Disclaimer: I don't own Charmed, unfortunately. I do not presume to, I simply use the characters that I love in my own stories. It's harmless fun.
AN: Thanks everyone who has reviewed. I know I haven't been so great at updating lately. I'm really sorries, but, well, writer's block has a strong grasp on me. I have been struggling to get out the low-quality chapters you've gotten so far..Y'all have been great, though. Thanks.
CharmingTess: Thanks. I hope you'll continue to read..lotz more grief coming.
Charmed Princess: Thanks sissy. Glad you like the story!
Starring Piper: *sniff* You're gone. That really sucks and I miss you already. Cannot wait til Tuesday rolls around. It won't let me review the newest chapter for OHDH but I'll keep trying. It was amazing, by the way. As always...luv ya! PTTT
EnchantingCharmed: I know, sadness is what I love best. *grins evilly* hehe, thanks for reviewing!
pippergurl: lol, evil ffn. *looks around carefully, in case ffn hear her* Thanks for taking the time to review (and for figuring out the whole log in/ log out thing)
Rea: Thanks, glad you're still reading!
Prue3: Thank ya! Grief is hard to do...but I really loooove doing it! hehe.
Fury Piper: It wasn't a dream Piper had. It was a vision the Elders showed her to warn of her of what would come if Prue ever returned. Eh, surprisingly enough, Starring Piper (my twin) DOES understand my insane mind...I know, I know, scary ain't it? :P Well, thanks for reviewing, nice to know you are still reading!!
Even the most beautiful rose had its thorns. That was what Paige was learning with each day she attempted to spend in her sisters' evasive company. Only a glimmer of her initial excitement remained within her. The worst part of the entire ordeal was the fact that, no matter how hard she tried, she could not get Piper to like her.
It had been nearly two weeks since they had all found out about their connection to each other. She had yet to see Piper smile in her general direction. Of course, the girls weren't really noticing much to smile about after Prue's death. Paige knew and understood that. Well, she thought she understood.
Paige walked through her small apartment, resisted the urge to leave and buy a bottle of hard liquor, and went to her refrigerator for a cold glass of apple juice instead. Taking a small sip, she turned around and headed back to the one chair she had in her whole apartment. It took a minute for her taste buds to adjust to the shock of having a non-alcoholic beverage coarse over them, so Paige waited a few moments before taking another drink.
After the many years she had passed being sober, it still took a lot of self restraint to continue with her lifestyle of choice. Paige was having a harder time controlling herself lately. Stress tended to increase her yearn for alcohol. With a growl of frustration, Paige got up once again and paced across the room. Nervous energy built within her, leaving her no choice but to keep moving. She needed to do something before she went stir crazy, but she didn't really have much available to her. Sure, she lived in San Francisco, a huge city with loads of activities. None of them would keep her interest, though. Not for more than a total of a few minutes.
She turned over her one option in her mind, testing out how it made her feel. The sickening dread in her stomach told her to stop considering it, but she could no longer sit in her apartment drinking apple juice and staring at the wall. Decision made, Paige grabbed the brush from her bedside table and yanked it through her hair. She slipped on a pair of sandals, taking the time to coordinate the shoes with her outfit. After a couple of minutes, Paige hurried from her apartment, keys in hand.
Phoebe took another bite of the sandwich she had jsut thrown together and chewed slowly, not particularly tasting the food at all. It wasn't different from what was now normal for her. Nothing was the same since Prue had...gone. Life had lost all flavor, meaning, and appeal. Two weeks should have lessened the pain, but once again, her naive assumption had proven wrong. She felt a pang of loneliness sweep through her as she thought of Piper's absence from the Manor. She hated to be away from Piper these days, though she felt like a baby in her clinginess. Piper had been distant, but Phoebe could tell she was trying to be considerate of her feelings. More than once, Phoebe had asked Piper to stay home with her, to which Piper complied reluctantly.
The sound of the doorbell echoed through the Manor and Phoebe nearly jumped out of her skin. Placing the almost forgotten sandwich down on the plate in front of her, Phoebe stood up and pushed back the chair forcefully. It wobbled on its two back legs before righting itself and Phoebe moved quickly through the house, finally reaching the front door. She threw the door open, not bothering to change her expression into one of politeness.
"Hi, I'm sorry to jsut show up..I was sitting in my apartment and..." Paige began, then trailed off and blushed a little. Phoebe didn't look pleased to see her at all and suddenly the entire idea seemed incredibly dumb. Phoebe struggled to convey a different emotion towards Paige, but all she could manage was a weak smile.
"Hello Paige, come in. Piper isn't here, she's at P3," she said, stepping back to allow Paige in, "I'm having a sandwich, do you want anything?" Paige shook her head once and followed Phoebe to the kitchen mutely. An awkward silence descended heavily upon them. Neither could look at the other, so Phoebe concentrated on her food. Paige jsut looked around silently.
"So," Phoebe started, with a false cheerfulness that turned Paige's stomach, "What brings you around?"
"I couldn't stay in my apartment any longer...You know, I was going crazy by myself so I decided to see how you were doing," Paige told her, putting a little false cheer in her own tone.
"Well..." Phoebe said, then sighed heavily, "It's up or down around here. More downs than up, really. I guess Piper and I are dealing the best we can." Paige gave her a sympathetic look, tears burning the backs of her eyes.
"I know this is hard for you guys," she offered simply. Phoebe nodded, unable to speak. Any pretense of happiness was gone now, and she wasn't sure how to talk to Paige without the facade to hide behind.
The door to the Manor opened and shut, giving Phoebe a perfect opportunity to escape the uncomfortable atmosphere for a minute. Latching onto the chance, she got to her feet, tossing an apologetic smile in Paige's direction.
"That will be Piper," she stated, "I'll be back in a second." Paige nodded and Phoebe practically fled from the room. After a moment, Paige stood up slowly, feeling the urge to leave as quickly as possible. Facing the fact that she would have to run into Piper if she left now, Paige trailed Phoebe's path hesitantly.
"I got everything I could do finished and decided to come home and check on you," Piper was saying. She paused when Paige entered the main foyer. Her eyes turned slightly icy and bore into her younger sister, who shrank away from her gaze.
"Hey Piper. I was jsut leaving...," she said quickly, ducking her head and moving past her sisters. Phoebe grabbed her arm, preventing her from leaving.
"Don't be Silly, you jsut got here," she said. Piper and Paige both gave her withering looks, but she ignored them. "Paige came by to see if we were doing alright."
"How nice," Piper commented, her words not entirely ringing true. Phoebe ushered them both into the living room. Her conscience pricked when she glanced at Paige, who looked thoroughly miserable. Pushing aside her guilt, Phoebe focused on her goal. Piper and Paige needed to talk, so she was instigating conversation. Nothing malicious in that. They all seated themselves in various places, Paige and Phoebe on the couch, Piper in a chair.
"So, um, Piper," Paige said, "How are you doing?" Piper raised an eyebrow at the question. How did one say she was feeling like she was stuck in hell in a polite way?
"I feel like I'm stuck in hell," she stated bluntly, giving up on polite. Phoebe choked and covered the sound with a cough. She hadn't expected Piper to say something like that in the least. Well, the day was full of surprises.
"Listen, Piper, I know things are tough right now," Paige responded, recovering quickly, "It will get better eventually." Piper looked unimpressed but attempted appear grateful.
"Thanks. I hope so," she said. Paige shot Phoebe a helpless look, her eyes pleading. Phoebe didn't have it in her to inner Paige, so she spoke up.
"Let's talk about something less...gloomy," she said quietly. Piper rolled her eyes, irritated.
"Whatever, I don't really feel like talking," she said, abruptly getting up, "I'm sorry, Paige. Maybe some other time..." Paige nodded weakly, unable to come up with an appropriate reply.
"Piper, stop," Phoebe barked loudly. Piper turned around slowly. "You cannot keep avoiding Paige. She is our sister, and its time you accepted that." Piper scowled. Paige appeared horrified.
"No...no really, it's OK, I understand," she objected. Phoebe shook her head vigorously. She suddenly felt horrible for the way Paige was being treated and wanted to fix the situation.
"It isn't OK. This has gone on for too long. Piper, we have a responsibility to welcome her and make her feel accepted. We have to act like older sisters. It's our job, and it's what Prue would have wanted," she said, turning to look Piper in the eye.
"I don't have a responsibility to HER!," Piper screamed, "I had a responsibility to Prue. I have a responsibility to you. She isn't our sister. The Elders are lying." Piper's instincts told her not to let Paige get close to her. Even if the future she had been shown had included Prue, she couldn't risk having it come true. Horrible things that she could hardly bring herself to think about had occurred. If pushing Paige away kept it from happening, she would do so. Paige's stricken expression nearly made her falter, but she steeled herself against any emotion. Without another word, she turned sharply on her heel and retreated from the room.
"Shit," Phoebe muttered and chased after Piper. Paige stood, shocked, in the middle of the room. After a few moments, she exited quietly, tears streaming down her face.
AN: Thanks everyone who has reviewed. I know I haven't been so great at updating lately. I'm really sorries, but, well, writer's block has a strong grasp on me. I have been struggling to get out the low-quality chapters you've gotten so far..Y'all have been great, though. Thanks.
CharmingTess: Thanks. I hope you'll continue to read..lotz more grief coming.
Charmed Princess: Thanks sissy. Glad you like the story!
Starring Piper: *sniff* You're gone. That really sucks and I miss you already. Cannot wait til Tuesday rolls around. It won't let me review the newest chapter for OHDH but I'll keep trying. It was amazing, by the way. As always...luv ya! PTTT
EnchantingCharmed: I know, sadness is what I love best. *grins evilly* hehe, thanks for reviewing!
pippergurl: lol, evil ffn. *looks around carefully, in case ffn hear her* Thanks for taking the time to review (and for figuring out the whole log in/ log out thing)
Rea: Thanks, glad you're still reading!
Prue3: Thank ya! Grief is hard to do...but I really loooove doing it! hehe.
Fury Piper: It wasn't a dream Piper had. It was a vision the Elders showed her to warn of her of what would come if Prue ever returned. Eh, surprisingly enough, Starring Piper (my twin) DOES understand my insane mind...I know, I know, scary ain't it? :P Well, thanks for reviewing, nice to know you are still reading!!
Even the most beautiful rose had its thorns. That was what Paige was learning with each day she attempted to spend in her sisters' evasive company. Only a glimmer of her initial excitement remained within her. The worst part of the entire ordeal was the fact that, no matter how hard she tried, she could not get Piper to like her.
It had been nearly two weeks since they had all found out about their connection to each other. She had yet to see Piper smile in her general direction. Of course, the girls weren't really noticing much to smile about after Prue's death. Paige knew and understood that. Well, she thought she understood.
Paige walked through her small apartment, resisted the urge to leave and buy a bottle of hard liquor, and went to her refrigerator for a cold glass of apple juice instead. Taking a small sip, she turned around and headed back to the one chair she had in her whole apartment. It took a minute for her taste buds to adjust to the shock of having a non-alcoholic beverage coarse over them, so Paige waited a few moments before taking another drink.
After the many years she had passed being sober, it still took a lot of self restraint to continue with her lifestyle of choice. Paige was having a harder time controlling herself lately. Stress tended to increase her yearn for alcohol. With a growl of frustration, Paige got up once again and paced across the room. Nervous energy built within her, leaving her no choice but to keep moving. She needed to do something before she went stir crazy, but she didn't really have much available to her. Sure, she lived in San Francisco, a huge city with loads of activities. None of them would keep her interest, though. Not for more than a total of a few minutes.
She turned over her one option in her mind, testing out how it made her feel. The sickening dread in her stomach told her to stop considering it, but she could no longer sit in her apartment drinking apple juice and staring at the wall. Decision made, Paige grabbed the brush from her bedside table and yanked it through her hair. She slipped on a pair of sandals, taking the time to coordinate the shoes with her outfit. After a couple of minutes, Paige hurried from her apartment, keys in hand.
Phoebe took another bite of the sandwich she had jsut thrown together and chewed slowly, not particularly tasting the food at all. It wasn't different from what was now normal for her. Nothing was the same since Prue had...gone. Life had lost all flavor, meaning, and appeal. Two weeks should have lessened the pain, but once again, her naive assumption had proven wrong. She felt a pang of loneliness sweep through her as she thought of Piper's absence from the Manor. She hated to be away from Piper these days, though she felt like a baby in her clinginess. Piper had been distant, but Phoebe could tell she was trying to be considerate of her feelings. More than once, Phoebe had asked Piper to stay home with her, to which Piper complied reluctantly.
The sound of the doorbell echoed through the Manor and Phoebe nearly jumped out of her skin. Placing the almost forgotten sandwich down on the plate in front of her, Phoebe stood up and pushed back the chair forcefully. It wobbled on its two back legs before righting itself and Phoebe moved quickly through the house, finally reaching the front door. She threw the door open, not bothering to change her expression into one of politeness.
"Hi, I'm sorry to jsut show up..I was sitting in my apartment and..." Paige began, then trailed off and blushed a little. Phoebe didn't look pleased to see her at all and suddenly the entire idea seemed incredibly dumb. Phoebe struggled to convey a different emotion towards Paige, but all she could manage was a weak smile.
"Hello Paige, come in. Piper isn't here, she's at P3," she said, stepping back to allow Paige in, "I'm having a sandwich, do you want anything?" Paige shook her head once and followed Phoebe to the kitchen mutely. An awkward silence descended heavily upon them. Neither could look at the other, so Phoebe concentrated on her food. Paige jsut looked around silently.
"So," Phoebe started, with a false cheerfulness that turned Paige's stomach, "What brings you around?"
"I couldn't stay in my apartment any longer...You know, I was going crazy by myself so I decided to see how you were doing," Paige told her, putting a little false cheer in her own tone.
"Well..." Phoebe said, then sighed heavily, "It's up or down around here. More downs than up, really. I guess Piper and I are dealing the best we can." Paige gave her a sympathetic look, tears burning the backs of her eyes.
"I know this is hard for you guys," she offered simply. Phoebe nodded, unable to speak. Any pretense of happiness was gone now, and she wasn't sure how to talk to Paige without the facade to hide behind.
The door to the Manor opened and shut, giving Phoebe a perfect opportunity to escape the uncomfortable atmosphere for a minute. Latching onto the chance, she got to her feet, tossing an apologetic smile in Paige's direction.
"That will be Piper," she stated, "I'll be back in a second." Paige nodded and Phoebe practically fled from the room. After a moment, Paige stood up slowly, feeling the urge to leave as quickly as possible. Facing the fact that she would have to run into Piper if she left now, Paige trailed Phoebe's path hesitantly.
"I got everything I could do finished and decided to come home and check on you," Piper was saying. She paused when Paige entered the main foyer. Her eyes turned slightly icy and bore into her younger sister, who shrank away from her gaze.
"Hey Piper. I was jsut leaving...," she said quickly, ducking her head and moving past her sisters. Phoebe grabbed her arm, preventing her from leaving.
"Don't be Silly, you jsut got here," she said. Piper and Paige both gave her withering looks, but she ignored them. "Paige came by to see if we were doing alright."
"How nice," Piper commented, her words not entirely ringing true. Phoebe ushered them both into the living room. Her conscience pricked when she glanced at Paige, who looked thoroughly miserable. Pushing aside her guilt, Phoebe focused on her goal. Piper and Paige needed to talk, so she was instigating conversation. Nothing malicious in that. They all seated themselves in various places, Paige and Phoebe on the couch, Piper in a chair.
"So, um, Piper," Paige said, "How are you doing?" Piper raised an eyebrow at the question. How did one say she was feeling like she was stuck in hell in a polite way?
"I feel like I'm stuck in hell," she stated bluntly, giving up on polite. Phoebe choked and covered the sound with a cough. She hadn't expected Piper to say something like that in the least. Well, the day was full of surprises.
"Listen, Piper, I know things are tough right now," Paige responded, recovering quickly, "It will get better eventually." Piper looked unimpressed but attempted appear grateful.
"Thanks. I hope so," she said. Paige shot Phoebe a helpless look, her eyes pleading. Phoebe didn't have it in her to inner Paige, so she spoke up.
"Let's talk about something less...gloomy," she said quietly. Piper rolled her eyes, irritated.
"Whatever, I don't really feel like talking," she said, abruptly getting up, "I'm sorry, Paige. Maybe some other time..." Paige nodded weakly, unable to come up with an appropriate reply.
"Piper, stop," Phoebe barked loudly. Piper turned around slowly. "You cannot keep avoiding Paige. She is our sister, and its time you accepted that." Piper scowled. Paige appeared horrified.
"No...no really, it's OK, I understand," she objected. Phoebe shook her head vigorously. She suddenly felt horrible for the way Paige was being treated and wanted to fix the situation.
"It isn't OK. This has gone on for too long. Piper, we have a responsibility to welcome her and make her feel accepted. We have to act like older sisters. It's our job, and it's what Prue would have wanted," she said, turning to look Piper in the eye.
"I don't have a responsibility to HER!," Piper screamed, "I had a responsibility to Prue. I have a responsibility to you. She isn't our sister. The Elders are lying." Piper's instincts told her not to let Paige get close to her. Even if the future she had been shown had included Prue, she couldn't risk having it come true. Horrible things that she could hardly bring herself to think about had occurred. If pushing Paige away kept it from happening, she would do so. Paige's stricken expression nearly made her falter, but she steeled herself against any emotion. Without another word, she turned sharply on her heel and retreated from the room.
"Shit," Phoebe muttered and chased after Piper. Paige stood, shocked, in the middle of the room. After a few moments, she exited quietly, tears streaming down her face.