Authors note: Hey, everyone. Thanks to all that read and reviewed my work!
I hope you enjoyed Chapter One, The Power of Four. Chapter 2, in my
opinion, is even better. I hope you enjoy it just as much!
Prue's eyes widened. Not back to stay? Then why.why.
"Then why is she back?" Piper demanded shrilly, finishing Prue's thought for her. "Why bring our sister back if she can't stay with us?"
Grams frowned at them, sadness clutching at her heart. "I'm sorry, girls. But there are some things.I.well." She paused. "She isn't here for pleasure.it's."
"Business?" Phoebe snapped angrily. She crossed her arms over her chest. "We should have known."
"I'm so sorry, girls. I know it's difficult for you but-"
"You don't know anything!" Piper barked. Tears filled her eyes, her lower lip trembling. "It's been three years today since.and now Prue's back and you tell us she isn't allowed to stay and it's 'business'? Screw business!"
Grams gulped. "Piper."
"No! Either you let Prue stay, or.or." Piper cut off. "I hate being a witch! If we weren't witches, none of this would have happened! Prue wouldn't be.." She cut off and ran from the room, pushing past Phoebe. The slamming of doors told them Piper had locked herself in her bedroom.
A tense silenced filled the dusty attic. Paige shifted uncomfortably. She moved out from behind the book and stepped closer to Phoebe, but said nothing...she didn't dare.
"Grams, take me back. If I can't stay with my sisters then I don't want to be here at all! It's too hard.too hard to be here again, knowing I'll have to leave.again!" Prue said, trying to keep her tone calm and low.
Grams shook her head. "I'm afraid I can't.and I can't tell you why you're here. All I can say is.if you aren't here to help your sisters, then they will end up the way you did.." She looked at each girl, before disappearing in a whoosh of wind and white lights.
Phoebe looked at Paige, then Prue. "Come on, sweetie. Let's go downstairs." She glanced at Paige. "Would you mind going and trying to get Piper to come out?"
Paige shook her head. "No, I don't. You guys need to catch up." She walked out.
Phoebe walked over to Prue and took her hand. "It's great to have you back, Prue. We missed you.a lot."
Prue laughed a bitter, sarcastic laugh. She stalked to the door of the attic and out, heading down to the living room, muttering three words as she went, "I can tell."
Paige knocked on Piper's door gently. "Piper, sweetie come on out.please?"
"Go away!" Piper growled furiously. Paige frowned. "Please, Piper. I'm sure you, Phoebe, and Prue have some catching up to do."
"Go away!" Piper snapped again.
"Piper-"
"PAIGE GO AWAY!" Piper bellowed.
Paige gasped and sunk away from the door, then retreated down to the kitchen, where Phoebe and Prue sat at the table.
Prue sipped some coffee, cupping it in her hands. She didn't look up when Paige entered the room.
"She wont budge." Paige sighed, sitting next to Phoebe, across from Prue.
"She was.so upset.I've never seen Piper like that. I've only seen her that upset once before, when." Phoebe cut off, swallowing hard.
"When I died, right?" Prue huffed, taking a sip from her coffee.
"Where's Leo when you need him?" Phoebe groaned. "He could calm Piper down."
"What's wrong with her?" A voice asked from behind.
Prue, Phoebe, and Paige looked up. Leo stood in the kitchen doorway. He spotted Prue.
"Oh, hello." He said awkwardly.
"Leo, did you know Prue was going to be coming?" Phoebe demanded, starring accusingly at him.
Leo gulped. "I should go...check on.bye!" He turned and ran for the stairs.
"Leo!" Phoebe snapped. She sighed and looked at Prue. It was nice having her eldest sister back, but it felt weird, too. The tension between Prue and Paige was apparent, even though both tried to appear as if they half-liked each other.
"Let's just hope Leo can calm her down," Paige said softly.
Leo orbed into the room he shared with Piper. She had been sitting on the end of the bed and saw him, but turned herself around so her back was to him.
"Piper, please, talk to me," Leo said softly, walking over and sitting next to his wife, embracing her in his arms.
"I-I've always wanted Prue back but.but why now? Why just for a little while? Why for business?" Piper asked, sobbing.
Leo held her tighter. He didn't have the answers. "I don't know."
Piper shifted in his arms until she could look into his face. "You're an Elder.you must know! And-and there must be something you can do! Anything!"
Leo frowned at her. He did know something.but he wasn't allowed to interfere. "I'm sorry, Piper. I can't."
Piper jerked away from him and stood. "Get out.get out now! I don't want to see you!" She spat, hissing angrily. "If you can't help, then I don't want to see you!"
Frowning deeply, Leo orbed down to the kitchen. He looked sadly, from Paige to Prue to Phoebe, then orbed out.
"I guess he couldn't calm her down." Paige said dryly. Phoebe shot the youngest Halliwell an angry look. Paige shrugged her shoulders apologetically.
*~*~*
Hours had passed since Prue had come back. Piper was still locked in her room. She refused to come out for anyone or anything. Paige sat, in the living room, on the armchair. Phoebe sat on the couch opposite Paige; Prue seated next to her.
"I don't know why I'm back, not that I'm not glad. But.whatever it is.obviously, the Power of Four is needed. It, whatever It is, must be too strong for the Power of Three. And.well, that means we're going to need Piper. So.we need to get her to come out. Maybe I should try?" Prue asked, looking down at the couch as she spoke.
Phoebe nodded. "You can try."
Prue stood on shaky legs and trudged up the stairs, then down the hall to Piper's room. She knocked. No answer. She knocked again. No answer. She tried the doorknob. Locked. She took a deep breath.
If you won't come to me, she thought, then I'm coming to you.
Prue closed her eyes and concentrated. She gasped as she left her body and astral projected into Piper's room. One glance told her Piper was gone, but not by free will. The room had been trashed; the sheets were torn and tattered. The desk and chair had been knocked over and it's contents spilled over the floor. Things had been knocked off the dresser.
Prue gasped and went back to her body, then ran downstairs to Phoebe and Paige, her eyes wide with fear.
Paige and Phoebe stood abruptly.
"Prue, what is it? What happened?" Phoebe demanded.
"Piper.she's gone! She's been taken!"
Prue's eyes widened. Not back to stay? Then why.why.
"Then why is she back?" Piper demanded shrilly, finishing Prue's thought for her. "Why bring our sister back if she can't stay with us?"
Grams frowned at them, sadness clutching at her heart. "I'm sorry, girls. But there are some things.I.well." She paused. "She isn't here for pleasure.it's."
"Business?" Phoebe snapped angrily. She crossed her arms over her chest. "We should have known."
"I'm so sorry, girls. I know it's difficult for you but-"
"You don't know anything!" Piper barked. Tears filled her eyes, her lower lip trembling. "It's been three years today since.and now Prue's back and you tell us she isn't allowed to stay and it's 'business'? Screw business!"
Grams gulped. "Piper."
"No! Either you let Prue stay, or.or." Piper cut off. "I hate being a witch! If we weren't witches, none of this would have happened! Prue wouldn't be.." She cut off and ran from the room, pushing past Phoebe. The slamming of doors told them Piper had locked herself in her bedroom.
A tense silenced filled the dusty attic. Paige shifted uncomfortably. She moved out from behind the book and stepped closer to Phoebe, but said nothing...she didn't dare.
"Grams, take me back. If I can't stay with my sisters then I don't want to be here at all! It's too hard.too hard to be here again, knowing I'll have to leave.again!" Prue said, trying to keep her tone calm and low.
Grams shook her head. "I'm afraid I can't.and I can't tell you why you're here. All I can say is.if you aren't here to help your sisters, then they will end up the way you did.." She looked at each girl, before disappearing in a whoosh of wind and white lights.
Phoebe looked at Paige, then Prue. "Come on, sweetie. Let's go downstairs." She glanced at Paige. "Would you mind going and trying to get Piper to come out?"
Paige shook her head. "No, I don't. You guys need to catch up." She walked out.
Phoebe walked over to Prue and took her hand. "It's great to have you back, Prue. We missed you.a lot."
Prue laughed a bitter, sarcastic laugh. She stalked to the door of the attic and out, heading down to the living room, muttering three words as she went, "I can tell."
Paige knocked on Piper's door gently. "Piper, sweetie come on out.please?"
"Go away!" Piper growled furiously. Paige frowned. "Please, Piper. I'm sure you, Phoebe, and Prue have some catching up to do."
"Go away!" Piper snapped again.
"Piper-"
"PAIGE GO AWAY!" Piper bellowed.
Paige gasped and sunk away from the door, then retreated down to the kitchen, where Phoebe and Prue sat at the table.
Prue sipped some coffee, cupping it in her hands. She didn't look up when Paige entered the room.
"She wont budge." Paige sighed, sitting next to Phoebe, across from Prue.
"She was.so upset.I've never seen Piper like that. I've only seen her that upset once before, when." Phoebe cut off, swallowing hard.
"When I died, right?" Prue huffed, taking a sip from her coffee.
"Where's Leo when you need him?" Phoebe groaned. "He could calm Piper down."
"What's wrong with her?" A voice asked from behind.
Prue, Phoebe, and Paige looked up. Leo stood in the kitchen doorway. He spotted Prue.
"Oh, hello." He said awkwardly.
"Leo, did you know Prue was going to be coming?" Phoebe demanded, starring accusingly at him.
Leo gulped. "I should go...check on.bye!" He turned and ran for the stairs.
"Leo!" Phoebe snapped. She sighed and looked at Prue. It was nice having her eldest sister back, but it felt weird, too. The tension between Prue and Paige was apparent, even though both tried to appear as if they half-liked each other.
"Let's just hope Leo can calm her down," Paige said softly.
Leo orbed into the room he shared with Piper. She had been sitting on the end of the bed and saw him, but turned herself around so her back was to him.
"Piper, please, talk to me," Leo said softly, walking over and sitting next to his wife, embracing her in his arms.
"I-I've always wanted Prue back but.but why now? Why just for a little while? Why for business?" Piper asked, sobbing.
Leo held her tighter. He didn't have the answers. "I don't know."
Piper shifted in his arms until she could look into his face. "You're an Elder.you must know! And-and there must be something you can do! Anything!"
Leo frowned at her. He did know something.but he wasn't allowed to interfere. "I'm sorry, Piper. I can't."
Piper jerked away from him and stood. "Get out.get out now! I don't want to see you!" She spat, hissing angrily. "If you can't help, then I don't want to see you!"
Frowning deeply, Leo orbed down to the kitchen. He looked sadly, from Paige to Prue to Phoebe, then orbed out.
"I guess he couldn't calm her down." Paige said dryly. Phoebe shot the youngest Halliwell an angry look. Paige shrugged her shoulders apologetically.
*~*~*
Hours had passed since Prue had come back. Piper was still locked in her room. She refused to come out for anyone or anything. Paige sat, in the living room, on the armchair. Phoebe sat on the couch opposite Paige; Prue seated next to her.
"I don't know why I'm back, not that I'm not glad. But.whatever it is.obviously, the Power of Four is needed. It, whatever It is, must be too strong for the Power of Three. And.well, that means we're going to need Piper. So.we need to get her to come out. Maybe I should try?" Prue asked, looking down at the couch as she spoke.
Phoebe nodded. "You can try."
Prue stood on shaky legs and trudged up the stairs, then down the hall to Piper's room. She knocked. No answer. She knocked again. No answer. She tried the doorknob. Locked. She took a deep breath.
If you won't come to me, she thought, then I'm coming to you.
Prue closed her eyes and concentrated. She gasped as she left her body and astral projected into Piper's room. One glance told her Piper was gone, but not by free will. The room had been trashed; the sheets were torn and tattered. The desk and chair had been knocked over and it's contents spilled over the floor. Things had been knocked off the dresser.
Prue gasped and went back to her body, then ran downstairs to Phoebe and Paige, her eyes wide with fear.
Paige and Phoebe stood abruptly.
"Prue, what is it? What happened?" Phoebe demanded.
"Piper.she's gone! She's been taken!"