Disclaimer: I Do Not Own Charmed Or Any Of The Characters In This Fic.
Real Things – How Things Change
Brushing her long dark hair aside she looked in the manor windows, she watched as Phoebe sauntered mindlessly through the house. Breathing shallowly she started walking up the steps towards that front door of the house that she had left three years ago. When she arrived at the top of the steps she reached out for the doorknocker but stopped a few inches before it. Cautiously holding her hand away from it, she knew all she had to do was knock but it seemed like the hardest thing in the world to do. Slowly she pulled her hand away from the knocker and started to walk down the steps but stopped dead in her tracks when she heard the front door pull open. She stopped and waited for a few seconds before turned round; hesitant about what her sister would say,
"Piper?" asked Phoebe, looking surprised and frightened at the sight of her sister, "Is it really you?" Piper turned round, once again pushing her hair out of her face, she forced a smile at her younger sister,
"Yeah, I'm back…" she said quietly, nervously holding her arms across her chest.
"Piper?" said Phoebe once more still in disbelief at her sister; she had been waiting for this day ever since Piper had left. She never thought that it would come, and now it finally had.
"I'm here Phoebe, I'm home," replied Piper taking a few steps up and meeting her sister on the porch. A tear slowly dripped down Phoebe's cheek as she marvelled in the sight of her sister. She walked towards her sister and pulled her into an embrace, holding her tight as if she had never seen her before. Three years seemed like must longer than it actually was, but living without her sister had made her appreciate every moment. After the hug had ended, Phoebe and Piper stood staring at each other,
"Why have you come here?" asked Phoebe, she knew that it sounded cold asking her sister whom she had missed dearly why she had come home but she had to know,
"I found out… I… Something bad is coming Phoebe, I don't know what and I don't know where but I know I'll be stronger if I'm here," she replied harshly, Phoebe smirked and walked into the house. Piper followed her,
"So you're not here to see me. Its not like you've missed me or anything since you left," she said, walking towards the kitchen, leaving Piper standing at the doorway. Piper sighed and followed Phoebe into the kitchen,
"Of course I've missed you. But this is more important that than," replied Piper,
"Not to many years ago nothing was more important to you than family," replied Phoebe, sitting down at the kitchen table and crossing her arms defensively,
"I know, and I don't know what to say to you. I've changed." Said Piper with a cold tone of voice, "I've been through a lot since I left, and I'm not the same person I was before,"
"No kidding," said Phoebe,
"What do you mean by that?" snapped Piper, Phoebe was taken aback by Piper's snap but answered her as quickly and calmly as she could,
"I can see that you've changed, your voice, your attitude, you… its all different. Its not the sister I remember," replied Phoebe, uncrossing her arms as a welcoming attitude towards Piper,
"Phoebe, I've changed so much over the past two years, I know I have. And I've changed because I had to…" Piper started but stopped when she saw the look on Phoebe's face, a smile that was mischievous yet sad, "What?" she asked,
"Two years? You think you've been gone two years?" demanded Phoebe,
"To the day," replied Piper, confused as to where her sister was taking this,
"Three years Piper, it was three years ago today that you left, three not two," replied Phoebe, "You've changed more than I thought," she said as she got up off the stairs and stalked out of the kitchen and headed upstairs,
"Phoebe, wait, don't be mad at me," said Piper as she followed her sister,
"Just leave me," replied Phoebe as she slammed her bedroom door behind her as she entered it. Leaving the sister she had been so desperate to see again all alone.
Several hours later Phoebe emerged from her room, her head spinning, she had waited for this day for so long and still couldn't decide if it was real. She hoped that Piper would be back for good but in her head she seriously doubted it, suddenly her mind flashed back to the day Piper left,
"Where do you think you'll go?" asked Phoebe looking from the ground into her sisters stony eyes,
"Can't say… I honestly have no idea, but…" she paused and looked at her little sister.
"You could always stay here," suggested Phoebe,
"No I can't honey," she said, "Too much has happened… to much blood has been spilt and too many trusts have been broken. I can't stay here," she said sniffling, barely holding back her tears.
"This will always be your home, you know that right?" said Phoebe,
"Yeah… but its your home now, and" she said as she paused and went into her bag, she pulled out a sheet of paper and handed it to Phoebe, "Its your club…" she hugged her sister once more then turned to go back into the car.
"I can't take this," said Phoebe, "This is your club… I can't accept it,"
"It's yours… take it, but just do us one favour," said Piper as she walked round to the drivers side and got in. Phoebe stood at the passenger window while Piper fastened herself in and then looked up at her sister,
"Change the name… P3, the Charmed Ones… it's all finished. The power of three doesn't exist anymore,"
Phoebe jolted back into reality, brushing her hands through her hair she walked down the stairs to find Piper standing in the kitchen over a pot, it was a much missed sight yet it still seemed so familiar to Phoebe,
"You re-arranged the kitchen," sighed Piper, gradually stirring the pot with a wooden spoon,
"Yeah, a few years ago… it was a gradual thing… I just started putting things away in different places, you can move them back if you want," she replied,
"No, its fine. This kitchen isn't mine anymore… its yours now," replied Piper, staring down into her pot of red, tomato and herb soup,
"This kitchen will always be yours," replied Phoebe smiling, hoping that a remark like that would somehow break the ice – or ice berg – that had formed between the once so close sisters,
"No its not," replied Piper, putting the spoon down and walking over to the table, sitting at it fidgeting with a pen and paper, doodling little pictures.
"So I guess we're done with pleasantries," said Phoebe, deciding to give up on trying to make amends with her sister,
"Which parts were pleasant," sighed Piper,
"Piper, just tell me why you're here," said Phoebe, crossing her arms and pulling away from Piper mentally,
"I told you… there is something really dark somewhere and I know we're better off together than apart," sighed Piper, "I thought you'd want to know about whatever it is that's coming so you could…"
"Could what?" demanded Phoebe, "So I could fight it and save the day all over again? I'm sorry Piper, my demon fighting days are long gone, I don't battle demons and warlocks on a daily basis anymore. I have what we've always wanted a demon free life, and I'm happy with it. I have Jason and the club and I still write for the newspaper, and things are going great for me." At the moment the front door burst open and a high pitched squeal raged through the house, a small toddler came running through the manor and jumped at Phoebe when she entered the kitchen, "I also have a daughter."
A/N: I hope everyone likes the sequel to Inner Demons. Also please check out my parody, I think it's quite good… very strange and its written by two different people which is why the writing style changes but still check it out. Please R&R. Witch