Thanks you all for the amazing feedback. I wasn't sure anyone would even read it. Oh, and please note that bits may not make sense, especially the timeline, but you'll all forgive me, right?
Chapter 2 - Stuck There, Forever
A million doubts had now surfaced in Piper's mind, and she was close to regretting this whole idea. No matter what they'd written in the letter they'd left Grams, she was sure to call the police, right? And she and Paige didn't even know exactly where they were heading, exactly which direction it was. All they had was an address written on a piece of notepaper.
It had arrived almost two weeks before, a ripped piece of lined paper in a cheap white envelope. The only words written were the address, some place in Los Angeles. But it was the picture that made them realise who it was. Four stick people, all with dark hair, stood in front of a pink house. Each stick person was labelled with a name... Prue, Piper, Phoebe, Paige. And so, the plan was born.
They would fly to L.A, find the house and meet their sisters. Victor, their mother had once told them, was violent, and drank often. So now they knew where to go, Piper and Paige could rescue them, save them from the clutches of the violent alcoholic. They'd bring them back to the manor, call the police then, and start chatching up. And everything would go back to how it should be.
At least, that was the more optimistic version. And as a pair of pessimists, Piper and Paige both had worries.
Paige was shivering, Piper noted, and she felt guilty for bringing her baby sister into this. Hadn't she promised her mum she'd looked after Paige? Half-sisters or not, they were closer than any others could be.
"Are you OK?" Piper whispered, glancing around again to make sure no one saw them. It was five in the morning, the airport was an hours walk away. Their tickets were in Piper's bag, along with their passports. Then they'd find them, Piper was almost sure of it, no matter how crazy this plan was, no matter how many things could go wrong... One day, the four of them would all be back home...
----
In a small bungalow in Los Angeles, Prudence and Phoebe Bennett were sat on the floor in the room they shared. Prue had her arm around her younger sister, holding her close, partly to comfort the fifteen year old and partly to comfort herself. They heard the front door slam, and both breathed easier, but neither let go of the other. Prue had lost count of how many times the two of them had sat like this, clinging to each other in fear, listening, waiting. The last thirteen years had been the same, moving from city to city, state to state, living in filthy apartments, hostels, or small houses like this, until their dad would decide it was time to move again. Both girls had learned a long time ago that when daddy said they were leaving, you just packed up the little things you had and left without arguing.
"He's gone." Prue breathed. "It's OK, Phoebe, he's gone."
"He'll be back." Phoebe mumbled. "He... he always comes back." Prue didn't say anything... what could you say to someone who had only even known this, known fear, known violence. So she just hugged her sister close.
"Prue..." Phoebe murmured shakily. "Tell me, tell me again about before." Prue breathed deeply, then closed her eyes.
"I - I don't remember it so good anymore." Prue replied. Truth was, she was tired of saying the same words over and over, and telling Phoebe about their past just upset them both.
"Please."
"OK... OK... we lived with mum and grams, and Piper. I can remember the day Paige was born, and we were all so happy..." Prue said softly, and she felt Phoebe relax. Ever since they were little, the two of them had done this every time Victor lashed out. Sometimes bleeding, bruised, sometimes just scared, they'd hide in their rooms and talk about before, before all this.
----
Piper looked past her sleeping sister at the clouds rolling by.
"Not long now." She said to Paige, who nodded.
"Piper, do you still remember them?" Paige asked. Piper nodded, noting that this was the first time in a while Paige had asked this question.
"I remember." Piper said softly. As she had always done, she launched into the little speech that was mostly the same each time. "Prue... Prue was always bossing us around. She'd always take charge, she'd choose the games. I was three, and I couldn't stop her." Piper smiled. "But she was my big sister and I loved her. Phoebe was the baby, until you came along. She usually just sat and watched us play, but sometimes we'd let her join in. When you came along, we used to just sit and watch you... mum found it hilarious, we were all amazed by you."
"And - and that day?" Paige prompted. Piper paused for a moment, wondering why Paige wanted to here this again. She didn't usually ask about it, had heard the story only a few times. But Piper gave a little nod, and summoned the memories she had.
"That day, Grams took me and you out to the store. Prue was watching a TV show, and Phoebe... I think Phoebe was asleep. So Grams put you in the buggy and off we went. When we - we came home, she was laying there, like she was asleep. Grams woke her up, and mum was crying and screaming, saying that he'd taken them. Grams put me and you in our room, and I could hear her sobbing. The police came..." Piper screwed her face up in concentration. "I remember mum crying a lot, and Grams crying sometimes, but I think she was trying to stay strong for mum. I remember I asked mum where they were, where they'd gone, and she sat me down and told me."
"What did she say?" Paige asked. She knew the story, it was something she had never forgotton, but she wanted to hear it again, so that it was fresh in her mind, almost like she'd seen it herself.
"She told me that dad had taken them away. She never lied to us, and she told me, not to worry, that she'd get them back soon, and that if I ever, ever saw dad, I was to scream as loud as I could. I think she really believed they were going to find him, and they tried. Every couple of months, they'd call and say someone had seen them in - in Chicago, or - or - or somewhere, but they'd never bring them home. About a year after, she sat me down again, and told me that she didn't know when they'd be home, but she was certain they would be one day. She said that in the meantime, I was the big sister, and I had to look after you."
"And you did." Paige said dreamily.
"I like to think so." Piper smiled. "Now, go to sleep, OK? I'll wake you when we're nearly there."
"OK." Paige said, and laid back.
----
Phoebe had drifted off to sleep, but Prue was wide awake. He hadn't come home yet, but Prue daren't move, not even to switch on the light. So she sat in that dark, thinking about how close they were to home. They were actually in the same state now. She didn't know if Victor had even realised, if he'd brought them here without realising where it was, or if he thought that maybe they'd stopped looking now. Thirteen years was a long, long time. Maybe everyone had forgotten about them. Maybe that's why they hadn't heard from their mum...
It had been Phoebe's idea. Victor sometimes let them outside, and Phoebe had seen the post-box on the end of the street. She'd wanted to write a long letter, but Prue had convinced her not to. What exactly could they say? All they'd send was their address. They both knew that if Victor ever found out, he'd kill them. He told them often enough that if they ever tried to escape, he'd find them and he'd kill them. So Phoebe had wrote down the address, Prue had added the picture she'd drawn on the fateful day, and the two of them had posted it one day, nervous and shaking. But it was two weeks ago now, and no one had come. They'd expected their mother to call the police, for the police to burst down the door and take them home. But nothing had happened. Nothing. And Prue tried to convince herself that maybe it hadn't arrived yet, maybe it had gotten lost in the mail. But all the while she just kept thinking that they didn't care anymore, they didn't want them. And so the two of them were stuck here, until he decided otherwise.