~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
If you want, you can get to know me
Well, we get along so we shouldn't argue
And I don't know, said I don't know
All these feelings cloud up my reasoning
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
For the first few weeks with Paige in the manor, everything went smoothly. All four sisters were on their best behavior, doing anything they could to make the transition easier. However, it was still a signifigant transition, and with a change of this nature there's bound to be a few small glitches. Prue, Piper, and Phoebe had to adjust to having Paige around full-time, and learn to deal with all of her idiosyncrasies, while Paige had to adapt to the house rules and cope with living with others for the first time since she'd graduated high school. Though each woman had her own method of dealing, most of their relationship began to be centered around taking each minor problem with a grain of salt and extreme politeness, which eventually evolved into kill-you-with-kindness civility. It didn't take long for their first major fight to break out.
It was a routine morning, about three weeks after Paige moved in. Piper was in the kitchen, getting out the milk for her coffee, but when she tried to pour it into her cup, nothing came out. She flipped the bottle right-side-up, and peered in. It was empty.
"Paige..." she started, turning to the last person to use the milk. "How many times do I have to ask you to throw the empty cartons out?"
Paige rolled her eyes. This wasn't the first time she'd forgotten to do it, but Piper was talking to her like she was a small child who wouldn't do her chores. "Sorry."
Piper sighed. Paige's flippant attitude had been bugging her for a while now, and this morning she just didn't want to hear it. "Forget it," she said. "If you don't care, then just forget it."
Paige looked up, surprised that Piper was making such a big deal. "It's just a milk carton. I'll go to the store later and buy some more. Geez."
"That's what you said last time," Piper pointed out. "You forgot. I had to run out to the store at 11 at night so we'd have milk for the next day."
Paige shrugged, still not understanding why Piper was making such a fuss. "Sorry," she said again.
Again, Piper sighed. It wasn't just about the milk, although that was something of a final straw. Paige had had plenty of time now to learn the house rules, and it bothered Piper that she just didn't care. She was debating whether or not the tell Paige what was really on her mind, when Prue came in.
"Morning," she greeted. Her sisters grunted in acknowledgement, still too upset with each other to have any kind words for her. Thankfully, Prue didn't notice. "Janna just called, and she can't watch Ava because her grandmother got sick and she needs to go up to Portland. She also asked if we'd watch Mikey and Kali while Darryl's at work. I told her we'd love to, but after that Jack called and told me that Mr. Cauldwell ordered an emergency staff meeting to discuss Buckland's current financial problem. Could one of you watch the kids while I'm gone?"
"I can't," Paige said. "I have to be at work on time today. It's because of that case I told you about."
Prue and Piper stared at her blankly.
"You know," Paige pressed. "The one with that boy who's father is obviously abusing him, and they're leaning toward giving the parents custody of him anyway?" More blank looks. Paige sighed, unable to believe they'd forgotten. She'd spent over half an hour venting about it to them, telling them about how nothing got to her more than parents who beat their kids. "Nevermind," she said testily. "You obviously weren't listening anyway."
She'd said this quietly enough that Prue and Piper didn't hear her. Not noticing Paige's suddenly sullen expression, Prue turned to Piper. "Could you watch them? It'll only be for a few hours, I hope, depending on how much work I can pawn off on Jack."
Piper smiled, knowing her sister was only half joking. "Sorry, honey, I have to get to the club. We just got this new fruit in, and I need to check it and make sure it's okay."
Prue sighed, then turned to Phoebe, who was just entering the kitchen. "Pheebs, please tell me you don't have any plans today."
"Well, I kinda had a lunch date," Phoebe replied. "Why?"
"Because I need someone to watch Ava, plus Mikey and Kali, since Janna has to go see her grandmother and I got called into work. I should only be gone a few hours, so you'll still have time for your date."
Phoebe shrugged. "As long as you get back in time, I don't have anything else to do. I'd love to babysit."
Prue gave her sister a big hug. "You are a life saver. Darryl should be dropping them off in a few minutes, on his way to work. Aviva's upstairs, still sleeping. I have to go, before I get fired. See you later."
With that, Prue grabbed her purse and rushed out the door. Paige took a last sip of coffee, and started to leave as well. "I have to go, too. Bye," she said tersely. She gave a brief smile to Phoebe, and barely looked at Piper, unsure of whether the latter sister was still angry.
Piper mistook Paige's caution with direct snubbery, but tried to ignore it. Now, she and Phoebe were the only ones in the kitchen. "I shouldn't be too long, honey," she said. "Have fun with the kids." With those parting words, she, too, left the house.
-x-
Six hours later, Prue walked back in the door, only to wish she hadn't. Phoebe came at her, fuming.
"Do you have any idea what time it is?" the latter sister demanded. Without waiting for an answer, she provided one herself. "It's one-thirty. Exactly one hour after I supposed to meet my date."
"Sorry, Pheebs," apologized an already stressed-out Prue. "But Cauldwell's really pushing us lately. If we don't get back into the black by the end of the month, the auction house might have to close. Jack took off right after the meeting to go see some widow about selling part of her husband's collection, and I had an assload of work to do by myself."
"So why the hell didn't you call?" Phoebe demanded.
"I didn't think of it," Prue replied, wincing at her sister's furious expression. "I was just so busy, I forgot."
"That's the third date I had to cancel this month," Phoebe complained. "This guy probably thinks I'm a flake..."
Prue started to say something, but held her tongue, deciding it wise not to provoke her sister any more.
Phoebe saw Prue start to open her mouth, and guessed what her oldest sister was thinking, but before she had time to respond, they heard the kitchen door slam and loud voices moving through the back of the house. Prue and Phoebe went to investigate, and followed the sound into the conservatory, where Piper and Paige were arguing.
"Hey, what's going on here?" Prue asked.
"What's going on is that I had to leave my car at South Bay because I couldn't start it because someone borrowed it and forgot to get gas," Paige explained, glaring at Piper.
"Right, because I'm the only one around here who forgets to replace the stuff I use up," she shot back.
"At least you've never had to wait half an hour in the damn cold waiting for someone to come get you," Paige retorted.
"I got there as soon as I could," Piper insisted. "There are speed limits, you know, and some people actually do care about following the rules."
This went on for several minutes. While Piper and Paige were concentrating on their screaming match, Prue and Phoebe resumed their own fight. As their voices rose, so did their anger. Eventually, they lost sight of what they'd even started arguing about. Instead, they let out every bad feeling they'd each been suppressing. The tension of the past three weeks was finally coming to a head.
The climax of their battle was when Piper kicked Paige's chair, saying, "I should have thrown this ugly thing out ages ago, and thrown you out with it."
Paige waved her middle finger in the air before turning around and stomping out. At the same time, Prue screamed at Phoebe, "The only reason you're so fired up about this date is that you don't have any real life. At least I've got a job and a kid. All you have is whatever guy you happened to pick up at a bar at any given week."
"Right, because you're Saint Prue the Great," Phoebe countered. "If you're so damn responsible, then how come I'm not the one who got knocked up by a guy I barely knew in the first place and whom I haven't seen hide nor hair of since?"
"Go to hell," Prue spat.
"Been there, done that, now I'm leaving." Phoebe whirled around, and stormed out of the house, the same way Paige had only seconds ago. Prue and Piper were left to stare after them, wondering what the hell had just happened.
****************
A/N: I heard someone ask for conflict. Enough for ya? *g*
A/N2: Thanks to everyone who read and reviewed my other fics while I was away. The reason most of them have pretty much abandoned most of them is lack of response, so getting feedback on those means a lot. Oh, and on that note, I've had a lot of people asking for a sequel to "Now That You're Gone". I'm planning on starting one soon, but I'm not exactly sure of what it'll be about. If anyone has any ideas of what they'd like to see, let me know.
~from the song "Argue" by Matchbox 20~
If you want, you can get to know me
Well, we get along so we shouldn't argue
And I don't know, said I don't know
All these feelings cloud up my reasoning
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
For the first few weeks with Paige in the manor, everything went smoothly. All four sisters were on their best behavior, doing anything they could to make the transition easier. However, it was still a signifigant transition, and with a change of this nature there's bound to be a few small glitches. Prue, Piper, and Phoebe had to adjust to having Paige around full-time, and learn to deal with all of her idiosyncrasies, while Paige had to adapt to the house rules and cope with living with others for the first time since she'd graduated high school. Though each woman had her own method of dealing, most of their relationship began to be centered around taking each minor problem with a grain of salt and extreme politeness, which eventually evolved into kill-you-with-kindness civility. It didn't take long for their first major fight to break out.
It was a routine morning, about three weeks after Paige moved in. Piper was in the kitchen, getting out the milk for her coffee, but when she tried to pour it into her cup, nothing came out. She flipped the bottle right-side-up, and peered in. It was empty.
"Paige..." she started, turning to the last person to use the milk. "How many times do I have to ask you to throw the empty cartons out?"
Paige rolled her eyes. This wasn't the first time she'd forgotten to do it, but Piper was talking to her like she was a small child who wouldn't do her chores. "Sorry."
Piper sighed. Paige's flippant attitude had been bugging her for a while now, and this morning she just didn't want to hear it. "Forget it," she said. "If you don't care, then just forget it."
Paige looked up, surprised that Piper was making such a big deal. "It's just a milk carton. I'll go to the store later and buy some more. Geez."
"That's what you said last time," Piper pointed out. "You forgot. I had to run out to the store at 11 at night so we'd have milk for the next day."
Paige shrugged, still not understanding why Piper was making such a fuss. "Sorry," she said again.
Again, Piper sighed. It wasn't just about the milk, although that was something of a final straw. Paige had had plenty of time now to learn the house rules, and it bothered Piper that she just didn't care. She was debating whether or not the tell Paige what was really on her mind, when Prue came in.
"Morning," she greeted. Her sisters grunted in acknowledgement, still too upset with each other to have any kind words for her. Thankfully, Prue didn't notice. "Janna just called, and she can't watch Ava because her grandmother got sick and she needs to go up to Portland. She also asked if we'd watch Mikey and Kali while Darryl's at work. I told her we'd love to, but after that Jack called and told me that Mr. Cauldwell ordered an emergency staff meeting to discuss Buckland's current financial problem. Could one of you watch the kids while I'm gone?"
"I can't," Paige said. "I have to be at work on time today. It's because of that case I told you about."
Prue and Piper stared at her blankly.
"You know," Paige pressed. "The one with that boy who's father is obviously abusing him, and they're leaning toward giving the parents custody of him anyway?" More blank looks. Paige sighed, unable to believe they'd forgotten. She'd spent over half an hour venting about it to them, telling them about how nothing got to her more than parents who beat their kids. "Nevermind," she said testily. "You obviously weren't listening anyway."
She'd said this quietly enough that Prue and Piper didn't hear her. Not noticing Paige's suddenly sullen expression, Prue turned to Piper. "Could you watch them? It'll only be for a few hours, I hope, depending on how much work I can pawn off on Jack."
Piper smiled, knowing her sister was only half joking. "Sorry, honey, I have to get to the club. We just got this new fruit in, and I need to check it and make sure it's okay."
Prue sighed, then turned to Phoebe, who was just entering the kitchen. "Pheebs, please tell me you don't have any plans today."
"Well, I kinda had a lunch date," Phoebe replied. "Why?"
"Because I need someone to watch Ava, plus Mikey and Kali, since Janna has to go see her grandmother and I got called into work. I should only be gone a few hours, so you'll still have time for your date."
Phoebe shrugged. "As long as you get back in time, I don't have anything else to do. I'd love to babysit."
Prue gave her sister a big hug. "You are a life saver. Darryl should be dropping them off in a few minutes, on his way to work. Aviva's upstairs, still sleeping. I have to go, before I get fired. See you later."
With that, Prue grabbed her purse and rushed out the door. Paige took a last sip of coffee, and started to leave as well. "I have to go, too. Bye," she said tersely. She gave a brief smile to Phoebe, and barely looked at Piper, unsure of whether the latter sister was still angry.
Piper mistook Paige's caution with direct snubbery, but tried to ignore it. Now, she and Phoebe were the only ones in the kitchen. "I shouldn't be too long, honey," she said. "Have fun with the kids." With those parting words, she, too, left the house.
-x-
Six hours later, Prue walked back in the door, only to wish she hadn't. Phoebe came at her, fuming.
"Do you have any idea what time it is?" the latter sister demanded. Without waiting for an answer, she provided one herself. "It's one-thirty. Exactly one hour after I supposed to meet my date."
"Sorry, Pheebs," apologized an already stressed-out Prue. "But Cauldwell's really pushing us lately. If we don't get back into the black by the end of the month, the auction house might have to close. Jack took off right after the meeting to go see some widow about selling part of her husband's collection, and I had an assload of work to do by myself."
"So why the hell didn't you call?" Phoebe demanded.
"I didn't think of it," Prue replied, wincing at her sister's furious expression. "I was just so busy, I forgot."
"That's the third date I had to cancel this month," Phoebe complained. "This guy probably thinks I'm a flake..."
Prue started to say something, but held her tongue, deciding it wise not to provoke her sister any more.
Phoebe saw Prue start to open her mouth, and guessed what her oldest sister was thinking, but before she had time to respond, they heard the kitchen door slam and loud voices moving through the back of the house. Prue and Phoebe went to investigate, and followed the sound into the conservatory, where Piper and Paige were arguing.
"Hey, what's going on here?" Prue asked.
"What's going on is that I had to leave my car at South Bay because I couldn't start it because someone borrowed it and forgot to get gas," Paige explained, glaring at Piper.
"Right, because I'm the only one around here who forgets to replace the stuff I use up," she shot back.
"At least you've never had to wait half an hour in the damn cold waiting for someone to come get you," Paige retorted.
"I got there as soon as I could," Piper insisted. "There are speed limits, you know, and some people actually do care about following the rules."
This went on for several minutes. While Piper and Paige were concentrating on their screaming match, Prue and Phoebe resumed their own fight. As their voices rose, so did their anger. Eventually, they lost sight of what they'd even started arguing about. Instead, they let out every bad feeling they'd each been suppressing. The tension of the past three weeks was finally coming to a head.
The climax of their battle was when Piper kicked Paige's chair, saying, "I should have thrown this ugly thing out ages ago, and thrown you out with it."
Paige waved her middle finger in the air before turning around and stomping out. At the same time, Prue screamed at Phoebe, "The only reason you're so fired up about this date is that you don't have any real life. At least I've got a job and a kid. All you have is whatever guy you happened to pick up at a bar at any given week."
"Right, because you're Saint Prue the Great," Phoebe countered. "If you're so damn responsible, then how come I'm not the one who got knocked up by a guy I barely knew in the first place and whom I haven't seen hide nor hair of since?"
"Go to hell," Prue spat.
"Been there, done that, now I'm leaving." Phoebe whirled around, and stormed out of the house, the same way Paige had only seconds ago. Prue and Piper were left to stare after them, wondering what the hell had just happened.
****************
A/N: I heard someone ask for conflict. Enough for ya? *g*
A/N2: Thanks to everyone who read and reviewed my other fics while I was away. The reason most of them have pretty much abandoned most of them is lack of response, so getting feedback on those means a lot. Oh, and on that note, I've had a lot of people asking for a sequel to "Now That You're Gone". I'm planning on starting one soon, but I'm not exactly sure of what it'll be about. If anyone has any ideas of what they'd like to see, let me know.
~from the song "Argue" by Matchbox 20~