Disclaimer: I don't own Charmed or anything remotely official.

"Prue!" Prue was getting a migraine. Her head pounded with each step, as she went to see what Piper wanted-again. She had been okay the first few days, and wasn't the whining type but lately it was all she did. It wasn't really whining, really, she just needed help doing things. So, when Prue walked into the room to see her sister struggling to get the zipper to her book bag, her heart went out to her. What a time she was having. At least it was her left hand. She just couldn't grasp the book bag tightly enough while she zipped with her other hand.
"Prue, I called you like two minutes ago. I'm going to be late!" She huffed and threw her book bag on the bed. Her morning was not going well and she didn't care how she let her sister know.
"Okay. First of all, I am not your maid. If you need something you come get me or you ask politely. Don't yell, Piper! Second of all, you're not going to be late . You have more than enough time to get ready. Phoebe is getting around still and has yet to take her shower. So, can it." She watched her sister's eyes grow big. Prue never spoke that way with her.
"Sorry, Prue." She grabbed the book bag Prue handed her. She didn't mean to complain, she was just feeling frustrated. Her wrist still hurt and her cast itched. She couldn't do anything it seemed. She couldn't even go to the bathroom by herself because she couldn't hold onto her pants and zip them at the same time.
"It's fine. I just have a headache and your screaming is not helping." Piper nodded and left the room. She thought it better not to say anything.
Prue got up from the bed and went down the hall to make sure Phoebe was in the shower. When she heard it running, she breathed a sigh of relief. At least someone was on the ball today. She still had yet to get ready herself, and Piper couldn't pour the cereal by herself so she hadn't eaten. She wanted to keep her home another day but her boss was being nice enough to let her stay home at all. She thought she'd better not push it. She'd called the doctor and he told her Piper would be okay, and to just give her some pain medication to give to the school nurse. The nurse was used to seeing Piper in her office, as she'd gotten migraines since she was five. They had lessened some, but she still got them. So, whenever Piper came in, the nurse didn't even have to ask. She'd just give Piper her medicine and call Prue to come get her. Being around a classroom full of kids under fluorescent lights was not the ideal place to be when that happened. A dark, dark room was. Prue could still remember when she was out of school one day and her mother brought Piper home from school with a headache. She was only in kindergarten. Her mother had ushered her in to sleep on her bed and had stayed in there all day. Prue figured it must have been soothing, and even if nothing could be done to help, at least she'd had someone there for her. She smiled as she thought about how small her little sister had been in kindergarten. She was a little shrimp back then. How times change. Now they all were a little older and had crazy lives. Massaging her temples, Prue went downstairs to get Piper situated so she could take her medicine.

"Prue, did you_" She started to ask a question and was rudely cut off. Prue was not having the best of days and did not have a lot of patience.
"Yes, Piper. I fixed your lunch. It's in your bag. And I'll tie your shoes when you're finished eating. You know the routine." She was more snippy than usual. She didn't know what her problem was. Maybe she needed a time out.
"Well, if you would listen, I was going to ask if you took some medicine for your headache. I can get it if you want. I know you don't want me to open it or anything, but I can get it. It's for adults, too." Prue didn't normally get headaches like Piper did, but she knew the instructions by heart. Her mother had read them to her once when she was in first grade, and she knew that adults took two and kids twelve and under took one.
"I'm sorry. I didn't mean to snap at you. Thank you, hon. I think I will have some. Let me get you started on your cereal first. Okay, Piper Lou?" She affectionately hugged her sister briefly before going to get the milk out for the cereal.
"That's okay, Prue. Thank you for getting my lunch and tying my shoes. I mean, after breakfast." She hoped her sister's headache would go away. She knew the pain all too well. She looked over the names on her cast, trying to read all the messages. It was amazing how popular you were when you had a cast. Suddenly everyone came out of the woodwork to sign it. It made her feel good.
"Okay. Here's your cereal. I have to go get ready. I think I saw the remote on the couch last. You can watch a half an hour and that's it. I'll be back down in a while." She went upstairs, leaving her sister to eat in peace.

Phoebe was humming a song to herself when she heard her sister pad down the hall. She looked at the clock and realized she was running later than usual. Grabbing her homework, she put it in her book bag and ran downstairs to eat. She saw Piper down there finishing up her cereal.
"Hi, Piper." She greeted her sister happily. She always enjoyed the mornings when she could talk to her big sister.
"Hey, Phoebes. Prue said she'd be down in a little while. You'll have to get your own cereal today, okay?" She looked up from her bowl to see her sister already starting to get hers.
"Okay." She closed the refrigerator door and sat down at the table, joining Piper. The two sat in silence until the phone rang.
"I'll get it. You eat up, Phoebes." Piper got up from her place at the table and picked up the receiver.
"Hi. No, she's upstairs getting ready. I can give her a message, though. Okay. It's feeling better, thank you. Okay. I'll tell her you called. Okay, I'll tell her, too. Bye." She hung up and wrote out the message for her sister.
"Phoebe, Jessie says hi. That was Jake. He wants to go out with Prue tonight." She smirked. She didn't realize Jake and Prue liked each other. It was funny to her.
"She likes him." She giggled to herself as she thought about Prue's reaction to Jake and how happy she was on the way home from Jessie's house.
"I guess so. I don't know." She stuck the note on the table to remind Prue and finished eating. She wasn't sure if she wanted someone else to be in their lives, but if it made Prue happy, then she was all for it. She still thought it was funny, though.
~ ~ ~
"Okay, girls. We're leaving. Don't give Melanie a hard time." Prue kissed each of her sisters on the forehead before walking out the door. Jake and Jessie's sister Melanie said she could watch the kiddos while Prue and Jake had their date. She'd brought over movies and plenty of snack food to keep them up all night. It was okay by their older siblings, though, since she'd be dealing with them.
"Wow. Your sister has guts. I can't believe she agreed to this." Prue laughed to herself as she thought about how much of a pill two little girls would be. She wasn't worried about Piper. She'd keep herself amused without any problem. Jessie and Phoebe would be a whole different story. If Jessie was anything like Phoebe, Melanie would have her hands full. She walked down the steps to Jake's car and let him open the door for her. Once they were in the car they resumed their conversation.
"Ha, don't I know. I told her I would forever be in her debt. Somehow, I doubt she'll forget that anytime soon. She's a good kid. They both are."
"Looks like you're doing something right. They both seem happy. I bet it's hard raising them by yourself." She remembered how hard it was for her to take on the responsibility of taking care of her sisters. She sympathized with Jake.
"Yes and no. It's hard in that sometimes I don't know what to do. I'll make a decision and I just have to trust my gut instinct and pray I made the right choice. On the other hand, our grandparents help out a lot. I don't want to burden them, though. They pick up Jessie and take her to their house to give me a break, which is nice. That sounds so awful, doesn't it?" He grimaced as he thought about how bad he must look. He loved his sister, but sometimes he needed a break from it all. With Melanie off to college, he didn't have as much help and he hated asking for it. It wasn't his grandparents' job to raise his sisters, it was his.
"No, it doesn't. I understand completely. It's so nice to have an adult conversation for a change. Seriously, though, you should be proud of yourself. You're doing a great job with them." She knew the anguish all too well of being thrown into an adult role so early. She didn't feel she was adequate to do the job at times, but she wasn't about to let anyone take her sisters away from her.
"Yes, it is. If any of my high school friends saw me having a tea party with my little sister I think I would be shunned!" He told no one about his weekly get-together when Jessie was 7. She'd grown up a little since then and wasn't into tea parties, luckily for him. There's only so much you can say to a stuffed animal.
"Oh, I remember those! Piper was that way. Phoebe's gotten a little tomboy-ish and wouldn't admit to it, but she joined in on some of those parties." She loved that her sister could have such a diverse personality.
"She has spunk. I bet she's a real terror around the house sometimes. Oh, gosh. I didn't mean that in a rude way. Inserting foot." He kicked himself for being such a prude.
"No, are you kidding? She is more than a terror. Think...tazmanian devil...on sugar. It is not even funny getting her off a sugar high. One day I made the mistake of giving her a pixie stick before dinner and the girl did not calm down for hours. It took me forever to get her into bed, and even then she had to be told to get to bed because she 'wasn't tired'. I know the terror of the Phoebes." They both laughed out loud, picturing Phoebe being Phoebe.
"Oh, what fun. Too bad I wasn't there." He kept on laughing and wiped his eyes so he could see the road again. He really liked Prue and he hoped she'd give him a chance. They seemed to have a lot in common.
"Yeah, too bad you weren't. Since it sounds like so much fun next time I'll trade you. I get Jessie and you get Phoebes!" She playfully slapped him and the two continued laughing to the restaurant as they shared stories that would be sure to embarrass the kids.
~ ~ ~
"...so Piper comes in wearing her swimming suit, a snorkel mask and flippers, and I don't know where she got them because we've never been. Anyway, so she comes into the bathroom, scuba get-up and all, and proceeds to start filling up the bathtub. Now, at this point I realize someone's up so, naturally, I go investigate. I walk in and the tub's not even full yet. She's lying on her stomach with her head partially submerged and she's moving her arms like she's gonna swim to Japan or somewhere but is only managing to get as far as the drain hole. Jake, you should have seen her. You'd think the water would have woken her up. Neither of the girls were the sleepwalking type, but for some reason that day she was. She would be turning bright red if she knew I told you. Not even Phoebe knows.
"Oh, wow. You should have taken a Polaroid or something for blackmail. Did she say what she was doing?" He chuckled as he pictured little Piper swimming in the bathtub.
"Yes. After I got her out and dried her off she said she'd been trying to be like the people at Sea World." She sighed as she thought about that now. Piper had been so upset when she learned she couldn't. She frowned and went into her own little world, deep in thought, before she returned to their conversation.
"Piper's a funny one. Not funny ha-ha but funny in that she's hard to figure out sometimes. Mom died when she was six and after that she got real quiet and wouldn't talk. She still doesn't. She puts on this charade so that people will buy into it and think she's okay, when deep down she's not. I want so bad to help her. To hug her and tell her it'll be okay. Every time she holes up inside herself, I picture Piper in her hot pink swimming suit. She's reaching out for me to pick her up and dry her off and tell her everything's going to be okay. I just...I hope that I'm enough. Phoebes doesn't have any memories of mom, but Piper does and that's what hurts her the most. She clings to those memories today like she did back then." She fidgeted in her seat to get comfortable and continued.
"We went to Disney Land with mom and grams before....anyway mom whispered something into Piper's ear and I remember Piper smiling and she just looked so happy right then. That's the last time I saw her happy. It's been so long." She let a tear slip down her cheek and didn't hide it. For once she couldn't be strong. Her sister was having such a rough time.
"I'm sorry I'm doing this. I just want to help them. I want to be there for them. Phoebes, she's such a good kid. A little pill at times but a good kid. She's my little booger. A handful but when I ask her to do something she does it. No back-talk, she does it. Piper is the good kid. The real good kid. Always trying to live up to her outrageously high expectations of herself, and in the process never having any fun. I want for her so bad to just let loose for a change. Live a little; she's a kid for crying out loud." She realized she'd been rambling and she looked up from her plate to Jake and noticed he was gazing at her intently, as if he didn't care.
"I think you're so strong for them, but Prue, sometimes you don't need to be strong all the time. Let someone else be strong for you. I know I haven't known you long but I understand what you're going through. Please let me be there for you. You're a special, special girl." He reached out and took her hand in his. He wished he could do that forever. Anything to take her pain away, the pain he knew he had found a way to get rid of himself. He had good memories and loved every one of them and had found an inner peace that he wanted so much for Prue. He hoped to be the one to give her that someday.
"Hey, what do you say we ditch this place and go for a walk? I'll buy." He smiled at her, hoping to lighten the mood. He knew she'd started feeling down.
"You'll buy? What, it costs money to take a walk these days? How long has it been since I've been on a date?" She started to put her silverware onto her plate and made a motion to grab the check.
"No, dinner. I'll buy dinner and we can take a walk is what I meant. Sorry. Duh Jake." He chastised himself. He always did that when he got nervous. He was so involved in wanting to help her that he got flustered and didn't know what he was saying. Apparently it wasn't anything intelligible.
"Oh, sure. Yes. A walk would be good, and thank you for paying. We've been kinda thin in the money department this year. Piper's school books have gone up and Phoebes has all these play dates and things with her friends, and I really want her to be able to do them and be a normal kid like everyone else...and I'm rambling again. I'm sorry." She was frustrated with herself. He didn't want to hear all that.
"Hey, you don't have to apologize to me. It's okay, really. I like to hear you talk. You have this cute thing you do when you laugh. You look up like you're glancing at something on the ceiling. And when you talk about your sisters you get this glow on your face like it's the only topic in the world you'd rather be talking about. I guess I'm a mushy guy, I don't know. I just notice that about people." He hoped he didn't scare her off. He didn't want to move too quickly but he was having a good feeling about her.
"Oh, I don't know what to say. Hmm..." She thought for a moment as she tried to figure out what to come back with.
"Don't say anything." With that he held out his hand to help her out of her seat.
"Thank you, sir. Where might we be going this evening? Or...night? What time is it, anyway?" She looked at her wrist and sheepishly realized she wasn't wearing a watch with her dress.
"It is...9:45, my lady. Where to?" He watched her face take on a worried expression.
"9:45? Wow. I really should get home to the girls. They're not used to being alone. I'm always there, and..." she was cut off abruptly.
"Hang on a sec. I called Melanie while you were in the ladies room earlier. I told her we'd be late. She said the kiddos were watching a movie and she'd put them to bed by 9:30. So, they're probably in dreamland as we speak. Don't worry about it, ok? She'd call if anything was wrong." He watched her think for a moment, unsure.
"Yes, but Piper stays up later and she might need me there. She's not comfortable around strangers sometimes and she....I just don't know about this." She debated in her mind and weighed her options. Each one involved her getting home to Piper. She hoped he understood.
"It's okay. Don't think a thing about it. We can take a walk another night. The sidewalk is still going to be there. At least, I think it is." His joke did not go unnoticed and she laughed, looking rather relieved.
"Thank you. I just...I just worry sometimes. I don't mean to be a spoil sport." She felt bad about it but her sisters came first.
"No problem. Let's go home, shall we? And if we hurry, we can make it for the beginning of Turner and Hooch. I hear that one's good." He led her out of the restaurant and out onto the street. He opened the door for her once again and something nagged at him. He decided to ask.
"Oh, hey. What was that thing your mom said to Piper at Sea World?" He wanted to ask her. He was curious but he didn't want to be intrusive.
"Oh, I asked mom after the show and she said she'd told Piper that since Piper loved the dolphins so much that she would like to see her someday swim with them. Piper always hung on mom's every word. I guess that's what made her want to do that-because mom said she wanted that for her." She thought a moment and turned her gaze to the window. She stared out all the way home.
Neither of them spoke. Jake kept his eyes on the road and every now and then would glance over to where she sat. She seemed to be in her own world again. He let her be and kept driving. He made a mental note to book a trip for them. Suddenly Sea World sounded like a good idea to him.
~ ~ ~
“When’s it going to start, Prue? Yeah, Jake, when?” The girls were getting antsy waiting for the show to start. They were loaded up on souvenirs and each had a pamphlet they were browsing through looking at the pictures. They were just plain bored, though. The show was supposed to start at any moment, and usually that meant later than sooner. As Prue started to answer Phoebe, music filled the arena and people started applauding.
“Ladies and Gentlemen, welcome to Marine World. We have a show for you today that’s sure to amaze. So, let’s get this show on the road! What do you say?” The announcer was a girl that looked to be in her early thirties and had a whistle tied around her neck used to give commands. She started to introduce the rest of the staff and each one lined up to wave to the audience before starting the show. After that, they filed off to one side to wait their turn. The first two trainers came forward to get into the pool while the announcer told the audience what they would be doing.
Prue looked over at Piper and saw she was enjoying every minute. She looked to be having the time of her laugh, and they’d just gotten there. She reached over and nudged Jake to get his attention. Once he looked over, she mouthed a thank-you and pointed to Piper. He smiled and grabbed her hand to hold throughout the show.
Jessie and Phoebe were enjoying themselves as well, their eyes darting back and forth to find out where the whales were going next. Every now and then, they’d giggle to each other and point to the water.
“And now, ladies and gentleman, we would like to introduce you to a special friend of ours we have here today. Can I have Piper Halliwell come down please?” The announcer looked through the crowd trying to spot the little girl. She noticed a man casually pointing down to a girl with brown hair. She knew she had the right one when she noticed the little girl’s face was growing a bright shade of red.
“Come down, hon. We won’t bite. I can’t promise you the whales and dolphins won’t though. A little Marine World humor, sorry. I’ll be here all day. Let’s all give Piper a round of applause as she makes her way down here.” The crowd put their hands together for Piper as she sheepishly made her way down to the platform to meet up with the announcer. She was nervous and shaking like a leaf but it was something she’d obviously wanted to do and was willing to be embarrassed.
“Whoa, that’s Piper! Prue, look!” Phoebe stuck out her finger, indicating where her sister was and clapped her hands together while jumping up and down on her seat so the people behind them couldn’t see.
“I see that! Now sit still, okay so everyone else can watch, too.” She placed her hand on Phoebe’s shoulder to calm her and watched the show. Piper was ushered off to get into a wet suit while the announcer explained what was going on. It looked like Piper was going to have her moment. She was going to swim with the dolphins. Moments later, Piper emerged up the stairs from the staging area wearing a bright pink and black wet suit and pink goggles to match. She looked so small standing down there but Prue could tell she was happy and no longer nervous. Whatever they’d said to her, it’d worked. She wore a huge smile and was nodding feverishly in response to someone’s question. She seemed to be set and the announcer told the audience that it was ready to begin.
“Okay, Piper seems to be ready to go. The trainers will show her to the pool and all three will go for a little ride. Let’s watch the show, folks.” The announcer turned her microphone off and watched the performance.
Prue and the rest watched as Piper was instructed to hold onto the dolphin and not let go. She seemed to get the hang of it and within seconds was speeding through the water alongside the other trainers. She was having a blast. All Prue could do was watch and grin proudly. She was so happy for Piper. She felt a tear slip down her cheek and a hand brush up against her face. She looked over briefly to see Jake with tears in his eyes as well. He squeezed her hand and the two turned their attentions back onto Piper.
The performance lasted only minutes but to Piper it seemed like forever. She got back out of the pool and smiled at the trainers who were patting her on the back for a job well done. She felt like she was on top of the world. She went back to join her party as the trainers asked for another round of applause.
“Wow, Piper. You swam with the dolphins. That’s so cool!” She hugged her sister, obviously happy for her and what she got to do. Phoebe didn’t know why it made Piper so happy but she could tell she was thrilled for the experience of it all.
They continued to watch the numerous tricks and the show seemed to almost abruptly end to everyone’s dismay. They all wanted more but realized there was more to the park than the show. So, they all gathered their things to plan their next course of action.
“What now, gang? There’s….why don’t we just see what’s coming up next?” She grew tired of reading to the impatient kids and thought it best to just walk the trail. Jessie and Phoebe talked to each other in hushed tones as if they knew some worldly secret, while Piper looked at the autographed picture she was given of the trainers. She was still beaming.
“I take it you had fun?” Prue and Jake caught up with Piper and admired her picture. She nodded and continued staring down at the photograph.
“Hey, it’ll still be there, hon. Watch where you’re going. You about ran into that trash can, kiddo.” Prue steered her sister around the obstacle and let her be. She was enjoying herself so why rain on her parade? She continued walking and sped to catch up with the youngest two of the group. They reached the kids just as Jessie let out a scream. Jake came running up to investigate.
“What, what’s wrong? What happened?” He looked over her to see what caused her to scream. He couldn’t find any injuries and scratched his head.
“Nothing. The lion show is next. Can we see that one?” She pointed to the sign and Jake let out a sigh of relief. His trouble radar was heightened and he needed to chill. He nodded and looked at Prue, who gave the okay. The girls ran up again and waited impatiently by the door for them to catch up while Piper lagged behind. She’d had her fun, she didn’t care what they did the rest of the day.

After many sites and sounds, the gang was bushed. They piled into the car and made their way home. Jake drove while Prue relaxed in the front seat. Piper sat behind Prue and Jessie and Phoebe sat by each other discussing what their favorite parts were. Prue reached her hands behind her head and made a pillow with her palms. She felt a hand grab hers and opened her eyes.
“Prue, thank you for letting me swim with the dolphins.” She was starting to get choked up talking about it. She’d had such a good time. She had a feeling her mother would be proud of her for doing it.
“You’re welcome. I’m glad you had a good time at Marine World.” She smiled and closed her eyes once again as she thought about her sister and her experience that day.
“Prue, how did I get to do that? I mean, why me?” She frowned as she thought about why she was so special as to do something like that.
“Well, when we first came in they had a box there. While Jake was taking you guys to get refreshments, I filled out an entry to this contest. The Coolest Sister Contest. I told them how good of a kid you were and how you tried really hard in school and how you need to let loose every now and then. I guess they saw what I saw, because we won.” She opened her eyes and flipped down the visor so she could see her sister in the mirror. She was grinning, too.
“Wow, thanks Prue. I love you. Not because of that, but just because.” She kissed her sister’s cheek and grabbed her picture from the pocket in the seat to look at it once again. She’d never forget that day. She sat back in her seat and stared at the window.
Prue flipped the visor back up and laid back down on her seat.
“Me too, kiddo. Me, too.”