~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
But this won't work now the way it once did
And I won't keep it up even though I would love to
Once I know who I'm not then I'll know who I am
But I know I won't keep on playing the victim
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
"Prue? Honey?" Piper called, gently knocking on her sister's door.
"Come in." Prue called.
Piper opened the door and slipped inside. She cast a worried glance at the pictures of Prue with Andy that were spread out over Prue's desk. It had been nearly three months since his death, and Prue was generally doing well, but she did still slip into occasional bouts of depression lasting usually one or two days. Piper hated seeing her like that.
"What were you doing, sweetie?" Piper asked, trying to conceal her concern.
Prue wasn't fooled. She kissed Piper on the cheek lovingly. "I know you're worried about me, and I don't blame you, but I'm fine. I was just looking over some old photo albums. Look, over there on the bed are pictures of us when we were little."
Piper sat down on the bed, looking through the old photographs. "Where'd you find all these?"
"In the back of my closet. I've decided to do a bit of spring cleaning." Prue said.
Piper looked up. Usually, she was the family neat-freak. "Okay, now I know something's wrong."
"Nothing's wrong." Prue insisted, but her resolve crumbled under her little sister's anxious stare. She sighed and dropped down onto the chaisse. "It's just... I don't know. Sometimes, I think I'm ready to move on, maybe even to start dating again - casually, of course, I'm no where near ready for anything serious. But then there's other times when I don't think I'll ever be able to be with anyone else."
"Maybe it's just too soon, sweetie." Piper suggested.
Prue shrugged. "I don't know. Maybe. But sometimes I wonder, how soon is too soon? I'll always love him, no amount of time will change that. But when am I going to stop feeling guilty every time I think about going out with someone new?"
Piper crossed the room to be next to her sister, and put her arms around Prue. "I don't think you'll ever feel completely ready, until you do it." she said finally.
Prue nodded, and leaned against her sister, pulling her into a tight hug. "Thanks, honey."
Piper returned the hug with a kiss. "Oh, sweetie, I just wantt o see you happy."
"Allright, well enough about me. How are things between you and Leo?" Prue asked, knowing that the couple had been having problems lately.
Piper sighed. "Bad. Just.. Half the time, I don't even know what we're really fighting about. We both use any excuse just to blow up at each other, and I don't think either of us really knows why."
"Have you tried talking to him? I mean, really talking to him?"
Piper nodded. "I've tried. He's always getting called in to work, or has to do things for his grandmother, or something happens and we end up fighting again. I think he's been avoiding me, and I guess I've been avoiding him lately, too. I just don't want to get into it again."
"So what are you going to do?" Prue asked.
Piper shook her head. "I don't know. I just... I don't know."
The girls were quiet for a minute, and then Piper got up. "I'm going for a walk. You want to come?"
"No, thanks, honey." Prue replied. She turned back to her photographs, putting the loose ones into albums.
Piper let herself out, and went outside. She got as far as the front porch, when she noticed a moving van parked next door. She sat down on the steps, wondering who was moving in to the long-abandoned house.
It didn't take her long to find out. "Hi!" called a friendly-looking young man from the yard next door.
Piper got up and went to introduce herself. "Hi, yourself." she said, smiling at the new neighbor. He wasn't bad-looking at all, she decided, and though she menatlly chastised herself for checking him out, she justified it by Leo's recent lack of affection toward her. "I'm Piper."
"I'm Dan." the new neighbor said. He offered his hand, and Piper shook it.
"Welcome to the neighborhood."
"Thanks," he said, smiling back at her. "I think I'm going to like it here."
****************
A/N: Piper/Leo fans, don't hate me! ::hides::
~from the song "Precious Illusions" by Alanis Morrisette~
But this won't work now the way it once did
And I won't keep it up even though I would love to
Once I know who I'm not then I'll know who I am
But I know I won't keep on playing the victim
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
"Prue? Honey?" Piper called, gently knocking on her sister's door.
"Come in." Prue called.
Piper opened the door and slipped inside. She cast a worried glance at the pictures of Prue with Andy that were spread out over Prue's desk. It had been nearly three months since his death, and Prue was generally doing well, but she did still slip into occasional bouts of depression lasting usually one or two days. Piper hated seeing her like that.
"What were you doing, sweetie?" Piper asked, trying to conceal her concern.
Prue wasn't fooled. She kissed Piper on the cheek lovingly. "I know you're worried about me, and I don't blame you, but I'm fine. I was just looking over some old photo albums. Look, over there on the bed are pictures of us when we were little."
Piper sat down on the bed, looking through the old photographs. "Where'd you find all these?"
"In the back of my closet. I've decided to do a bit of spring cleaning." Prue said.
Piper looked up. Usually, she was the family neat-freak. "Okay, now I know something's wrong."
"Nothing's wrong." Prue insisted, but her resolve crumbled under her little sister's anxious stare. She sighed and dropped down onto the chaisse. "It's just... I don't know. Sometimes, I think I'm ready to move on, maybe even to start dating again - casually, of course, I'm no where near ready for anything serious. But then there's other times when I don't think I'll ever be able to be with anyone else."
"Maybe it's just too soon, sweetie." Piper suggested.
Prue shrugged. "I don't know. Maybe. But sometimes I wonder, how soon is too soon? I'll always love him, no amount of time will change that. But when am I going to stop feeling guilty every time I think about going out with someone new?"
Piper crossed the room to be next to her sister, and put her arms around Prue. "I don't think you'll ever feel completely ready, until you do it." she said finally.
Prue nodded, and leaned against her sister, pulling her into a tight hug. "Thanks, honey."
Piper returned the hug with a kiss. "Oh, sweetie, I just wantt o see you happy."
"Allright, well enough about me. How are things between you and Leo?" Prue asked, knowing that the couple had been having problems lately.
Piper sighed. "Bad. Just.. Half the time, I don't even know what we're really fighting about. We both use any excuse just to blow up at each other, and I don't think either of us really knows why."
"Have you tried talking to him? I mean, really talking to him?"
Piper nodded. "I've tried. He's always getting called in to work, or has to do things for his grandmother, or something happens and we end up fighting again. I think he's been avoiding me, and I guess I've been avoiding him lately, too. I just don't want to get into it again."
"So what are you going to do?" Prue asked.
Piper shook her head. "I don't know. I just... I don't know."
The girls were quiet for a minute, and then Piper got up. "I'm going for a walk. You want to come?"
"No, thanks, honey." Prue replied. She turned back to her photographs, putting the loose ones into albums.
Piper let herself out, and went outside. She got as far as the front porch, when she noticed a moving van parked next door. She sat down on the steps, wondering who was moving in to the long-abandoned house.
It didn't take her long to find out. "Hi!" called a friendly-looking young man from the yard next door.
Piper got up and went to introduce herself. "Hi, yourself." she said, smiling at the new neighbor. He wasn't bad-looking at all, she decided, and though she menatlly chastised herself for checking him out, she justified it by Leo's recent lack of affection toward her. "I'm Piper."
"I'm Dan." the new neighbor said. He offered his hand, and Piper shook it.
"Welcome to the neighborhood."
"Thanks," he said, smiling back at her. "I think I'm going to like it here."
****************
A/N: Piper/Leo fans, don't hate me! ::hides::
~from the song "Precious Illusions" by Alanis Morrisette~