"Oh my god!" I exclaimed as I opened the door the following week. It was Saturday afternoon. "What are you doing here?"

"I know, I know, I should have called!" said Prue, pushing her sunglasses to her head. "But, I figured I hadn't seen you in forever, so what the hell? Why not surprise you?"

I stepped forward and hugged her tight.

"Well, I am surprised!" I laughed as we broke apart. "Come in, come in!"

She dropped her bag on the coffee table and looked around with an impressed look.

"Piper! It's adorable," she said. She looked at me with approval. "You've done well."

"Thank you," I said with a smile. "God, I can't believe you're here!"

"I know, right? Well, I got in another fight with dad when I came to get the rest of my stuff. So I took off and thought, I know where you are and I miss you! So I came."

"Wow," I breathed. It was such a rush. I had tried to convince myself that I was okay with just being with Leo. But this reminded me how much my sister and family meant to me. Tears rushed to my eyes and I tried to blink them away.

"Honey," whispered Prue, "don't cry."

"Sorry," I choked out.

She hugged me again and I hugged her back, tighter than before.

As we pulled away, I wiped my tears.

"I missed you so much," I said.

"I missed you too," she said softly.

She brushed the hair from my eyes and I forced a smile.

"So," I said in a happier voice, "how is everyone?"

"Everyone is... Okay. Paige takes after you," she laughed. "She's so rebellious."

I laughed as we sat down on the sofa.

"She'll grow out of it," I said. "I did."

"When did you grow out of it?" she laughed. "As I remember, you were at your worst when you left!"

"You can't be rebellious when you're worrying how you're gonna pay the bills," I shrugged.

Her smile faded.

"What?" I asked, after she'd been silent for a moment.

"It's not fair," she sighed.

"What's not fair?" I asked, confused.

She sighed.

"You had to grow up so fast," she whispered with tears. "It's not fair."

"Prue," I held her other hand in mine, "I did this. It was my choice. And I'd do it again. Sure, maybe I grew up fast, but I've never been happier. This is real... This is real life, and it's all I've ever wanted."

"What about school?" she asked. "What if you want to get a job? You didn't finish high school."

"Neither did Leo! And he has a job!" I retorted.

She sighed.

"I guess I'm just looking for help. I'm failing all my classes, and I've moved in with Roger, and dropping out seems like a good thing to do for right now."

I sighed and looked at my big sister. This was a rarity, seeing her weak. I'd always been jealous of her. She had always seemed so confident and strong. Now, she was asking for my help.

"Prue...the only advice I can offer is to not drop out. You are so close, and you should just finish up. Then maybe take some time off to decide if college might be a good thing for you," I said, trying to sound sure of myself.

"Alright," she said after a moment. She nodded her head. "Alright, I'll finish it. I'll have to work so hard."

"It'll be worth it," I smiled.

"So," she smiled back, "we're in LA! Let's go have some fun."

By the time we got home Leo was there. He looked confused when he saw Prue.

"Leo!" screamed Prue, hugging him when we walked in the door. "I haven't seen you since you stole my sister away from me!" she joked.

He gave a laugh.

"It's great to see you, Prue. What are you doing here?"

"Ugh," she groaned, then flashed a smile. "Had to get away from my family."

He glanced at me.

"Sounds familiar..."

We all laughed.