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


The alarm woke Prue Halliwell at seven in the morning. It wasn't particularly early, but for her it seemed like the crack of dawn. She had so much to do today and she did not want to get out of bed. She crept down the hall to wake her sibblings, hoping it would be a nice, quiet morning for the three of them. No fighting over the bathroom, no arguing over who did what to who. Just a peaceful start to the day. As she walked up to the door of her youngest sister, she prepared herself for the onslaught. Phoebe was never easy to get up in the morning. She was cranky and bitter, which is why Prue always let her have the shower first. Thankfully, Phoebe liked taking a shower and enjoyed being "all grown up". For a four year-old, showers were a big step. Phoebe loved to splash around in the water and be a big girl, while Prue sat on the toilet, towels in hand to clean up after Hurricane Phoebe. She knew it was a pain to clean up, but it wouldn't last long and it put her sister in a good mood most mornings, so she didn't mind.
"Phoebes. Time to get up, punkin." She waited for a response and saw the shape under the massive amount of covers move. Knowing her little sister was up, she walked down to do the same to her other sibbling. Piper was easier to get up in the mornings. She usually didn't need a wake-up at all. Piper got up every morning and set out her clothes, all prepared for a day of learning. Prue wished she'd had her little sister's enthusiasm when she was her age. School was supposed to be fun for eight year-olds, and Piper was no exception. She loved school. When Prue was in school, all she could remember was getting in trouble for talking too much. She couldn't help it if everyone wanted to socialize. Thank heavens she wasn't in school anymore. After grams died, she didn't see the use anymore and dropped out to go to work. She could still hear her mother's voice in her head.
"Now, Prue, you know it's very important to get an education. No matter what it takes, you need to finish what you started." She hoped her mother would be proud. She didn't exactly finish school, but she got her equivalency test taken, and passed on the first try. Every day she felt a little more grown up and a little more out of tune with her sisters. Things sure had changed since she was younger. She could remember being care-free and so confident. Then things changed. It was up to her to take care of her sisters and no one was lining up outside the manor to help carry the load. Sometimes she felt as if she was forced to grow up too fast. Whenever she looked into the eyes of her little sisters, she no longer felt burdened. The two little girls depended on her and needed her to assure them of themselves and the world. They needed her more than she knew when she took on the responsibility of taking care of them. Now she was beginning to realize how important it was for her to be there for them. She never had a good relationship with them. She felt so separated by her sisters. She was practically in junior high by the time Piper came around. She didn't want a younger sibbling. So, when Piper came along, and then Phoebe, Prue had seen all she wanted to see of little kids. As time went on, she began to see the good things in her sisters and no longer saw them as pests. Her mother would say how she was coming around, and would embrace her and take her out to eat so they could have alone time. It was the fond memories like these that made her wish she were there. She wasn't, though, and she wouldn't be there for her to turn to when she needed a hand raising two little girls. So, she sucked it up and took it all in stride, with a few trips along the way. Thankfully, today was one of those days she was thankful to have things going so smoothly.

"Piper Lou, you up?" She tapped on the door, warning her sister that she was coming in. Piper was extremely bashful and never liked people coming in unannounced. Prue learned that the hard way, the few times she startled Piper. She remembered one time in particular where she'd forgotten to knock and barged in on her little. She realized what she'd done when she saw the mortified look of her little sister with only her panties on. Even when she was six, the girl was shy. How she wished she'd break out of the shell she was in. She was too young to be an intravert.
"Yes, Prue. I'm just trying to decide which shoes to wear. Can you help me? You can open the door, Prue." She stepped into the room to see her sister trying to decide on her outfit.
"Hmm...pull out your shoes so I can see what you have. I never can keep up with you, child. You're growing so big. I think I just threw away a pair of your tennis shoes the other day." She took a seat on her sister's neatly-made bed and waited for what she felt was a mini fashion show. Piper always liked to look nice when she went to school. She didn't mind looking over her sister's clothing choices before leaving the house. It was their daily ritual and she was glad they had it.
"Okay, let me show you somethin', k? Okay, see those red ones? That is something that you would want to wear when you're really dressing up. See how they're shiny? That means they're for dress up. Like, if we're going someplace special for my work or a school program. Why don't you move those to the back of the closet." Once Piper did as she instruced, she continued.
"Now, let's see, the shirt you have on is white with blue butterflies on the sleeve. It's got lots of white and a little blue. And your overalls are white so you don't want to wear white. That's a lot of the same color. When you have a few colors, you want to wear shoes that are the same color as something that there's not a lot of. I know. I'm confusing you, aren't I?"
She laughed as her little sister scrunched up her nose and nodded. How do you explain fashion to an eight year-old?
"Okay, let me try this again. See how I have a black shirt with red stripes on it? And my skirt is red? Okay, now if I wear red shoes then that's a lot of red and then the black is just like'hey what about me'. Now since I have lots of red on because my skirt is red and the stripes are red, then what color of shoes should I wear?" Piper looked up toward the ceiling, deep in thought.
"Um...your skirt is red and the stripes are red and the shirt is black so you should wear black shoes, 'cause then there's a little black and a little red and everyone's happy." She beamed at her older sister, satisfied with her answer.
"How'd you get so smart on me? Okay, Piper Lou, so what about you? You gonna wear black shoes?" She knew it would get a reaction from her sister.
"Um...since my overalls are blue and my shirt is white with a little blue then I should wear the white shoes." She nodded her head confidently. She was getting the hang of this clothes thing.
"Right. Now, why don't you get dressed and I'll start Phoebe's shower. Hey, why don't you go set out Phoebe's clothes for her. I bet she'd like that." She enjoyed seeing her sister so happy over something so small. It was the way it should be. They'd had so much heartache, why shouldn't the kids be able to be kids? Wishing she were younger, she put the rest of Piper's shoes back in the closet and ushered her down the hall. The morning routine was getting quicker each day and she got the hang of cooking breakfast, helping with homework, and answering life's most interesting questions. She chuckled as she thought about the question Phoebe posed the day before. She had made dinner and they were sitting down to eat when Phoebe came down the stairs holding something intriguing in her hand. Prue could still feel her face grow flush as she saw what her sister had. After explaining what to do with "that fuzzy thing on a string" and why it got big if you dropped it in a toilet, Phoebe was finally satisfied with her answer. She made a mental note to get some books on the birds and the bees. Somewhere down the line, it would surely come up.
~ ~ ~
Prue was typing away at her desk when a flash of light caught the corner of her eye. She instantly paniced. She was supposed to pick up Piper from school. She had completely forgotten. Piper usually walked with her friends unless it rained. They had a deal worked out and Prue had never been late, until today. She grabbed her purse and jacket and rushed out the door. Luckily her work was close to the school and home. She'd planned it that way in case either of the girls had a problem at school. She pulled up to the school and squinted through the windshield. She was nowhere to be found. Probably waiting inside most likely. She walked up to the doors and peered inside. The lights were still on but the school looked to be empty. That's when it hit her. There was a school assembly and the kids got let out early. She ran back to her car, fearing the worse. Somewhere her little sister was all alone. She looke at her watch and realized school would have gotten out only a half hour early and she only missed her sister by...twenty minutes. She frantically looked around the schoolyard for signs of her sister and was about to get into her car when she spotted her. Walking by herself up the street was the form of her little sister.

"Piper!" She ran after her sister, forgetting about her vehicle. All she could think about was Piper and what she must be thinking. When Piper turned around, her face crumbled and she started crying.
"Hey sweetie. Oh, I am so sorry! Come here." She pulled her soaked sister into her arms and hugged her tightly, all the while kissing the top of her wet head. She couldn't believe she forgot her little sister. She knew how scary it was to be little and all by yourself. The storm didn't help matters.
"Prue, you forgot me! You said you'd come pick me up when it rains. Rachel's mom asked if I wanted a ride and I told her I was riding with you and she left and then the principal asked if I had a ride and I told him you were coming because it was too wet to walk and you never came, Prue!" Her distraught sister buried her face into her jacket and cried. She was so hysterical she was hiccupping. She hadn't seen her that upset in a long time.
"Oh, my Piper Lou. Honey, I would never forget you. I just didn't know it was raining, honey. I looked up and I saw the lightning and I was so worried when I got to the school and I didn't see you. I'm sorry you had to walk in the rain and I'm sorry you had to walk all by yourself. You were so brave, sweetie. I bet that was scary. I want you to promise me something, though." She looked down at her and saw she had her attention.
"What?"
"Honey, I know you're eight years old and this is your first year walking to school. This morning I was telling you how fast I thought you were growing. I know you're getting bigger and more confident of yourself but I want you to always, always walk with someone. I don't want anything to happen to you. You're my Piper Lou.
She didn't want to worry Piper and fill her mind with scary thoughts. She'd heard about too many things happening to little kids and she didn't want anything to happen to Piper or Phoebe. She had to make her see.
"Okay. I'm sorry, Prue. I just was so upset because I thought you forgot me and I was thinking different. I promise I'll walk with someone all the time and next time I'll wait inside where it's dry!" She felt better, knowing Prue didn't forget her.
"Thank you so much. That makes me feel so much better knowing that. Sometimes things happen. You might be walking down the street and trip and hurt yourself, or someone else might get hurt. That's why it's important to walk with your friends and never alone, in case something does happen. I would be so worried if you hurt yourself and no one was there to help you. See what I mean?"
She was rambling, but it was the only way she could make her understand.
"Yeah. And I don't want any strange people giving me a ride anyway. If I walk with my friends then no one will ask me for a ride they will see that I don't need a ride and I want to walk." The words struck her sister like a slap in the face. An eight year-old does not need to be worrying about such things. What was the world coming to?
"Honey, you are right. When you walk together with your friends it is safer. And you should never accept rides with anyone unless I know them. Even if it's your friend's mom or someone they know. You need to call and ask me first and I can speak with them beforehand. Okay?" She ruffled her sister's hair before heading back toward her car. She wished she could keep them safe forever, and that gosh forbid if the time ever came, they would know what to do with the lessons she taught them.
"Prue can you turn the heater on?" It was only then that she noticed her little sister was shivering. Of course she was. She'd been standing in the rain waiting for her for who knows how long, not to mention the time she spent walking home.
"Sure honey. We're almost home. Then you can change into some dry clothes. How did your outfit go over?" She listened as Piper talked, every now and then glancing over to show her she was listening.
"Mrs. Coom said it was very pretty and then I told her how it matched and why I wore these shoes and she told me that I could be a fashion person. Then I told her I don't want to be one, I want to be a mommy and she said I could do both." Prue laughed. Her sister was so cute. Always planning her future. She could be whatever she wanted, and she would make sure of that.
"You do, huh? How many kids do you want?" She was curious to hear her answer.
"Um...I think three."
"Why three?"
"Well, because there's you and me and Phoebe and that's three. I like three anyway. " She continued giving Prue reasons why she wanted three kids and filled her in on the logistics while they drove home.
"That's a very good, thought-out plan. I bet you'll be a terrific mommy. You are so good with Phoebe. Speaking of, I bet she's ready to come home." Piper still wanted to talk about school and her future but kept it for another time. She wanted to see her baby sister.
~ ~ ~
That night, as Prue had feared, Piper was showing signs of getting sick. She felt fine after dinner but was feeling rotten as the night progressed. Prue was lost in her dreams before something pulled her out of her slumber. A small voice. She listened for it again and didn't hear it. Thinking it was her imagination, she went back to sleep. It wasn't long before she felt a tap on her shoulder and a tug on her sleeve.
"Prue. Prue." Piper pulled on her sleeve to get her to wake up. She hated to wake her sister. She always did so much to help them and needed her sleep, too, but she felt awful. She was freezing cold and couldn't get warm. Worst of all, her throat hurt from coughing all night.
Prue heard her name being called and regretted going back to sleep. It had been Piper calling her earlier. She flipped on the light on the bedside table and looked into the bloodshot eyes of Piper.
"What's up, honey? Not feeling good?" She knew the answer, but wanted specifics in case it was anything more serious than a common cold. Mentally kicking herself for being the cause of her sister being sick, she tapped the spot on the bed beside her. When Piper curled up next to her, shaking, she pulled the covers over her.
"No. I am so cold and my throat hurts." She didn't want Prue to feel bad, but she knew it was from walking home in the rain.
"I bet it does. You lay here, sweetie. I'm going to go get some tylenol." She carefully got up and adjusted the covers around her sick sister. She returned moments later with a cup of juice and some medicine.
"I thought this would help your throat and the gross taste, as you usually put it." Her sister sat up and drank the medicine before taking a drink of the juice. The face she gave Prue made her laugh. She instantly hid her grin when she got a glare in return.
"It's not funny. That's so gross, Prue. Why can't they make it taste like it's supposed to? If they say cherry it should taste like cherry

The next morning found Piper and Prue asleep still when Phoebe came running to see where everyone was at. She didn't see Prue in her bed, so she came to investigate. Unfortunately for her older sisters, she was so anxious to see where Prue was that she yelled at the top of her lungs as she skipped down the hall.
"PRUE! WHERE ARE YOU? PRUE!" Upon entering Piper's room, she stopped short. She had woken up her sisters and the eldest didn't look too happy.
"Phoebe, shh...Piper is asleep. Why are you yelling anyway? We don't use outside voices inside. You know that." She sighed as she looked over at her middle sister, who was waking up from her slumber. She'd hoped she could sleep in but it didn't look like that would be happening. She felt bad for Phoebe, though. She didn't mean to yell. She was just not at the age where she could make decisions like that. She was being a kid.
"Sorry, Prue. I forgot." She didn't mean to wake them up. She had been told before about it, but she never did remember until she'd gotten in trouble.
"Well, try harder next time, punkin'. I know you didn't mean to but you tend to forget these things a lot. What if Piper wanted to sleep in? She needs the rest." Seeing the hurt expression, she eased up. She was about to give her a hug to let her know it was okay before she was stopped by Piper.
"It's okay, Phoebes. I know you were just wondering where we were. Prue had a slumber party in my room last night." She didn't want her little sister to get into trouble. After all, Prue was usually in her own bed and if it hadn't been for Piper Phoebe wouldn't have yelled in the first place.
"Aww...how come I couldn't have one?" She felt so sad. She always missed out on exciting things.
"Well, you were already asleep when I came in to tuck you in and so was Piper. It wouldn't have been very fun. I'll tell you what, though. If Piper is feeling better, how about tonight we have a slumber party. The three of us can sleep in the tent in the living room. How does that sound?" Hearing those words, the youngest Halliwell instantly grew very happy. She was mentally going over all the fun things they could do.
"Cool!" With that, the little girl took off down the hall, leaving very confused sisters behind.
"Okay, I'm afraid to ask." She had no idea what her sister was thinking. She really was worried. For all they knew, she could be planning a bash that would make Mary Kate and Ashley eat their hearts out.
"Be afraid. Be very afraid, Prue." She couldn't agree more. She'd just have to wait and see.
"Well, you sound like you're feeling better. I guess the sleep did you some good. Let's go fine Phoebes before she...okay scratch that. Here comes the tazmanian devil herself. " Seeing the little one with a cup in her hand, she took on a curious look.
"I got you some juice Piper. You have to drink it 'cause I want to have a slumber party tonight and if you don't take your medicine then I can't." She really wanted to have the party and it would be such a letdown if she couldn't.
"Aww, Phoebes. I know you want one, honey but that's not fair to Piper. If she doesn't feel better then she doesn't feel better. It's not nice to pressure her. You don't want her to feel worse do you?" She understood what her sister was doing but she didn't want to hurt Piper's feelings if she wasn't feeling up to it.
"Please, Piper. Please feel better. I really want one!" She stuck her bottom lip out and put on her best wounded puppy expression she knew. It was sure to get her a party.
"Oh, Prue. How can you say no to that?" She laughed at her little sister.
"Thanks for the juice, Phoebe. I'll take some medicine now, okay? I'll try and feel better today so we can have a party. You and Prue can have one tonight without me, though. I won't mind." She could see her little sister was torn between her sister and her party.
"Well, I don't want to have it without you, Piper. I already got a sleeping bag for you. I know it's Hello Kitty but it's all I could find. I can't find one for Prue 'cause I only have two." She wanted them all to have sleeping bags but she looked everywhere and only located her new Care Bear one she got for sleepovers. Hopefully Prue wouldn't mind not having one like her and Piper.
"Well, that's very thoughtful of you to do that for your sister. We'll see how everything goes. Don't get your hopes up, though, okay?" She hoped for everyone's sake that Piper would feel better.
~ ~ ~
"Prue?" She heard her sister coughing from down the hall and knew which one it was. Everything had been going fine until the afternoon. It didn't look as if they'd be having their slumber party after all. She didn't know who she felt more sorry for, Piper because she was sick or Phoebe because she would be let down.
"In here, Piper. I'm just putting away Phoebe's clothes." She saw her sister coming down the hall. She was definitely not feeling well. Something else caught Prue off guard, though.
"Honey, what's wrong? Not feeling good?" She wasn't sure if it was physical or emotional. Kids were funny that way when they were sick. Girls especially. You never knew what they were crying for and Piper was always very emotional. Sometimes it didn't take much for her to get upset.
"No. I don't know how I feel, Prue. I don't feel good anymore, but I don't want to tell Phoebe. I was feeling okay earlier but now I don't. I don't want her to be mad at me." She wasn't sure if Phoebe would be angry or upset or both. She always liked that she could make her little sister happy and she always hated it when she did something to make her mad. She just wanted to please everyone.
"Well, you can't help it if you don't feel well. She's five. She might be mad or upset but she'll still love you and she'll come around. We can have the sleepover some other time. The important thing is that you don't feel bad over this. You can't help it." She kissed her sister on the forehead and hugged her. She felt even worse when she felt Piper start to shake in her arms. She glanced down upon her sobbing sister.
"Hey, it's okay. Shh..." She patted her sister on the back, trying to console her. She didn't know what else to say. She didn't feel good and it only made things worse that she had to tell Phoebe.
"Hey look at me, Piper Lou." When she met her gaze she continued.
"You know, I remember when I started calling you that. We were watching Dr. Seuss and you came over and hopped on my lap. I think you were Phoebe's age or a little younger. You said 'Prue how come Phoebe has a cool name and I don't?' You were so sad because you thought you were being left out. And you cried. Boy did you cry, honey. You were so heartbroken. So, I told you that you can have whatever name you wanted. It would be just for you. And you said you wanted Piper Lou because it was like Cindy Lou Hoo and it was your favorite character. You felt better because you weren't left out. Well, that's why Phoebe is sad. She feels like she is left out of something special. You and I had a sleepover last night and she didn't get to be a part of that. See what I mean Piper?" She heard her sister murmur something and couldn't quiet make it out.
"What, honey?"
"Lou. You forgot to call me Piper Lou." She still felt a little bad but Prue made her feel better. Phoebe was just feeling left out. She stepped out of her sister's arms, ready to go tell Phoebe the news.
"I guess I should go tell Phoebe. Do you think she will still want to have a slumber party with me?" She hoped that her hurt sister would still want to be her friend.
"Oh, of course she will. You tell her that next weekend we will have a girls day. We will go out, have some lunch, see a movie, then we can come home and have a sleepover on Saturday and even Sunday if we want to. Okay?" She was starting to make one sister feel better. She just hoped the other would as well.
"Okay. Well, I guess I'll go then." She walked downstairs to find Phoebe and give her the bad news.
~ ~ ~
"Hi, Phoebe. What are you watching?" She had been gathering up the courage to talk to her little sister. It had taken her a half hour just to get herself prepared. She'd done all she could and stalled all she could but she couldn't any longer. She had to get it out of the way. She took a deep breath and sat down on the couch.
"Care Bears. They live in the clouds in this place called Care A Lot. I like that name. Know why?" She waited for a response.
"Hm...no I don't. Why is that, Phoebes?"
"Cause I care a lot about you. I like Prue too but she's old, and_" She started to ramble until she noticed her sister had started crying.
"What's wrong, Piper? How come you're crying?" She couldn't understand why.
"Well, because I'm sad. I care a lot about you too, Phoebe, and I'm sad because I came down here to tell you that we can't have our slumber party tonight, and I don't want you to be sad. I'm sorry Phoebe." She hung her head as if she'd said the cruelest thing in the world. She hated to let Phoebe down. She felt so awful.
"Oh. It's okay, Piper. I really wanted to have a slumber party tonight, but that's okay if we can't." She wasn't as old as Piper and Prue but she understood feelings. Piper was feeling sad and she thought about what Prue had said earlier. She didn't want Piper to feel worse. She did the only thing her five year-old heart told her to do. She gave her siser the biggest hug she was capable of.
"Thank you, Phoebe. Prue said we could have one next weekend, though. She said we could go out to eat and to a movie, too." She hoped it was a small consolation to her younger sister, who'd had her heart set all day.
"Cool! I can't wait! Do you wanna watch Care Bears with me? I can get a blanket and pillow and you can rest on the couch. I'll watch tv on the floor."
Seeing her little sister with so much hope in her eyes made her heart melt. She never saw her sister as caring and thoughtful as she did right then.
"Well, Phoebe, that might be kind of heavy. I don't want you to fall down the stairs. I'll just lay down here. I'll be okay." She apprecaited her little sister's help but she'd never forgive herself if she fell down the stairs. Phoebe started to protest when a voice piped up behind them.
"I'll help her. Come on, Phoebes. Let's get Piper hooked up, okay?" Prue knew Phoebe wanted to help and it made her happy to help Piper. She had overheard the conversation between her two sibblings and was very proud of them. Phoebe was handling it very well and Piper was trying to make Phoebe feel better, too.
"Okay. Thanks, Prue. Be back, Piper." The two took off up the stairs to take care of their sister while Piper continued to watch television. It wasn't long before Prue returned, with Phoebe in tow.
"Thank you, Phoebe." She got up to let Prue make the bed for her and noticed Phoebe was going to sit on the floor.
"Here. There's lots of room up here. I'll lay here and you can lay in front of me. You're small enough." She pulled the covers back and scooted back as far as she could to make room. Phoebe liked to cuddle and wasted no time taking her position on the couch by her older sister.
Prue took in the scene in front of her and sighed in relief. It looked like everything would be okay. She kissed both of their foreheads before leaving them to have a little sisterly time together. Laundry still awaited but she didn't mind. As long as her sisters were happy. Seeing them happy made her happy, and it was a feeling like none other.