I am definitely on some sort of roll! This is number 3 for this week - I think it's pretty sweet. Again, I apologize for the slow movement, but I really want to focus on the characters relationships with one another. I think that is a really important aspect of the story. With all of that aside... enjoy!
"Did you have any good dreams last night, Paisley baby?" Phoebe questioned her daughter as they made their way towards the manor early the next morning. Paige had awoken her with a rather frantic phone call and she was now speeding towards her old childhood home. Whether it was demonic issues or family ones, Paige didn't clarify, but Phoebe hurried nonetheless.
"No mommy," Paisley yawned. "I was too tired to dweam last night."
Phoebe couldn't help but smile. Tired? That was an understatement. Exhausted was far better fitting. After returning to the hotel the night before, Paisley had fallen asleep immediately, despite the nap that she had stolen earlier that day. Leo had succeeded in draining her of all of her energy, and any other day, Phoebe would have been grateful for it. But this was different. Paisley had apparently dreamed about her father - a father who she had never met or even seen before. Phoebe needed to figure out what that meant and soon.
"So, about your dream yesterday..." Phoebe continued.
"Do you mean the one with my daddy?" Paisley questioned.
"That's right, the one with your da... that man," Phoebe stuttered awkwardly. "How did you know that it was him... your daddy?"
"Mommy, you're silly!" Paisley giggled. "I just know, of course!"
"But... how? Baby, what did he look like?" Phoebe persisted, intent on learning some answers.
"Well... he wooked wike... my daddy!" Paisley offered gleefully as if it was the most obvious answer.
"Yeah, but - - Oh, never mind," Phoebe sighed in defeat, realizing that probing a three year old for details wasn't exactly the easiest, or the most rewarding task.
"Mommy, you're funny!" Paisley laughed as she wriggled in her seat.
"I think that you're pretty amusing sometimes too, baby girl," Phoebe smiled as she watched her daughter in the review mirror. "And guess what? We're here!"
"Yay!" Paisley squealed in delight as Phoebe parked the car, got out and proceeded to carry Paisley up the steep steps towards the manor.
Before she could even ring the doorbell, however, Paige thrust open the door and gasped, "Oh, thank god you're here."
"Paige, what happened? Is everything ok?" Phoebe asked worriedly as she released Paisley into the old house.
"Well, no... Not exactly," Paige explained as she shut the large oak door. "Apparently Leo spilled the beans about how you two have been in contact – how you've seen each other before yesterday. And she's not a bit too happy – in fact, I think it would be fitting to say that she's down right pissed off and she has every right to be. Anyways, I'm rambling. The point is, she refuses to speak to anybody, not Leo, me or even the boys!"
"And how are you holding up?" Phoebe questioned earnestly.
"Oh, don't go thinking that you're getting off of the hook that easily, missy," Paige began angrily. "I'm not at all impressed. In fact, I'm really hurt that you were able to talk to Leo, but not us. I mean, you're our sister, doesn't that count for anything? But right now, it's not me who you need to deal with. It's Piper. While you go and sort things out with her, I'm going to take my little niece, here, to the park!"
"Yay!" Paisley applauded while she reached for her aunt's hand, remaining oblivious to the tension that filled the room.
The room remained quiet for a few minutes before Paige grabbed her purse and hurried Paisley out of the door while exclaiming, "Well, we're off!... Good luck."
"Bye baby," Phoebe called out weakly to her daughter who was already leaping down the steps, leaving her surprised on how easily and quickly Paisley had taken off without her.
Looking around the hall, Phoebe slowly deposited her purse on the table, like she had done so many times in the past. Her eyes came to rest on the stairwell, which seemed rather daunting at the moment, making her become increasingly aware of the almost unbearable silence that encased the old house. She crept up the stairs slowly, painfully aware of the creaks and moans that she created with each gentle step. She pondered worriedly about why she, of all people, had been designated to pursue this most difficult and perhaps even deadly task. Piper was angry with her – hell; she could feel it as soon as she walked into the house! Why would Paige think that Piper would be comforted by her? This whole mess was her fault to begin with. It just didn't make any sense.
Phoebe, however, was prepared to jump at any chance that was offered to her, in order to mend the damage that she had managed to create. She needed to set everything back to normal, like it used to be. This thought surged through her mind as she confidently walked into Piper's bedroom.
"What the hell do you think you're doing in here?" Piper burst out in a fit of anger as she wiped fresh tears from her face.
"Oh God, Piper," Phoebe exclaimed while covering her mouth with a hand, feeling her own emotions running high as she took in her sister's dreadful appearance. Her eyes remained swollen from a night filled with tears, her hair tousled and untidy and her face red and blotchy. Before she could think twice and stop herself, Phoebe locked Piper into a powerful hug, filled with all of the love and strength that she could muster at that moment, and whispered into her shoulder, "I'm so sorry... I hate myself for doing this to you."
"No!" Piper yelled furiously while pushing Phoebe away almost violently. "I'm so sick of hearing you say that! 'Sorry' just ain't going to work this time, Phoebe. You went too far - - way too far. I thought that our relationship meant something. All of those years that I stood up for you when nobody else would, when I begged Prue to let you come home after you came back from New York broke and misguided – obviously that didn't mean anything to you. Phoebe, you betrayed me in a way that I didn't even know existed. I would never, ever, dare to hurt you like that. Honestly, I don't know if I'll ever be able to forgive you."
Phoebe looked up at Piper, her eyes overflowing with tears and started, "Piper you are... were, the best friend that I ever had. Even while I was away, I couldn't stop thinking about you and all of the pain that I had probably caused. Paisley knows everything about you. I'd show her pictures of you and me, and tell her how you'd always comfort and stand up for me, even after I'd done the most terrible things. Don't you ever think that I've forgotten. I never will. You've spent your entire life trying to protect and shield me from the big bad world. I even remember when I was really little and you'd let me crawl into bed with you after I'd had a nightmare, because I was too scared to wake up Grams or Prue. You'd always complain about how I would keep you up for half the night, and yet, every time I'd come back, you'd welcome me with open arms. But when it came time for me to protect you, I did what I'm best at: running away and screwing things up. I really thought that running away was the best solution – in fact, I still do. I'm so sorry that I've hurt you so much, but I'm not here to ask for your forgiveness. But you do need to forgive Leo."
"No way, Phoebe," Piper cried. "As much as I can't believe that you chose to confide in him over me, I can't believe that he didn't tell me where you were. That truly broke my heart."
"I understand how you feel, but if it wasn't for him, I probably wouldn't be here right now," Phoebe said quietly.
"What?" Piper whispered through tears as she sat back down on the bed.
"Well, a couple of months ago, I got really injured during a demon attack," Phoebe started hesitantly. "In fact, I was pretty much lying on my deathbed. I've tried to shelter Paisley from the evil side of witchcraft, from all of the demons and crazies that are out there. But you, of all people, understand just how difficult that is to do. So, I tried to keep the whole demon hunting thing to a minimum, doing it only if she was either out of the apartment, or fast asleep. On this particular night, however, an extremely powerful upper level demon caught me off guard and attacked me at home. Paisley must have woken up after the demon had left, and thankfully, she remembered the only good advice that I've ever shared with her. I told her that if she ever found me looking very hurt and unable to speak, that she had to call for Uncle Leo as loud as she possibly could, and she did. After he healed me, I told him all about the premonition that I had, and all of the reasons I had for leaving. He persuaded me to come home – actually begged me to come with him that night. But I couldn't, and he was upset – mainly because he didn't want to keep such a huge secret from you. But I made him promise, because coming home was something that I had to do on my own terms. I was the only one who could explain everything to you and Paige."
"And he wasn't able to sense you before that?" Piper questioned hopefully.
"No," she replied firmly.
"But why? How?" Piper asked furiously as she lifted herself from the bed and began to pace around the room frantically. "How come I couldn't find you? How come none of the spells worked? Phoebe, nobody knew where you were – not even the elders or grams – not anyone! I... I didn't even know if you were still alive!"
"That's not true!" Phoebe yelled. "You knew I was alive. That's one thing that I'm sure of. If I had died, you would have known. You would have felt it deep down inside. It's part of the bond that we share as sisters. I felt it when Prue died, and I know you did too."
"That's not the point, Phoebe," Piper continued quietly while looking at her feet. "How come we couldn't find you, even with magic?"
"Because I didn't want to be found," Phoebe said simply. "I used magic to hide my location from everybody who might possibly be looking for me. I found an ancient spell in an old book of witchcraft that I bought years and years ago. But the hardest part, believe it or not, wasn't hiding from the afterlife or even from the elders. It was hiding from you and Paige – you both never lost hope. I could feel your pain every single day. It was a constant reminder of the life that I was missing, and it made it so much harder to go on each day without you, without my family. But I persevered so I could succeed in protecting you, Piper, because I wouldn't be able to continue without knowing that you were safe."
Piper was taken aback. She watched as her little sister broke down into a fierce fit of tears, cradling her face in her hands as her breathing stumbled. Finally, she couldn't ignore the tugging pain in her heart and she sat down and reached to Phoebe, carefully drawing her arms around her, and guiding her head into her chest. While stroking her hair softly, she gently soothed, "Sh, its ok sweetie. You always knew that I could never stay mad at you for long."
"What?" Phoebe murmured almost incoherently, still trapped within Piper's arms.
"Don't get too excited," Piper said chuckling slightly, before continuing in a more serious manner. "I don't quite forgive you, nor will I be able to trust you like I did for quite some time. But I missed you, and I can't deny how happy I was to see you when you appeared on our doorstep the other day. I may not have seemed happy, but I was. And I realize now, that you were guided by your heart, and in typical Phoebe fashion, jumped to conclusions to quickly. Just promise me that you won't leave us again, because I won't be able to go through this another time."
Phoebe wrapped her arms around Piper's waist before whispering, "I promise,"
Thanks for reading and review if you can!