It's Monday---which means it's time for an update!
Thank you as always to our loyal reviewers: PrueAndyForever, lizardmomma, littlemissbad, and Allen Pitt. :-)
Just an FYI to all my loyal readers and reviewers: Due to RL being rather crazy right now (making it hard to update on a daily basis), I'm trying something a little different in regards to the updates by posting longer chapters, but less often. Therefore the next update for this fic will be next Monday (02/18/2008).
Thank you for your understanding, and enjoy!
PART SIXTEEN: "Memories"
They followed Prue over to her car, and she walked over to the driver's side. Andy walked up next to her and shook his head. "No, let me. Admit it, Prue. I can get us there safely; could you?"
Prue started to argue with him, but she had to admit that Andy was right since neither Phoebs, Leo, nor she herself were in any kind of mental state to be behind the wheel, so she just silently handed him the keys and walked around to the passenger side instead. Phoebe opened the back door and crawled into the back her feet on the "hump, Cole following her, his hand still firmly grasped in hers. Leo got in on the other side. He still looked absolutely devastated, so Phoebe took his hand, too. She didn't know if it would help him, but it helped her to be hanging onto both her sweetie and her brother-in-law.
As they headed toward the church, both sisters were glad that they had taken care of all of the arrangements before Phoebe had that premonition that led to her and Prue's blowup. And they were all glad that they were heading toward a church. Phoebe thought they should have a Wiccan ceremony in the mausoleum, but Prue disagreed and Phoebe had to admit that her big sis was right.
Had it been one of them who had died, then a ceremony like that would've made sense. But not for Piper. Piper was the one who always wanted a normal life and most of the people who knew her didn't know her as a Wiccan or as a witch, they knew her through P3. And of all three sisters, Piper was the one who remained the most Christian, even after they became witches. Unknown to both sisters, they were both remembering the scene Piper had told them about, shortly after Phoebe read the spell that made them Charmed:
Start Flashback (Episode 1.02 I've Got You Under My Skin)
[Scene: Outside a church. Piper's sitting in her car. Someone knocks on the window. Piper gets a fright.
Piper: Pastor Williams, you scared me.
Pastor Williams: I'm sorry. Aren't you a little early? Dropping off the unused food from the restaurant. I thought you weren't coming by until this afternoon.
Piper: I am. I mean, I'm coming back with everything.
Pastor Williams: Great. So what are you doing here now?
Piper: Nothing really. Just, uh, just thinking.
Pastor Williams: About?
Piper: Mary Estee.
Pastor Williams: Who?
Piper: It's just a stupid documentary I saw. By the way, is it true that evil beings can't go into a church without being... (She makes a noise and moves her hands to show they were hit by lightning. They laugh.)
Pastor Williams: Evil beings? You mean, like what? Vampires?
Piper: Vampires, no. I was thinking more on the lines of witches.
Pastor Williams: Witches, huh? Let me out it to you this way. I sure wouldn't wanna risk it. I gotta go. I'll see you later?
Piper: Yeah, right, absolutely. (He leaves. Piper gets out of her car and walks over to the door. Just as she's about to grab the handle, there's a crack of thunder and she runs away.)
End Flashback
Both sisters laughed through their tears as the same thoughts went through their heads: Oh, Piper! It seems so strange that we're now heading toward that same church and that Pastor Williams is the one who'll be officiating the ceremony.
Phoebe squeezed Cole's hand, glad that despite being half-demon, he had his demon half well under control and would now be counted as good. By saving her from the Source and not handing her over, he now had a bounty on his head, but he would be able to go into the church and be with Phoebe without any fears of being struck by lightning or anything else. She knew that--he'd come with them when they went over to talk to Pastor Williams and Cole was able to walk in without any problems. And both he and Leo had verified that evil could not go into a church. Cole would have no fear of bounty hunters as long as they were all in the church. Later, at the celebration of Piper's life at P3, maybe. And if that did turn out to be the case, they'd have to handle that when they'd have to. They somehow had to get through this first.
Even while Phoebe was thinking about this, Prue was remembering another conversation between Piper and the pastor that Piper told them about. Now Phoebe thought about that same conversation:
Start Flashback (Episode 1.02 I've Got You Under My Skin)
Piper: Okay, here's the deal. I got this friend. Has a little problem. Could be bad. Not quite sure what to tell her.
Pastor Williams: You wanna go inside?
Piper: No. I mean, I've gotta get going.
Pastor Williams: So what's the problem?
Piper: Well, she kinda, sort of thinks she might be a witch.
Pastor Williams: Witches again, huh?
Piper: Not a good thing is it?
Pastor Williams: Certainly not a question I get everyday. How well do you remember Sunday school lessons? Matthew 22:18. Thou shall not suffer a witch to live.
Piper: Meaning...
Pastor Williams: If you go by the old school, it means put her to death. She's evil.
End Flashback
Phoebe again laughed through her tears: Oh, Piper, when you told me about that, I thought you were going to kill me! But I knew that couldn't be true; it couldn't--how could we be the protectors of the innocent if we were evil?
But both sisters wondered if Pastor Williams ever thought about that conversation and if maybe that's why he agreed to let Prue and Phoebe adapt the readings they'd be giving. Both sisters hoped they could do those readings properly! Again their thoughts were the same: Is our doing the readings really a good idea? Maybe we should've had someone one else do them. But, no, we've changed them to fit Piper--it just wouldn't be right for anyone else but us to read them. We can do it. For Piper.
And later on, Piper told them about how she found out whether they were or weren't still good:
Start Flashback (Episode 1.02 I've Got You Under My Skin)
[Scene: Outside the church. Piper's sitting in her car.
Piper: I have nothing to be afraid of. I have nothing to be afraid of. (She gets out of her car and walks over to the church door. She holds onto the handle and pulls it open. She pokes her foot inside to make sure nothing happens. She steps inside and smiles.) I'm good!
End Flashback
Again Phoebe smiled through her tears. And that's when you found Brittney, our first innocent who we saved from evil, and that led you and Prue into saving me from that same evil. You were wearing your cross then, Piper. You always wore it. You're still wearing it. Yes, having your funeral in a church makes perfect sense.
Start Flashback (Episode 2.19 Ex Libris)
Up in the front Prue was lost in her own little world—staring out the side window and daydreaming:
[Scene: Manor. Prue walks in the bathroom. Someone's in the shower. She walks over to the sink and wipes the fog off the mirror.
Prue: Hey, Piper, will you do me a favor and feed the cat? I want to get down to the Haight. (She gets her toothbrush and toothpaste.) You know, I wanna see if that guy is still on that bus bench. You know, I just couldn't stop thinking about him all night. I mean, there's no guarantee that he'll actually be there but if he is I wanna get a better shot. (She starts brushing her teeth and then Piper walks in.)
Piper: Prue, wh-what are you doing in here?
Leo: Piper, can you hand me a towel? (Leo pulls across the shower curtain and sees Prue.) Prue!
(Prue's eyes widen.)
Prue: Leo. (Piper throws him a towel.) Nice orbs.
Piper: Bye. (Prue continues to look at Leo.) Bye.
(Prue walks backwards into the door.)
Prue: Ow.
Piper: Let me help you, let me help you. (Piper opens the door and Prue walks outside.) Alright, go on, sicko.
End Flashback
A sad smile crept across her face as another memory played through her mind, this time from even further back.
Start Flashback (Episode 1.16 That 70's Episode)
Little Prue: We're not supposed to go places with strangers.
Prue: Yes, but we're not strangers, Prue. You're safe with us and I know that you know in your heart that you can trust us.
Little Piper: If you're really family, prove it.
Piper: Prove it? How the hell are we supposed to do that?
Prue: Piper!
Little Piper: Piper. Your name's Piper too?
Piper: Uh, yeah, and not only do we have the same name... (she hits and kicks the drawer and it opens) but we have the same secrets.
End Flashback
Sweetie, you weren't just my sister—you were my best friend, too. Even when we were that little, we were inseparable. I never thought there would come a day when you wouldn't be around.
In the backseat, Phoebe found herself snuffling back her tears as she remembered Piper's reaction when they first became witches:
Start Flashback (Episode 1.01 Something Wicca This Way Comes)
[Scene: Outside Halliwell manor. Phoebe's sitting on the stairs drinking coffee. Piper comes out.
Piper: You're up early.
Phoebe: I never went to sleep.
Piper: Don't tell me you put on a black conical hat and spent the night flying around the neighborhood on a broomstick?
(She sits down next to Phoebe.)
Phoebe: The only broom I've ever had was kept in a closet beside a mop.
Piper: So what were you doing?
Phoebe: Reading. Is Prue around?
Piper: She went to work early. Reading aloud?
Phoebe: No. According to the Book Of Shadows, one of our ancestors was a witch, named Melinda Warren.
Piper: And we have a cousin who's a drunk, an aunt who's manic, and a father who's invisible. (She stands up.)
Phoebe: I'm serious. She practiced powers. Three powers. She could move objects with her mind, see the future and stop time. Before Melinda was burned at the stake, she vowed that each generation of Warren witches would become stronger and stronger, culminating in the arrival of three sisters. (They walk to Piper's car.) Now, these sisters would be the most powerful witches the world has ever known. They're good witches and I think we're those sisters.
Piper: Look, I know what happened last night was weird and unexplainable, but we're not witches and we do not have special powers besides, Grams wasn't a witch and as far as we know, neither was Mom. (Piper kisses her on the cheek.) So take that, Nancy Drew.
End Flashback
Oh, Piper, how I wish that had just been a story, that neither Grams nor Mom were witches and neither were we. If it was true, you'd still be alive!
Prue continued to stare out the window, content to stay lost in her memories:
Start Flashback (Episode 1.15 Which Prue Is It Anyway?)
(Prue notices a statue standing in the living room.)
Prue: Okay, okay, what's wrong with this picture?
Piper: Aside from me not getting paid enough?
Prue: No. What is Grams' statue still doing in the living room?
Piper: We talked about it last night remember?
Prue: Yes, I do remember, and I thought that we agreed that it was an eyesore and she was going back to storage.
Piper: That is before I learned that storage down town is now 90 bucks a month and storage here is free. So, I called Phoebe and we decided that she can stay here and last I checked we were still living in a democracy.
Prue: Okay, but Piper, she's ugly.
Piper: Majority rules, sis. Unless, you can move her.
(Prue tries to move her with her power. She can't.)
Prue: Oohh... okay, okay, that didn't work.
Piper: It's solid marble. It took eight of Phoebe's bouncer friends to move it. It's too heavy for you.
Prue: You know, my powers are still growing and one day...
Piper: You can move it into the basement. But until then--suffer.
End Flashback
Even though you were the quietest one out of the three of us, you had the driest sense of humor and the right one-liners to make light out of even the most serious of situations. We sure could use one of those right now…
Start Flashback (Episode 2.02 Morality Bites)
Phoebe: February 12, 2009. That's two weeks before the date I saw in my premonition.
Prue: Alright, that should give us more than enough time to figure out what put you there.
Piper: I wonder how I look?
Phoebe: Piper, you look great but this is hardly the time ...
Piper: Not now. In the future. When we went back to the seventies we saw ourselves as kids and now we'll be seeing ourselves walking around ten years older. All that vanquishing. Think of the wear and tear.
End Flashback
And on the flip side of your sarcasm was that sweetness, kindness, and spontaneity that made you, you. That's what I'm going to miss most of all:
Start Flashback (Episode 1.04 Dead Man Dating)
[Scene: Manor. Prue, Piper and Phoebe walk inside.
Prue: You know what? I've changed my mind. Maybe I should have a party after all.
Phoebe: Are you serious?
Prue: Yeah, why not? I mean, Mark is right.
Piper: Well, Prue, I'm glad you said that 'cause...
(They walk in the living room and there stands a room full of people.)
Everyone: Surprise!
Piper: Did I getcha? I gotcha.
Prue: Yeah, you got me.
Piper: Yeah.
End Flashback
I wish you still had me, sweetie, and I wish I still had you. But you'll always have my heart.
Next to Phoebe in the back seat, Leo sniffled back his tears. This was unreal to him--so very unreal. Just like the two sisters, his mind also began to wander:
Start Flashback (Episode 2.02 Morality Bites)
Piper: Speak of the angel. I'll get that. (She answers the door.) Hey, stranger. (She grabs him and gives him a passionate kiss.)
Leo: I would have settled for a nice hello.
Piper: Didn't anyone tell you not to settle?
Leo: That's a good lesson.
Piper: I've been learning a lot of them lately.
Leo: So I've heard. Look, honestly, I didn't know you were gonna be sent to the future. I don't even know what happened when you got there. All I was told was apparently you had something to learn.
Piper: So, that's why you're here.
Leo: No. That's why you're here. You three were given a glimpse of your future to learn a valuable lesson. And I'm glad you learned it too because I know they wouldn't have brought you back if you didn't. Speaking of which, they're making me work tonight, so I can't really...
Piper: This is always gonna be a problem for us isn't it?
Leo: I'm willing to work on it.
Piper: Good. Because I'll never forget you said that.
End Flashback
Oh, sweetheart, I never did. I never would've. I never will.
Immediately another memory came to mind:
Start Flashback (Episode 2.12 Awakened)
Piper: Hey.
Leo: Hey. How are you feeling?
Piper: Okay. A little tired. Which is actually a good thing. Leo, thank you for everything you...
Leo: Couldn't let you die, Piper.
Piper: I'm very glad you couldn't. Did you get in trouble?
Leo: Yeah, actually, a lot. They found out what I did. They clipped my wings.
Piper: What?
Leo: It's not permanent. It's more like a suspension... I hope.
Piper: Leo, I-I-I don't know what to say.
Leo: You don't have to say anything. You didn't do anything, I did. I guess in the back of my mind I always hoped someday, somehow, you and I would get a second chance.
Piper: I'm with Dan now.
Leo: I know. But I also know now that I'm a mortal, I'm gonna fight for you. May the best man win.
End Flashback
And I fought with everything I had. If I hadn't, if I'd let you marry Dan and have the normal homelife you wanted so badly, would you have lived longer? If that's what it meant, I'd turn that back in an instant, sweetheart, but I'm still glad you chose me, because I would never want to be without all the wonderful memories we made together.
Phoebe could hear Leo snuffling next to her, and knew that he was lost in memory, too. She gently and reassuringly squeezed his hand as she thought about her playing Cupid between the two of them, mainly because she was also interested in Leo, while he always had eyes only for Piper, so Phoebe wanted to get Piper's goat:
Start Flashback (Episode 1.09 The Witch Is Back)
[Scene: Manor. Kitchen. Leo's under the sink, fixing it. Phoebe's sitting at the table and Piper's standing up.
Piper: So I suggested we add Crab Sautee' to the, uh, lunch menu and it was great. Sold out. Do you like crab, Leo?
Leo: You know what I'd love, Piper?
Piper: What's that?
Leo: Is the, uh, ratchet extension. Could you hand that to me?
Piper: Sure. (Piper looks in his toolbox but doesn't know what it is. Phoebe walks over and pulls out the ratchet extension.) I knew that. (She takes it from Phoebe and gives it to Leo.) Here you go.
Leo: Thanks.
Piper: (whispering to Phoebe) Stop it. Go away. (She tries to get Phoebe to leave.) Be right back, Leo.
Leo: No problem.
(Piper and Phoebe go in the dining room.)
Piper: Stop it.
Phoebe: My sentiments exactly. Stop hinting around and ask him out already. Give him some of your crab.
Piper: Don't be disgusting.
Phoebe: Don't be so shy.
Piper: What if he says no?
Phoebe: Yeah, like that'll happen.
Piper: No, I'm serious.
Phoebe: So am I.
Piper: I'm very serious. I've never... you know...
Phoebe: You're kidding, right?
Piper: No.
Phoebe: You've never asked a guy out before?
Piper: Not on a real date, no.
Phoebe: I don't understand. Am I the only person in this family who's inherited the take-a-chance gene?
Piper: Probably. 'Cause if I remember my biology correctly, it's attached to the can't-mind-my-own-business gene.
End Flashback
Phoebe heaved a heavy sigh as a wistful look played across her features. And you were definitely right about that one. If only I hadn't taken a chance and stayed out of the attic!
Leo squeezed Phoebe's hand back even as more memories flooded his mind, memories that meant so very much:
Start Flashback (Episode 2.16 Murphy's Luck)
Leo: Piper, are you mad at me?
Piper: No, don't be ridiculous. Why would I be mad at you?
Leo: I don't know, that's why I'm asking. What is it?
Piper: It's just, um, Dan.
Leo: Oh. Never mind, sorry I asked.
(Leo stands up.)
Piper: Um, he's-he's going to be... (Piper stands up.) he's going to be very upset when he finds out... (pause) you're the one that I really love.
Leo: Yeah?
Piper: Yeah. (They kiss.)
End Flashback
No, sweetheart, I'd never give up that memory. Not for anything in the world.
In the front seat, even though Prue had been trying her hardest to hold back her tears, a couple of them leaked out and ran down her cheek. She made a half-hearted attempt to wipe them away, but soon realized that it was of no use. Why did it have to be you, sweetie? You, who had a loving husband and a bright future ahead of you. Why you? She dabbed at her eyes with a tissue and took a shaky breath in order to get herself back under control, but that question of "why" still lingered in her mind and she doubted that she would ever know the answer. I know that this day has just started, but is it wrong to wish it was over with already?
And as Andy pulled into the church parking lot, that same thought played through the minds of all five people in the car.
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