~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Father of mine
Tell me where have you been
You know I just closed my eyes
And the whole world disappeared
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Prue was sitting cross-legged on the couch, with various papers from work strewn all around her. Phoebe came in, and handed her a yogurt.
"You need to eat," the younger Halliwell insisted. "You know the doctor said you're underweight."
Prue shrugged, putting the yogurt down on the end table. "I know, but I can't help it. I can't gain weight if I can't keep anything down. I thought they said the nausea bit was supposed to be over by the second trimester, but I just entered my third."
Phoebe cleared a space for herself among the papers, and sat down next to her sister, putting an arm around her. "I know, sweetie. But the doctor said nothing's wrong. You're probably just one of those women who's sick throughout the entire thing."
Prue grimanced. "So I've got two more months of this?"
"Yeah, 'fraid so," Phoebe replied, pulling Prue closer so that her older sister's head was resting on her shoulder.
Prue yawned. In addition to being sick all the time, she hadn't been able to sleep in over a week.
"Okay, that's it," Phoebe said, getting up. "All this work can wait until later. If you're not going to eat, then you're going to rest. Go on, scoot," she ordered, pulling her sister to her feet and pointing her toward the stairs.
"I'm fine," Prue insisted, but she still obeyed Phoebe's command and went upstairs. Phoebe followed her, and went into her own room. There, she sat down on her desk, and opened her laptop. With a click of her mouse, an e-mail came up. The sender simply read "An Old Friend".
"Pheebs?" Piper called, knocking on the door. She came in just as Phoebe was closing the laptop.
"What's up?" Phoebe asked, spinning around to make sure her sister hadn't seen the computer screen.
"Nothing," Piper replied, leaning against the closed door. "I just saw Prue go into her room. Is she okay?"
Phoebe started to nod reassuringly, but then sighed and shook her head. "I don't know. I'm worried about her. She's taking orders from me, her little sister. Knowing Prue, that's a clear sign that something's wrong."
Piper smiled. "Honey, I don't think taking advice from a sibling indicates a real problem. Although, taking advice from you, specifically, would be a problem for anybody..."
Phoebe threw a pillow at her, which Piper expertly dodged. She picked up the pillow, and in doing so, caught a glimpse of the screen. "What's that?" she asked.
"Oh, nothing." Phoebe replied, a bit too quickly.
Piper's eyes narrowed suspisciously, though her mouth curved into an amused half-smile. "It's from a guy, isn't it?"
This was true enough. "Yeah," Phoebe said. "Sorta."
"Okay, Pheebs, spill. Who is it?"
Phoebe took a deep breath. She hadn't planned on showing her sister the e-mail, but then she realized that Piper really did have a right to know. "Okay, you promise you won't freak out? Because, you know, Prue's right down the hall, and I really don't think hearing you freak out is what she needs right now."
Piper's smile faded. "Allright, I promise,"
Phoebe opened the laptop again. She let Piper read the entire e-mail before announcing, "It's from Dad."
Piper's jaw dropped. "What...?"
"We've been writing back and fourth for a few months now," Phoebe confessed. "I wanted to tell you, but I just didn't know how. I thought you'd be upset-"
"You're damn right I'm upset!" Piper exclaimed. keeping her voice as low as possible. "We haven't seen the man in twenty years, and now... What, we're just supposed to forgive and forget?"
"No," Phoebe protested. She sighed. "I don't know. I understand if you're mad at him, Piper, I really do, but.. It wasn't all Daddy's fault, you know. Grams wouldn't let him see us. Okay, so he should have tried harder, but that was twenty years ago. He's trying now, doesn't that count for something?"
Piper sat down on the bed, sighing. "Maybe. Maybe it should. I just... I don't know. Part of me doesn't want to forgive him, but the other part... He's our father, you know?"
Phoebe nodded, and sat down next to her sister. "He's going to be in town a few days from now, and he wants to see us. Will you come?"
Piper stared at the floor, thinking. "Allright," she said finally. There was a pause, then she added, "But what about Prue? She's going to be even more furious than I am. Besides, she's seven months pregnant. How is she going to handle all this stress?"
"We can't keep this from her," Phoebe responded. "He's her father, too. It wouldn't be right."
Piper nodded. "I know we have to tell her. She is going to flip. This is the last thing she needs right now."
Phoebe sighed. "That's why I kept stalling. I wish we could just wait a few more months, but... We can't. There's just no way. We have to tell her. Now."
****************
A/N: Poor Prue. She's in for a bit of a shock, isn't she? ;P I'm so mean.
~from the song "Father Of Mine" by Everclear~
Father of mine
Tell me where have you been
You know I just closed my eyes
And the whole world disappeared
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Prue was sitting cross-legged on the couch, with various papers from work strewn all around her. Phoebe came in, and handed her a yogurt.
"You need to eat," the younger Halliwell insisted. "You know the doctor said you're underweight."
Prue shrugged, putting the yogurt down on the end table. "I know, but I can't help it. I can't gain weight if I can't keep anything down. I thought they said the nausea bit was supposed to be over by the second trimester, but I just entered my third."
Phoebe cleared a space for herself among the papers, and sat down next to her sister, putting an arm around her. "I know, sweetie. But the doctor said nothing's wrong. You're probably just one of those women who's sick throughout the entire thing."
Prue grimanced. "So I've got two more months of this?"
"Yeah, 'fraid so," Phoebe replied, pulling Prue closer so that her older sister's head was resting on her shoulder.
Prue yawned. In addition to being sick all the time, she hadn't been able to sleep in over a week.
"Okay, that's it," Phoebe said, getting up. "All this work can wait until later. If you're not going to eat, then you're going to rest. Go on, scoot," she ordered, pulling her sister to her feet and pointing her toward the stairs.
"I'm fine," Prue insisted, but she still obeyed Phoebe's command and went upstairs. Phoebe followed her, and went into her own room. There, she sat down on her desk, and opened her laptop. With a click of her mouse, an e-mail came up. The sender simply read "An Old Friend".
"Pheebs?" Piper called, knocking on the door. She came in just as Phoebe was closing the laptop.
"What's up?" Phoebe asked, spinning around to make sure her sister hadn't seen the computer screen.
"Nothing," Piper replied, leaning against the closed door. "I just saw Prue go into her room. Is she okay?"
Phoebe started to nod reassuringly, but then sighed and shook her head. "I don't know. I'm worried about her. She's taking orders from me, her little sister. Knowing Prue, that's a clear sign that something's wrong."
Piper smiled. "Honey, I don't think taking advice from a sibling indicates a real problem. Although, taking advice from you, specifically, would be a problem for anybody..."
Phoebe threw a pillow at her, which Piper expertly dodged. She picked up the pillow, and in doing so, caught a glimpse of the screen. "What's that?" she asked.
"Oh, nothing." Phoebe replied, a bit too quickly.
Piper's eyes narrowed suspisciously, though her mouth curved into an amused half-smile. "It's from a guy, isn't it?"
This was true enough. "Yeah," Phoebe said. "Sorta."
"Okay, Pheebs, spill. Who is it?"
Phoebe took a deep breath. She hadn't planned on showing her sister the e-mail, but then she realized that Piper really did have a right to know. "Okay, you promise you won't freak out? Because, you know, Prue's right down the hall, and I really don't think hearing you freak out is what she needs right now."
Piper's smile faded. "Allright, I promise,"
Phoebe opened the laptop again. She let Piper read the entire e-mail before announcing, "It's from Dad."
Piper's jaw dropped. "What...?"
"We've been writing back and fourth for a few months now," Phoebe confessed. "I wanted to tell you, but I just didn't know how. I thought you'd be upset-"
"You're damn right I'm upset!" Piper exclaimed. keeping her voice as low as possible. "We haven't seen the man in twenty years, and now... What, we're just supposed to forgive and forget?"
"No," Phoebe protested. She sighed. "I don't know. I understand if you're mad at him, Piper, I really do, but.. It wasn't all Daddy's fault, you know. Grams wouldn't let him see us. Okay, so he should have tried harder, but that was twenty years ago. He's trying now, doesn't that count for something?"
Piper sat down on the bed, sighing. "Maybe. Maybe it should. I just... I don't know. Part of me doesn't want to forgive him, but the other part... He's our father, you know?"
Phoebe nodded, and sat down next to her sister. "He's going to be in town a few days from now, and he wants to see us. Will you come?"
Piper stared at the floor, thinking. "Allright," she said finally. There was a pause, then she added, "But what about Prue? She's going to be even more furious than I am. Besides, she's seven months pregnant. How is she going to handle all this stress?"
"We can't keep this from her," Phoebe responded. "He's her father, too. It wouldn't be right."
Piper nodded. "I know we have to tell her. She is going to flip. This is the last thing she needs right now."
Phoebe sighed. "That's why I kept stalling. I wish we could just wait a few more months, but... We can't. There's just no way. We have to tell her. Now."
****************
A/N: Poor Prue. She's in for a bit of a shock, isn't she? ;P I'm so mean.
~from the song "Father Of Mine" by Everclear~