Chapter 1
The residents of Halliwell Manor started their days feeling much like robots. They did what they had to do almost like machines. It was easier to try and focus on the day, than to think about its purpose. Victor had arrived early that morning, fully intent on helping with preparations. Only when he got there he couldn't. He tried, and his hands would shake if he ever tried. So he was told to go sit down, try to compose himself, prepare himself for what was ahead.
He'd thought he'd known sadness until the day he found out his daughter had died. It had been told to him by an Inspector Morris, a friend of his daughters as he remembered. The girls themselves were too heartbroken to go anywhere, and they didn't want to have him learn about it over the phone, or on television... He sat catatonic on his couch for some time after finding out. The Inspector had stayed with him the whole time.
"Can I get you anything?" he was brought back from his reverie by the sound of his youngest daughter's voice. He looked up at her, taking her hand.
"Oh, no thanks sweetie." She nodded and went off to take care of the plants. And then...
"Phoebe..." Looking up, she gasped, hurrying to greet the man with a long embrace.
"Cole!"
They talked briefly, Cole telling her things he knew she didn't want to hear but had to. And then Darryl arrived, informing them that Piper's case had been assigned to someone else. Like they needed something like this. Some of them were stronger, slightly able to handle something like this. But then the others...
Upstairs, Prue sat outside her sister's room, almost keeping a vigil in front of it to prevent anyone from disturbing the way things had been left in there. In a way that was a part of her sister and she'd be damned if she let someone change it. But then... her vigil had the slight purpose of keeping her here. Suddenly all of the courage she'd put together for this had flown away. She'd failed her little sister, no matter what anyone said she knew that was the truth. She should have been able to protect her, do... something, anything to keep her alive.
She barely took notice when someone came to sit at her side. She'd seen who it was and maybe that was why she couldn't look at him. She knew he was hurting too, just as much as they were, but she couldn't help feeling some awful things about him.
"We have to go."
"I'm not."
"You know that's not true."
"Isn't it? How would you know, you're not ME."
"Prue, I..."
"No, I don't want to hear it, not again. 'I'm there for you', 'I can help you', 'You're not alone'. Well, guess what, I AM alone. That's how I feel, and no one will make that otherwise," she stood, facing away from him.
"Prue..."
"Why didn't you save her?"
"I tried."
"Not hard enough. Why didn't you?"
"I know you're angry..."
"Angry? Oh no... I'm not angry. There are no words for what I am. Combine angry with about fifteen synonyms and you might be in the vicinity of a neighboring universe. She was your wife, Leo! Why didn't you heal her first? I'm just your sister-in-law, she was... she was your..." Once again, the increasing use of the word 'was' had overwhelmed her, and she began to cry. Leo stood and tried to hold her in his arms to comfort her, but she pushed him away at first. Eventually though she let herself be held, perhaps tired of fighting it. "This just can't be happening... It's not real... It's not..."
"I know it isn't."
*
Finally, they'd all managed to face the music, and had piled up into their cars to go to the cemetery. Sitting in the foldable chairs, watching the ceremony, the white casket... The tears began, Phoebe crying into Cole's shoulder, Prue into her father's as Leo held her hand. The spat that had been going on with them over the past few days had now been replaced by a friendship like they'd never had.
After the priestess had done her part came the one the family got through only thanks to seeing how many people had come to remember their sister, reminding them just how loved she'd been. And then one girl came, and it stirred something in Phoebe as they spoke, like she knew her somehow. She couldn't explain it and then they'd shook hands. Phoebe had had a premonition, bringing on the image of her current nightmares, the demon Shax. Only when she regained her senses, the girl was gone. They tried to go after her, but then...
Two bounty hunters appeared on either side of Cole. Everyone scrambled into 'position', either standing back in safety or fighting, which was Cole and Phoebe. Prue however was another story altogether.
"ENOUGH!" she cried as Cole got rid of the second hunter. "I can't take this anymore, can't we even bury our sister in PEACE!" She stomped out of the room, chairs flung through the air as she made herself a path away from the others, looking after her and to each other in shock.
The residents of Halliwell Manor started their days feeling much like robots. They did what they had to do almost like machines. It was easier to try and focus on the day, than to think about its purpose. Victor had arrived early that morning, fully intent on helping with preparations. Only when he got there he couldn't. He tried, and his hands would shake if he ever tried. So he was told to go sit down, try to compose himself, prepare himself for what was ahead.
He'd thought he'd known sadness until the day he found out his daughter had died. It had been told to him by an Inspector Morris, a friend of his daughters as he remembered. The girls themselves were too heartbroken to go anywhere, and they didn't want to have him learn about it over the phone, or on television... He sat catatonic on his couch for some time after finding out. The Inspector had stayed with him the whole time.
"Can I get you anything?" he was brought back from his reverie by the sound of his youngest daughter's voice. He looked up at her, taking her hand.
"Oh, no thanks sweetie." She nodded and went off to take care of the plants. And then...
"Phoebe..." Looking up, she gasped, hurrying to greet the man with a long embrace.
"Cole!"
They talked briefly, Cole telling her things he knew she didn't want to hear but had to. And then Darryl arrived, informing them that Piper's case had been assigned to someone else. Like they needed something like this. Some of them were stronger, slightly able to handle something like this. But then the others...
Upstairs, Prue sat outside her sister's room, almost keeping a vigil in front of it to prevent anyone from disturbing the way things had been left in there. In a way that was a part of her sister and she'd be damned if she let someone change it. But then... her vigil had the slight purpose of keeping her here. Suddenly all of the courage she'd put together for this had flown away. She'd failed her little sister, no matter what anyone said she knew that was the truth. She should have been able to protect her, do... something, anything to keep her alive.
She barely took notice when someone came to sit at her side. She'd seen who it was and maybe that was why she couldn't look at him. She knew he was hurting too, just as much as they were, but she couldn't help feeling some awful things about him.
"We have to go."
"I'm not."
"You know that's not true."
"Isn't it? How would you know, you're not ME."
"Prue, I..."
"No, I don't want to hear it, not again. 'I'm there for you', 'I can help you', 'You're not alone'. Well, guess what, I AM alone. That's how I feel, and no one will make that otherwise," she stood, facing away from him.
"Prue..."
"Why didn't you save her?"
"I tried."
"Not hard enough. Why didn't you?"
"I know you're angry..."
"Angry? Oh no... I'm not angry. There are no words for what I am. Combine angry with about fifteen synonyms and you might be in the vicinity of a neighboring universe. She was your wife, Leo! Why didn't you heal her first? I'm just your sister-in-law, she was... she was your..." Once again, the increasing use of the word 'was' had overwhelmed her, and she began to cry. Leo stood and tried to hold her in his arms to comfort her, but she pushed him away at first. Eventually though she let herself be held, perhaps tired of fighting it. "This just can't be happening... It's not real... It's not..."
"I know it isn't."
*
Finally, they'd all managed to face the music, and had piled up into their cars to go to the cemetery. Sitting in the foldable chairs, watching the ceremony, the white casket... The tears began, Phoebe crying into Cole's shoulder, Prue into her father's as Leo held her hand. The spat that had been going on with them over the past few days had now been replaced by a friendship like they'd never had.
After the priestess had done her part came the one the family got through only thanks to seeing how many people had come to remember their sister, reminding them just how loved she'd been. And then one girl came, and it stirred something in Phoebe as they spoke, like she knew her somehow. She couldn't explain it and then they'd shook hands. Phoebe had had a premonition, bringing on the image of her current nightmares, the demon Shax. Only when she regained her senses, the girl was gone. They tried to go after her, but then...
Two bounty hunters appeared on either side of Cole. Everyone scrambled into 'position', either standing back in safety or fighting, which was Cole and Phoebe. Prue however was another story altogether.
"ENOUGH!" she cried as Cole got rid of the second hunter. "I can't take this anymore, can't we even bury our sister in PEACE!" She stomped out of the room, chairs flung through the air as she made herself a path away from the others, looking after her and to each other in shock.