The house was unnaturally quiet, for a house that contained four people,
and a four-year-old child, but Kit the cat, curled up on the hall table
didn't seem to mind. She blinked lazy blue eyes, and yawned slowly. It was
earlier than she'd thought to have come, but she had been called.
An alarm's ring sounded through the house. Kit uncurled, and stretched, then leapt neatly off the table, and out of the open window with an elegant slink to her tail. It was not time for the first to know.
Phoebe reached out sleepily to flick off the annoying alarm. She rolled over, her body still expectant of the heat of another, lying next to her. The sheets were cold. It took a second to register that Cole no longer existed, that he was- She sat up, pushing sweaty hair away from her face, rubbing her eyes. The fleeting memory of what she'd had was gone.
"Paige!" an impatient little voice called, and then there was a knock at the door. "Pa-ige!"
Paige stretched out in bed, and pulled the pillow over her head. She smiled to herself, then yawned.
"Five more minutes, please, Mommy," she called back. Prue giggled from outside the door, and on that, the wooden door flew open. A dark haired little cannon-ball flew to the bed, jumping on top of her, her blue eyes filled with excitement.
"C'mon, Paige, wake up," Prue poked the sleepy lump under the bedspread. The elder witch almost protested at the use of telekinesis on her locked door, but was still immersed in sleep. Instead, Paige swatted ineffectually at the little girl, then shifted her legs, so that Prue fell off the bed. She landed on the floor, but quickly launched herself at the older witch, once again.
"C'mon, get up," she said plaintively, tugging at the bedclothes. Paige grabbed a handful, and tugged back. Prue let go, and sat back on her heels, pouting a little bit. A smile broke out over her face, and a thoughtful look, then the duvet soared magically into the air.
"Not fair!" Paige growled, pretending to be angry. She sat up, pulled the little girl towards her, and began tickling her mercilessly. "This is what happens to girls who wake up their sleepy relatives." They didn't know really what to call Prue. Sister? Piper and Phoebe had buried their older sister, and although they'd never forget her, they'd moved on. Niece? Prue wasn't their daughter. It was really weird to describe, and Paige hoped that the little girl didn't pick up on it.
"I'm up, I'm up," she sighed finally, then mock-glared at the little girl. "You are in so much trouble."
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Prue practically skipped all the way to school. Paige was gonna take her, and Piper had made her an extra special lunch, which was really peanut butter and jelly, cuz they didn't know if school could make a PBJ the proper way, with one side of bread buttered, and the crusts cut off. And there was a brownie, too. It was neat to go to school, but also kinda funny, like she'd already started a school, somewhere else. With plastic chairs, and trucks, and a playground with a climbing frame, but it was all real blurry.
She looked up at Paige, and smiled happily to herself. She was a 'P' name, like Prue, and Piper and Phoebe, only Phoebe was like a "Fuh' name, cuz 'P' and 'H' made 'F'. Mommy had told her, way back when she'd asked why her baby sister wasn't a 'P' like her, and Piper, and Mommy, and Grams. Her tummy felt weird when she thought about Mommy. She could kinda see her, but not really.
"Paige?" she asked, finally. Paige looked down at the small girl, and squeezed her hand gently. Prue tugged her bottom lip between her teeth, a worried expression on her face.
"Why can't I remember Mommy?" she asked, her eyes wide. Paige's mind raced. Ever since Leo, she and Prue had spoken to the Elders, the child had mentioned her family less and less. She hadn't realised Prue was forgetting what had happened. It made sense, in a weird way. If the Elders had made Prue slot into this dimension, then it worked if she didn't remember the other one. However, they hadn't taken into consideration the stress on the little girl.
"Sweetie, I don't know," she said honestly. "Let's talk about it at home. See? There's school." Prue followed her point. There was a large playground, filled with kids, all yelling, and shouting, and running around and stuff. She clung to Paige's hand.
She thought about it a moment, her tummy all swirly. Maybe she wanted Mommy, a little bit. Maybe she even wanted Grams. Prue looked over at the playground, and-
"You know what?" Prue said very seriously. Paige looked down at the little girl, hiding a smile.
"What?" she asked, playing along. Prue cocked her head on the side, thinking.
"Maybe I shouldn't go to school. It could be dangerous. There could be demons," she reasoned. "I might have to protect Piper and Phoebe," she improvised. She didn't know where her sisters were, but if there was a demon, then they needed protecting. She snuck a peek at Paige's face, to see how the elder witch was taking it. Paige looked thoughtful, tapping her chin with her index finger.
"True. There could be. But you know what to do if that happens." She glanced at the little girl. Prue shook her head, sending her straight black hair flying out.
"What happens?" she demanded, tugging Paige's hand. Paige shook her head, a sombre expression on her face.
"Well, it's an awfully big spell," she sighed, trying not to smile. "I could write it down, but until you go to school, you can't read."
"I s'pose, if I knew the spell, I could go to school," Prue decided, sighing a little. Paige nodded, her face composed.
"An excellent plan. See, if you say this,
'A charmed one alone, Is not part of the three, So call here the others, To my aid and to me'
Then we'll arrive, and help out with any pesky demons," Paige hastily improvised. "But school is fun, sweetie. There'll be other kids, and playing and-"
"Can I play powers?" Prue interrupted hopefully. Paige and Piper and Phoebe didn't like her using her powers all that much.
"Absolutely not, Prudence Halliwell," Paige said firmly. "No magic in front of anyone." Prue scowled at the ground, then a sneaky expression crossed her face. Paige hadn't said 'no magic' at all.
"They won't like me," she pouted. Paige bent down, and hugged her.
"Of course they'll like you," she promised. "You're perfect."
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A/N: Short chapter, to start off school, and Prue-thoughts, and generalised Paige/Prue-ness.
REVIEW!!
An alarm's ring sounded through the house. Kit uncurled, and stretched, then leapt neatly off the table, and out of the open window with an elegant slink to her tail. It was not time for the first to know.
Phoebe reached out sleepily to flick off the annoying alarm. She rolled over, her body still expectant of the heat of another, lying next to her. The sheets were cold. It took a second to register that Cole no longer existed, that he was- She sat up, pushing sweaty hair away from her face, rubbing her eyes. The fleeting memory of what she'd had was gone.
"Paige!" an impatient little voice called, and then there was a knock at the door. "Pa-ige!"
Paige stretched out in bed, and pulled the pillow over her head. She smiled to herself, then yawned.
"Five more minutes, please, Mommy," she called back. Prue giggled from outside the door, and on that, the wooden door flew open. A dark haired little cannon-ball flew to the bed, jumping on top of her, her blue eyes filled with excitement.
"C'mon, Paige, wake up," Prue poked the sleepy lump under the bedspread. The elder witch almost protested at the use of telekinesis on her locked door, but was still immersed in sleep. Instead, Paige swatted ineffectually at the little girl, then shifted her legs, so that Prue fell off the bed. She landed on the floor, but quickly launched herself at the older witch, once again.
"C'mon, get up," she said plaintively, tugging at the bedclothes. Paige grabbed a handful, and tugged back. Prue let go, and sat back on her heels, pouting a little bit. A smile broke out over her face, and a thoughtful look, then the duvet soared magically into the air.
"Not fair!" Paige growled, pretending to be angry. She sat up, pulled the little girl towards her, and began tickling her mercilessly. "This is what happens to girls who wake up their sleepy relatives." They didn't know really what to call Prue. Sister? Piper and Phoebe had buried their older sister, and although they'd never forget her, they'd moved on. Niece? Prue wasn't their daughter. It was really weird to describe, and Paige hoped that the little girl didn't pick up on it.
"I'm up, I'm up," she sighed finally, then mock-glared at the little girl. "You are in so much trouble."
* ~ * ~ * ~ * ~
* ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~
Prue practically skipped all the way to school. Paige was gonna take her, and Piper had made her an extra special lunch, which was really peanut butter and jelly, cuz they didn't know if school could make a PBJ the proper way, with one side of bread buttered, and the crusts cut off. And there was a brownie, too. It was neat to go to school, but also kinda funny, like she'd already started a school, somewhere else. With plastic chairs, and trucks, and a playground with a climbing frame, but it was all real blurry.
She looked up at Paige, and smiled happily to herself. She was a 'P' name, like Prue, and Piper and Phoebe, only Phoebe was like a "Fuh' name, cuz 'P' and 'H' made 'F'. Mommy had told her, way back when she'd asked why her baby sister wasn't a 'P' like her, and Piper, and Mommy, and Grams. Her tummy felt weird when she thought about Mommy. She could kinda see her, but not really.
"Paige?" she asked, finally. Paige looked down at the small girl, and squeezed her hand gently. Prue tugged her bottom lip between her teeth, a worried expression on her face.
"Why can't I remember Mommy?" she asked, her eyes wide. Paige's mind raced. Ever since Leo, she and Prue had spoken to the Elders, the child had mentioned her family less and less. She hadn't realised Prue was forgetting what had happened. It made sense, in a weird way. If the Elders had made Prue slot into this dimension, then it worked if she didn't remember the other one. However, they hadn't taken into consideration the stress on the little girl.
"Sweetie, I don't know," she said honestly. "Let's talk about it at home. See? There's school." Prue followed her point. There was a large playground, filled with kids, all yelling, and shouting, and running around and stuff. She clung to Paige's hand.
She thought about it a moment, her tummy all swirly. Maybe she wanted Mommy, a little bit. Maybe she even wanted Grams. Prue looked over at the playground, and-
"You know what?" Prue said very seriously. Paige looked down at the little girl, hiding a smile.
"What?" she asked, playing along. Prue cocked her head on the side, thinking.
"Maybe I shouldn't go to school. It could be dangerous. There could be demons," she reasoned. "I might have to protect Piper and Phoebe," she improvised. She didn't know where her sisters were, but if there was a demon, then they needed protecting. She snuck a peek at Paige's face, to see how the elder witch was taking it. Paige looked thoughtful, tapping her chin with her index finger.
"True. There could be. But you know what to do if that happens." She glanced at the little girl. Prue shook her head, sending her straight black hair flying out.
"What happens?" she demanded, tugging Paige's hand. Paige shook her head, a sombre expression on her face.
"Well, it's an awfully big spell," she sighed, trying not to smile. "I could write it down, but until you go to school, you can't read."
"I s'pose, if I knew the spell, I could go to school," Prue decided, sighing a little. Paige nodded, her face composed.
"An excellent plan. See, if you say this,
'A charmed one alone, Is not part of the three, So call here the others, To my aid and to me'
Then we'll arrive, and help out with any pesky demons," Paige hastily improvised. "But school is fun, sweetie. There'll be other kids, and playing and-"
"Can I play powers?" Prue interrupted hopefully. Paige and Piper and Phoebe didn't like her using her powers all that much.
"Absolutely not, Prudence Halliwell," Paige said firmly. "No magic in front of anyone." Prue scowled at the ground, then a sneaky expression crossed her face. Paige hadn't said 'no magic' at all.
"They won't like me," she pouted. Paige bent down, and hugged her.
"Of course they'll like you," she promised. "You're perfect."
* ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~
A/N: Short chapter, to start off school, and Prue-thoughts, and generalised Paige/Prue-ness.
REVIEW!!