~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Today's a reason for living
Today's the blood from a stone
Today's the light from a candle
Helping us to find our way home
Today we carry each other
Today the past is a freak
Today's the time for forgiveness
You were never that good to me
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
After Phoebe left, Prue went upstairs to check on the kids, and Piper called Leo. Three hours later, Piper was still lying on her bed with Leo's arms wrapped around her, crying.
"It'll be okay," he said soothingly. "You've had fights with your sisters before, haven't you?"
"This was different," she sniffled. "It was just so many little things. We shouldn't have been that angry at each other, but it's all been building up for weeks now, and then tonight it just..." She trailed off, sobbing. Leo kissed her and stroked her hair, calming her enough to continue speaking. "I'm not even sure how it started. Yesterday, I borrowed Paige's car because mine wouldn't start again, and I guess I must've forgotten to get gas, because today she called me at the club and asked me to pick her up because her tank was empty. When I got there, she was really pissed, and we started fighting, and then when we got home Prue and Phoebe were there, and I guess they'd been fighting too, because the next thing I knew the four of us were just screaming at each other."
He caressed her face, pushing a few strands of hair away from her tear-stained cheeks. "It's not like this is the first time you've yelled at each other before. Okay, maybe with Paige it is, but that's just part of being sisters. You can get past this."
Piper shook her head. "I don't know that we can. Leo, the things we said to each other... It was just horrible. And then Phoebe and Paige left, and I don't know where they are, and Prue is down the hall with the kids, probably pretending nothing even happened because she thinks she always has to be so damn strong all the time, and even if we did talk about it I just wouldn't know where to begin."
"So what are you going to do?" he questioned. "Never talk to them again?"
"No," she said queitly. "At least, I hope not."
"The four of you have to work this out," he insisted gently.
She nodded. "I know. I just hope the damage isn't irreparable already."
"You have to try," he encouraged.
She sighed. She knew he was right, but this wasn't going to be easy. Still, having his support behind her made it seem a bit less scary. Clinging to this one comforting thought, she got up and headed for the door.
-x-
Meanwhile, down the hall, Prue was sitting on nursery floor with Mikey, Kali, and Aviva. For the kids' benefit, she tried to smile, but she was too upset to be able to fully hide it.
"Aunt Prue, what's wrong?" Mikey asked.
"Nothing, sweetie," she replied, doing her best to sound convincing.
Mikey, who'd always been good at picking up other people's feelings, didn't buy it. "Tell me," he said, sounding much older than his six years.
She sighed. "It's nothing," she insisted. "I just had a little... argument... with my sisters."
The little boy put his arms around her neck affectionately. "What happened?"
Prue's smile was small, but genuine in response to his precociousness. "Nothing, honey. We just got mad at each other and said things we shouldn't have."
"So why don't you say you're sorry?" he asked. "That's what my mommy makes me do when I have fights with my friends."
Prue bit her lip. "I don't think it's going to be that easy."
"You won't know until you try," he argued.
Prue paused. "You know, you're right. Mikey, can you watch Kal and Ava for a few minutes?"
He nodded. Prue got up, and, amazed at the conversation she'd just had with a six-year-old, headed for the door. She stepped out into the hallway, and came face-to-face with Piper. Suddenly, they both became very shy, their eyes glued to seperate spots on the floor.
"Hi," the elder sister began quietly.
"Hi," responded the younger.
Prue swallowed hard and said, "We need to talk."
Piper nodded in agreement, but questioned, "Where do we begin?"
There was a long, awkward pause. Then, at the same time, both sisters blurted out, "I'm sorry." Another, shorter silence followed that.
"So, where do you think Paige and Phoebe went?" Prue asked.
"I don't know," Piper replied wearily. "Do you think they're okay?"
Prue sighed. They'd both been gone a long time. "God, I hope so."
Just then, they heard the front door open and close. They ran downstairs, to find one of their missing sisters standing in the foyer.
"Phoebe, thank God," Piper breathed, rushing forward to hug her. Prue, with the things they'd said to each other still burning in her mind, hung back uncomfortably.
Phoebe took a step forward, toward her oldest sister. "Prue, I am so sorry. God, the things I said... Especially about you getting pregnant with Ava... It was really shitty of me. You know I didn't mean any of it, right?"
Prue nodded. "Yeah, I know. And I'm sorry, too, for saying you didn't have a life. Of course you do. Going back to college, that took a lot of courage, and I'm really proud of you for it. And you weren't entirely wrong about me and... and Ava's father."
"Yes, I was," Phoebe insisted. "You meeting T.J. is one of the best things that ever happened to this family, because it gave me a beatiful little niece, and I had no right to throw that back in your face."
Piper, meanwhile, had been staring at the door throughout the short exchange. "She's not coming back," she said suddenly, her voice hardly above a whisper.
"Paige..." Prue started. In her excitement over Phoebe, their youngest sister had been pushed to the back of her mind until now. "Pheebs, have you seen her?"
Phoebe shook her head. "No. By the time I got outside, she was gone. Where do you think she went?"
"Who knows?" Piper asked bitterly. "She was right, you know; We don't listen to her. We hardly even know her. And now, seh's just disappeared, and we don't even know where to start looking..."
"Shh," Prue soothed, wrapping her arms around her sister. "Honey, don't be so hard on yourself. I'm sure she'll come back; after all, Phoebe did."
"Phoebe's completely different," Piper insisted. "Phoebe knows that whatever happens, she belongs here. Paige... If something happens to her, I'll never forgive myself."
Prue and Phoebe said nothing. They both knew Piper was right.
"Okay, well right now, the important thing is finding her," Prue said. "Leo can stay with the kids, since he's already here anyway. Let's just go walk around for a while, okay?"
Phoebe agreed. "Prue's right. She doesn't have a car, and as far as we know she didn't have money on her, so chances are she didn't go very far."
Piper nodded. "Okay. I'll go get our jackets."
-x-
The jackets turned out to be a smart move, because soon after the sisters set out it started raining. Still, they kept walking, determined to find Paige. Twenty minutes later, they came upon a small playground in a park by a school. In the pouring rain, under a dark grey sky, they could just barely make out a familiar outline sitting on the swingset. They ran toward the figure, calling out her name.
"Thank God we found you," Phoebe breathed once she was close enough to be certain that this was, in fact, her half-sister.
"Paige, you scared the hell out of us," Prue added.
"Why are you here?" she demanded, shivering.
"Paige, I'm sorry," Piper apologized. "I didn't mean it, what I said. Please, just come home and we'll talk it out."
"I am home," Paige snapped, getting up. "Just go away."
"Damn it, Paige, don't walk away from me," Piper called.
"Why shouldn't I?" Paige yelled back, without turning around or even pausing.
"Because you're my sister, damn it, and I love you!" Piper hadn't expected to say that, but once she did, she realized she meant it.
This made Paige spin around. At first, she thought it had just been the wind howling in her ear, making her hear things she hadn't even known she needed to hear, but one look back at her sisters told her that it had been for real. She paused, shocked, tears still running down her face, before calling back, "I love you, too."
Piper, Phoebe, and Prue rushed forward. They all knew that, as powerful as those three words are, they couldn't fix everything. Still, it would do for now. The four siblings walked home in silence, in the freezing cold rain, together.
****************
A/N: I know some of you are getting sick of all the rock songs in here, and I'd like to vary my musical selection, so if anyone has any songs they'd like to suggest, put the title and band/artist in your review. Thankyas :)
~from the song "Sorry" by Our Lady Peace~
Today's a reason for living
Today's the blood from a stone
Today's the light from a candle
Helping us to find our way home
Today we carry each other
Today the past is a freak
Today's the time for forgiveness
You were never that good to me
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
After Phoebe left, Prue went upstairs to check on the kids, and Piper called Leo. Three hours later, Piper was still lying on her bed with Leo's arms wrapped around her, crying.
"It'll be okay," he said soothingly. "You've had fights with your sisters before, haven't you?"
"This was different," she sniffled. "It was just so many little things. We shouldn't have been that angry at each other, but it's all been building up for weeks now, and then tonight it just..." She trailed off, sobbing. Leo kissed her and stroked her hair, calming her enough to continue speaking. "I'm not even sure how it started. Yesterday, I borrowed Paige's car because mine wouldn't start again, and I guess I must've forgotten to get gas, because today she called me at the club and asked me to pick her up because her tank was empty. When I got there, she was really pissed, and we started fighting, and then when we got home Prue and Phoebe were there, and I guess they'd been fighting too, because the next thing I knew the four of us were just screaming at each other."
He caressed her face, pushing a few strands of hair away from her tear-stained cheeks. "It's not like this is the first time you've yelled at each other before. Okay, maybe with Paige it is, but that's just part of being sisters. You can get past this."
Piper shook her head. "I don't know that we can. Leo, the things we said to each other... It was just horrible. And then Phoebe and Paige left, and I don't know where they are, and Prue is down the hall with the kids, probably pretending nothing even happened because she thinks she always has to be so damn strong all the time, and even if we did talk about it I just wouldn't know where to begin."
"So what are you going to do?" he questioned. "Never talk to them again?"
"No," she said queitly. "At least, I hope not."
"The four of you have to work this out," he insisted gently.
She nodded. "I know. I just hope the damage isn't irreparable already."
"You have to try," he encouraged.
She sighed. She knew he was right, but this wasn't going to be easy. Still, having his support behind her made it seem a bit less scary. Clinging to this one comforting thought, she got up and headed for the door.
-x-
Meanwhile, down the hall, Prue was sitting on nursery floor with Mikey, Kali, and Aviva. For the kids' benefit, she tried to smile, but she was too upset to be able to fully hide it.
"Aunt Prue, what's wrong?" Mikey asked.
"Nothing, sweetie," she replied, doing her best to sound convincing.
Mikey, who'd always been good at picking up other people's feelings, didn't buy it. "Tell me," he said, sounding much older than his six years.
She sighed. "It's nothing," she insisted. "I just had a little... argument... with my sisters."
The little boy put his arms around her neck affectionately. "What happened?"
Prue's smile was small, but genuine in response to his precociousness. "Nothing, honey. We just got mad at each other and said things we shouldn't have."
"So why don't you say you're sorry?" he asked. "That's what my mommy makes me do when I have fights with my friends."
Prue bit her lip. "I don't think it's going to be that easy."
"You won't know until you try," he argued.
Prue paused. "You know, you're right. Mikey, can you watch Kal and Ava for a few minutes?"
He nodded. Prue got up, and, amazed at the conversation she'd just had with a six-year-old, headed for the door. She stepped out into the hallway, and came face-to-face with Piper. Suddenly, they both became very shy, their eyes glued to seperate spots on the floor.
"Hi," the elder sister began quietly.
"Hi," responded the younger.
Prue swallowed hard and said, "We need to talk."
Piper nodded in agreement, but questioned, "Where do we begin?"
There was a long, awkward pause. Then, at the same time, both sisters blurted out, "I'm sorry." Another, shorter silence followed that.
"So, where do you think Paige and Phoebe went?" Prue asked.
"I don't know," Piper replied wearily. "Do you think they're okay?"
Prue sighed. They'd both been gone a long time. "God, I hope so."
Just then, they heard the front door open and close. They ran downstairs, to find one of their missing sisters standing in the foyer.
"Phoebe, thank God," Piper breathed, rushing forward to hug her. Prue, with the things they'd said to each other still burning in her mind, hung back uncomfortably.
Phoebe took a step forward, toward her oldest sister. "Prue, I am so sorry. God, the things I said... Especially about you getting pregnant with Ava... It was really shitty of me. You know I didn't mean any of it, right?"
Prue nodded. "Yeah, I know. And I'm sorry, too, for saying you didn't have a life. Of course you do. Going back to college, that took a lot of courage, and I'm really proud of you for it. And you weren't entirely wrong about me and... and Ava's father."
"Yes, I was," Phoebe insisted. "You meeting T.J. is one of the best things that ever happened to this family, because it gave me a beatiful little niece, and I had no right to throw that back in your face."
Piper, meanwhile, had been staring at the door throughout the short exchange. "She's not coming back," she said suddenly, her voice hardly above a whisper.
"Paige..." Prue started. In her excitement over Phoebe, their youngest sister had been pushed to the back of her mind until now. "Pheebs, have you seen her?"
Phoebe shook her head. "No. By the time I got outside, she was gone. Where do you think she went?"
"Who knows?" Piper asked bitterly. "She was right, you know; We don't listen to her. We hardly even know her. And now, seh's just disappeared, and we don't even know where to start looking..."
"Shh," Prue soothed, wrapping her arms around her sister. "Honey, don't be so hard on yourself. I'm sure she'll come back; after all, Phoebe did."
"Phoebe's completely different," Piper insisted. "Phoebe knows that whatever happens, she belongs here. Paige... If something happens to her, I'll never forgive myself."
Prue and Phoebe said nothing. They both knew Piper was right.
"Okay, well right now, the important thing is finding her," Prue said. "Leo can stay with the kids, since he's already here anyway. Let's just go walk around for a while, okay?"
Phoebe agreed. "Prue's right. She doesn't have a car, and as far as we know she didn't have money on her, so chances are she didn't go very far."
Piper nodded. "Okay. I'll go get our jackets."
-x-
The jackets turned out to be a smart move, because soon after the sisters set out it started raining. Still, they kept walking, determined to find Paige. Twenty minutes later, they came upon a small playground in a park by a school. In the pouring rain, under a dark grey sky, they could just barely make out a familiar outline sitting on the swingset. They ran toward the figure, calling out her name.
"Thank God we found you," Phoebe breathed once she was close enough to be certain that this was, in fact, her half-sister.
"Paige, you scared the hell out of us," Prue added.
"Why are you here?" she demanded, shivering.
"Paige, I'm sorry," Piper apologized. "I didn't mean it, what I said. Please, just come home and we'll talk it out."
"I am home," Paige snapped, getting up. "Just go away."
"Damn it, Paige, don't walk away from me," Piper called.
"Why shouldn't I?" Paige yelled back, without turning around or even pausing.
"Because you're my sister, damn it, and I love you!" Piper hadn't expected to say that, but once she did, she realized she meant it.
This made Paige spin around. At first, she thought it had just been the wind howling in her ear, making her hear things she hadn't even known she needed to hear, but one look back at her sisters told her that it had been for real. She paused, shocked, tears still running down her face, before calling back, "I love you, too."
Piper, Phoebe, and Prue rushed forward. They all knew that, as powerful as those three words are, they couldn't fix everything. Still, it would do for now. The four siblings walked home in silence, in the freezing cold rain, together.
****************
A/N: I know some of you are getting sick of all the rock songs in here, and I'd like to vary my musical selection, so if anyone has any songs they'd like to suggest, put the title and band/artist in your review. Thankyas :)
~from the song "Sorry" by Our Lady Peace~