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 Thirty-Three ~ Disappearances Lead to Depression
It was late night, and Piper, Phoebe, Patty, and Grams sat at the dining room table, trying to find some way to bring Paige back. Dan's head rested on the table as he slept fitfully.
Leo was upstairs, calming down his son, who sensed the tension in the room. Wyatt obviously missed Paige also.
It had been nearly twenty hours since Paige disappeared, and everyone was wondering if she'd ever get back.
Phoebe was particularly worried, not only for Paige's safety, but for theirs also. It wouldn't be much longer before the underworld knew that the Charmed ones were vulnerable and torn apart. She knew that once the demons found out what was going on, they'd all be after them. Their lives would be threatened, as would Wyatt's.
"I regret to say this," Grams said, "but we must leave. We weren't meant to stay this long."
"But," Piper started, "you can't leave. We have to find Paige. We need you."
"Piper, honey, it's going to be okay. Paige will be back. She needs to find her answers, and when she does, she'll come back." Patty put a hand on her daughters shoulder.
Phoebe bowed her head; she was worried. Even more now that she knew her mother and grandmother had to leave. She felt as if she was going to go through a major depression.
Everything was going by so quickly since Dan came back into their lives. When would it all slow down again?
It was times like these when she just wished for a normal life. If she wasn't a witch, her sister wouldn't be stuck in the future, and they wouldn't be worrying themselves to death.
She sighed and looked up at Patty and Grams.
"I wish you didn't have to leave, but I understand that you can't stay."
The two older women stood up and smiled pitifully. Patty looked back and forth between Piper and Phoebe.
"You must believe that Paige will be back. When you least expect it, she'll be home. I suggest that you all get some rest and wait it out."
"Mother." Piper said angrily. "This is your daughter you are talking about. Our sister, Dan's girlfriend. How are we supposed to just stop trying to find her?"
"Piper," Grams said, "you will not talk to your mother in that tone of voice." Piper held up her hand.
"No, you know what. I'm sorry for being disrespectful. I'm just worried, okay? I want my baby sister here, safe and sound. She needs to be home. If something happens, it will be all my fault, and I-"
"You're fault? Piper, you know that's not true." Phoebe reached out to her sister.
"Yes, it is. I'm the one who suggested drinking. If she wouldn't have drank anything, she wouldn't have said that spell and she'd still be here." Piper sighed and put her hand to her head. "I just- I'm frustrated because I can't find her. I'm supposed to find her and keep her safe. It's my responsibility."
Patty frowned at her eldest daughter. Piper had been through so much, and even though she didn't quite realized it yet, the new mother was going through postpartum depression. Paige's disappearance just set it off.
"Piper, please, get some rest." Patty said. "You need it."
Patty knew how Piper's powers were tied to her emotions, and if Piper got too upset, she could cause some major damage.
"Mom, I feel like nothing I do is right." Piper said sadly, reaching out to her mother. Patty enveloped her in a tight hug.
"Don't worry. Get a little rest. You'll feel better, I promise. Paige will be fine for the time being."
Piper nodded, though her face was huddled down in her mother's blouse. Her eyes filled with tears, and she just wanted to have a long crying fit.
"Patty, we must leave now." Grams said, taking her daughters hand in her own.
Piper pulled away from her mother and stared tearfully at the two women who silently disappeared.
"Goodbye. I shall keep an eye on you."
Piper and Phoebe nodded as they completely faded. They stared at the spot where their mother and grandmother had stood for a few moments.
"They're right. We need some sleep. We've been up for over twenty-four hours." Phoebe said quietly.
Piper nodded.
"Yeah." She walked silently to Dan and put a hand on his shoulder. "Dan," she whispered. "Wake up and go to bed. We'll work on finding Paige tomorrow."
Dan lifted his head, frowned, the nodded slowly.
"I'm going to wake up early though." He said quietly as he stood.
Phoebe was the first to leave the room and head upstairs. Dan looked at Piper's tearstained face.
"Are you okay?" He asked her.
"Yeah. Just upset. Mom and Grams had to leave. They aren't allowed to stay for long periods of time." Dan nodded slowly.
"I understand."
Piper folded her arms over her chest and sighed.
"I'm so discouraged. Nothing we've done has seemed to work. I'm praying that Paige will find the way back on her own."
"We've done all we can do, Piper." Dan said quietly. He didn't want to give up, but he felt a little of defeat. "Paige is strong. We've got to give her a chance to try on her own." Piper nodded.
"Mom was right. We just need rest." She turned and headed up the stairs. "Goodnight Dan. Please go on to bed."
"I am. I'm just going to pick up a bit."
"Okay. Not too late, Dan." Piper said as she disappeared behind the wall that led to the second floor.
Dan sighed and stretched. He rubbed his hand over his cheek where he had lain on the table. Sighing, he walked to the table and closed the notebooks that had been left open. He gathered all of the pens and sat them on the stack of books.
The Book of Shadows was open at the head of the table, and Dan flipped a couple of pages, but the book slammed shut, and he knew that it was Grams doing.
"Alright, alright. I'm going to bed."
He looked longingly up the stairs. Dan didn't think he'd feel right going to sleep in Paige's bed without her. He turned to the living room.
The couch didn't look too uncomfortable.
Authors note: Thank you for the reviews, keep them coming. Remember people; it's fiction.
Title: Sister Switch Off
Author: just always
Chapter Thirty-Three ~ Disappearances Lead to Depression
It was late night, and Piper, Phoebe, Patty, and Grams sat at the dining room table, trying to find some way to bring Paige back. Dan's head rested on the table as he slept fitfully.
Leo was upstairs, calming down his son, who sensed the tension in the room. Wyatt obviously missed Paige also.
It had been nearly twenty hours since Paige disappeared, and everyone was wondering if she'd ever get back.
Phoebe was particularly worried, not only for Paige's safety, but for theirs also. It wouldn't be much longer before the underworld knew that the Charmed ones were vulnerable and torn apart. She knew that once the demons found out what was going on, they'd all be after them. Their lives would be threatened, as would Wyatt's.
"I regret to say this," Grams said, "but we must leave. We weren't meant to stay this long."
"But," Piper started, "you can't leave. We have to find Paige. We need you."
"Piper, honey, it's going to be okay. Paige will be back. She needs to find her answers, and when she does, she'll come back." Patty put a hand on her daughters shoulder.
Phoebe bowed her head; she was worried. Even more now that she knew her mother and grandmother had to leave. She felt as if she was going to go through a major depression.
Everything was going by so quickly since Dan came back into their lives. When would it all slow down again?
It was times like these when she just wished for a normal life. If she wasn't a witch, her sister wouldn't be stuck in the future, and they wouldn't be worrying themselves to death.
She sighed and looked up at Patty and Grams.
"I wish you didn't have to leave, but I understand that you can't stay."
The two older women stood up and smiled pitifully. Patty looked back and forth between Piper and Phoebe.
"You must believe that Paige will be back. When you least expect it, she'll be home. I suggest that you all get some rest and wait it out."
"Mother." Piper said angrily. "This is your daughter you are talking about. Our sister, Dan's girlfriend. How are we supposed to just stop trying to find her?"
"Piper," Grams said, "you will not talk to your mother in that tone of voice." Piper held up her hand.
"No, you know what. I'm sorry for being disrespectful. I'm just worried, okay? I want my baby sister here, safe and sound. She needs to be home. If something happens, it will be all my fault, and I-"
"You're fault? Piper, you know that's not true." Phoebe reached out to her sister.
"Yes, it is. I'm the one who suggested drinking. If she wouldn't have drank anything, she wouldn't have said that spell and she'd still be here." Piper sighed and put her hand to her head. "I just- I'm frustrated because I can't find her. I'm supposed to find her and keep her safe. It's my responsibility."
Patty frowned at her eldest daughter. Piper had been through so much, and even though she didn't quite realized it yet, the new mother was going through postpartum depression. Paige's disappearance just set it off.
"Piper, please, get some rest." Patty said. "You need it."
Patty knew how Piper's powers were tied to her emotions, and if Piper got too upset, she could cause some major damage.
"Mom, I feel like nothing I do is right." Piper said sadly, reaching out to her mother. Patty enveloped her in a tight hug.
"Don't worry. Get a little rest. You'll feel better, I promise. Paige will be fine for the time being."
Piper nodded, though her face was huddled down in her mother's blouse. Her eyes filled with tears, and she just wanted to have a long crying fit.
"Patty, we must leave now." Grams said, taking her daughters hand in her own.
Piper pulled away from her mother and stared tearfully at the two women who silently disappeared.
"Goodbye. I shall keep an eye on you."
Piper and Phoebe nodded as they completely faded. They stared at the spot where their mother and grandmother had stood for a few moments.
"They're right. We need some sleep. We've been up for over twenty-four hours." Phoebe said quietly.
Piper nodded.
"Yeah." She walked silently to Dan and put a hand on his shoulder. "Dan," she whispered. "Wake up and go to bed. We'll work on finding Paige tomorrow."
Dan lifted his head, frowned, the nodded slowly.
"I'm going to wake up early though." He said quietly as he stood.
Phoebe was the first to leave the room and head upstairs. Dan looked at Piper's tearstained face.
"Are you okay?" He asked her.
"Yeah. Just upset. Mom and Grams had to leave. They aren't allowed to stay for long periods of time." Dan nodded slowly.
"I understand."
Piper folded her arms over her chest and sighed.
"I'm so discouraged. Nothing we've done has seemed to work. I'm praying that Paige will find the way back on her own."
"We've done all we can do, Piper." Dan said quietly. He didn't want to give up, but he felt a little of defeat. "Paige is strong. We've got to give her a chance to try on her own." Piper nodded.
"Mom was right. We just need rest." She turned and headed up the stairs. "Goodnight Dan. Please go on to bed."
"I am. I'm just going to pick up a bit."
"Okay. Not too late, Dan." Piper said as she disappeared behind the wall that led to the second floor.
Dan sighed and stretched. He rubbed his hand over his cheek where he had lain on the table. Sighing, he walked to the table and closed the notebooks that had been left open. He gathered all of the pens and sat them on the stack of books.
The Book of Shadows was open at the head of the table, and Dan flipped a couple of pages, but the book slammed shut, and he knew that it was Grams doing.
"Alright, alright. I'm going to bed."
He looked longingly up the stairs. Dan didn't think he'd feel right going to sleep in Paige's bed without her. He turned to the living room.
The couch didn't look too uncomfortable.