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" Prruuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuueeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeee!" Paige whined " I hate barney."
" Oh but it look so cute on you- please wear it." Prue practically begged
" I don't wanna!" Paige pouted stomping her foot.
" Paige" Prue scolded. " This is not how we get what we want."
" I don't like this shirt Prue. It's too babyish."
" And you're not?"
" Eeeeehhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh" Paige wailed stubbornly.
" Paige, if you can't talk to me like an adult then I'm not going to treat you like one. Use your words."
Paige just continued to have a fit.
" Fine Paige." Prue said " Since you are having this tantrum now, and we have talked about not having them before,you lose another adult privelage. From now on what I say goes. So you are wearing this shirt today, with the denim mini I dressed you in earlier. We are running late sweetie so please hurry up."
Paige smirked. Yeah right Prue will actually follow through. Even if she did, She has no authority over me.
" Wipe that smirk off your face missy. I'm dead serious." Prue stated authoritatively in conjunction with another glare.
Paige gulped. Maybe Prue was a little tougher than Paige thought. What had she gotten herself into?
An hour later, a very shot down Paige sat in the car. Prue had fed her breakfast this morning,after she attempted to drop food all over her shirt so she wouldn't have to wear it and When Paige had screamed at her and complained Prue just laughed as though what she was saying was nonsense. Paige didn't like not being taken seriously. She also did not like the fact Prue had given herself so much authority. Maybe if she apologized Prue would lighten up a little.She was so strict.
" Pwue?' She said using her baby voice to butter her oldest sister up.
" Yahhuh' Prue answered trying to concentrate on the road.
" I'm sowy I was bad this mownin."
" That's okay baby." Prue responded. 'But apologizing to me, especially using a baby voice is not going to earn you any brownie points. It may work on Pheebs, but not on me, sorry kid."
Paige sighed and slumped back in her seat. So much for that. Prue seemed pretty set on making Paige her very own baby doll until this dumb thing ended.
Upon arrival at the school, Prue tried to get Paige out of the car, but she did not cooperate like she said she would. She squirmed away when Prue tried to grab her and even went so far as to lash out a few times. Prue took it all though and eventually managed to get Paige into her arms.
" See Paige? This kind of behavior is what's causing all your problems."
" Well if you're going to treat me like a baby I might as well act like one." Paige pouted.
Prue smiled. Paige was adorable, there was no denying it. She took her index finger and wiggled Paige's jutted out lip causing her to giggle.
" Ready now?' Prue asked looking into Paiges brown eyes.
Paige didn't answer , but Prue proceeded to walk her up to the door anyway. When Lana answered and took Paige from Prue, Paige began to cry and reach for her big sister.
" She'll be okay.' Lana assured her
Prue nodded " I know. Bye baby. I'll be back at 1:00 to get you." she waved at Paige.
Paige didn't wave back, she just cried more, in an effort to change Prue's mind. It was useless though.
Prue walked back to her car, knowing she had to do that so Paige would learn to stop being defiant. Now that Paige was temporarily out of her hands, she had Piper to deal with.
Flipping open the cellphone she had borrowed from Phoebe, she punched in P3's number. Piper had not spoken to her since last nights events and Prue wanted to let her know all was not lost. She knew that Piper could still make ammends with Paige, if she wanted too. Paige was so lost without Piper she would take her back in a minute. All she needed was Piper to talk to her.
" Piper Halliwell" Prue heard her sister answer
" Hey Pipe" She said as cheerfully as possible.
" Prue?' She questioned voice quivering
" Yeah."
" Why are you calling me? Don't you hate me after what I did to Paige?"
" I could never hate you. I understand how you were feeling and its evident you're sorry as hell, but Paige doesn't know that. I tried to tell her but she doesn't believe me. She needs to hear it from you Piper."
" I-I don't know what happened. I love her to death and I would do anything for her, I'm so mad at myself, for blowing up at her like that. I didn't mean any of those things."
"I'm not the one who needs convincing Pipe, its Paige. She doesn't know any of this."
" How can I talk to her after I did that Prue? Even if you don't, she must hate me. I hate me."
"Believe me sis, Paige is more forgiving then you think, especially when she's so vulnerable right now. She'd do anything to get you back, I can tell by the look in her eyes. All you have to do is let her."
" How?" Piper questioned once more desperation evident in her words,
" Well talking never hurt anybody. Just let her know that you still love her and confide your feelings in her. It'll go well I promise. Just tell her everything you told me right now and then some."
" How can I get her to talk to me? She's going to avoid me if I approach her."
" Just leave all the details to your big sister. Be home no later then 1:00 though. Thats the time Paige gets out of daycare. After you guys make ammends, which I'm sure you will I'm holding a family meeting."
" What for?"
" Methinks I know a way to rebuild the faltering trust in this family, if all involved agree. What exactly my plan is is not important right now. Just concentrate on yourself and our baby sister."
" Okay.' Piper agreed softly. " Thanx Prue. I don't know what I would have done if this had happened and you weren't around."
" It wouldn't have happened." Prue murmered quietly also feeling guilty at being the trigger of the family's blow up. She was going to do everything in her power to fix it.
" Huh?' Piper said missing Prue's response.
" Nothing." Prue brushed off " I'm fine."
" If you say so." Piper sighed knowing her big sister had the tendency to put a lot of blame on herself. " Love you."
" Love you too. Bye."
"Bye." And the sister's silmultaneously switched off their phones.
Phoebe drove around in her car, thinking. Prue had filled her in on Paige's strong belief that she didn't love her, which made her heart break. She obviously hadn't been good enough of a big sister that Paige felt this way. Maybe she hadn't paid enough attention or maybe she hadn't told Paige she loved her often enough. She couldn't help feeling as though she'd royally screwed up. Well, she would have to make it up to Paige by being the best big sister ever. Thats why she was going to buy Paige a gift, something she would really like , something that showed Phoebe had been listening all those times they chatted. So what did Paige like? She liked vanilla scented candles, red wine, and big...things, that was for sure. Phoebe shook her head to clear the disturbing memory of time she had accidentally walked in on her sister sleeping with some guy named Jeff who had charmed her into expensive lingerie with the help of the above items. On a less intimate note, Pheebs knew Paige's favorite candy were Reese's peanutbutter cups, that she secretly still sometimes watched Sesame Street even though she had outgrown it years ago , and that she had absoloutly, uncharictaristically, loved loved loved loved as a child Barbie dolls. Phoebe could work with those things to give her sister a meaningful present. It was the least she could do to show Paige she did care.
Prue flipped through the book of shadows effortletlessly tring to find some hint as how to vanquish Amadeus to no avail. Getting things back to normal was going to be harder than she thought. She didn't even notice the hours flying by, so that by the time she looked at the clock it was already 12:45 and time to get Paige.
Upon arrival at the center, Prue was greeted by a very tearful Paige.
" What's the matter honey?" Prue asked concerned
" I- I couldn't " She managed " Stop thinking about P-piper."
Prue bent down to Paige's level and tucked a stray piece of hair behind her small ear. She gave Paige a sad smile , but didn't say a word. She had done all she could to comfort Paige. now Piper had to initiate the healing process.
Piper was seated on the old sofa in the living room, waiting. Prue would be home any minute with Paige. What was she going to say? The sister who she had grown to love became like a distant stranger when she made the mistake of verbalizing all those horrible thoughts that flew through her head in the heat of the moment. Well, she made a mess and naturally now it was her duty to clean it up.
Her heart flew up into her throat when the door slammed. She craned her neck so she could alert Prue and Paige of her presence.
Paige's body language when she saw Piper made Piper want to throw up. It reflected anger, pain, and most of all fear, as Paige backed up and tried to hide herself behind Prue.
Piper was hurt. Paige had never been scared of her before, even when she turned into a Fury and tried to kill her. All of the confidence Piper had that she could reconcile with Paige disappeared.
She noticed Prue leading Paige into the living room and seating her across from Piper on the armchair.
" I'll leave you two to talk.' She heard Prue say but she wasn't really paying attention to that her gaze was locked on Paige and Paige's on her.
They stayed that way for a while. Piper didn't know how to tell Paige she was sorry, but through their minutes of staring they had built up some sort of unspoken understanding.
Piper slowly opened up her arms and Paige ran and threw herself into them, burying her head in Piper's shoulder and crying. Piper started to cry too.
" I love you Paige, so much." Piper sobbed " I don't know why I said those things."
Paige sniffled and Piper stroked her head and held her close. " I didn't mean a word of it. You are so important to me. I don't know what I would do if I lost you. especially if it was my fault. I'm sorry baby. More sorry then you can imagine. "
Paige lifted her head up from its place on Piper and held her big sister's face in her hands. She pressed a small finger to Piper's salty lips, and nodded showing Piper she understood and that she forgave her. She then kissed Piper on the cheek and hugged her tight, as though she was afraid she would lose her if she let go. Piper hugged her back and rocked her baby sister, eyes closed, promising herself, that she would never let Paige go again.
Prue who had been silently watching from the doorway the whole time, felt a lone tear leave a trail along her face. It amazed her the level of understanding and love the two shared. She let herself relax, knowing although Paige's wounds would still be there for awhile and hurt her, and although healing them would take time and alot of trust, that they would be soothed with the knowledge Piper loved her very much.