~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
I never knew my father
I never knew his pain
Or that an empty home life
Would break him down again
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Victor Bennet paced nervously around the restaurant waiting area. He was waiting for his girls to show up. His girls, who he hadn't seen since they were little. Nervously, he checked his watch and resumed pacing.
Prue, Piper, and Phoebe arrived a few minutes later. Phoebe immediately ran to hug him. Piper stood off to the side, unsure of what to do. Prue stood perfectly still, her hands folded over her stomach, eyeing him distrustfully.
"Daddy, I'm so glad you're here," Phoebe exclaimed, jumping into his arms.
Victor embraced her tightly, saying, "So am I, honey."
They pulled apart, and Victor looked over his other girls. Piper looked worried. Prue just looked angry.
"Hi, Dad," Piper said at last, stepping forward to give him a quick hug.
"Hey, Piper," he replied, tugging her hair like he'd done when she was little.
She stepped back. Now, Piper and Phoebe were on either side of him. The only one who hadn't moved toward him was Prue.
"Victor," she greeted coldly, stiffening when he looked at her.
"Prudence," he murmured. His voice was a mixture of joy at seeing his daughter, pain at her obvious rejection, and sorrow for the pain he'd caused her. There was a long, awkward pause. Nobody knew quite what to say. Finally, Victor started with, "Congratulaions. Phoebe told me about the baby."
"Thanks," Prue said coldly.
They stood around for a while, waiting for a table. They all wanted to at least be seated before they delved into any family issues. They stuck to safe topics, namely, the baby.
"How far along are you?" Victor wanted to know.
"Twenty-nine weeks," Prue answered.
Victor noted with a remnant of paternal instinct that she was much too thin, but wisely decided not to say anything. After all, who was he to give parently advice?
Finally, their table was ready. There was another pause after they were seated, before Prue broke the ice with, "So what are you really doing here?"
"I wanted to see you. Have wanted to, actually, for a long time." Victor answered.
"But why now?" Prue demanded. "If you've wanted to see us so badly, why didn't you?"
Victor sighed. "It's complicated. You know, after the divorce, you're mother wanted nothing to do with me. After she died, your grandmother shut me out of your lives completely. I know, that's no excuse for me not fighting harder, but I really thought she could do a better job raising you than I could. And obviously she did."
Prue picked a spot on the table and stared at it. She was afraid that if she looked at her father any longer, all the memories from her childhood would come flooding back, and she'd start to cry. The last thing she wanted to do was to cry in front of him, let him know how much he'd hurt her. And so she stayed silent.
"I know I should have been there," Victor continued, "And nothing I do now will make up for the fact that I wasn't. All I'm saying is that I want to be here now. Will you girls give me another chance?"
Phoebe reached over, putting her hand on his. "Of course, Daddy," she said.
Piper nodded, resting her head on his shoulder.
Prue shook her head, tears stinging her eyes as she said, "I can't."
"Prue..." Piper implored.
Her older sister remained firm. "I can't," she repeated. "He can't just come back, and expect everything to be okay, because it's not. You both asked me to come here, and I did. But I told you not to expect anything from me. Not yet. Maybe not ever."
Phoebe opened her mouth to say something, but Victor stopped her. "It's okay," he said. "She's right. We all need some time to readjust. Let's just spend the evening getting reacquainted, okay?"
Piper and Phoebe nodded. Then they all fell back into silence as the waiter came to take their order.
-x-
After dinner, Piper and Phoebe invited Victor to come back to the manor. Prue didn't object, so he followed them back in his car.
"The place has hardly changed a bit," he remarked when they stepped inside.
"Things around here always had a tendancy to fall apart," Prue replied. No sooner had she spoke than the power went out.
"I know I paid the electric bill this month..." Phoebe mused.
"No, I did," Piper corrected, "But whatever. That's been paid, so it has to be the circuit breaker."
"I'll go," Prue volunteered.
"Me too," Victor said, not wanting to leave her down in the basement by herself in the dark. "You know," he commented as they were going down the stairs, "I can remember a time when you were terrified of the dark. And the basement, for that matter."
"I used to be terrified of a lot of things," she replied. "I got over it."
They found the circuit breaker, and within a few minutes, Prue managed to get the power back on. They were about to go back upstairs, when suddenly Prue stopped, doubled over in pain, and grabbed him for support. Her face filled with an intense fear as she whispered, "Something's wrong."
Trying his best to keep her calm, he gently asked, "Is it a contraction?"
Prue shook her head. "I don't know. But it can't be. It's too early."
Victor put an arm around her, and led her across the basement. By the time they got to the bottom of the stairs, Prue's water broke.
****************
A/N: I know on the show, Victor's had a few different last names. I just picked a random one, Bennet, from "We All Scream For Ice Cream". So yeah, don't be confused if you remember him better as 'Victor Halliwell' or 'Victor Jones.' ::hits the writers over the head with a dictionary open to the word 'continuity' highlighted in bright yellow::
~from the song "Take Me As I Am" by Tonic~
I never knew my father
I never knew his pain
Or that an empty home life
Would break him down again
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Victor Bennet paced nervously around the restaurant waiting area. He was waiting for his girls to show up. His girls, who he hadn't seen since they were little. Nervously, he checked his watch and resumed pacing.
Prue, Piper, and Phoebe arrived a few minutes later. Phoebe immediately ran to hug him. Piper stood off to the side, unsure of what to do. Prue stood perfectly still, her hands folded over her stomach, eyeing him distrustfully.
"Daddy, I'm so glad you're here," Phoebe exclaimed, jumping into his arms.
Victor embraced her tightly, saying, "So am I, honey."
They pulled apart, and Victor looked over his other girls. Piper looked worried. Prue just looked angry.
"Hi, Dad," Piper said at last, stepping forward to give him a quick hug.
"Hey, Piper," he replied, tugging her hair like he'd done when she was little.
She stepped back. Now, Piper and Phoebe were on either side of him. The only one who hadn't moved toward him was Prue.
"Victor," she greeted coldly, stiffening when he looked at her.
"Prudence," he murmured. His voice was a mixture of joy at seeing his daughter, pain at her obvious rejection, and sorrow for the pain he'd caused her. There was a long, awkward pause. Nobody knew quite what to say. Finally, Victor started with, "Congratulaions. Phoebe told me about the baby."
"Thanks," Prue said coldly.
They stood around for a while, waiting for a table. They all wanted to at least be seated before they delved into any family issues. They stuck to safe topics, namely, the baby.
"How far along are you?" Victor wanted to know.
"Twenty-nine weeks," Prue answered.
Victor noted with a remnant of paternal instinct that she was much too thin, but wisely decided not to say anything. After all, who was he to give parently advice?
Finally, their table was ready. There was another pause after they were seated, before Prue broke the ice with, "So what are you really doing here?"
"I wanted to see you. Have wanted to, actually, for a long time." Victor answered.
"But why now?" Prue demanded. "If you've wanted to see us so badly, why didn't you?"
Victor sighed. "It's complicated. You know, after the divorce, you're mother wanted nothing to do with me. After she died, your grandmother shut me out of your lives completely. I know, that's no excuse for me not fighting harder, but I really thought she could do a better job raising you than I could. And obviously she did."
Prue picked a spot on the table and stared at it. She was afraid that if she looked at her father any longer, all the memories from her childhood would come flooding back, and she'd start to cry. The last thing she wanted to do was to cry in front of him, let him know how much he'd hurt her. And so she stayed silent.
"I know I should have been there," Victor continued, "And nothing I do now will make up for the fact that I wasn't. All I'm saying is that I want to be here now. Will you girls give me another chance?"
Phoebe reached over, putting her hand on his. "Of course, Daddy," she said.
Piper nodded, resting her head on his shoulder.
Prue shook her head, tears stinging her eyes as she said, "I can't."
"Prue..." Piper implored.
Her older sister remained firm. "I can't," she repeated. "He can't just come back, and expect everything to be okay, because it's not. You both asked me to come here, and I did. But I told you not to expect anything from me. Not yet. Maybe not ever."
Phoebe opened her mouth to say something, but Victor stopped her. "It's okay," he said. "She's right. We all need some time to readjust. Let's just spend the evening getting reacquainted, okay?"
Piper and Phoebe nodded. Then they all fell back into silence as the waiter came to take their order.
-x-
After dinner, Piper and Phoebe invited Victor to come back to the manor. Prue didn't object, so he followed them back in his car.
"The place has hardly changed a bit," he remarked when they stepped inside.
"Things around here always had a tendancy to fall apart," Prue replied. No sooner had she spoke than the power went out.
"I know I paid the electric bill this month..." Phoebe mused.
"No, I did," Piper corrected, "But whatever. That's been paid, so it has to be the circuit breaker."
"I'll go," Prue volunteered.
"Me too," Victor said, not wanting to leave her down in the basement by herself in the dark. "You know," he commented as they were going down the stairs, "I can remember a time when you were terrified of the dark. And the basement, for that matter."
"I used to be terrified of a lot of things," she replied. "I got over it."
They found the circuit breaker, and within a few minutes, Prue managed to get the power back on. They were about to go back upstairs, when suddenly Prue stopped, doubled over in pain, and grabbed him for support. Her face filled with an intense fear as she whispered, "Something's wrong."
Trying his best to keep her calm, he gently asked, "Is it a contraction?"
Prue shook her head. "I don't know. But it can't be. It's too early."
Victor put an arm around her, and led her across the basement. By the time they got to the bottom of the stairs, Prue's water broke.
****************
A/N: I know on the show, Victor's had a few different last names. I just picked a random one, Bennet, from "We All Scream For Ice Cream". So yeah, don't be confused if you remember him better as 'Victor Halliwell' or 'Victor Jones.' ::hits the writers over the head with a dictionary open to the word 'continuity' highlighted in bright yellow::
~from the song "Take Me As I Am" by Tonic~