"She won't wake up! Why won't she wake up?!" Phoebe screamed.
"This is not good! This is very not good!" Piper panicked. "Leo? Leo!"
Leo orbed in, looking annoyed. "I was talking to the Elders. How can we fix this if---you let her go to sleep?!"
"Just for five minutes," Phoebe whimpered.
"Five minutes could mean an eternity! Dead, forever!"
"Oh." Piper trailed off. "Very, very bad."
"Yeah! Now keep trying to wake her up, I'm gonna go talk to the Elders and see if we can fix this. Again." Leo, more irritated and worried than ever, orbed up to the heavens.
Piper clenched her fists. "Damn it!"
Paige looked around the dark, shadowy gloom. Where was she? The underworld? Six feet under? Erased from existence? She took a tentative step forward and watched in awe as trees fabricated all around her. And then two of these trees turned into none other than her two half-sisters. They seemed to not notice her, chattering away, being sisterly. Leaving Paige out. "Guys?" Paige whispered. They ignored her. A little louder now. "Guys?" Nope. "Hello?" Still not working. "Piper, Phoebe?"
The two eyed her. "What do you want?" Piper asked, her voice full of hate.
"A family," Paige whispered back.
"Well, look elsewhere."
"But you're my sisters."
"Yeah, so?"
"Now, Piper, at least tell her WHY we don't want her," Phoebe spoke up evilly.
"Please, guys, love me. All I want is to be loved."
"Aw, isn't that sad? Piper, go ahead."
"Let's see number one on the list: we had to lose Prue to get you. Not a great trade. Second, you're only half us. The other half is.not. Thirdly, we just don't like you."
"You don't like me? What---what did I do to make you hate me?"
Piper pretended to look thoughtful. "Uh, exist?"
Paige's eyes welled up. Her "sisters" looked the other way. "I know it was too good to be true," Paige thought aloud.
"Too good to be true?" Phoebe asked Piper.
"Oh, this is bad. Even worse than her falling asleep and possibly being convinced to kill herself. Now the possible is almost definite. No possibly, definitely. Very much worse. Much, much."
"Piper."
"Yeah?"
"Shut up?"
"Right. I need to keep a cool head. Cool head. Yes, very good."
"Shush. Now we are going to solve this. Think."
"Maybe we should, say, try waking her up again."
"No sarcasm. This is very serious. We do not want to lose another sister."
Piper sat down next to Paige and gently set a hand on her shoulder. "Paige, please wake up. Don't do this to yourself. Or us. Please."
"No, I understand you don't want me around. I'll get rid of myself." Piper and Phoebe jumped. Those were not the words they wanted to hear.
"Now what?" Piper asked. "I'm out."
"Um.we can try something.but I don't know if it'll work."
"What is it already?!"
"We can, you know, just hold her, make her feel loved, maybe counteract our dream selves."
"Good plan. Very good plan."
"Hi, yeah. Put plan into action."
"Oh, yes." Piper wrapped her arm around Paige. "Honey, I know what you're hearing right now is killing you, but listen to me. The other me. Not the dream me. Yeah. We love you, I love you, and if you die, so does part of us. You helped us get through losing Prue. And, now quoting Pheebs, I was a bitch. But I only met that in a nice way. Honest. The truth is, you were what kept me going. The idea of teaching you, to protect you, that's what I lived for. Please don't do anything stupid." Piper for a second. "Or smart. Just don't do anything at all."
Phoebe sat down on the other side of her only little sister. "Sorry about her," she whispered, grasping Paige's hand. "She rambles when she gets nervous. If you haven't noticed. Anyways, everything she said holds true for me, too. I really just don't want to lose you, baby sis. I love you." Phoebe kissed the top of Paige's head, brushing her red hair off her face. She squeezed Paige's hand and mouthed to Piper, 'I hope it worked.' Piper nodded in agreement, and the two took to nervously watching their baby sister sleep.
Paige could hear voices. Great, she thought, now I'm going crazy. Best to end it now. Then she listened harder. The voices became louder and clearer. It was her sisters, but not the ones in front of her. Her real ones. It was just a dream. Paige breathed a sigh of relief. This wasn't real, none of this was real. It was all in her control.
"So you're ready to finally get the hell out of our lives. Thanks. Do you want to do the honors, or should I?"
"This is not good! This is very not good!" Piper panicked. "Leo? Leo!"
Leo orbed in, looking annoyed. "I was talking to the Elders. How can we fix this if---you let her go to sleep?!"
"Just for five minutes," Phoebe whimpered.
"Five minutes could mean an eternity! Dead, forever!"
"Oh." Piper trailed off. "Very, very bad."
"Yeah! Now keep trying to wake her up, I'm gonna go talk to the Elders and see if we can fix this. Again." Leo, more irritated and worried than ever, orbed up to the heavens.
Piper clenched her fists. "Damn it!"
Paige looked around the dark, shadowy gloom. Where was she? The underworld? Six feet under? Erased from existence? She took a tentative step forward and watched in awe as trees fabricated all around her. And then two of these trees turned into none other than her two half-sisters. They seemed to not notice her, chattering away, being sisterly. Leaving Paige out. "Guys?" Paige whispered. They ignored her. A little louder now. "Guys?" Nope. "Hello?" Still not working. "Piper, Phoebe?"
The two eyed her. "What do you want?" Piper asked, her voice full of hate.
"A family," Paige whispered back.
"Well, look elsewhere."
"But you're my sisters."
"Yeah, so?"
"Now, Piper, at least tell her WHY we don't want her," Phoebe spoke up evilly.
"Please, guys, love me. All I want is to be loved."
"Aw, isn't that sad? Piper, go ahead."
"Let's see number one on the list: we had to lose Prue to get you. Not a great trade. Second, you're only half us. The other half is.not. Thirdly, we just don't like you."
"You don't like me? What---what did I do to make you hate me?"
Piper pretended to look thoughtful. "Uh, exist?"
Paige's eyes welled up. Her "sisters" looked the other way. "I know it was too good to be true," Paige thought aloud.
"Too good to be true?" Phoebe asked Piper.
"Oh, this is bad. Even worse than her falling asleep and possibly being convinced to kill herself. Now the possible is almost definite. No possibly, definitely. Very much worse. Much, much."
"Piper."
"Yeah?"
"Shut up?"
"Right. I need to keep a cool head. Cool head. Yes, very good."
"Shush. Now we are going to solve this. Think."
"Maybe we should, say, try waking her up again."
"No sarcasm. This is very serious. We do not want to lose another sister."
Piper sat down next to Paige and gently set a hand on her shoulder. "Paige, please wake up. Don't do this to yourself. Or us. Please."
"No, I understand you don't want me around. I'll get rid of myself." Piper and Phoebe jumped. Those were not the words they wanted to hear.
"Now what?" Piper asked. "I'm out."
"Um.we can try something.but I don't know if it'll work."
"What is it already?!"
"We can, you know, just hold her, make her feel loved, maybe counteract our dream selves."
"Good plan. Very good plan."
"Hi, yeah. Put plan into action."
"Oh, yes." Piper wrapped her arm around Paige. "Honey, I know what you're hearing right now is killing you, but listen to me. The other me. Not the dream me. Yeah. We love you, I love you, and if you die, so does part of us. You helped us get through losing Prue. And, now quoting Pheebs, I was a bitch. But I only met that in a nice way. Honest. The truth is, you were what kept me going. The idea of teaching you, to protect you, that's what I lived for. Please don't do anything stupid." Piper for a second. "Or smart. Just don't do anything at all."
Phoebe sat down on the other side of her only little sister. "Sorry about her," she whispered, grasping Paige's hand. "She rambles when she gets nervous. If you haven't noticed. Anyways, everything she said holds true for me, too. I really just don't want to lose you, baby sis. I love you." Phoebe kissed the top of Paige's head, brushing her red hair off her face. She squeezed Paige's hand and mouthed to Piper, 'I hope it worked.' Piper nodded in agreement, and the two took to nervously watching their baby sister sleep.
Paige could hear voices. Great, she thought, now I'm going crazy. Best to end it now. Then she listened harder. The voices became louder and clearer. It was her sisters, but not the ones in front of her. Her real ones. It was just a dream. Paige breathed a sigh of relief. This wasn't real, none of this was real. It was all in her control.
"So you're ready to finally get the hell out of our lives. Thanks. Do you want to do the honors, or should I?"