~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Cupboard is empty
We really need food
Summer is winter
And you always knew
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
"Ow!"
"Oh, sorry." Prue murmured. She was in the bathroom with Bane, using actual medicine to clean his wound this time as opposed to the shirt she'd had to use the day before. "Here, is that better?" she asked, trying a more gentle approach.
He grabbed her arm, and kissed her. "There," he said, "now that's better."
She smiled. "Very funny, but I don't think that's going to help much."
"You never know," he contridicted, "I've heard amazing things about the healing powers of positive thinking. What could be more positive than this?" He pulled her closer, until she was sitting on his lap, and kissed her again.
"Feeling better?" she asked after slowly pulling away.
"Definately." he responded. "But maybe we'd better try again, just in case."
Prue rolled her eyes at hiim, and Phoebe came back in with the medical tape Prue had sent her to get.
"Hey," Phoebe said, "when you said you were going to take care of him, I didn't think you meant it like that."
Bane laughed, and Prue sent her sister a Look. "Hilarious." she remarked. She took the roll of tape from Phoebe, and secured the new sheets of guaze onto Bane's wound. "I still wish you'd let me take you to the hospital." she said, frowning.
He kissed her again, this time with more reassurance than passion. "I can't. Not yet."
"I know." she sighed. She turned to her sister. "Pheebs, can you go call Darryl, and find out if he'll be able to help us?"
"Sure, honey." she replied. She winked at Bane. "You two play nice!" she called over her shoulder as she left.
"I heard that!" Prue yelled back.
"Well, you heard the girl." Bane said. "Let's play nice."
"Are you kidding?" she asked. "You're shot."
"That didn't seem to bother us last night." he pointed out.
"Well, let's at least get you upstairs." she said. "It's so cramped in here."
Prue took him up to her room. They lay down on her bed, holding each other but remaining fully clothed. After a while, Piper poked her head through the door.
"Darryl's downstairs." she said. "I thought you'd like to talk to him."
Prue helped Bane up, and followed her younger sister down to the kitchen. Darryl, Dan, and Phoebe were sitting around the table.
Darryl immediately addressed Bane. "I covered for you, but only because Prue asked me to. She's like a sister to me, and if I find out that you're using her, or putting her in any kind of danger, I swear this gang will be the least of your worries."
"I wouldn't hurt Prue. She knows that." Bane replied.
"Darryl, thanks for trying to protect me, but I'm fine. Can you help Bane?" Prue interjected.
Darryl nodded. "Yeah, I can help him. I've got a bunch of guys ready to set up a sting, but I'll need your help."
"What can I do?" Bane asked anxiously.
"I need you to go back to the gang. Tell Barbas that whatever you need to, just as long as it's believable. Make him trust you. Tell him that you've brought a new recruit, and one of our men will go undercover. As soon as that cop gives the signal, we'll move in."
"I'm going with you." Prue announced.
"No way." Bane objected.
"You could get killed." Dan added.
"And besides, what would you do?" Darryl asked.
"You need me as bait. Barbas would never believe that Bane just came back, completely out of nowhere, and that he brought a new guy with him. I've got a reason to be there. Barbas and Hellfire probably have heard of me the same way Bane did. I used to date a cop that was killed in the line of duty. I could pretend to want revenge on a rival gang, and on the police, for what happened to Andy." Prue argued. "You need me, you know it."
The men exchanged glances. They all knew Prue well enough to know that arguing was useless, no matter how much they wanted to keep her away from this. Reluctently, they all nodded their consent.
"That settles it," she said. "I'm going."
-x-
"I can't believe I'm letting you do this," Bane said, shaking his head.
"You aren't letting me do anything." Prue retorted. "I'm doing this, because I want to."
They were in the cemetery where Barbas held his meetings. Walking along in silence, they paused outside of a mausoleum.
"Wait," Prue said, grabbing his sleeve. "Before you do this, I want you to promise me something. Promise me that when Barbas and Hellfire are gone, you'll turn yourself in."
Bane sighed. Though the drugs he'd been arrested for weren't his, there were plenty of other things that would have landed him in jail, had he been caught. He knew going back was the right thing, but it was still hard. One look into Prue's eyes told him what he needed to do. "Okay." he said slowly. "I promise."
He led her inside, down a small flight of stairs and into a dimly-lit room. A table took up most of the space. At the head of the table, with Ms. Hellfire hovering over him, sat Barbas.
"Bane," he greeted, "So you've finally decided to grace us with your presence."
Bane hung his head, as if ashamed. "I'm sorry. You were right, I never should have left."
"I know that." Barbas snapped. "What I want you to tell me is why I shouldn't eliminate you for your disloyalty."
"Be-Because," he stammered, "I've brought you a new member."
Prue stepped forward. "My boyfriend was killed by a rival of yours. I want him dead."
Barbas nodded. "I remember hearing about that. It wasn't very smart of Rodreguez, trying to pull off a robbery in a place like that. I can understand why you'd want revenge. Bane, good job, bringing her to us."
"So you'll let me come back?" Bane asked, acting hopeful.
Barbas laughed. "No, dear boy, no. I'll just have to kill you both."
As soon as the leader pulled out his gun, Darryl and a swarm of police rushed in. Barbas and Ms. Hellfire were taken into custody, but Bane fled. Prue followed him.
"Where the hell are you going?" she asked. "You promised."
He stopped running, allowing her to catch up. They were at the edge of the cemetery now, surrounded by trees. "I don't want it to go down that way, Prue." he said. "I'll go back, but not like that. I wanted... I wanted to say good-bye."
She nodded. Without a word, they walked back to her car.
-x-
Back at the manor, Prue hung up the phone, head in her hand. Slowly, she got up and went into the living room, where Bane was sitting on the couch.
"Darryl will be here to take you back into custody in a few minutes." she said, letting him pull her onto his lap.
"Well, then, we'd better enjoy the time we've got left." he replied. For once, she was the one who moved to kiss him.
"Thank you," she murmured, "for turning yourself back in."
He shook his head. "No. Thank you. Prue, if it wasn't for you, then Hellfire would have killed me. Either that, or I would have gone back to the gang. Either way, I never would have gotten out of the Lifestyle. Now, because of you, I can."
The doorbell rang. Prue hugged him, not wanting to let him go. He hugged her back, and, before he went away, they shared one last perfect kiss.
****************
A/N: Next chapter will be more Paige-centric, and soon she'll finally indirectly cross paths with her sisters, thought I doubt you'll be able to guess how.
~from the song "Little Things" by Bush~
Cupboard is empty
We really need food
Summer is winter
And you always knew
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
"Ow!"
"Oh, sorry." Prue murmured. She was in the bathroom with Bane, using actual medicine to clean his wound this time as opposed to the shirt she'd had to use the day before. "Here, is that better?" she asked, trying a more gentle approach.
He grabbed her arm, and kissed her. "There," he said, "now that's better."
She smiled. "Very funny, but I don't think that's going to help much."
"You never know," he contridicted, "I've heard amazing things about the healing powers of positive thinking. What could be more positive than this?" He pulled her closer, until she was sitting on his lap, and kissed her again.
"Feeling better?" she asked after slowly pulling away.
"Definately." he responded. "But maybe we'd better try again, just in case."
Prue rolled her eyes at hiim, and Phoebe came back in with the medical tape Prue had sent her to get.
"Hey," Phoebe said, "when you said you were going to take care of him, I didn't think you meant it like that."
Bane laughed, and Prue sent her sister a Look. "Hilarious." she remarked. She took the roll of tape from Phoebe, and secured the new sheets of guaze onto Bane's wound. "I still wish you'd let me take you to the hospital." she said, frowning.
He kissed her again, this time with more reassurance than passion. "I can't. Not yet."
"I know." she sighed. She turned to her sister. "Pheebs, can you go call Darryl, and find out if he'll be able to help us?"
"Sure, honey." she replied. She winked at Bane. "You two play nice!" she called over her shoulder as she left.
"I heard that!" Prue yelled back.
"Well, you heard the girl." Bane said. "Let's play nice."
"Are you kidding?" she asked. "You're shot."
"That didn't seem to bother us last night." he pointed out.
"Well, let's at least get you upstairs." she said. "It's so cramped in here."
Prue took him up to her room. They lay down on her bed, holding each other but remaining fully clothed. After a while, Piper poked her head through the door.
"Darryl's downstairs." she said. "I thought you'd like to talk to him."
Prue helped Bane up, and followed her younger sister down to the kitchen. Darryl, Dan, and Phoebe were sitting around the table.
Darryl immediately addressed Bane. "I covered for you, but only because Prue asked me to. She's like a sister to me, and if I find out that you're using her, or putting her in any kind of danger, I swear this gang will be the least of your worries."
"I wouldn't hurt Prue. She knows that." Bane replied.
"Darryl, thanks for trying to protect me, but I'm fine. Can you help Bane?" Prue interjected.
Darryl nodded. "Yeah, I can help him. I've got a bunch of guys ready to set up a sting, but I'll need your help."
"What can I do?" Bane asked anxiously.
"I need you to go back to the gang. Tell Barbas that whatever you need to, just as long as it's believable. Make him trust you. Tell him that you've brought a new recruit, and one of our men will go undercover. As soon as that cop gives the signal, we'll move in."
"I'm going with you." Prue announced.
"No way." Bane objected.
"You could get killed." Dan added.
"And besides, what would you do?" Darryl asked.
"You need me as bait. Barbas would never believe that Bane just came back, completely out of nowhere, and that he brought a new guy with him. I've got a reason to be there. Barbas and Hellfire probably have heard of me the same way Bane did. I used to date a cop that was killed in the line of duty. I could pretend to want revenge on a rival gang, and on the police, for what happened to Andy." Prue argued. "You need me, you know it."
The men exchanged glances. They all knew Prue well enough to know that arguing was useless, no matter how much they wanted to keep her away from this. Reluctently, they all nodded their consent.
"That settles it," she said. "I'm going."
-x-
"I can't believe I'm letting you do this," Bane said, shaking his head.
"You aren't letting me do anything." Prue retorted. "I'm doing this, because I want to."
They were in the cemetery where Barbas held his meetings. Walking along in silence, they paused outside of a mausoleum.
"Wait," Prue said, grabbing his sleeve. "Before you do this, I want you to promise me something. Promise me that when Barbas and Hellfire are gone, you'll turn yourself in."
Bane sighed. Though the drugs he'd been arrested for weren't his, there were plenty of other things that would have landed him in jail, had he been caught. He knew going back was the right thing, but it was still hard. One look into Prue's eyes told him what he needed to do. "Okay." he said slowly. "I promise."
He led her inside, down a small flight of stairs and into a dimly-lit room. A table took up most of the space. At the head of the table, with Ms. Hellfire hovering over him, sat Barbas.
"Bane," he greeted, "So you've finally decided to grace us with your presence."
Bane hung his head, as if ashamed. "I'm sorry. You were right, I never should have left."
"I know that." Barbas snapped. "What I want you to tell me is why I shouldn't eliminate you for your disloyalty."
"Be-Because," he stammered, "I've brought you a new member."
Prue stepped forward. "My boyfriend was killed by a rival of yours. I want him dead."
Barbas nodded. "I remember hearing about that. It wasn't very smart of Rodreguez, trying to pull off a robbery in a place like that. I can understand why you'd want revenge. Bane, good job, bringing her to us."
"So you'll let me come back?" Bane asked, acting hopeful.
Barbas laughed. "No, dear boy, no. I'll just have to kill you both."
As soon as the leader pulled out his gun, Darryl and a swarm of police rushed in. Barbas and Ms. Hellfire were taken into custody, but Bane fled. Prue followed him.
"Where the hell are you going?" she asked. "You promised."
He stopped running, allowing her to catch up. They were at the edge of the cemetery now, surrounded by trees. "I don't want it to go down that way, Prue." he said. "I'll go back, but not like that. I wanted... I wanted to say good-bye."
She nodded. Without a word, they walked back to her car.
-x-
Back at the manor, Prue hung up the phone, head in her hand. Slowly, she got up and went into the living room, where Bane was sitting on the couch.
"Darryl will be here to take you back into custody in a few minutes." she said, letting him pull her onto his lap.
"Well, then, we'd better enjoy the time we've got left." he replied. For once, she was the one who moved to kiss him.
"Thank you," she murmured, "for turning yourself back in."
He shook his head. "No. Thank you. Prue, if it wasn't for you, then Hellfire would have killed me. Either that, or I would have gone back to the gang. Either way, I never would have gotten out of the Lifestyle. Now, because of you, I can."
The doorbell rang. Prue hugged him, not wanting to let him go. He hugged her back, and, before he went away, they shared one last perfect kiss.
****************
A/N: Next chapter will be more Paige-centric, and soon she'll finally indirectly cross paths with her sisters, thought I doubt you'll be able to guess how.
~from the song "Little Things" by Bush~