After she had heard the news about Prue, Phoebes world had shut down. She was suddenly thrown into a roll that was Pipers. She was suddenly the middle sister. She had being playing mediator between Piper and Paige, as Piper had with her and Prue. She had shut out all the bad that had happened to her in the underworld.
Sitting upright she gasped for a breath. Seeing two figures approach her in the dark, she knew right away who they were.
Out of years of instinct Prue pulled her sister to her and held her in her arms.
"I had to be strong." She whispered out. "Piper and Paige were both lost in their own ways. I had to be storing for them." has said as tears ran down her face.
"Oh honey. You didn't have to be strong for me. We would have been strong for each other." Piper told her crying sister. "You went through so much there only to come home to.." Piper couldn't brig herself to say it. She knew that Prues death had effected them each in a different way.
Phoebe looked at Piper and turned from her embrace from Prue and reached out to Piper. "I'm sorry. I should have told you." She cried into Pipers shoulder. "I'm sorry."
"Sshhh. It's ok now. But you can't keep stuff like this from me honey. We have to go down this road together. And if that means without Prue then we need to be there for each other." Piper held Phoebes head to her should as if she was cradling a baby.
Prue watched as Piper comforted Phoebe and quietly stepped out of the room in search of Paige. As much as she wanted to hold Phoebe and tell her that her dying was not her fault and that one day the pain in her heart would not hurt as much, she knew now that it was Pipers job to comfort her.
"Hi."
Prue turned and looked at Paige, "Hi."
"Phoebe going to be ok?"
"Yeah. She just had some things to work out with Piper."
"And you."
"Yeah and me." Prue stated truthfully as she walked into Paige's room. "I like what you did in here. It looks great."
"Thanx." Paige said softly. "Prue, your leaving now aren't you?"
Prue moved over to the window and starred down at the street lights below.
"You know I used to sit up here for hours when I was a teenager just looking down at the lights. This was Grams room you know." She said to no one in particular. She knew Paige was there but she was reliving something and sharing it with her new sister. She looked down at her hands as Paige's question rang through her mind, "Yeah Paige, I am. I wish I could stay. To get to know you better; my baby sister. So that I can be here the next time that Phoebe wakes up from a nightmare. Or for Piper when she needs to just talk. She likes that, just sitting in the solarium just talking about everything yet at the same time nothing." Standing up she approached her sister and pulled her in for a hug. "Take care of them for me. And take care of yourself."
"I will." Was all that Paige could manage as she returned the hug to the one sister she never thought she would meet.
Prue released the hug as she placed a hand to her sister cheek. "I love you." Then she turned and left Paige in her room.
She paused outside the door before her, knowing that the next goodbyes would be the hardest of all. Taking in a deep breath she turned the handle and slowly opened the door. Piper still had one arm over Phoebes shoulders, but her baby sisters crying were only heaves now. She stood before them, before bending down to look at them both. Placing a hand on each of their knees she could see the pain and loss in their eyes.
"You're going aren't you?" Piper asked the question that she already knew the answer to.
"You know if I could stay I would. I love you two so much." she started as she could feel the tears welling in her eyes. Tears that she saw mirrored in her sisters' eyes. "I love you two more then anything. I protected you your entire lives, and I will continue to protect you." She told them as her voice started to crack from trying to once again remain strong.
She cupped Pipers face in one hand and got Piper to meet her gaze, "You're the oldest now Piper, watch out for these two. Especially Phoebe, we both know how wild and free she can be, and help Paige understand our heritage. I love you my confidant, my friend, my sister." She pulled Piper into a hug as both of their tears cascaded down their faces.
"I love you Prue." Piper managed to cry out. "And I will try and be the big sister that you were to me." The tears now flowing and Piper making no effort to hid them as she released her hug from Prue, who in turn looked over at Phoebe.
She spoke no words to her baby sister, she just opened her arms and Phoebe fell into them freely. Neither the oldest or the youngest to ashamed to show the tears. Holding Phoebe tight Prue was sad and angry at the times that they had spent apart or fighting. They had lost so much time, only to get three years back.
"I don't want you to go." Phoebe cried.
"I know honey. It not fair I know, but I will always be here for you when ever you need me. Just as I told you all those time that Mum was always here for us. Keep me close to your heart Phoebe and I will never leave you."
"I can't do this without you." Phoebe cried, "I'm lost without you." She whispered.
"No Phoebe, you can do this. Of the three of us you embraced being a witch. You took our heritage and made Piper and I believers."
"But I lost you because of it. I wish I had never found that stupid book."
"You don't mean that sweetie. I know that you are scared and hurt right now. I was too when I found myself looking up at Mum and Grams. I felt my own guilt for leaving you two behind. You don't always have to be the strong one Phoebe. If you need to cry and just let it out, talk to Piper. Help her guide Paige. But you can get through this. I know you." She pulled back slightly from their hug and Prue took Phoebes face in both her hands and met her big brown eyes. The same eyes that she had seen the innocents of the world in the day her baby sister was born. "Cry for me and mourn me Phoebe, but do not blame yourself for my death." She brushed away the tears that ran down Phoebes face, "One day we will be together again, just not now. I love you Phoebe Halliwell. I will always love you."
Phoebe met Prues gaze and listened to the words. "I love you too Prue." She cried no longer trying to hide her tears, no longer ashamed of them. it was alright to cry, and she had four months of tears to release. She wrapped her arms around Prues neck spills the tears onto her sisters shoulder and into her hair. " I love you." She pulled herself from her sister and ran out of her bedroom not able to watch as her sister left them once again.
Prue and Piper watched as she left the room. Before Prue looked at Piper.
"Don't worry Prue. I'll keep an eye on her."
"I'll always worry about you two, I always have. I love you Piper."
"I love you too Prue."
With a bath of golden lights around her, Piper watched as her big sister disappeared once again from their lives. "I love you." She whispered as she gave a slight wave to the sparkles.
Piper stood there a few more moments when she left the room in search of Phoebe. Eventually finding her on the hammock out on the back porch. Not saying a word Piper joined her and placed an arm around her shoulder gathering her close to her as Phoebe cried. Four months of tears built up inside as she let go of her sister; her mother.
Paige watched them from the kitchen door. She knew that this was their moment and she felt a tug on her own heart strings to see her sisters go through so much pain. She turned and went back inside to her room. Cherishing the memories that she now had of her oldest sister.
& &
It was on the hammock that Paige found her sisters the next morning, curled up in each other's arms. Taking the blanket from the closet, she went outside and placed it carefully over the two of them, only to have Piper meet her gaze with a smile. Smiling back she went back inside.
Piper stayed with her arms around Phoebe when she felt her sister stir. Looking down into Phoebes warm eyes she squeezed her tighter. "Morning.
"Morning."
"How'd you sleep?"
"Well seeing as I shared a hammock with my big sister not bad." Phoebe smile up at Piper
"Yeah well." Piper placed a kiss on the top of Phoebes head. "I love you."
"I love you too." Phoebe said snuggling close to her sister, "Piper?"
"Yeah sweetie?"
Phoebe paused a moment before asking her question. "She's here all the time with us isn't she?"
Piper looked out to the backyard as the morning dew melted with the early fall sun. "Yeah Phoebe, she is."
"We're going to be ok Piper."
"Yeah honey we will be. We have each other and Paige. And Prue will always be here for us."
"I miss her."
"I know, so do I. But as long as we keep her in our hearts she will always be with us. And one day we will all be together again." Piper explained to Phoebe.
"Yeah, one day."
"Phoebe you have to promise me something." Piper looked down at her sister as her tone turned serious.
"What?" Phoebe asked as she tilted her head to look up at her sister.
"You have to talk to me. What you kept inside wasn't right. You should have told me what happened down there."
"I know. It was just everything happening at once. I'm sorry."
"That's ok sweetie. Just don't do it again ok?"
"Ok." Phoebe agreed. "I love you Piper."
"And I love you Phoebe."
They stayed on the hammock for what seemed like hours. Talking about the times they shared with their big sister. The good times and the bad: the happy times and the sad. Together they would miss her and love her. But they would never let her go. They would always keep her close to their hearts. Knowing that one-day they would be together again.