~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
All your dreams are made
When you're chained to the mirror and the razor blade
Today's the day that all the world will see
Another sunny afternoon
Walking to the sound of my favourite tune
Tomorrow never knows what it doesn't know too soon
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Leo wanted to keep the happy news to themselves for a while, at least until they had both had a chance to let it sink in and to celebrate privately, but Piper couldn't wait to tell her sisters. Knowing full well how close his new wife's bond was with her family, and how that bond was being tested just by the simple fact that Piper was married now and no longer living with them, Leo quickly relented, and agreed to tell Piper's sisters the next day, at the manor where they'd already promised to come over for dinner.
Prue, Phoebe, and Paige greeted them eagerly at the door and rushed them inside, each hugging the newlyweds in turn. "Tell us all about your trip," Phoebe said. "We want to hear everything."
"Well, maybe not everything," amended Prue, who was rocking Aviva. Covering her daughter's ears with her arm, she said, "Maybe I should take Ava upstairs for a while."
Piper laughed. "Don't you dare. We haven't seen our niece in almost two weeks. Here, let me hold her."
Prue handed the baby over to her sister and brother-in-law, who spent a good five minutes just fawning over her. Then, Leo took the baby from Piper and declared, "We actually do have something we'd like to tell you. Let's go in to the living room and sit down. We have time before dinner, don't we?"
Paige nodded. "Yeah, it still has to bake for another ten minutes or so."
"Good," Leo said. He gave Aviva over to Prue, and put his arms around Piper, leading her into the living room. Her sisters followed, and assembled themselves on the couch. Leo and Piper stood before them, trying to decide how to break the news. "Do you want to tell them, or should I?" Leo whispered into Piper's ear.
"I'll tell them," Piper murmured back.
"Tell us what?" Phoebe asked impatiently.
A smile spread across Piper's face as she said, "Tell you that you're going to have another little niece or nephew."
Prue, Phoebe, and Paige reacted immediately, jumping up to congratulate their sister and brother-in-law. Even Aviva seemed excited, although the seven-month-old didn't quite know what was going on. It was several minutes before they had all settled down enough to speak.
"Oh, honey, this is wonderful," Prue said. "I'm finally going to get to be an aunt!"
"You guys are gonna be such good parents," Paige added.
"I hope so," Leo replied, gently kissing his wife's cheek.
"You will," Prue assured them. "I've seen how you both are with Ava. You'll be great."
"Thanks," Piper said, beaming.
They were all a bit startled by the sound of the oven timer going off in the kitchen. Phoebe was the first to get up. "Come on," she said to Piper. "You need to eat."
Piper grimaced. "Aw, you guys aren't do the whole overprotectiveness thing for the next nine months, are you?"
"Hey, you did it to me," Prue pointed out.
"But that was different," Piper protested. "It was the first time any of us had been pregnant, and you were a single parent, and... and..."
"And I went into labor two months early," Prue finished. "We're not taking any chances with you."
"Come on, you," said Paige, who hadn't been around during Prue's pregnancy and so had stayed out of that particular debate until now. "Dining room. Now. Move it, lady."
Mock-glaring at her sisters, Piper allowed Leo to steer her into the dining room. Prue took Aviva upstairs to put her down for a nap, and Phoebe and Paige went into the kitchen serve a meal that was now even more special than they had originally planned.
-x-
After dinner, Prue snuck away to go check on Aviva. Paige helped Phoebe finish clearing the table, and then followed her eldest sister upstairs.
"Hey," Paige said, leaning against the doorway. "You okay?"
"Yeah," Prue said, barely looking up from watching her baby sleep. "Why wouldn't I be?"
Paige shrugged, stepping further into the room. "I don't know. You've just been acting really weird the past few days. You've been really quiet. And even before, with Piper and Leo and the baby and everything, at first you acting like, yanno, you, and then during dinner you were still happy, for them I guess, but you also seemed kinda... I don't know, worried, or something. Honey, is something going on with you? Talk to me."
Prue looked up and gave Paige a half-smile, touched by her baby sister's concern. She considered pretending that everything was fine, but she knew she wasn't fooling anyone, so she sighed and nodded. "I've just been really worried about changing careers," she said. "Photography is a really risky profession, financially speaking, and I just don't know if I should be taking chances like that right now. I mean, Piper's married now and starting her own family, and soon you and Phoebe will probably do the same, and I'm afraid that I won't be able to support Aviva on my own. Before you say anything, I know that you would do anything for Ava, but you shouldn't have to. It isn't fair for me to depend on you guys so much."
"But honey, you've said yourself that this is everything you've ever dreamed of doing," Paige argued. "You can't give up on that. It wouldn't be right."
Prue shook her head. "It wouldn't be right for me to sacrifice my daughter's future just to pursue this thing. Look, when I quit, Cauldwell said that if I ever wanted to come back, I could. I've already made up my mind, Paige. I have an interview with 415 magazine tomorrow. If I don't get that job, then I'm going back to Buckland's."
"You hated working there," Paige protested.
Prue didn't respond. Instead, she stared back down into the crib. Aviva stirred briefly before lapsing back into a deep sleep.
Paige sighed. "Fine. So worst case scenario, you go back to Buckland's. Is that it? Because somehow I just get the feeling that there's something more that's bugging you."
Prue hesitated. "There was another reason, something I never told you about why I quit Buckland's," she said slowly.
"I'm listening," Paige replied, putting an arm around her sister's shoulders.
"I was falling in love with Jack," Prue explained, her voice barely audible. "Paige, you have no idea how much that scared the hell out of me. As you probably know, I don't have the best track record with men. My last serious relationship was with Andy, the guy I'd dated all through high school. That was more than two years ago. After he died, I rarely went on more than two dates with a guy. Before Jack, the longest I stayed with one person was the two weeks or so I spent with T.J. He was Ava's father, but I really didn't know him that well. I don't think I really gave myself the chance."
"You're afraid of falling in love," Paige summarized.
Prue nodded. "It sounds ridiculous. It is ridiculous. But I can't help it. What I felt - what I feel - for Jack just terrifies me to no end. I couldn't deal with it."
"So what'll happen if you go back to working at the auction house?" Paige questioned. "How are you going to handle working with Jack again?"
"I don't know," Prue said helplessly. "By avoiding him as much as possible, I guess, at least until I can work out whatever it is I'm going through. I just hope I get the job at 415 tomorrow."
"I hope you do, too," Paige replied. "In fact, I know you will. You're a great photographer, and I swear I'm not just saying that because you're my sister. But sweetie, even if you do get this job, it won't make your problem with Jack go away."
"I know," Prue responded. "I just need some time to figure out what my problem is and how to fix it. If Jack wants to wait for me, then that's great, but if he doesn't, I can't blame him. This is just something I need to do on my own."
"Okay," Paige said, giving her sister a hug and a kiss. "But you don't have to be completely alone. I'm here if you need me, and so is Phoebe."
Prue nodded. "I know. Thank you, for listening to me babble."
Paige grinned. "Anytime. We should probably get downstairs, before they start thinking we got lost."
"I'll be there in a minute," Prue said as Paige started to leave. "I just want another second to watch Ava sleep."
Paige nodded, but then paused at the doorway. "I love you."
Prue looked over, and smiled at her youngest sister. "I love you, too. And don't worry, sweetheart. I think we're all going to be okay."
****************
A/N: I know, I know, long time no update. I finished NaNoWriMo, so now hopefully I'll be able to get more chapters done soon. Thanks to everyone who's been reviewing. :)
~from the song "Morning Glory" by Oasis~
All your dreams are made
When you're chained to the mirror and the razor blade
Today's the day that all the world will see
Another sunny afternoon
Walking to the sound of my favourite tune
Tomorrow never knows what it doesn't know too soon
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Leo wanted to keep the happy news to themselves for a while, at least until they had both had a chance to let it sink in and to celebrate privately, but Piper couldn't wait to tell her sisters. Knowing full well how close his new wife's bond was with her family, and how that bond was being tested just by the simple fact that Piper was married now and no longer living with them, Leo quickly relented, and agreed to tell Piper's sisters the next day, at the manor where they'd already promised to come over for dinner.
Prue, Phoebe, and Paige greeted them eagerly at the door and rushed them inside, each hugging the newlyweds in turn. "Tell us all about your trip," Phoebe said. "We want to hear everything."
"Well, maybe not everything," amended Prue, who was rocking Aviva. Covering her daughter's ears with her arm, she said, "Maybe I should take Ava upstairs for a while."
Piper laughed. "Don't you dare. We haven't seen our niece in almost two weeks. Here, let me hold her."
Prue handed the baby over to her sister and brother-in-law, who spent a good five minutes just fawning over her. Then, Leo took the baby from Piper and declared, "We actually do have something we'd like to tell you. Let's go in to the living room and sit down. We have time before dinner, don't we?"
Paige nodded. "Yeah, it still has to bake for another ten minutes or so."
"Good," Leo said. He gave Aviva over to Prue, and put his arms around Piper, leading her into the living room. Her sisters followed, and assembled themselves on the couch. Leo and Piper stood before them, trying to decide how to break the news. "Do you want to tell them, or should I?" Leo whispered into Piper's ear.
"I'll tell them," Piper murmured back.
"Tell us what?" Phoebe asked impatiently.
A smile spread across Piper's face as she said, "Tell you that you're going to have another little niece or nephew."
Prue, Phoebe, and Paige reacted immediately, jumping up to congratulate their sister and brother-in-law. Even Aviva seemed excited, although the seven-month-old didn't quite know what was going on. It was several minutes before they had all settled down enough to speak.
"Oh, honey, this is wonderful," Prue said. "I'm finally going to get to be an aunt!"
"You guys are gonna be such good parents," Paige added.
"I hope so," Leo replied, gently kissing his wife's cheek.
"You will," Prue assured them. "I've seen how you both are with Ava. You'll be great."
"Thanks," Piper said, beaming.
They were all a bit startled by the sound of the oven timer going off in the kitchen. Phoebe was the first to get up. "Come on," she said to Piper. "You need to eat."
Piper grimaced. "Aw, you guys aren't do the whole overprotectiveness thing for the next nine months, are you?"
"Hey, you did it to me," Prue pointed out.
"But that was different," Piper protested. "It was the first time any of us had been pregnant, and you were a single parent, and... and..."
"And I went into labor two months early," Prue finished. "We're not taking any chances with you."
"Come on, you," said Paige, who hadn't been around during Prue's pregnancy and so had stayed out of that particular debate until now. "Dining room. Now. Move it, lady."
Mock-glaring at her sisters, Piper allowed Leo to steer her into the dining room. Prue took Aviva upstairs to put her down for a nap, and Phoebe and Paige went into the kitchen serve a meal that was now even more special than they had originally planned.
-x-
After dinner, Prue snuck away to go check on Aviva. Paige helped Phoebe finish clearing the table, and then followed her eldest sister upstairs.
"Hey," Paige said, leaning against the doorway. "You okay?"
"Yeah," Prue said, barely looking up from watching her baby sleep. "Why wouldn't I be?"
Paige shrugged, stepping further into the room. "I don't know. You've just been acting really weird the past few days. You've been really quiet. And even before, with Piper and Leo and the baby and everything, at first you acting like, yanno, you, and then during dinner you were still happy, for them I guess, but you also seemed kinda... I don't know, worried, or something. Honey, is something going on with you? Talk to me."
Prue looked up and gave Paige a half-smile, touched by her baby sister's concern. She considered pretending that everything was fine, but she knew she wasn't fooling anyone, so she sighed and nodded. "I've just been really worried about changing careers," she said. "Photography is a really risky profession, financially speaking, and I just don't know if I should be taking chances like that right now. I mean, Piper's married now and starting her own family, and soon you and Phoebe will probably do the same, and I'm afraid that I won't be able to support Aviva on my own. Before you say anything, I know that you would do anything for Ava, but you shouldn't have to. It isn't fair for me to depend on you guys so much."
"But honey, you've said yourself that this is everything you've ever dreamed of doing," Paige argued. "You can't give up on that. It wouldn't be right."
Prue shook her head. "It wouldn't be right for me to sacrifice my daughter's future just to pursue this thing. Look, when I quit, Cauldwell said that if I ever wanted to come back, I could. I've already made up my mind, Paige. I have an interview with 415 magazine tomorrow. If I don't get that job, then I'm going back to Buckland's."
"You hated working there," Paige protested.
Prue didn't respond. Instead, she stared back down into the crib. Aviva stirred briefly before lapsing back into a deep sleep.
Paige sighed. "Fine. So worst case scenario, you go back to Buckland's. Is that it? Because somehow I just get the feeling that there's something more that's bugging you."
Prue hesitated. "There was another reason, something I never told you about why I quit Buckland's," she said slowly.
"I'm listening," Paige replied, putting an arm around her sister's shoulders.
"I was falling in love with Jack," Prue explained, her voice barely audible. "Paige, you have no idea how much that scared the hell out of me. As you probably know, I don't have the best track record with men. My last serious relationship was with Andy, the guy I'd dated all through high school. That was more than two years ago. After he died, I rarely went on more than two dates with a guy. Before Jack, the longest I stayed with one person was the two weeks or so I spent with T.J. He was Ava's father, but I really didn't know him that well. I don't think I really gave myself the chance."
"You're afraid of falling in love," Paige summarized.
Prue nodded. "It sounds ridiculous. It is ridiculous. But I can't help it. What I felt - what I feel - for Jack just terrifies me to no end. I couldn't deal with it."
"So what'll happen if you go back to working at the auction house?" Paige questioned. "How are you going to handle working with Jack again?"
"I don't know," Prue said helplessly. "By avoiding him as much as possible, I guess, at least until I can work out whatever it is I'm going through. I just hope I get the job at 415 tomorrow."
"I hope you do, too," Paige replied. "In fact, I know you will. You're a great photographer, and I swear I'm not just saying that because you're my sister. But sweetie, even if you do get this job, it won't make your problem with Jack go away."
"I know," Prue responded. "I just need some time to figure out what my problem is and how to fix it. If Jack wants to wait for me, then that's great, but if he doesn't, I can't blame him. This is just something I need to do on my own."
"Okay," Paige said, giving her sister a hug and a kiss. "But you don't have to be completely alone. I'm here if you need me, and so is Phoebe."
Prue nodded. "I know. Thank you, for listening to me babble."
Paige grinned. "Anytime. We should probably get downstairs, before they start thinking we got lost."
"I'll be there in a minute," Prue said as Paige started to leave. "I just want another second to watch Ava sleep."
Paige nodded, but then paused at the doorway. "I love you."
Prue looked over, and smiled at her youngest sister. "I love you, too. And don't worry, sweetheart. I think we're all going to be okay."
****************
A/N: I know, I know, long time no update. I finished NaNoWriMo, so now hopefully I'll be able to get more chapters done soon. Thanks to everyone who's been reviewing. :)
~from the song "Morning Glory" by Oasis~