felt tears burn in the back of her eyes. Sitting down, she picked up a leaf and rolled the stem between her thumb and forefinger, causing the leaf to twist and twirl at alternating speeds. Amazingly, she felt a calm in her emotions, but, still, she couldn't help but wonder if this was anything like the calm before a huge storm. Could she go through another agonizing tornado of emotions without snapping back into the killer mode. She hoped so, otherwise she was terrified of what she could do.
So much had gone wrong in such a short time. She'd had love, happiness, life. Now she had hopelessness, grief, and death. An unfair trade, if anything. She chose to make the barter, and had lost everything. All in a one quick stab of a knife. It was a sick, cold reality that she had yet to face. Somehow, she doubted that she could face what she had done without risking her sanity..or whatever was left of it. Right now, she had to focus on something else.
Panic and anger gave way to unconditional love as she stared down at the angelic face of her son. Piper reached down to cup his face in her hand, then knelt down to be eye level with him.
"Mommy, can I help you make breakfast?," he asked, and everything was back to normal. Piper looked around and saw her kitchen. Would it stay this way? She had to believe it would. If things jsut stayed like this, she would be OK.
"Sure sweetie," she answered, smiling down at her son. A picture of Parker flashed through her mind. He was dead, but still staring at her, with his rotted skin and missing eyes. Shaking her head, the image faded and she saw her son, perfectly healthy and looking up at her. "Want do want to make?," she questioned, forcing a smile back on her face.
"Pancakes and bacon," he told her excitedly, and she gathered the ingredients needed. Cooking had a calming effect on her, and gradually the earlier scene became a silent terror in the back of her mind, threatening to surface if she so much as gave it an inch. So, she didn't.
Paige was so confused. So much had happened in the course of a few hours. She'd gotten her sisters back only to lose them again. In a way, it was even worse this time, because she'd seemingly never had them to begin with. She walked through Golden Gate Park in a slow, leisurely manner, but it wasn't as relaxing as she had hoped. Mostly, she jsut felt more tense. Nothing was making any sense to her. She felt an intense wave of sadness pass through her body as she stepped into the place where she and her sisters had celebrated Prue's birthday. Had that truly happened? Phoebe and Prue certainly hadn't remembered her, but it was so real to her. The looks Prue gave her sisters when she opened presents, the delight on her face when Andy had shown up. No way she imagined that.
A brief memory flashed through her mind. The first time Prue had said she loved her. She couldn't have made it all up. It was impossible. Prue, Piper, and Phoebe were her sisters, regardless of their lack of memory. Only problem was, if part of it was true, then all of it was true. Phoebe and Piper were dead. So, this had to be a test. Naruk was torturing her for his own sick pleasure. It made more sense than anything she'd thought of today. Finally, she felt peace come over her, and she began to plot ways of escaping this reality. It didn't take her long to get drowsy in the warm sun. She lay back with her hands behind her head, leaves crunching underneath her. Soon, her mind shut down and she was fast asleep.
"Wait a minute," Piper interrupted, "Why the hell are you showing me this?!" Leo shot her a cautionary look, warning her about her language. Instantly, Piper scowled and turned her anger onto him. "What?! Afraid your precious Elders are going to get mad at me for a little swearing? My sister jsut DIED Leo, and all They can do is show me horrible pictures and images of me and my sisters going through...who knows what. I want to know what this is!"
"My Child," Elder Thomas said softly. Piper glanced at him through narrowed eyes. "We had to show you what could happen if Prudence was returned to you."
"You mean, you heard me performing spell after spell and you were refusing me?," she demanded hotly. Elder Thomas nodded. "Damn you!," she hissed and Leo put a hand on her shoulder, which she shrugged off.
"Piper," Thomas explained, "You cannot give your powers up. You must continue to fight for good...jsut, without Prudence."
"You don't understand," she argued brokenly, tears tracking down her cheeks, "I can't do it without her!" Thomas and the others stared at her sympathetically. With a motion, Thomas dismissed the prophet He'd called to show Piper what had been foretold. Silently, He hoped that all the magic They had used hadn't been in vain.
"Leo," she said suddenly, still sobbing, "How can I go through life without Prue? She was the only one I had to take care of me...I need her." Leo couldn't speak past the lump in his throat. He wouldn't have been able to, regardless. He had no idea what to tell her. After a few minutes, Piper calmed down some. Her rational side kicked in and she knew she had to make a decision. Did she say the spell to undo what Phoebe had done that fateful day in the attic? Did she rid the world of the Charmed Ones or did she continue in her destiny with her newly found half sister, Paige? The benefits of the latter seemed few, but still, she couldn't discard the innocents they were meant to help.
"I'll try," she offered. Elder Thomas sent a silent message to Leo, who wrapped his arms around his wife and orbed them both back to the Manor.
Phoebe leaped off the couch at the sight of Piper. "Where have you been? You've been gone for hours!," she asked worriedly. Piper looked at her guiltily, but she was too weary for a whole lot of any emotion, except grief.
"The Elders needed to talk with her," Leo supplied, Phoebe appeared curious, but pushed her questions aside. Piper looked more in need of a hug than an inquisition. Pulling her older sister into a tight embrace, Phoebe closed her eyes and soaked in the comfort. Piper let herself cry into Phoebe.
"Shhh, sweetie," Phoebe whispered. It wasn't supposed to hurt this much. Nothing was supposed to hurt this much.
"She isn't coming back, Phoebe," Piper stated, her voice thick with emotion.
AN: I know you weren't expecting that! Well, frankly neither was I. I got this wild idea in the midst of the longest battle with Writer's Block I've had in a while. (damn WB!) I hope you guys got what I was aiming for. If not, I will be happy to explain. This story is over, but if I get any requests for explanation I will be happy to include one...Well, I suppose that is all. Thank you everyone again for being with me through this story, I hope you will continue to read my series.