Disclaimer: I own no one. All characters are from the television show "Charmed", I'm writing for fun, and not for profit.
Authors note: Thank you for the reviews, keep them coming. Remember people; it's fiction.
Title: Sister Switch Off
Author: just always
Chapter Twenty-Seven ~ Now What?
"Where is Paige?" Piper said nervously. "Where the hell is Paige?!" She looked to Phoebe for answers.
"I- I don't know. We were just- she didn't say anything about it."
"I'm going downstairs to get Leo and Dan. Look in the Book of Shadows for something. We have to get her back from," Piper paused. From where? She didn't know where her sister was. "From wherever the hell she is."
-x-
Ten minutes later, at half past one o'clock, the four adults sat at the breakfast nook in the kitchen, looking at Phoebe who flipped through the Book of Shadows.
"What the hell did she say?" Dan asked. The remaining sisters looked at him, afraid to answer. "What did she say?" He spoke the words slowly to emphasize his point.
"Dan, I don't think-"
"Damn it, I have a right to know."
He slapped his hand on the table, causing a glass of water to fall over and spill. The water spread across the table quickly. Phoebe picked up the ancient book and held it high as Leo and tried to sop up the liquid with napkins. Piper stood and grabbed the dishtowel that lay on the counter beside the sink.
"Dan-" Piper started.
"No. I'm sorry. I just, I'm going to sit outside." He stood up from the table and walked towards the dining room. "Uh, do you have a rubber band or an elastic ponytail holder or something?"
Piper dug around in a drawer and presented him with a large rubber band.
"Here."
"Thanks." He put the band around his wrist and walked outside.
Piper sighed and started to wipe up the water.
"What do you think he needed the rubber band for?" Phoebe asked.
"He'll tell you if you ask." Leo said and the two sisters looked at him. "What? I saw him wearing one a couple of days ago, and I asked."
"You aren't going to tell us?" Phoebe asked.
"It's not my business to share."
"I'm going to talk to him." Piper said. She left the rag on the table, and walked towards the front of the house.
She opened the front door slowly, not wanted to frighten Dan. His back was to her, as he sat on the steps facing the street. He popped the band on his wrist every couple of seconds. She could tell that he'd been doing non-stop since he put it on, because his hand was started to get red and blotchy.
"Piper," he said without turning around.
"How'd you know it was me?"
"Phoebe walks with zest in her step. Leo has loud steps; you walk timidly. I can hear your steps. I know who is who."
"Oh." She sat down beside him and crossed her arms out in front of her.
"I just, I'm worried. I've never felt this way before Piper. She's just gone, and I don't know where she is, if she's okay. I want to know where my girlfriend is." He sighed. "What was it she said in the spell? Please tell me."
Piper sighed and hung her head.
"Dan," she paused to collect her thoughts. "Paige is struggling. She doesn't know which way to turn. She cares so deeply about you, but she's just- under pressure by her own self. She's trying desperately to be in love with you." Piper wasn't sure if she should have revealed that to Dan, but it needed to be said for him to understand. "She's never been through the emotions she's going through right now. Paige has loved, yes, and she's cared about the man she loved."
"Man."
"Glenn." Piper said softly. "She's known Glenn since she was a child; they'd dated on and off forever. And he came back not long ago, and she wanted to be with him again, but-" Piper sighed. "He was getting married."
"I see."
"You needn't worry about him trying to steal her from you." Piper smiled softly. "Dan, she just needed a push, I believe. That's why she said what she did."
"What did she say, Piper? I want- I need to know."
Piper closed her eyes and breathed deeply through her nose. After licking her lips she opened her eyes and looked at him.
"The last phrase of the spell was 'Who is my only man, does my heart belong to Dan?' I don't know why she was-"
"Piper." Dan stopped her before she began to rattle. "That's it?"
"Yes."
"And you were afraid to tell me?" Piper nodded. "She did what any witch would have done."
"I wouldn't have."
Dan narrowed his eyes at her.
"You may not have, but Paige did. And we have to get her back."
"That we do." Piper said.
"I'm worried about her. I really am."
"You aren't the only one, Buddy." Piper put her arm around Dan's shoulders and popped the rubber band on his wrist. "What is this for?"
"You really want to know?"
"Well, I've never seen a man walk around popping a rubber band on his wrist." Dan licked his lips.
"I had a smoking problem." Piper frowned.
"When?"
"I started around the time I moved to Portland."
"And what's the rubber band for?" Dan popped it and gave her a smile.
"Every time I want to light up, I pop it. Eventually my mind will figure it out. When I crave one, my mind will say, 'wait no, that hurts', because I pop the band."
"I see."
"When I first decided to quit, I broke a rubber band several times a day."
"Because you wanted one so bad."
"Yeah." He replied.
"So, how long has it been since you've had one?"
"Four weeks to the day."
"And why haven't I seen you wearing one?"
"Because I haven't been craving."
"But you are now."
"I'm stressed out." He said with a sigh. "Or I'm getting there." Dan licked his lips. "I had it bad. I think when I moved back to Portland, I just got a little touchy because you and I were no longer together, and I didn't have my baseball career. So, it relieved the pressure I put on myself."
"I get it."
"How are we going to get her back, Piper?" Dan turned to look at her.
Piper stared straight ahead, and the moonlight shone dimly on her face. She looked like an angel sitting there, deep in thought. Dan could see why both he and Leo were fighting for her for so long. She was a great mother to her baby boy, and a great wife to her husband. Dan didn't want to compare Paige to her, but he hoped that Paige would be a great mother and wife too.
If he ever got her back.
"I don't know how, but she'll be back, Dan. If I have to go up and demand that the Elders give us some kind of information, we'll get her back."
Authors note: Thank you for the reviews, keep them coming. Remember people; it's fiction.
Title: Sister Switch Off
Author: just always
Chapter Twenty-Seven ~ Now What?
"Where is Paige?" Piper said nervously. "Where the hell is Paige?!" She looked to Phoebe for answers.
"I- I don't know. We were just- she didn't say anything about it."
"I'm going downstairs to get Leo and Dan. Look in the Book of Shadows for something. We have to get her back from," Piper paused. From where? She didn't know where her sister was. "From wherever the hell she is."
-x-
Ten minutes later, at half past one o'clock, the four adults sat at the breakfast nook in the kitchen, looking at Phoebe who flipped through the Book of Shadows.
"What the hell did she say?" Dan asked. The remaining sisters looked at him, afraid to answer. "What did she say?" He spoke the words slowly to emphasize his point.
"Dan, I don't think-"
"Damn it, I have a right to know."
He slapped his hand on the table, causing a glass of water to fall over and spill. The water spread across the table quickly. Phoebe picked up the ancient book and held it high as Leo and tried to sop up the liquid with napkins. Piper stood and grabbed the dishtowel that lay on the counter beside the sink.
"Dan-" Piper started.
"No. I'm sorry. I just, I'm going to sit outside." He stood up from the table and walked towards the dining room. "Uh, do you have a rubber band or an elastic ponytail holder or something?"
Piper dug around in a drawer and presented him with a large rubber band.
"Here."
"Thanks." He put the band around his wrist and walked outside.
Piper sighed and started to wipe up the water.
"What do you think he needed the rubber band for?" Phoebe asked.
"He'll tell you if you ask." Leo said and the two sisters looked at him. "What? I saw him wearing one a couple of days ago, and I asked."
"You aren't going to tell us?" Phoebe asked.
"It's not my business to share."
"I'm going to talk to him." Piper said. She left the rag on the table, and walked towards the front of the house.
She opened the front door slowly, not wanted to frighten Dan. His back was to her, as he sat on the steps facing the street. He popped the band on his wrist every couple of seconds. She could tell that he'd been doing non-stop since he put it on, because his hand was started to get red and blotchy.
"Piper," he said without turning around.
"How'd you know it was me?"
"Phoebe walks with zest in her step. Leo has loud steps; you walk timidly. I can hear your steps. I know who is who."
"Oh." She sat down beside him and crossed her arms out in front of her.
"I just, I'm worried. I've never felt this way before Piper. She's just gone, and I don't know where she is, if she's okay. I want to know where my girlfriend is." He sighed. "What was it she said in the spell? Please tell me."
Piper sighed and hung her head.
"Dan," she paused to collect her thoughts. "Paige is struggling. She doesn't know which way to turn. She cares so deeply about you, but she's just- under pressure by her own self. She's trying desperately to be in love with you." Piper wasn't sure if she should have revealed that to Dan, but it needed to be said for him to understand. "She's never been through the emotions she's going through right now. Paige has loved, yes, and she's cared about the man she loved."
"Man."
"Glenn." Piper said softly. "She's known Glenn since she was a child; they'd dated on and off forever. And he came back not long ago, and she wanted to be with him again, but-" Piper sighed. "He was getting married."
"I see."
"You needn't worry about him trying to steal her from you." Piper smiled softly. "Dan, she just needed a push, I believe. That's why she said what she did."
"What did she say, Piper? I want- I need to know."
Piper closed her eyes and breathed deeply through her nose. After licking her lips she opened her eyes and looked at him.
"The last phrase of the spell was 'Who is my only man, does my heart belong to Dan?' I don't know why she was-"
"Piper." Dan stopped her before she began to rattle. "That's it?"
"Yes."
"And you were afraid to tell me?" Piper nodded. "She did what any witch would have done."
"I wouldn't have."
Dan narrowed his eyes at her.
"You may not have, but Paige did. And we have to get her back."
"That we do." Piper said.
"I'm worried about her. I really am."
"You aren't the only one, Buddy." Piper put her arm around Dan's shoulders and popped the rubber band on his wrist. "What is this for?"
"You really want to know?"
"Well, I've never seen a man walk around popping a rubber band on his wrist." Dan licked his lips.
"I had a smoking problem." Piper frowned.
"When?"
"I started around the time I moved to Portland."
"And what's the rubber band for?" Dan popped it and gave her a smile.
"Every time I want to light up, I pop it. Eventually my mind will figure it out. When I crave one, my mind will say, 'wait no, that hurts', because I pop the band."
"I see."
"When I first decided to quit, I broke a rubber band several times a day."
"Because you wanted one so bad."
"Yeah." He replied.
"So, how long has it been since you've had one?"
"Four weeks to the day."
"And why haven't I seen you wearing one?"
"Because I haven't been craving."
"But you are now."
"I'm stressed out." He said with a sigh. "Or I'm getting there." Dan licked his lips. "I had it bad. I think when I moved back to Portland, I just got a little touchy because you and I were no longer together, and I didn't have my baseball career. So, it relieved the pressure I put on myself."
"I get it."
"How are we going to get her back, Piper?" Dan turned to look at her.
Piper stared straight ahead, and the moonlight shone dimly on her face. She looked like an angel sitting there, deep in thought. Dan could see why both he and Leo were fighting for her for so long. She was a great mother to her baby boy, and a great wife to her husband. Dan didn't want to compare Paige to her, but he hoped that Paige would be a great mother and wife too.
If he ever got her back.
"I don't know how, but she'll be back, Dan. If I have to go up and demand that the Elders give us some kind of information, we'll get her back."