Hey!

i know i haven't updated in a while, but here's the next chapter.

anyways,if any of you wanna read therest of the chapters (so far i'm on 35 i think! :S)they are all over at SD-1 and AllAlias! :)

Chapter 18

"Phoebe!" Piper yelled as she banged on the bathroom door trying to get her sister's attention. "Phoebe would you hurry up in there." The same thing happened every morning in the Halliwell Manor; Phoebe occupied the bathroom getting herself ready for school while her sisters, usually just Piper, waited impatiently on the other side of the door. They still had an hour before they had to be at school but Piper knew that if she didn't get Phoebe out of there soon then she would never get in the bathroom.

Prue was lying in bed, trying to ignore the fact that her alarm clock kept going off. She had already hit the snooze button six times already, but right now it wasn't the digital clock that was keeping her awake, it was the sound of Piper shouting and banging in the hall.

"What is with all the noise?" Prue asked, standing sleepily in the doorway. She had forgotten how hectic it could be of a morning in a house full of girls. In San Francisco it had just been her and her dad living in their apartment, and her father wasn't exactly the type that spent hours at a time in the bathroom.

Piper stopped her banging and stared at her sister. Prue had never been a morning person; her tone of voice and expression on her face was enough to prove this.

"Phoebe has been in the bathroom for half an hour already!" Piper ran her hand through her hair as she tried to calm herself down. "She seems to forget that she isn't the only person in this house!" She shouted the last part at the closed door, hoping that her younger sister would hear her. Prue rolled her eyes as the bathroom door slowly opened.

Phoebe stood in the doorway, a smile plastered on her face. She had spent her time showering and applying her make-up, just like she did every morning. "Morning sweetie!" She kissed her sister on the cheek, knowing that she was winding her up even more. Piper just glared at her and pushed her way into the bathroom, slamming the door shut behind her.

Prue laughed. "Does this happen every morning?" She rubbed her eyes, trying to make herself look and feel more alert.

"You could say that! Piper just gets a little territorial over the bathroom!" Phoebe joked. "But once she's been in there and had some breakfast, she forgives me. It's like a little routine we do. Are you coming to school today?" Phoebe asked as she followed Prue into her room where she was picking out an outfit to wear.

"Yeah. Mom phoned the school and they said that it would be ok if I went to my classes like I did before I moved away. So it looks like you're stuck with me sis." She playfully hugged her sister who was trying to get away from her.

"I'm going to get some breakfast. You want any?" Prue smiled and shook her head.

Irina walked into her kitchen, searching the cupboards for some aspirin. Since the moment she woke up, her head hurt and she felt a bit nauseous, but she knew that they would both go away once her hang over was gone. She could hear Sydney moving around upstairs, probably getting ready for school. Jack was still passed out on the couch, his snores could still be heard throughout the house. Irina knew that she should wake him soon so that he had time to get his head cleared before their classes started. She switched on the kettle and made her way into the living room.

She sat on the edge of the coffee table, just like she had the night before when she had told him goodnight. A smile covered her face as she watched him sleep, he looked so peaceful and innocent; which was nothing compared to what he could be like when he was awake.

"Jack?" She spoke softly knowing that talking loudly would only make his hang over worse. Her accent stood out in her voice, a clear reminder of her past. Jack moved slightly at the sound of her voice, but his eyes remained closed.

"Jack…" She reached out and gently shook his arm, hoping to snap him out of his dream. He grunted loudly as his eyes slowly began to open.

Staring at Irina for a minute, Jack tried to figure out where he was. He couldn't clearly remember what had happened the night before, but the fact that he was in Irina's house indicated that he must have had too much to drink.

Irina smiled at him, as he sat up nursing the pain in his head. "What time is it?" He asked wiping the remainder of sleep from his eyes.

"7:45" Irina informed him after looking down at her watch. Jack sighed, knowing that he had a full day of classes ahead of him.

"I've made you some coffee, it'll help to make you feel better." She walked into the kitchen to finish preparing the coffee.

Jack was overcome by a feeling of nausea as he stood up from the couch and staggered into the kitchen. Irina placed his coffee on the table and indicated for him to sit down. "I've got some aspirin if you need it!" He nodded his thanks to her and began to sip his beverage.

"Where's Sydney?" He asked, wondering just how awkward it would be when she came down.

"She's getting ready for school. She should be down any minute now for her breakfast." Irina could see the concerned look on his face. Jack Bristow was known for being a stern guy, who kept his emotions well hidden. He wasn't exactly the type of guy who would get drunk and end up passing out on his ex wife's couch, especially not with his daughter being in the same house. Irina knew that he was dreading Sydney seeing him there in the state that he was, little did he know that she had already seen him when she came home the night before.

A couple of minutes later Sydney walked down the stairs just as Irina had said. She stopped in the living room expecting to see her father still asleep on the couch, but it was empty except for the blanket, which had been discarded at the foot of the couch. She braced herself for the tense moments, which were to follow, as she walked into the kitchen. Jack took another sip of his drink.

"Morning Mom." She hugged her mother like she did every morning. "Dad." She smiled at him, trying to hide the smile that was threatening to take over her face. After all it wasn't every day that she got to see her father hung over.

Jack looked at his daughter, his poker face intact. "Good morning Sydney!" Silence took over the room, no one knowing what to say to make the situation any less awkward.

Sydney ate her breakfast quicker than usual, which didn't go unnoticed by Irina. It had been a long time since Sydney had woken up with both her parents in the same house, and Irina knew that all of this was a little too much for her.

"I'm going to go school now." She announced as she gathered her books and bags.

"Do you not want a lift?"

"No thanks mom. I might go over to Francie's and walk with her." She quickly said goodbye to them both and walked out of the door. She thought about the last 20 minutes; it definitely hadn't been as awkward as she thought it would be, but it was still strange seeing her dad sitting in their kitchen with her mother. Shaking all thoughts about her parents out of her head she made her way to Francie's house.

"So spill. What's the deal with you and Will?" Sydney asked smiling at her friend. Francie had agreed to walk to school with her, as it would give them the chance to catch up on everything.

Francie's face lit up. "I like him so much Syd. We're having so much fun together; he makes me happy everytime that we're together. I just can't believe that we didn't go out sooner!" Francie was still smiling as thoughts of Will filled her head. "How are things with you and Danny?" Francie linked her arm through Sydney's as they walked.

Sydney looked down at the floor, her eyes filling up with tears. "We broke up!" She said, her voice barely a whisper. Francie's mouth fell open as she put a comforting arm around her best friend's shoulders.

"You wanna talk about it?" She gave her shoulders a comforting squeeze, letting her know that she was there for her.

Sydney took a deep breath hoping that she could stay in control of her emotions. "We hadn't been right for a long time, I knew it but he just didn't wanna admit it. And after Leo's party Michael stayed the night, but it was purely innocent, but Danny came over the yesterday morning and saw that Vaughn was there. They were so close to punching each other, but I managed to get Danny inside so that we could talk. And I broke up with him!" Francie watched as Sydney wiped a fallen tear from her cheek.

"Come here." She pulled her friend into a hug, soothingly stroking her hair. "Are you ok?" She asked referring to the tears that visible in her eyes, threatening to spill out.

"Yeah I'm not upset about the fact that we broke up. It's just I wasn't expecting him to react as harshly as he did. In all the time that I've known Danny, I've never once thought that he was capable of saying the things that he did to me." Sydney smiled, trying to hide the fact that his words had hurt her.

"Danny can be like that at times. He probably never meant a word of what he said, just give him time to cool down and he'll apologise for being such an ass!" They both laughed at the thought of Danny being an ass. "And then you know, you can move on and find yourself another gorgeous hunk!" Sydney blushed attracting Francie's attention. Francie looked at her waiting for her to explain what was making her blush.

"I may have already found him…" She grinned at her, happiness now visible in her eyes. Francie let out an excited squeal, which earned her a few girls from the people who were walking infront of them.

"Don't stop there! Who is he? Do I know him?" Sydney hadn't seen Francie this excited about something in a long time.

"Yeah you kinda do. It's Michael!" Francie paused for a minute as she repeated the name, trying to put faces to the name Michael.

"Wait…cute French guy Michael? That Michael?" She asked, her smile grew as Sydney nodded. "Oh my God. Sydney this is great! When did this happen?" She was now jumping up and down as she walked waiting for more details. Sydney couldn't help but laugh at her, as she tried to get her to calm down.

"We were just hanging out yesterday." She replied innocently.

"So have you kissed him yet?"

Sydney raised her eyebrows and looked at her. "I don't kiss and tell!" Sydney looked away and continued to walk, but Francie laughed at her statement and continued to watch her suspiciously. Sydney sensed that she was being watched and finally she gave in.

"Ok, I've kissed him! Happy now?" She rolled her head as Francie nodded and smiled.

Leo and Cole were sat on the benches outside of the school, waiting for their friends. The campus was packed full of students discussing their weekend as they waited 20 minutes for the bell to ring, starting the school day.

Five minutes later, the Halliwell sisters walked towards them and took a seat on the bench. Piper and Phoebe kissed their boyfriends, while Paige laughed at a story that Prue was telling her. Danny walked over to the gang and sat next to Leo on the bench, a miserable expression painted onto his face. They all looked at him, waiting for some indication about what was wrong with him. He sat in silence; his eyes fixed on the floor.

"Danny?" Danny looked up at the sound of Cole's voice. "What's up?"

He ran his hand quickly through his hair before he answered him. "Me and Sydney, we broke up yesterday." He went back to staring at the floor leaving them to process this new information.

The girls all looked at each other wondering why Sydney hadn't called to tell them. Leo patted Danny on the back, his way of telling him that he was there if he needed anything.

Sydney and Francie spotted their friends as they got closer to the school. At a first glance Sydney didn't think that Danny was there, but then as she got closer she spotted him.

"Francie, I don't think that this is such a good idea!" Sydney was shaking her head, not ready for another confrontation with her now ex-boyfriend. Francie gently held her hand.

"Sydney their your friends as much as they are his. You're gonna have to face him sooner or later, so why not get it over with?" Sydney nodded and continued to walk towards them.

The group, except for Danny, greeted Sydney and Francie as they came to stand with them. No one mentioned the break up, as they didn't want the atmosphere between them to get any more awkward than it already was. Sydney glanced at Danny, the pain, and upset visible for all to see on his face. Looking away from him, she spotted Weiss walking towards the school. She knew that the situation would be less awkward for everybody if she just left.

"Francie this was a bad idea." She whispered to her friend. "I'll see you guys later…" She sighed, walking away from them and towards Weiss. Danny watched as she walked away from them; it seemed that all she was doing lately was walking out of his life.