Here it is, the last chapter. For the first time you have all four writers working on one chapter...
29. Torn away
Paige's P.O.V
Why do you never really appreciate what you have until it's gone?
Simple answer. There isn't one.
You grow accustom to the people and objects, and never believe it would be possible for them to just disappear.
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The screech of tape being pulled over the box stood in front of me sends a shiver up my spine. Has it really came to this?
I glance around my once comfortable and slightly overbearing room and shudder at the sight. Boxes dotted around and not a shred of hope left.
It had happened so quickly; seeing mum, the police, social workers. The arguing and yelling between adult and child. Has it really been a matter of days since Sevron's 'disappearance'?
A knock on my open door, makes me spin in a moment of fear.
"You okay? Paige." Piper smiles softly.
Sighing, I turn back to my task, once again pulling the tape over the last box, which contains the life I once had.
"Piper, we won't be separated for long, right? I kinda need you three."
Piper moves across the room and perches on the edge of my bed, tugging a piece of hair behind my ear. "We need you too, Missy Paige. This will all work out, I promise."
"Me too." Phoebe adds, as she bounds through the door. "I hate these stupid social workers. I mean what are they trying to achieve. I swear if they were demons…"
"…you would politely ask them to leave." Piper quips.
"Like that would ever work." I mutter with a roll of my eyes.
"You can't knock it until you try it." she responds.
"Hey Piper!" Prue calls from further down the house.
Piper jumps up, patting my head as she went past. I watch her go, trying to smile despite the situation.
"Paige, you'll always have us. We're sisters and we're Charmed. You can't leave us and we can't leave you, otherwise destiny might have a few problems with the whole cosmic balance thing." Phoebe's melancholy voice was barely present in her new resolve.
"What are you planning?" I ask with a raised eyebrow.
She looks confused, while she fiddles with the tape I had been using. "Why do you say that?"
"Your too optimistic even for you." I explain.
She gives me a lope sided grin as she stands and pats my head like Piper had moments ago.
"Everything will work out." she states leaving me alone in my room…to hope.
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It had been silent since my sisters left and I found myself doing a final glance of my room, taking in how big and empty it had now become.
"I think this is the cleanest I've every seen your room."
I turn to face the doorway, where Prue is leaning against the jamb, her arms casually wrapped around her.
"It was never as bad as Pheebs." I smile.
She nods in agreement. "That is true."
Silence fills the air, both of us not really certain how we should act. On one side we we're finally free of Sevron but on the other it had cost us greatly.
"Are you ready?" Prue asks finally.
"Do we have to go?" I counter, trying my best puppy dog face.
"Yeah we do." she answers very quietly.
I grab hold of the bag beside me and the smaller one placed on my bed. "Then I guess I am." I mumble going to the door.
Prue stops me and lowers herself to my height. "We'll be back Paige, I promise."
All I can do is nod as I move past her wander down the stairs, glancing at the pictures I had only now began to look at. I found Piper and Phoebe in the living room, silence evidence of their mood.
Prue followed shortly and smiled softly to us all. The doorbell rung and I watched as she glanced at the clock then to Piper.
"Aren't they early?"
Piper shrugs as she stands up. "Maybe they need us to sign something."
Each of us walked to the front door, dreading who would be on the other side. Prue opened the door and placed a fake smile on her face.
"Hi. How can I help?" she greets the woman standing before us. I don't like this!
"My name is Gabrielle, I'm here to collect Paige."
"No!" I yell, moving away from the door.
"Aren't you supposed to be here at six?" Prue questions the social worker, who flashes her badge as if it's meant to silence us.
"No, we have the authority to take custody of Paige and we have been able to find a placement for her with a family, who will be wanting to meet her."
"I have a family!" I yell again.
"You can't take her now." Phoebe states bringing her arm around my shoulder.
"We can and we will." with her words, the woman grabs hold of my arm and my bags, while pulling me towards the door.
"Hey, let go of her." Prue shouts, stepping up to Gabrielle.
The woman glares at Prue, making me want to kick her in the shin. "Don't cause a fuss Miss Halliwell or this shall go against you later."
"Don't threaten us!" Piper jumps in, while Prue holds her hand over her arm to calm her.
I feel Gabrielle pull me further away, causing panic to set in. "Prue, please…Prue, don't let her take me. I don't wanna go."
"Paige." Phoebe calls, tears running down her face as I feel them doing the same on my face.
"Prue, I'll be good. I'll clean my room. I won't do stupid things with Glenn. Please, Prue." I call, watching a haunting expression cover my sisters faces.
Phoebe's POV:
I was still crying as the door closed behind them, gripping the wall to stop myself for crashing to the floor. Prue was staring at the door as though she didn't believe it was really happening, and Piper was leaning against the wall, shock on her face. I hadn't really believed it would happen, I thought something would stop it, anything.
I'd let Paige think I had some kind of plan, but the truth was I was just hoping magic would fix this for us. But I guess not, I guess we're on our own for this.
Prue had finally snapped into life, pacing the floor and muttering that they couldn't do this to us. Piper wrapped her arms around her, and Prue laid her head on her shoulders. Piper raised an arm to me, inviting me to join the hug, but I turned away. Not without Paige, it wouldn't be right, there'd just be a gap, an empty space...
I wandered up to my room, but without any of my stuff in there it didn't feel like my room any more. I knew that the house would be "frozen" with the rest of Grams assets until Prue is old enough to own them, but I don't really understand what that means. Prue and Piper sat me and Paige down and told told us what was going to happen, and that we'd be split up... I remember how me and Paige started shouting, but there was nothing we could do about it.
The house didn't feel the same. It hadn't ever since Grams had died, and now with the empty rooms and no shoes littering the hallway it didn't feel like home. I wandered up the stairs to the attic but the door was locked... Prue had the key, but I didn't know what she'd done with the book. Didn't ask. Finally, I wandered back downstairs.
About half-an-hour after Paige had been taken, there was another knock at the door. I froze in terror, Piper and Prue looked at each.
"Don't answer it." I begged. "They'll go away, and we could get Paige - we could use magic and get her put and run away -" I didn't believe a word of what I was saying, but I had to say something. Anything...
But Prue was already walking to the door, and Piper was pulling me along. I was shaking, I was actually shaking, and I think I was more scared now than that night when we vanquished Sevron. Prue swung the door open, and I knew she was sending the woman evil looks.
"Hi, Prue, right?"
"And you are?" Prue replied.
"Heather. I know this is a difficult time for you girl, losing your grandmother, then your grandfather -"
"He's not our grandfather." I splutterted, and recieved a strange look. But he wasn't, I just want to forget about him, that he ever existed.
"I'm sorry for your loss, and I don't want to make this any harder for you... Phoebe, you need to come with me."
"No - no -" I whispered, gripping at Piper's arm.
"Phoebe, come on honey, I promise it will all be OK. You'll love this family, they've fostered before and we've always had great feedback-" Heather took my hand, pulling me gently but firmly away. I pulled, but Piper had let go of me, and I couldn't stop myself, I was walking...
"Prue - Prue, don't let them do this - stop them -"
"I can't Phoebe, I can't." She said shakily.
"Grams - mum - someone, stop this, stop them -" I shouted, but nothing happened. Heather tugged my arm again.
"Don't hurt her!" Piper cried out, and I saw tears on her face too. Our family had been ripped apart too many times, and now they were destorying what was left of it, of us.
"Promise me, promise me you'll fix this as soon as you can." I sobbed. Heather was gently leading me out of the door. "Please, don't make me go." I begged her, but she just gave me a sympathetic look.
"Say goodbye now, come on." She told me.
"Prue..." I whispered, and the worst thing was I knew she couldn't do anything to stop it. I knew she felt completly helpless, and I was making it worse by begging her.
"I'm sorry..." She murmured, and for the first time I saw defeat in her eyes. She'd given up. Prue had given up... It was like a dark cloud had passed over me - she was the only person left I could depend on, and now I didn't know that I could...
I turned away, put my head down and cried as Heather lead mw towards a car. I climbed into the back-seat wordlessly, took one last look back at the house, the open door and the tired faces of my sisters. For the first time in my whole life I was alone, no sisters, no anyone. And it scared the hell out of me.
Only when I turned back to face forwards did I realise. She never promised me.
Piper's POV
I closed the door and followed Prue into the kitchen, to make a coffee. The kitchen had always seemed such a calming peaceful place, the smells the kitchen had, they felt like home. but now all it felt like was another cold room in a strange house, nothing in the cubourds, the fridge, all empty, i guess thats how i feel, empty. But i don't feel empty because of the fridge or the smell of the kitchen. I feel empty because two strangers took my two baby sisters away. Two strangers took Phoebe and Paige away to live in homes, no, houses not homes away from me, away from me and Prue, away from each other.
Prue handed me a cup of coffee and i placed it down on the counter. She looked at me with a look of sorry.
"Prue, it's not your fault, you couldn't stop this, you know when you turn eighteen this is all going to be fixed, you will get custody of us and it will all be ok."
I wasn't sure weather i was trying to convince her or myself that it was all going to be ok. Fine, i know who i was trying to convince, me. I didn't believe that it was all going to be ok. I didn't believe it was all going to be ok. I mean sure it could work out but what if it doesn't? What do i do then? What do my sister's do then? i hadn't realised it then but i had started to cry. Prue walked over and put her arms around me. I rested my head on her shoulder and i felt the strong willed front, i had been showing since the bad news dawned on me, crumble into a heap as i cried.
I must have stood there, in Prue's arms for about fifteen minutes. I was crying, she was crying, we both felt miserable, but there was nothing we could do. i would have stayed in the comfort of my sisters arms, the comfort of family, for much longer, but the doorbell rang. i knew it was for me because Prue wasn't going to leave until later, well thats what was planned anyway. i grabbed the rest of my stuff, the stuff i had to carry, the stuff that wasn't being, or had already been taken to my new house, the Morgans. they seem nice but there not my family. They already have two kids, a fifteen year old boy and a twenty year old daughter.
I walked to the door and opened it. A dark haired bony woman stood in the door.
"I'm here for Piper."
"Sure, thats me, give me a moment."
"Better be a quick moment, the Morgans are waiting."
I turned around and my older sister ran into my arms. i dropped my bag and hugged her.
"Prue, i'll call you when i get there and i'll see you next week at the coffee place."
"You had better call me, i'll miss you Piper."
The other things we wanted to say, words could not. We were sisters, and nothing could break that apart.
I slipped out the door and Prue followed. We both walked next to the stone cold woman to the car. I placed my bag in the boot of the car, gave Prue one last hug and got into the car, winding the window down.
"Goodbye..i mean see you later Prue." i said as we drove off. I waved to Prue watching her get smaller and smaller, not stopping waving until i was sure i couldn't see her anymore. i then turned around, wondering how it was all gonna turn out.
Prue's POV
Empty – alone
A house that used to be filled with furniture, carpets even those ridiculous paintings grams seemed to love so much…now all those things were left but without my sisters they looked dark. Like only the skeleton was left of what once was a home.
How had we ended up here? We used to be okay and now…the floor had been pulled away from underneath our feet.
The upstairs hallway was lit up from the window, all the dust becoming visible, flying around my face. As I looked into Piper's room I felt like my heart sunk, I kept seeing all the times I had been there. When we were kids and played dress up in her closet. I continued to Phoebe's room – just as empty as Piper's and probably the cleanest I had ever seen it. Even Paige's room was dead and quiet, no music blaring, no stuffed animals that she used to have spread over that room as a kid.
As I walked down the stairs I felt tears threaten to break out but I held them in. I was the adult in this, I couldn't cry. If I fell apart then who would save them…?
So now I sat there on the bottom stairs, before me on the floor stood one suitcase and a backpack – my life packed up. So now I was waiting, all I could do was waiting. I had seen them come and take my sisters away and I knew I was next. I also knew that they expected for me to fight for them, to protect them and keep them safe. I don't know why but it felt as if I was sick of fighting. I was sick of being the responsible one…
When the doorbell rang I jumped up. Not sure if it was from excitement or nervousness…probably both. I never made it to the door before she walked in. The blond hair tied back tightly and her clothes perfect – just like you'd think a social worker would look like.
"Are you Prudence?" she asked and looked around the house, I could swear she looked at it as if it was a dump.
"Yeah" I nodded and walked over to my bags.
"Okay lets go" she grabbed my suitcase and walked out the door, not so much as a smile my way.
I threw my backpack over my shoulder and followed her even though that small voice inside my head screamed for me to stay – to fight – at least scream…but I didn't.
The hot air hit me the second I stepped outside, my social worker was already down at her car when I turned to face the manor. The place that had been my house for seventeen years.
My hands began to shake as I fished up the keys from my pocket. I looked at the door, squinted my eyes and the door shut itself. I locked it – well knowing it would be months before I would get to unlock it.
I turned around and moved down the steps to the car. I opened the car door and threw my bag into the backseat and stepped inside.
As the car pulled out from the driveway I sent one last look at the house and without warning one small tear slid down my face…
"Goodbye house…" I whispered quietly. "Goodbye grams…goodbye mum…I will come back – we will come back…this is far from over…"
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And this ladies and gentlemen marks the end of the secrets of the Halliwell sisterhood. We four writers would like to thank you all and we do hope you will come with us to the sequel which should be up shortly.
