~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
I want to hate you so bad
But I can't stop this
Any more than you can
This is all wrong and it shows
That certain things I promised
Not to let you know
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Piper was crying again when Prue got home from work the next day. The latter girl heard her sister's sniffles from the hall, and gently knocked on the door.
"Piper, sweetie, what happened?" she asked, coming in and lying down on the bed next to her sister.
Piper told her about Leo's visit the night before, and the way it had ended. Then, she buried her face in her sister's sweater as Prue tried to comfort her.
"I really do love him." Piper sobbed.
Prue said nothing, sensing that there was a 'but'.
"I just know that if we kept on like that, we would have ended up hating each other." Piper continued.
"So it's better that you both agreed to end it now." Prue concluded.
Piper nodded, but then a fresh wave of tears burst through. "So why does it hurt so much, if it was the right thing to do?"
"I don't know, sweet girl." Prue said softly, stroking her sister's hair. "I don't know. I do know that it won't hurt this much forever. And in the meantime, you've got me, and Phoebe, and Ben & Jerry. Hey, why don't we find Phoebe and have a girls night in tonight? You need a distraction."
Piper nodded, then shifted so she was looking up at her big sister. "Prue? When did it stop hurting for you? When you lost Andy, I mean."
Prue sighed, wishing there were a better way to answer this question. "It didn't." she said finally. "At least, not yet. I'm not sure if it ever will. I'm sorry, I know this isn't what you need to hear right now."
"So how did you move on?" Piper pressed.
Prue shrugged. "I just... I did what I had to, I guess. Piper, you can't stay hung up on this guy your whole life. If it's meant to be, you'll know, eventually. And if it's not, then you need to get out there and find someone else, someone who'll make you happy."
Piper reached up and hugged her sister. "Thanks, Prue."
"I love you." Prue said, returning the embrace. "So, how about that girls night in?"
Piper shook her head, filled with a sudden desire to get out of the house. "Maybe another time. I just... I need to get down to Quake tonight."
Prue understood completely. In the months following Andy's death, she'd completely immersed herself in her job. She was still having a hard time getting out of that habit, and her sisters were constantly chiding her about it.
Piper got up and ran a comb through her hair. Then, she went out, leaving Prue sitting on her bed.
She drove to Quake, hardly paying attention to where she was going. After what seemed like only a few seconds, she found herself in the restaurant parking lot with the motor still running. Numbly, she turned off the engine and went inside.
"Hey, where's Chef Moore?" Piper asked Britney, one of the waitresses.
Britney pointed to the kitchen. "He's in there, and he sounds mad."
'Just what I need', thought Piper. Sighing, she marched boldly through the double doors.
"There she is." her boss said in an angry, mocking tone. "I leave you in charge for a little while, and look what happens? This is what you call food? Puh!" As he was talking, his deep French accent was growing thicker, until Piper thought her head would implode.
"Hey!" she snapped. "I've busted my ass here for the past year, and since you're hardly ever around, I'm always the one doing the work. I'm damn sick of it, so if you're just going to stand around here and scream all day, I'll save us both the trouble and quit right now."
Her move surprised everyone, even herself. But as soon as Piper said it, she knew she'd done the right thing.
"Fine, then." the chef replied. "I'll expect your resignation tomorrow."
Piper stormed out of the restaurant without a backward glance. She drove home slightly above the speed limit, burst through the front door, and ran up to her room. Once there, the repercussions of the past two days really sank in. She collapsed onto her bed, crying.
****************
A/N: I'm thinking next I do a chapter on Phoebe, because I haven't focused on her at all this entire fic. Granted, that's mainly because I don't like Phoebe, but I'll include her anyway.
~from the song "Bike Scene" by Taking Back Sunday~
I want to hate you so bad
But I can't stop this
Any more than you can
This is all wrong and it shows
That certain things I promised
Not to let you know
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Piper was crying again when Prue got home from work the next day. The latter girl heard her sister's sniffles from the hall, and gently knocked on the door.
"Piper, sweetie, what happened?" she asked, coming in and lying down on the bed next to her sister.
Piper told her about Leo's visit the night before, and the way it had ended. Then, she buried her face in her sister's sweater as Prue tried to comfort her.
"I really do love him." Piper sobbed.
Prue said nothing, sensing that there was a 'but'.
"I just know that if we kept on like that, we would have ended up hating each other." Piper continued.
"So it's better that you both agreed to end it now." Prue concluded.
Piper nodded, but then a fresh wave of tears burst through. "So why does it hurt so much, if it was the right thing to do?"
"I don't know, sweet girl." Prue said softly, stroking her sister's hair. "I don't know. I do know that it won't hurt this much forever. And in the meantime, you've got me, and Phoebe, and Ben & Jerry. Hey, why don't we find Phoebe and have a girls night in tonight? You need a distraction."
Piper nodded, then shifted so she was looking up at her big sister. "Prue? When did it stop hurting for you? When you lost Andy, I mean."
Prue sighed, wishing there were a better way to answer this question. "It didn't." she said finally. "At least, not yet. I'm not sure if it ever will. I'm sorry, I know this isn't what you need to hear right now."
"So how did you move on?" Piper pressed.
Prue shrugged. "I just... I did what I had to, I guess. Piper, you can't stay hung up on this guy your whole life. If it's meant to be, you'll know, eventually. And if it's not, then you need to get out there and find someone else, someone who'll make you happy."
Piper reached up and hugged her sister. "Thanks, Prue."
"I love you." Prue said, returning the embrace. "So, how about that girls night in?"
Piper shook her head, filled with a sudden desire to get out of the house. "Maybe another time. I just... I need to get down to Quake tonight."
Prue understood completely. In the months following Andy's death, she'd completely immersed herself in her job. She was still having a hard time getting out of that habit, and her sisters were constantly chiding her about it.
Piper got up and ran a comb through her hair. Then, she went out, leaving Prue sitting on her bed.
She drove to Quake, hardly paying attention to where she was going. After what seemed like only a few seconds, she found herself in the restaurant parking lot with the motor still running. Numbly, she turned off the engine and went inside.
"Hey, where's Chef Moore?" Piper asked Britney, one of the waitresses.
Britney pointed to the kitchen. "He's in there, and he sounds mad."
'Just what I need', thought Piper. Sighing, she marched boldly through the double doors.
"There she is." her boss said in an angry, mocking tone. "I leave you in charge for a little while, and look what happens? This is what you call food? Puh!" As he was talking, his deep French accent was growing thicker, until Piper thought her head would implode.
"Hey!" she snapped. "I've busted my ass here for the past year, and since you're hardly ever around, I'm always the one doing the work. I'm damn sick of it, so if you're just going to stand around here and scream all day, I'll save us both the trouble and quit right now."
Her move surprised everyone, even herself. But as soon as Piper said it, she knew she'd done the right thing.
"Fine, then." the chef replied. "I'll expect your resignation tomorrow."
Piper stormed out of the restaurant without a backward glance. She drove home slightly above the speed limit, burst through the front door, and ran up to her room. Once there, the repercussions of the past two days really sank in. She collapsed onto her bed, crying.
****************
A/N: I'm thinking next I do a chapter on Phoebe, because I haven't focused on her at all this entire fic. Granted, that's mainly because I don't like Phoebe, but I'll include her anyway.
~from the song "Bike Scene" by Taking Back Sunday~