Chapter 18: Forgive
Disclaimer: A wise person once said, "Paige, life's not a garden so stop being a ho." Almost makes me wish I did own Charmed.
A/N: Wow. I just realized something. I never explained how all of this was real. Like how Bane and everything that happened with him was real and how Prue said that Cole was a demonic killer, meaning he had the past from the T.V plotline and not mine. Sorry about that. Okay, here's the explanation. When Pam came down from the Elders, she expected that her and her sisters would serve their duties as the Charmed Ones while her younger siblings still doubled as the actresses that the world knew them as. But to avoid foreseen complications, the Elders decided to alter the world as it was like they did for Paige when she first found out who she really was. So then everything that was their reality changed to Charmed reality. With this, they received the real memories of what they had acted on the show, and all of the actors that had taken part in those episodes became their characters as well. Cole, however, is still the full demon he was in Her Destiny; his past as far as where he came from remained the same. The girls still remember what happened in the other reality—such as being actresses and living with the families they grew up with; even Jackie and Patty. I know this is kind of a lot to leave out of the actual story, but it was really just what happened between Her Destiny and Things of the Past---like filler information. So sorry if this has confused anyone, please ask questions if you need to and review to let me know what you think.
Everyone sat still for a second, having no idea what to do. Finally, being too freaked out to stay quite any longer, Bane spoke up.
"What the hell was that?" He said as he too jumped from his chair.
"Just stay calm," Pam said as she rose to meet Bane. She put his hand on his shoulder and faced the group sitting at the table.
"What was he talking about?" Prue spoke, "It's not time for what?"
"I have no idea," Piper said thoughtfully, "But he didn't sound like himself," she noted.
"Or act like himself," Leo added, "Cole would never hurt Phoebe."
"He sure looked like he would," Andy stated. He didn't know Cole at all but if he would hurt Phoebe, Cole wasn't someone he was going to jump to defend.
"He was acting like that earlier," Pam remembered, "When he first came into the kitchen. He was mumbling to himself one second, and the next he was fine again."
"Phoebe told me that he was acting like that earlier," Prue said, "She said that Cole was mumbling to himself in a chair when she woke up, but the second she spoke to him he was normal again. She asked him what was wrong but he just said he was having a bad dream."
Pam and Piper looked sharply at Prue keeping this bit of information from them. Pam recovered from the moment quickly, figuring that Prue must have had a good reason for withholding the news of the conversation between her and Phoebe. Piper, however, still angry over what Prue had done with Bane, held onto her irritation.
"And you're waiting until just now to tell us this?" She said with annoyance prevalent in her tone.
Prue looked surprised at the harshness in Piper's voice, but decided to wait until later to try to make things better with her sister.
"She wasn't sure what was happening," Prue said a little guardedly, "I wasn't sure if it was really anything to be concerned about."
"Well obviously you thought wrong," Piper shot at her, "Now Phoebe's life is in danger and we have no idea what to make of any of this. Nice job Prue."
As Piper finished she stormed out of the dining room, leaving everyone stunned at the way she had gotten angry at Prue over a mistake anyone could've made. Only Andy, Prue, and Bane knew why she had really acted the way she did.
"I've never heard her talk like that before," Leo said as he made to follow after his angered wife.
"No, let me," Andy said as he stopped Leo from going.
"But…." Leo began, not understanding how Andy was planning to remedy the situation.
"It's okay," Andy said as he picked up on Leo's confusion, "I'll be back in a second."
Andy left the room after Piper, leaving Leo and Pam in bewilderment.
Andy entered the sunroom to find Piper sitting hunched over with her head in her hands.
"I know why you're upset," Andy said quietly. Piper looked up at him, unsure of what to say. He should be the one enraged at Prue, yet she was the one who was running out on her. She felt a pang of guilt as Andy sat next to her and took her hand.
"You don't have to be mad at her," he continued. "She knows what she did was wrong. She's sorry."
"She's sorry?" Piper almost yelled, "And what, you're saying she shouldn't be? I'm sorry Andy but I just don't think she can come back from this. Not in my eyes. She's supposed to be the one who takes care of things---the level-headed one. Now she goes and does something like this? How can I forgive her for that?" she finished wearily.
"You can always forgive people," Andy said knowingly, "Everyone makes mistakes. Believe me I was mad at her too---part of me will always be angry with her. But I know that she loves me and that's all I care about"
"I know she loves you Andy—that's what's so upsetting about this. I know she's in love with you and I can't for the life of me figure out why she…" Piper trailed off, not even wanting to say what Prue had done. She sighed heavily before speaking once more. "..It just doesn't make any sense."
"I know it doesn't," Andy said, still confused himself as to why Prue would kiss Bane, "But once you think about it, I did kind of ambush her. I've been gone for six years Piper. Then the second she finds someone else I come back to split them apart. I couldn't expect her feelings for Bane to just….dissipate. Half of me was waiting for this to happen. Just waiting."
"I don't know how you do it Andy," Piper said as she smiled. "You must really love that big sister of mine."
"Must be," Andy replied as he too smiled. Andy and Piper hugged quickly and they both returned to the dining room to find Prue scrying for Phoebe with the fork she had used for breakfast and Pam, Bane, and Leo contemplating possible things that could be wrong with Cole.
"He may have been possessed," Pam spoke reasonably.
"No," Leo said quietly as he shook his head, "A demon of his strength would expel any spirit that would posses him. His spirit would be too strong for any other essence to occupy his body."
"Well he said he had a bad dream," Bane began, "Maybe he actually did. Maybe something's haunting him through sleep."
Leo looked at Bane, surprised he came to such a probable conclusion. Pam saw the look and raised her eyebrows at him to wipe it off his face. Leo noted this and did so quickly.
"That makes sense," Leo said as he tried to catch himself, "I should go check with the Elders though, see what they know."
He was about to orb off when he saw Piper enter the room. Concern spread across his face as he made his way over to his wife.
"Are you okay?" Leo asked as soon as he got to her.
"I'm fine," she answered, noticing that Prue had stopped scrying to hear her reply.
"Do you want to talk about it?" Leo continued genuinely.
"No, that's okay," Piper reassured him, "Andy took care of everything."
Leo looked at Andy with a grateful expression on his face and led Piper over to the table to fill her in on what they'd come up with.
"Bane suggested that Cole might have been haunted in his dreams by a spirit of some sort," Pam said, smiling at Bane as she said this.
"I'm going to check on the Elders to see if they have any information on dream hauntings," Leo filled in.
"And I'm scrying for Phoebe's location," Prue said quietly and a bit sheepishly. Frankly, completely un-Prue like. In fact, she sounded more like Piper than Piper had all day.
Piper nodded as Leo orbed off to the Elders. Piper looked over at Prue at she heard the crystal hit the map.
"Got her," Prue said, her tone more like her own now.
"I'll drive," Pam offered as the group headed out the door.
Piper hung back for a second and motioned for Prue to do the same. In a moment the two were left alone in the foyer of the Manor.
"I forgive you Prue," Piper said truthfully, "Just, please," she continued, "Don't make me regret it."
Piper walked out of the Manor and left Prue standing there, not sure if she should be happy or sad at Piper's words.
'Well at least she forgives me,' Prue thought as she followed her sister out of the house, 'That's gonna have to do for now.'
A/N: Hope you liked it. Based on what people said from the reviews, I'll keep this going after 20 chapters. But I might stop it soon after if I don't get any reviews, I'm getting the feeling that no one is reading this besides a few choice people. You know who you are.
