Author's Note: Sorry for the late update. I actually planned to have this chapter posted a couple days ago but on top of everything else going on, I came down with bronchitis. So being sick this week delayed finishing it. But I really hope you enjoy this next chapter so without further adieu: read on, lol.
And of course, thanks again, to my faithful reviewers: IDontBreakHeartsJustBones, 1treehillcharmed and Queen of Gabb 488.
IDontBreakHeartsJustBones: I'm happy you liked the Phoebe/Billie interaction. For some reason, I always thought they related to each other best on the show. So I try to live up to that perception in my writing.
1treehillcharmed: lol, yeah, I was trying hard not to make the Prue/Sam connection too obvious. I thought that I might of given it away during the flashback where Patty dies. But I'm glad it came as a surprise for you.
Queen of Gabb: lol, wow. That bad? I think we'll dedicate this chapter to you then.
Chapter 20: Halliwell Family Secrets Pt. 2
The awkward silence that permeated the atmosphere left everyone in the room feeling a bit on edge. Everyone remained quiet. Each person was waiting for that one person brave enough to venture into uncharted territory.
Piper was seated on the couch. Wyatt and Chris were receiving her full attention. Phoebe had walked back over and stood behind the couch after offering Darryl use of the lounge chair which he accepted.
After Victor and Prue had broken out of the embrace, Prue had given him an uneasy smile. She placed Molly down on the floor. Molly had then taken the opportunity to drag her mother by the hand to make her come and play with her. Prue currently found herself sitting on the floor with her daughter on her lap and was giving her full attention to the board game the kids were playing together.
"So," Darryl was the first one to break the ice. He clapped his hands together and blew out a deep breath of air. "How's business been Victor?" he asked in an attempt to get a conversation going. The silence was too stifling even for him.
Victor and everyone else looked over in Darryl's direction.
"Slow," came Victor's one-worded response. He was sitting down next to Piper again, the same spot he had been before getting up to greet Prue. After he answered, everybody returned their attention back to what they had been doing previously.
"Okay," muttered Darryl. Maybe I should high-tail it out of here before I suffocate, he thought to himself.
Phoebe, picking up on Darryl's failed attempt to lighten up the mood, sighed and closed her eyes. She decided to give it a try. "Okay," she announced with as much enthusiasm as she could muster. She plastered on a bright smile while placing her hands at her sides. "Anybody up for some coffee? We have tea too," she offered. She looked to each person waiting for somebody to respond.
Finally, someone did.
"Yeah, sure, I'll have some coffee," Prue spoke up. "Just make sure ..." she began. "It's leaded," both Prue and Phoebe ended Prue's sentence together.
"Yeah, yeah, we know," Phoebe flashed an amused grin.
Piper smiled too.
Phoebe inhaled a breath. "Okay, anybody else? Dad? Darryl?" she asked, looking towards the other two men.
"Uh, yeah, sure honey," Victor finally responded. "A cup of coffee would be great," he smiled.
"None for me, Phoebe, thanks," Darryl's reply followed. "In fact, I really ought to be going," he said while standing up. "I have an early flight tomorrow morning. I just came by to see how things were and to make sure Prue was okay. And you can imagine how odd it is remembering things the rest of the world seems to have forgotten," he added. "Now I have to go back home and play it off."
"Yeah, I know," offered Victor in an attempt to empathize with the other man's plight.
Victor was well aware of the effects and the consequences the magical community could present before any mortals closely tied with it. After all, he had been married to a witch once and had endured his fair share of the trials and tribulations that had resulted from the union.
"Sorry, Darryl," Phoebe offered with as much sincerity as possible. "We never meant to get you involved in any of this again," she offered.
"Phoebe, forget it," he replied. "I'm past all that now. I know what I know, what am I supposed to do? But I just hope everything works out here for you guys. I really do," he offered sincerely. Then he turned his attention towards Prue. "And my offer always stands," he said to her.
"I know, Darryl. Thanks," replied Prue. "Have a safe trip back." He and Prue shared a smile before he turned to address everyone in the room.
"But for crying out loud, next time can somebody at least remember to pick up the phone around here?!" he cracked as he headed for the foyer and front door. "That or at least return the messages," he added.
He was joking, of course, but at the same time felt serious. Darryl couldn't help but wonder that if the sisters had answered or responded back to his urgent calls, they might have been able to avoid Prue's kidnapping. And maybe, just maybe, Andy would still be around too. Phoebe closed her eyes and shook her head, while walking behind Darryl. Piper followed them out into the foyer and Darryl went for the door.
"I swear Darryl, if we had gotten any messages we would have gotten back to you right away. But we didn't," Phoebe swore.
"Yeah, there weren't any messages, Darryl," Piper reaffirmed. "But then again, if someone wanted to get to Prue that badly and wanted to make sure they couldn't be stopped?" she folded her arms.
Darryl put up his hand.
"Yeah, I think I get it. No further explanation needed," he remarked before Piper had the chance to finish her sentence. "Like I said, good luck. It sounds like you're going to need it!" He reached for the knob and opened the door. "Give Paige my best," he offered. Then he exited the manor for the final time.
"Bye, Darryl," replied Phoebe. She helped to close the door then turned back around to look at Piper who was standing behind her with both arms still crossed. Then Phoebe walked past her and began her trot in the direction of the kitchen. "Better get that coffee," she announced during her stride.
"Yeah, I'll help you with that," replied Piper as she turned to trail closely behind her sister.
X
Paige orbed back into the attic of the manor both quietly and undetected. A million questions were running through her mind and she concluded only one person would have the answers to them.
Well, make that two. Knowing Grams, she probably knew about Prue from the very beginning. Somehow, Paige just could not picture Penny Halliwell being kept in the dark about anything when it came to any of her granddaughters.
Paige proceeded to close the attic door as gently as possible so that she wouldn't alert anyone to her presence. After locking it, she gathered some candles from the table and positioned them on the floor so that they formed a circle. What she needed to do she needed to do alone. At least for now. Since her father had erred on the side of caution by being vague and opted not to be as forthcoming as she would have preferred, this was her last option in finding out the truth. However, she figured there was no point in getting everyone else riled up without being absolutely sure first.
The Book of Shadows was then opened to the page which provided the summoning spell. Paige took a moment to release a quick breath and began to read: Hear these words, hear my cry; Spirit from the other side; Come to me, I summon thee; Cross now the great Divide.
Paige mused that it seemed like this particular spell was being used alot lately. She watched as a flurry of white orbs began to materialize in front of her. Then, the form of Patty Halliwell appeared before her as the two women locked stares. Patty released a smile in her daughter's direction.
"Paige!" she announced, happy to see her daughter.
Quickly, her transparent form materialized into her former physical form and she stepped out of the circle intent on embracing her daughter in a big hug. It had been awhile since she had been given the opportunity to spend some time alone with her youngest daughter.
Paige smiled and walked forward to accept the embrace. "Mom."
While they hugged, Paige closed her eyes and Patty gently rubbed her daughter's back in a comforting loving gesture.
"It's so good to see you. It's been too long," she remarked to her daughter.
"Same here, Mom," Paige answered back as they broke from the embrace. They now stood face to face but held onto each other's hands.
Patty took a closer look at her daughter. Paige would always be her baby even if her daughter didn't see it that way. After all, she deeply regretted having to give her away when she hadn't really wanted to. Despite the fact that she was grateful her daughter had been blessed with two wonderful parents and a good life, Patty still felt the guilt of having to walk away from Paige especially without her daughter even knowing the full truth behind it. She felt bad that she had been forced to keep her youngest daughter separated from her sisters while growing up. A part of her had felt like she was abandoning her baby that fateful day when she and Sam brought Paige to the church and to Sister Agnus. However, it had been necessary. Upon observing her daughter carefully, she caught the questioning look in Paige's eyes.
"Paige, is something the matter? You look like you have something on your mind?" she asked her.
Paige sighed. "Uh, actually I do. But I honestly don't know where to begin," she added.
Patty nodded her head in acceptance.
"Here, why don't we go sit down and start from there," she suggested in a soft motherly fashion. She took her daughter by one hand in an attempt to lead them over to the couch. "So I take it that it's something important and this is why you summoned me then?" she added as both women sat down. "I know that you and I have never had any real time to talk alone. Our meetings together have been brief or accompanied by some crisis," she replied with a slight smirk.
"Yeah, tell me about it," Paige replied and smirked back before turning serious again. "And not that I don't appreciate the bonding sentiment but this is actually kind of serious," she began gently.
"Okay," Patty replied while listening intently to her daughter's words.
Paige closed her eyes and took a deep breath. "Alright," she breathed out. Then she opened her eyes looking her mother straight hers. "First, let me stress that I am in no way trying to judge you, or the past, or anything for that matter. But I really really need you to be truthful with me right now," she continued. "It's important. Someone's life depends on it. Maybe more than just one someone."
"Paige, what is it?" Patty asked with concern laced in her voice. "Are you or your sisters in some kind of trouble?"
"Um, when are we not?" Paige tried to joke in stride but turned back to being serious again. "No, seriously, yes and no to that question. Yes, meaning that one sister might be in some serious trouble if we don't get the truth. No, meaning that the other sisters should be fine. I hope," she amended on second thought.
Patty held a bewildered expression. "Paige, I don't think I understand," she began with a shake of her head before her daughter cut in quickly.
"It's about Prue, mom," Paige decided to blurt out and get the truth out into the open as quickly as possible.
Patty tensed up at the sound of her eldest daughter's name being mentioned. "What about Prue, Paige?" she asked as calmly as she could.
Patty contemplated where this discussion was probably leading. Did they find out about Prue? Suddenly, she felt another sensation of guilt wash over her at her part in keeping it a secret all those years back.
Mother and daughter sat in an uncomfortable silence together.
X
Phoebe turned around with the coffee pot in hand ready to pour. Piper finished placing the cups on top of the counter as her sister began to pour one by one.
"Piper, I think it was a little too soon for Dad to come," Phoebe announced, voicing her opinion.
"Well, maybe, but what was I supposed to do?" Piper defended. "When I picked up the kids, he insisted. I couldn't very well tell him no," she explained to her sister. "Besides, it was bound to happen eventually. Dad already knew the truth. Because you told him," she stressed. "And we really have no right to keep him away anyway. Whatever issues he and Prue may or may not still have, they'll have to work it out. But we're not keeping anyone in this family in the dark anymore. About anything," she concluded firmly.
Phoebe smirked. "Don't you really mean whatever issues you and Prue may still have?" she dished out, part playfully but part seriously.
Piper didn't say anything.
After Phoebe finished pouring, she placed the coffee pot back down and looked back up continuing on with the point she wanted to make. "Look, Piper, we really need to start pulling together so we can be ready to defeat the Triad. We all need to start working with Prue so she can play catch up to the rest of us. She's been away from the whole witch thing for awhile. Right now, using her powers is probably rusty at best."
"And I agree," Piper nodded.
"There's updated spells, updated information about demons, new potions," her sister rattled off as Piper interrupted her.
"Phoebe, you're rambling," she interjected. "Isn't that supposed to be Paige's department?" she cracked. Both sisters shared a genuine smile. Then, Piper sighed. "But seriously. I'm well aware of everything you just said. Believe me," she expressed. "And we will. Let's just try to get through this first."
"Yeah," Phoebe mumbled.
Piper proceeded to pick up two of the cups and exited the kitchen with them. Phoebe sighed and took the remaining cup in hand, following in her sister's direction.
X
Patty patiently waited for her daughter to continue.
If the eerie silence enveloping them was any indication, then this was definitely something big and Paige was having some trouble breaking the ice with it. So, in that instant, Patty decided to gather up whatever courage she had inside to make it a bit easier on her. After all, she already had a pretty good idea what this was going to be about. She took a deep intake of breath and cast her gaze to the floor.
"Paige," she began. "Do you and your sisters know the truth about Prue?" she finally asked. "Is that what this is all about?" Her eyes locked with her daughter's.
Paige was momentarily taken aback by her mother's keen sense of intuition regarding the current matter at hand. She took a moment to gather her bearings and her thoughts.
"You know Prue's still alive?" Patty added.
"Actually, mom, Prue's back with us," Paige informed her. "And before we get into the rest, yes, we know about the deal she made with the Elders, yes, we know she never really died and, yes, we know you and grams went along with it."
"Right," Patty nodded.
"Piper was the first to find out the truth," Paige shared.
Patty closed her eyes and sighed. She knew how hard Prue's death had been on Piper all those years back and how hard she had struggled to fill her older sister's shoes. She thought back briefly to when they were children. When Prue and Piper were small, they had their moments when sibling rivalry reached its peak. However, Patty also knew how much Piper had looked up to Prue and tried to follow in her footsteps. Piper had wanted to share the same toys, wanted the same clothes, and she even wanted to follow her big sister to kindergarten. Patty remembered how heartbroken her three-year old daughter had been when she sat her down to explain that she had to wait.
Of course, shortly after, Phoebe came along and that uprooted Piper even more. No longer was she the baby sister but she was now wedged in the middle. But as the years passed, even after her death, Patty came to understand how hard Piper had perfected her role as the middle sister. She worked hard at being the peace maker, the mediator amongst her older and youngest sister's quarrels. It was a comfortable role Piper had maintained for many years until that fateful day back in 2001. Then she was thrust into the role of oldest sister. Now not only was Prue back but Piper was being thrust back to her middle sister status.
"How is she taking it?" Patty asked with her eyes still shut.
She knew how dependant both Piper and Phoebe had been on Prue while growing up in the wake of her absence but she tended to worry about Piper getting past this a little bit more. She opened her eyes as she listened to Paige speak.
Paige sighed. "Well, honestly, not that good," she admitted to her mother. "But, on the bright side, I think she's starting to come around a little. And believe me, that's a big improvement. I mean, if you only saw her a week ago. Alot has gone down in a short period of time."
"What do you mean?" Patty inquired.
"Well, alot, but the first thing I want to talk about is Prue," Paige brought the conversation back to where she wanted it to go. "Look, I went to see Sam before I came back here, I mean, Dad," she corrected herself. "And there's something that's really bothering me." Paige paused, took a deep breath, then continued. "Prue got shot by a darklighter's arrow today. She could have died and I need to know why that is. Witches aren't supposed to be affected by the poison like that. When I asked dad about it, he gave me a funny vibe. And I think I may know why but I really really need you to confirm it for me," she stressed.
Patty felt herself involuntarily tighten up.
"Please?" Paige pressed.
Patty brought her hand up to her chest at the mention of Prue being shot and almost killed. That was not what she intended to happen when she had backed up the idea of Prue's magic free life. It had been a painful decision but, at the time, she felt like going along with it was the only option available to keep all four of her daughters alive. After all, it wasn't fair that they should be made to pay for her mistakes. Unfortunately, that didn't appear to be the case any longer. They were enduring the consequences of the past and the secret had finally caught up with them. Actually, in all honesty, it could have happened way before this but luckily they were never in a position where it came to that.
"Mom?" Paige pushed again when Patty remained silent and lost in her own thoughts from the past. "Prue's life isn't the only one on the line here. Prue has a daughter she brought back with her."
"A daughter?" Patty smiled.
"Yup," Paige confirmed. "Molly. The Underworld found her. Prue's pregnant right now too and the baby had a reaction to the poison. And then there's Billie."
Patty saw the pleading look in her daughter's eyes. It wasn't so much the fact that Paige wanted the truth, but the other questions swirling in her mind did bother her. Why hadn't the Elders let her know about Prue's return? Why did they allow her to be reunited with her sisters? Not to mention, they had promised that Prue's new life would be safe. That the Underworld would be unable to find her. But now, she was hearing about a granddaughter she had never known about being kidnapped by demons? How did they let this happen? Suddenly, she found herself wishing she had taken a different course of action. Perhaps telling the truth from the beginning would have been better for everyone in the long run. Sure, it would have been shocking and hurtful to those kept in the dark but maybe all of this could have been avoided. At least the Elders never would have been able to use the truth as a bargaining chip. Or, at the very least, that despicable Gideon.
Please forgive me, Patty pleaded out into the universe.
"Paige, who's Billie?" Patty asked, before unleashing the inevitable truth that was bound to come out some time.
"Well, to make a long story short," began Paige. "She's another granddaughter of yours. Um, I guess Prue had her very young and grams thought it was best to, uh, give her a better life?" she settled on. "Only things didn't completely turn out as planned. Kinda' like me," she tried joking with a light laugh.
"Oh, Paige," Patty sighed and closed her eyes briefly. She reached out and pulled her in for another hug. "I wish so much that I would have done things differently. Please know that," she pleaded with her youngest daughter.
Paige felt slightly uncomfortable and gently pulled back. "Hey, I was kind of just joking. It's just that Billie and I share some eerie similarities, that's all I meant to point out. Both adopted, both of us had sisters we never got the chance to know, and we both had this magical destiny thing kind of shoved in our faces. Not to mention, our adoptive parents are gone. It's weird because I was in my teens too when I lost mine. So I can really kind of relate to what she's going through right now."
"I'm really sorry to hear all that," Patty offered. "If there's anything I'm coming to learn right now, it's that secrets have a tendency to backfire somehow or someway," she sighed.
"Yeah, back to that," Paige treaded lightly. "Look, despite the fact that our lives have virtually evolved into a living soap opera the past week or so, I really want to know the truth." She paused. "Is Prue," she stammered out slowly. "Like me?"
Paige observed her mother intently awaiting her reaction to the inquiry. Slowly, Patty began to nod her head in affirmation which led Paige to take in a deep breath and stand up on her two feet.
"Whoa," she remarked. "So, does this mean that," Paige continued as she began pacing the floor in light of the revelation.
"Yes, Paige. It means that Sam is Prue's father too," she confirmed.
Paige stopped pacing and turned around to face her mother. Patty stood on her feet as well and approached her daughter slowly. She immediately sensed what her daughter had to be thinking. How could she have kept Prue but given her away? This revelation quite obviously meant that Prue was the first one to be born out of a forbidden union yet she hadn't been hidden or kept a secret.
"I don't understand," Paige immediately jumped in. "Did the Elders know about her because if they did how did," but she didn't finish her sentence as she began to reflect on her own past.
How could her birth parents afford to keep Prue around but not provide her with the same protection and opportunity? Why did she have to be given away? Suddenly, she felt some hurt begin to unravel from within the more she thought and re-evaluated the circumstances surrounding her birth.
Patty immediately stepped forward, intent on offering her daughter reassurance that this truth in no way impacted how they had felt about her. She grabbed ahold of her daughter's hands.
"Paige, we did what we did to protect you! I need you to believe that because this was never about choosing Prue over you," Patty sighed once again. "I'm lucky I didn't lose Prue when I had her because we almost did. And that's the only reason why I went along with faking Prue's death. I didn't want to lose either of you," she desperately tried explaining.
"So then, the Elders did know about Prue?" Paige asked her mother again. "Why not me?" she inquired.
Patty turned back around and sat back on the couch as she continued on with the story.
"The Elders didn't find out about you until later on because I cast a protection spell over you before you were born. It continued to shield you even after your birth but we had to make absolute certain that they couldn't find you. So, we did the only thing we could think to do. We left you with Sister Agnus and we trusted her to find you a good home. A home where you would be loved, allowed to live your life, and somewhere you'd be kept safe. But," Patty paused. "Gideon eventually stumbled upon the truth and made it very clear that one of you would be taken out of the equation. Because the existence of a fourth sister violated the conditions set forth within the Charmed Prophecy," she explained.
Paige stood with her arms crossed, listening intently to the story her mother told. Slowly, she approached the couch to sit back down beside her mother. "Okay, but I'm still confused. Why did you give me away if they allowed you to keep Prue?" she questioned.
"Unfortunately, I didn't get the same chance with Prue because the Elders detected her before she was born," Patty reflected sadly. "I was wiser the second time around with you," she shared.
"You were with Sam first? Before Victor?" Paige felt kind of stunned by that news.
"Your father and I had become close before Victor ever came into the picture, yes," Patty nodded in confirmation.
"So what happened?" Paige was intrigued.
"We were warned about the consequences and where it would lead if our relationship progressed any further from what it already was but we just didn't care," Patty explained. "I loved him and we took that risk. Then," she paused, "I became pregnant. With Prue. They found out and threatened to take her when she was born."
Paige flinched. "Take her? Take her where?"
Patty shrugged. "Her birth violated an essential clause that prohibited the union between whitelighters and their charges. Sam and I basically pleaded with them to reconsider but they refused. In the end, it wasn't until I basically renounced my witch status and Sam threatened to cut his wings that they gave in. At the time, I didn't understand why but essentially if I had given up being a witch, it would have prevented the Charmed Prophecy from coming to pass. So an arrangement was reached."
"An arrangement? Let me guess," Paige reasoned. "You and dad were never supposed to see each other again. Right?"
Patty smiled with a sad expression and nodded. "Which we reluctantly agreed to. Sam and I were to part ways and told never to have contact again. And any whitelighter abilities Prue stood to inherit, would be stripped away for good," she concluded.
"And were they?" Paige asked. "Stripped, I mean? Because Molly has them. I've seen it. But Billie doesn't. So I'm a little lost about how that works if they blocked Prue from becoming a whitelighter," she hoped her mother could provide some further insight to end that particular confusion.
"The stripping never took place, Paige, because there was never any indication of whitelighter powers to begin with," Patty informed her. "Why?" she continued, "I don't know. Any type of magic can skip generations so I guess it's possible for Prue's children to have whitelighter abilities or they may not."
Paige shook her head. "So then why did Prue have a reaction to the poison? Because if it skipped over her ..."
"It's still in the blood, Paige," Patty quickly interjected. "Active powers or not. Prue and any of those kids could be vulnerable so they do have to be extremely careful when they come into contact with any darklighters. They're still part whitelighter. Just like you," she stressed. "So please be very careful. I don't want anything bad to happen to any of you."
Paige released a smirk. "Ah, biology was never my strong suite," she joked with a wave of her hand in the air. "But, then again, neither were the arts," she reflected as it helped to lighten the mood of the conversation for a brief moment. "I got D's like almost every semester. Mrs. Dawson, the eighth grade art teacher, told me to stick with home economics. She said my odds were much better with learning to bake over drawing a straight line. Surprisingly, though, I did find my inner artist later on. Got pretty good at it too."
Patty and Paige shared a laugh.
"I can't really bake," Paige admitted. "Just so you know."
It got quiet again.
Paige sighed as her thoughts turned more serious in nature because she wondered where she was supposed to go from here. How on earth was she supposed to break news this big? Keeping the pregnancy news to herself was one thing because Prue would find out eventually and that's if she didn't know already. But how was she going to approach a sister she barely knew to tell her this kind of news?
Hey, guess what? You and I are closer than anyone could have imagined so welcome to the whitelighter-witch club. Pull up a chair and take an orb with me.
Not to mention, the impact this revelation would have on Piper and Phoebe. It felt rather ironic that for such a long time she envied Prue for sharing something with their other two sisters that she couldn't. But now, she actually shared something with Prue that Piper and Phoebe never would, which was both parents and two magical lines. A comforting feeling began to settle over her because suddenly she didn't feel so alone anymore. She loved Piper and Phoebe but sometimes they just couldn't relate to her dilemma when it came to being both a whitelighter and a witch. Now, with one of her sisters being like her, maybe some of the pressure would lighten up but there was still the issue of how her sisters would take the news. Would Prue accept it? After all, she had rejected it for awhile. Then, there was Piper and Phoebe. Would they resent her because of the truth?
Patty noticed her daughter was in deep thought so she decided to prod. "Paige, how are you dealing with this?" she decided to ask. Because somehow, Are you okay, just seemed completely inappropriate given the circumstances. "Is there something else you wanted to ask me before I go back?" she volunteered willingly.
"No, but it's just, how am I supposed to tell them this?" she questioned her mother in all seriousness. "So much has happened recently and all these secrets have been taking their toll on everyone. Especially Piper. I don't want to hurt any of them with the truth but we just can't keep secrets. How do I tell them?"
"You don't," Patty answered quickly, with a shake of her head. "I do," she firmly concluded. "Sam and I will do it together. This isn't your burden to carry, Paige, or your secret to tell. We created the consequences that set everything spiraling out of control so it's about time you girls stopped paying the price for it. I'll go and see your father but I do have to go because I've been away longer than I should have," she concluded while standing back up. Paige stood up with her and Patty quickly reached out to hug her daughter one last time.
"I love you," Patty muttered. "Be safe."
Paige watched as her mother stepped back inside the circle and transformed into spirit form. She smiled at her daughter and waited as white orbs engulfed her, taking her back into the afterlife.
X
Billie lay sprawled on her bed inside the same dorm room she shared with her roommate. In her hand, a small plastic ball could be seen as she threw it up against the ceiling and caught it as it came back down. She repeated the motion over and over until her roommate finally took it upon herself to sit on the edge of her bed.
"Okay, so what gives?" Jasmine asked, while gently swatting Billie against her leg. Billie stopped throwing the ball and looked over in her direction.
"What do you mean?" Billie asked.
"What do I mean? I mean you've been moping around here, like, since you got back. So what gives?" she repeated. "You look, depressed or something," she conjectured. "Were your living arrangements that bad?" Jasmine nodded in the direction of Billie's two unpacked boxes to make her point.
Billie sighed and moved herself into a sitting postion, her back against her pillows. "Oh! That," she relented. "Yeah, well, slight change of plans there," she muttered just loud enough for Jasmine to hear. "I think I'll be spending the rest of the school year here. So I hope you don't mind."
"Hey," Jasmine got off the bed. "Why should I mind? It's your room too. Just wanted to make sure everything was cool, that's all," she stressed, while walking back to her side of the room and sitting down in front of the small vanity positioned next to her bed. She proceeded to pick up the hairbrush and curler to finish styling her hair.
"Yup, everything's cool," she lied to her roommate.
Jasmine smiled at her reflection in the mirror, while putting the brush and curler back down. In a conspiratorial manner, she left her chair and pounced back onto the bed. "Good. Then you won't mind coming with me to the Alpha house's party tonight," she pried Billie with her cheesy grin.
Billie groaned, closed her eyes, and threw her head back into the pillow while grabbing the edges. "Jasmine, I hate those parties," she moaned. "There's nothing there but a bunch of horny guys drinking and trying to solicit every girl that walks through that door into getting laid."
"Okay, so what's wrong with that?" Jasmine laughed. "You look like you can use it," she cracked.
Billie threw her a strong glare. "That is so not funny and totally disgusting," she remarked seriously. Then she turned to lie on her side while releasing a sigh full of disdain. "And the last thing I need right now is to end up following in her footsteps," she spat out under her breath with a slight roll of her eyes.
Jasmine didn't hear Billie's dig but she continued to laugh at her reaction and facial expression.
"Billie, chill. I'm only joking. But you have to admit, you've been acting like a complete killjoy this school year. I get that you've been going through a rough time with your parents being gone and all but you need to throw yourself back into life a little bit, ya know? It's been over six months," she argued with a slight frown in place. Then, she paused, allowing her smile to return. "But, hey, if you're so worried about all those horny guys pawing at you then you can always take that hot new guy you've been seen sporting around campus. I'm sure he'd be more than willing to play the white knight."
Billie turned her head at the mention of her friend. "JD?" she remarked.
"The mystery man has a name?" Jasmine laughed. She caught Billie's look of confusion and decided to explain. "A couple of my friends saw you two, ahem, kissing outside in front of the library a few days ago," she added with a smile.
Billie just closed her eyes. "We're just friends," she shook her head. Right now, she just really felt complete exhaustion consuming her body and she didn't have the strength to argue the point.
"Whatever you say," Jasmine mocked back as she got off the bed for the second time. "Seriously, though. If you happen to change your mind, you know where to find me," she offered as she grabbed her brown leather jacket off the back of her chair and made her way to leave the room.
"I won't change my mind," she muttered back.
"Want the lights off?" Jasmine asked before exiting the door.
"Yes," she muttered a second time in response to her roommate's question.
Billie felt herself bordering on the edge of sleep as Jasmine flicked the light switch on the wall off and closed the door behind her. At the sound of her roommate's departure, she tossed to her other side with her back facing the door.
Night had fallen so darkness embodied the entire layout of the room. A few minutes had passed before a slight draft could be felt and a slight creaking noise could be heard. Naturally, Billie assumed that Jasmine had returned to torture her with one last attempt at getting her to go to that party only the creaking hadn't been the sound of the door opening.
"Jasmine? Forget it," Billie mumbled. "I said I'm not going!"
Then, seconds later, a gloved hand clasped itself tightly over her mouth cutting off most of her air supply. Billie's eyes bolted open in shock as she squirmed, moaned, and grabbed for the hand held firmly in place. His body weight put her at a disadvantage because the pressure placed against her immobilized her and disabled her from using her telekinesis to move him away.
"So, witch," the voice sneered. "How about leading me to that boyfriend of yours?" Billie managed to turn her head around just enough to get a look at the man hovering above her. Then, he smirked. "What was that?" he mocked, smirking, in response to her muffled sounds and squirming gestures. "Uh, yes. Well, I actually agree." He released an evil laugh. "Why don't we let him come to you?"
Then, in a quick flurry of black, the darklighter orbed away with Billie.
X
Paige hustled down the stairs feeling both anxious and on edge.
Patty had promised to be the one to break the startling news but the more Paige had thought about it afterwards, the more she thought it was better to at least warn her sisters that something big was coming down. It felt like the right thing to do. Somehow, it didn't seem fair to let them be taken completely off guard the way she had been. It wasn't her fault that she had accidentally stumbled upon the truth because of one simple meeting with her father.
As she entered the foyer and turned into the living room, she was momentarily startled to see Victor there. Her eyes scanned the room as she caught sight of the children playing on the floor, while Piper sat with Phoebe on the couch. Victor was in a chair on one side of the room and Prue sat opposite, curled up in another chair sipping on something.
"Victor," she greeted as pleasantly as possible. "Great to see you."
Victor and her sisters all turned to look in her direction.
"Hey, Paige," Victor smiled. "How've you been?" he greeted back sincerely inspite of the awkward atmosphere she finally realized she was stumbling into. Come to think of it, nobody appeared to be doing much talking.
"Good," she smiled back. "I'm doing real good," she gave him a dramatic nod and made a face walking away with her back to him.
Piper watched her sister's body language and immediately picked up that something seemed off. Over the years, she had become pretty attuned to reading through her sisters. She sent Paige a questioning look before Phoebe decided to interrupt.
The silence in here is practically deafening, thought Paige.
"Paige," Phoebe put emphasis on her name in what sounded like a sugary fake tone.
Paige slowly turned back around to face her sister and scrunched up her face. Damn her. She had been attempting a quick get-a-way.
"Come have a seat," Phoebe clenched down on her teeth while patting the couch beside her. "I insist."
Paige put her hands up in the air to protest. "No, it's okay, I really don't want to intrude on anything," she tried backing away slowly. Then she met with Piper's stare after looking from each person in the room.
"Oh, no, trust me. You're not!" Piper gave her a fake smile and sent her the message with her eyes. "Feel free to join us," she added. "Please."
Paige sighed and gave her sister a nod. Then she reluctantly sat down in the middle of her two sisters and clasped her hands together.
"So," Paige attempted to begin a discussion and break through the awkward energy in the room. "I guess the truth has been quite a shock for everybody. I know I'm still adjusting," she added with another nod of her head as she looked around the room for a response.
Any response.
And if only they knew the other half of it. Literally.
"Well, we're all certainly adjusting and need time," Phoebe chimed in, "and Paige didn't we have to go do that thing with the thing at ..." she pointed over her shoulder.
"The thing," Paige cut in and finished for her.
Phoebe and Paige nodded dramatically at each other.
"And I have to go check on that," Piper paused, "thing," she pointed to the ceiling and quickly got up from the couch taking her own cue to break free from this impromptu visitation.
"So, maybe we can do this later?" Phoebe suggested looking between Victor and Prue.
Phoebe was all for reconciliation but this was getting to be too much even for her. Prue hadn't said more than a couple words for the entire duration, Piper still had her issues to contend with so there wasn't much conversation to be had between her and Prue, and Victor just appeared completely lost on what he was supposed to say or do. The few moments they did share involved some interaction with the kids but that was it. Phoebe loved her father but her first assessment had been correct. This reunion had come too soon. The last thing she wanted was to practically kick her father out the front door but they needed to end this masquerade and the sooner the better.
"Uh, yeah, sure. Sounds good to me," Prue agreed while getting up from the chair. "Actually, I'm still feeling pretty beat. Alot of good this coffee did me," she made a face at her cup. "Maybe I'll just switch to what you guys are drinking?" she looked at the remaining content found inside the cup. "I need real sleep, that's my problem."
Paige lept to her feet and grabbed for the cup at the mention of Prue drinking coffee. "Give me that," she instructed without thinking. "No caffeine, it's not good for the baby," she blurted out.
By the time she realized her mistake, it was too late. She looked from Prue, to Piper, to Victor, and finally to Phoebe. All of them sent her questioning stares.
"Baby?" Victor repeated as he looked at Prue and back to Paige. "What baby?"
"Oops," Paige uttered while returning to her seat, coffee cup in hand. She closed her eyes trying to cover up her momentary embarrassment caused by her slip of the tongue.
"Yeah, what baby?" Prue laughed nervously. "I'm not pregnant," she refuted. However, the more Prue thought about it, the possibility began to grow to life within her mind. She had been feeling sick lately. Just great, she thought.
"Um, can we rewind back to the part where we all agreed we'd do this at another time?" Paige tried. Her jaw was tight and teeth clenched.
"Nice try," Phoebe laughed. "I'd definitely say the cat's out of the bag," she rolled her eyes playfully and looked at Prue for confirmation.
Piper took a quick glance in Prue's direction and immediately picked up on the worry written all over her face. "Paige?" she prodded.
Paige sighed and stood back up.
"Look, I'm sorry I just blurted it out like that. But I didn't know if you already knew or not so I didn't say anything before. Dimitri told me that while he was healing you he sensed the baby. He told me that's why I had trouble healing you because both you and the baby were in trouble," she settled on.
"Oh," Prue sat back down on the chair a bit stunned.
Piper tried to offer some reassurance. "Prue, if you are, it's okay. I've already done the witch thing with two pregnancies under my belt. Now I'm going for number three," she lifted up her shirt just enough to reveal the small bulge beginning to form there.
Prue contemplated Piper's admission to being pregnant. She hadn't known but now that she did it struck her as rather ironic. However, Prue also felt a twinge of guilt. All the added stress, linked with her sudden reappearance, probably wasn't very good for her sister or the baby and the last thing she wanted was to cause anymore disruption or pain.
"Well. So much for home pregnancy tests, huh?" Prue tried to joke.
"Prue, you can still take a test to be sure," Piper spoke up in a light of the new revelation. "Then you can take it from there," she advised gently.
Phoebe stepped forward to offer her sister a hug. "Listen, sweetie, I think it's great if you are, okay?" she leaned over and offered up her support readily. "And we're here to help so please remember that. With anything you need."
Prue accepted the hug and the support. "Thanks."
Prue still felt weary regarding the timing. Andy wasn't even here.
"Prue, it'll be alright. Everything eventually works out. So please listen Phoebe," Piper knew Prue was still worried. "You don't always have to do everything on your own, you know?" she supplied. "We were put together for a reason which means we fight our battles together. We're stronger that way."
Prue listened to Piper's words. "Right," she agreed with a small smile.
Suddenly, Paige's voice broke in from the background. "So," she interjected. "Should I take this as a sign you're not mad at me for my unbelievably bad timing?"
Prue, Piper, and Phoebe all broke out with smiles.
Prue stood back up next to Phoebe. "No, of course not."
Victor was moved enough to walk over and offer Prue a hug at the news. Piper followed in her father's footsteps and reached out to hug her sister next. Victor explained that he would be going but also insisted he be kept updated with any news. Piper and Phoebe stood huddled on each side of Prue while he offered up his good-byes.
X
It was the dark of night as he treaded lightly over the grass and under the dimly lit moon. Actually, the tree leaves were responsible for their part in helping to shield the moonlight and its magnificent glow up high in the sky. The only sound to be heard around him and in the distance were the night crickets, hidden within the plant life, and invisible to the naked eye. When he reached his destination, he stopped.
Coop slowly knelt down in front of the tombstone that held the name of the one person he had loved and cherished but failed to protect during his entire lifetime as a mortal. He had lost her. They had allowed their petty differences to separate them, they had drifted apart, and in the end it had cost them their lives. Honestly, he had convinced himself that he had put this part of his past to rest but after today that didn't seem to be the case at all. Reappearing before the Council had dredged it back up.
Slowly, he glanced between her grave and the small grave positioned directly next to hers. It was supposed to be the resting place belonging to the baby girl he had never gotten the opportunity to see grow. He had imagined the worst possible scenarios.
Now, he stood contemplating the possibility that she was still out there somewhere.
To Be Continued: Hehe. Lol, seriously, stay tuned for the next chapter and don't forget to review.