~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Well this place is old
It feels just like a beat-up truck
I turn the engine, but the engine doesn't turn
Well it smells of cheap wine and cigarettes
This place is always such a mess
Sometimes I think I'd like to watch it burn
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Three months went by, and Piper and Leo's relationship grew stronger. The same could be said for Piper, Prue, and Phoebe's relationship with Paige, although they weren't truly aware of it until something happened that would bring them all together...
It was early, about four in the morning, when Leo started pounding on the manor door. Piper rushed downstairs, followed closely by Prue and Phoebe.
"Leo, what's wrong?" Piper asked, opening the door to let her boyfriend in.
"It's Paige," he said. "I just came from her apartment, and there's a huge fire. The whole building's up in flames."
"Oh my God," Phoebe gasped, "Is she okay?"
He shrugged. "Physically, yes. But nearly everything she owns was in that apartment."
"Does she need a place to stay?" Prue asked. Leo nodded. "Okay, then, we're going to go get dressed, and then can you stay here with Ava while we go down there?"
"Of course, no problem," Leo agreed readily. He went into the conservatory to wait while the girls got dressed.
Fifteen minutes later, Prue pulled up to what was left of Paige's apartment.
"Oh my God," Phoebe murmured, seeing the entire building consumed by flames.
They got out and started looking for their sister. They found her sitting on the ground near one of the ambulances, a blanket wrapped around her shoulders.
"Paige, honey, are you okay?" Piper asked.
Paige didn't answer, but a paramedic spoke for her. "Paige is in a bit of shock right now. Are you friends of hers?"
"We're her sisters," Phoebe blurted.
"Is she gonna be okay?" Prue demanded.
"She'll be fine," the paramedic assured her. "Just get her to a warm bed, away from here."
"We will, thank you," Piper said.
Prue put her arms around Paige, and helped her to her feet. "Come on, honey, we're taking you home."
Paige leaned against her sisters, and allowed them to lead her back to Prue's car. The took her back to the manor, and put her to bed in one of the two guestrooms. Through all of this, Paige didn't utter a word.
-x-
The next morning, Paige was feeling much better.
"Morning, guys," she greeted as she bounced into the kitchen.
Piper turned from the coffee pot and smiled, glad to see her sister up and about. "Hey, you. How are you?"
"I am fine," Paige replied, joining Prue and Phoebe at the table. "Thanks to you guys. I never really got a chance to thank you for being there last night, and for letting me stay here."
"Oh, honey, you don't have to," Phoebe insisted.
"Yeah, that's what family's for," Prue added.
Paige smiled, and, not knowing what to say, said nothing.
Prue glanced at her watch, and sprang up. "Oh, I have to go. Cauldwell's going to kill me if I'm late for today's staff meeting. Pheebs, are you sure you don't mind watching Aviva?"
Phoebe dismissed her sister's concern with a wave of her hand. "Of course I don't mind. I love watching my niece."
"I'll help you watch her," Paige volunteered. "I feel like I hardly get to spend time with her. Besides, I already called Cowan and told him I wouldn't be in, and the only thing I was going to do today was see what I can salvage from the apartment, but I'd really rather not go back there right away."
"Okay," Prue said, leaning down to give each of her sisters a kiss. "Call me if you need me."
"Mmm, I've got to get down to the club," Piper said, downing her last bit of coffee. "Prue, can you drop me off? I've been having trouble with my car lately."
"Sure honey," Prue said. "But you've been having car trouble for a while. When are you going to take it to a mechanic?"
"Leo said he'd look at it later," Piper responded.
"Ah, having your boyfriend take care of your car? That's quite a commitment, you know," Prue teased.
Piper hit her playfully. "Yeah, yeah, let's go."
Prue smirked, and allowed Piper to steer her out the door.
-x-
Prue got out of work on time for the first time in weeks by convincing Jack to handle some paperwork for her, and got to P3 around five. Piper left Trey and Rachel to open the club, and the two eldest Halliwell siblings got home before 5:30.
"Phoebe, Paige!" Prue called, setting her purse down on the hall table.
Phoebe came down the stairs, holding five-month-old Aviva. "Paige isn't here. She got a call from her landlord saying that it's safe to go back into the building and see if anything's salvagable. From what she said the landlord told her, the place was damaged pretty bad. It'll be unlivable for at least another six months."
"That's awful," Piper said.
"Did she say if there was anything we could do?" Prue asked, taking the baby from her sister.
Phoebe shook her head. "No, but I've been thinking... You know, she is our sister, and this house has been in our family for generations, so it's sort of hers, too... And we've been spending some time with her lately, anyway, but maybe she was right about what she said this morning, that she doesn't spend enough time with Ava, or with any of us, for that matter... And she is our sister..."
"Phoebe, honey, you lost us," Prue said gently.
Phoebe sighed, then started over. "I think we should ask her to move in with us."
A shocked silence followed as her sisters tried to comprehend what she'd just said. Finally, Prue spoke up.
"I get what you're saying," she began softly. "You've got some good points, you really do, but... Up until now, our relationship with her could be classified as something between a strained friendship and a strange one. Do you think we're ready for this, as sisters?"
Piper nodded in agreement. "Prue's right. How well do we know her, really, or she us? We've spent the past five months walking on eggshells around each other, and while we have gotten a little closer in the last few weeks, it's still new for all of us."
"I know," Phoebe said, "And I've gone through those same doubts in my head ever since the idea even occurred to me, but really, what do we have to lose? Maybe this will be the thing that brings us together as a family. And besides, she's got nowhere else to go."
Prue and Piper collectively sighed. They looked at each other, letting Phoebe's words sink in, and then slowly nodded.
"Okay," Prue said, speaking slowly and quietly as if she wasn't quite sure. "Okay. We'll try it. When Paige gets back, we'll ask her to move in with us."
****************
~from the song "One Headlight" by the Wallflowers~
Well this place is old
It feels just like a beat-up truck
I turn the engine, but the engine doesn't turn
Well it smells of cheap wine and cigarettes
This place is always such a mess
Sometimes I think I'd like to watch it burn
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Three months went by, and Piper and Leo's relationship grew stronger. The same could be said for Piper, Prue, and Phoebe's relationship with Paige, although they weren't truly aware of it until something happened that would bring them all together...
It was early, about four in the morning, when Leo started pounding on the manor door. Piper rushed downstairs, followed closely by Prue and Phoebe.
"Leo, what's wrong?" Piper asked, opening the door to let her boyfriend in.
"It's Paige," he said. "I just came from her apartment, and there's a huge fire. The whole building's up in flames."
"Oh my God," Phoebe gasped, "Is she okay?"
He shrugged. "Physically, yes. But nearly everything she owns was in that apartment."
"Does she need a place to stay?" Prue asked. Leo nodded. "Okay, then, we're going to go get dressed, and then can you stay here with Ava while we go down there?"
"Of course, no problem," Leo agreed readily. He went into the conservatory to wait while the girls got dressed.
Fifteen minutes later, Prue pulled up to what was left of Paige's apartment.
"Oh my God," Phoebe murmured, seeing the entire building consumed by flames.
They got out and started looking for their sister. They found her sitting on the ground near one of the ambulances, a blanket wrapped around her shoulders.
"Paige, honey, are you okay?" Piper asked.
Paige didn't answer, but a paramedic spoke for her. "Paige is in a bit of shock right now. Are you friends of hers?"
"We're her sisters," Phoebe blurted.
"Is she gonna be okay?" Prue demanded.
"She'll be fine," the paramedic assured her. "Just get her to a warm bed, away from here."
"We will, thank you," Piper said.
Prue put her arms around Paige, and helped her to her feet. "Come on, honey, we're taking you home."
Paige leaned against her sisters, and allowed them to lead her back to Prue's car. The took her back to the manor, and put her to bed in one of the two guestrooms. Through all of this, Paige didn't utter a word.
-x-
The next morning, Paige was feeling much better.
"Morning, guys," she greeted as she bounced into the kitchen.
Piper turned from the coffee pot and smiled, glad to see her sister up and about. "Hey, you. How are you?"
"I am fine," Paige replied, joining Prue and Phoebe at the table. "Thanks to you guys. I never really got a chance to thank you for being there last night, and for letting me stay here."
"Oh, honey, you don't have to," Phoebe insisted.
"Yeah, that's what family's for," Prue added.
Paige smiled, and, not knowing what to say, said nothing.
Prue glanced at her watch, and sprang up. "Oh, I have to go. Cauldwell's going to kill me if I'm late for today's staff meeting. Pheebs, are you sure you don't mind watching Aviva?"
Phoebe dismissed her sister's concern with a wave of her hand. "Of course I don't mind. I love watching my niece."
"I'll help you watch her," Paige volunteered. "I feel like I hardly get to spend time with her. Besides, I already called Cowan and told him I wouldn't be in, and the only thing I was going to do today was see what I can salvage from the apartment, but I'd really rather not go back there right away."
"Okay," Prue said, leaning down to give each of her sisters a kiss. "Call me if you need me."
"Mmm, I've got to get down to the club," Piper said, downing her last bit of coffee. "Prue, can you drop me off? I've been having trouble with my car lately."
"Sure honey," Prue said. "But you've been having car trouble for a while. When are you going to take it to a mechanic?"
"Leo said he'd look at it later," Piper responded.
"Ah, having your boyfriend take care of your car? That's quite a commitment, you know," Prue teased.
Piper hit her playfully. "Yeah, yeah, let's go."
Prue smirked, and allowed Piper to steer her out the door.
-x-
Prue got out of work on time for the first time in weeks by convincing Jack to handle some paperwork for her, and got to P3 around five. Piper left Trey and Rachel to open the club, and the two eldest Halliwell siblings got home before 5:30.
"Phoebe, Paige!" Prue called, setting her purse down on the hall table.
Phoebe came down the stairs, holding five-month-old Aviva. "Paige isn't here. She got a call from her landlord saying that it's safe to go back into the building and see if anything's salvagable. From what she said the landlord told her, the place was damaged pretty bad. It'll be unlivable for at least another six months."
"That's awful," Piper said.
"Did she say if there was anything we could do?" Prue asked, taking the baby from her sister.
Phoebe shook her head. "No, but I've been thinking... You know, she is our sister, and this house has been in our family for generations, so it's sort of hers, too... And we've been spending some time with her lately, anyway, but maybe she was right about what she said this morning, that she doesn't spend enough time with Ava, or with any of us, for that matter... And she is our sister..."
"Phoebe, honey, you lost us," Prue said gently.
Phoebe sighed, then started over. "I think we should ask her to move in with us."
A shocked silence followed as her sisters tried to comprehend what she'd just said. Finally, Prue spoke up.
"I get what you're saying," she began softly. "You've got some good points, you really do, but... Up until now, our relationship with her could be classified as something between a strained friendship and a strange one. Do you think we're ready for this, as sisters?"
Piper nodded in agreement. "Prue's right. How well do we know her, really, or she us? We've spent the past five months walking on eggshells around each other, and while we have gotten a little closer in the last few weeks, it's still new for all of us."
"I know," Phoebe said, "And I've gone through those same doubts in my head ever since the idea even occurred to me, but really, what do we have to lose? Maybe this will be the thing that brings us together as a family. And besides, she's got nowhere else to go."
Prue and Piper collectively sighed. They looked at each other, letting Phoebe's words sink in, and then slowly nodded.
"Okay," Prue said, speaking slowly and quietly as if she wasn't quite sure. "Okay. We'll try it. When Paige gets back, we'll ask her to move in with us."
****************
~from the song "One Headlight" by the Wallflowers~