Our Screwed-Up Destiny

[*Sammi!*]

awwww! its all so true!!
Weldone hunny! marvellous!

[woogyinthehouse]

amazing updates!! You are both amazing writers. I honestly and truly cannot wait for more of this fic.

Rachel xoxo

P.S LMAO i love the surprise!! ;D ;D

[~:*Destiny*:~]

AMAZING!!!!! *can't speak* GOOD JOB!!!! ;D

[Primrose_Empath]

Thank you, thank you, thank you! *happy dance* We're estatic that you're enjoying this as much as you are. ;D

---

--VICTOR--

Once Darryl was done and had returned to his seat, Pastor Williams said a few more quick final prayers over Piper and everyone there, and then I walked up to the podium. "First I want to thank all of you for your love and support during this extraordinarily difficult time for my family and me. Next, as most of you know, we've asked that the burial itself be private, for just family only.

"Then, usually there is a meal of some sort in the church cafeteria after the burial or a meal back at the house, but we've decided to do things just a bit differently. Since Piper left us, many of the bands who played at P3 have contacted my daughters and asked if there was anything they could do. P3 was so special to Piper and since so many of you knew Piper through P3, we've decided to hold a celebration of Piper's life at P3 tonight. A lot of these bands will be playing, and all food and all drink will be on the house in her honor.

"All of you who are here today are welcomed to come to that celebration, although there is an entrance fee of sorts." Lifting up one of the programs, I continued, "Prudence made sure that all of you were given a copy of the beautiful program that she created. If you look on the back, you'll see that there is an area for you to share one of your favorite memories of Piper. Tonight, bring the program with that area filled out and you'll be allowed into P3. During the night, between acts, we, Piper's family, will be reading the various memories, so it will truly be a celebration of Piper's life. We hope to see all of you there."

--COLE--

As Victor returned to his seat, the organist began to play again and the pallbearers left their seats in the front row and lifted the coffin of their employer onto their shoulders and carried it down the aisle, following Pastor Williams and the ministers. Slowly we left our seats, following the pallbearers in the same order that we’d come in, followed by the rest of the mourners.

The hearse was already parked at the door and the back of the door was open. Once we were all gathered around the back, the pallbearers carefully slid the coffin into the hearse, before once more Leo, Prue, Andy, Phoebe and I formed our "comfort-sandwich" and headed back towards Prue's car to follow the hearse on Piper's final journey.

END OF PART FOUR

---

Part Five begins tomorrow...

[*Sammi!*]

I lurve Cole in this he is like, the perfect husband again!
Its all very sad. Im gonna have to go back to the beginning sometime and put it all together again me thinks.
Fantabulous job though again ladies!

[woogyinthehouse]

GREAT UPDATE!!! I loved it, glad to see Victors little speech thing, and now i cannot wait till P3!!!

EXCITING!

[pipercharmedphreak]

Aw! I cant wait to see what happens next! As usual wonderful job! I love Victor's speech--and how he calls Prue Prudence. Can't wait to read more!

[~.:Alysha:.~]

Fantastic job!! I love everything about this story!! Cant wait till Part 5!!

[Primrose_Empath]

Thank you again you guys! *is temporarily rendered speechless*

Looks like we picked the right person to be giving the speech at the end.

Pipercharmedphreak, you have quite the eye for detail, don't you? We were wondering if somebody would pick up on that little detail of Victor calling Prue by her full name (since we know that she loves that so much!). For that you've been blessed, sweetie.

Sammi, if you're liking how we've written Cole, then we know that we've got him pretty true to form. And we've got no plans on screwing up his character (or any others for that matter) like "he who shall not be named" did.

Wait no longer, Part Five has arrived!

---

PART FIVE

--PHOEBE--

After the burial, which was very sad for all us involved, Andy drove us to a nearby mini-golf place. Mini-golf was one of Piper's favorite "non-cooking/non-magic" activities and we'd agreed beforehand to play a round in her honor. But on the way there, I suggested stopping somewhere to get something to eat first--after all, none of us had had anything to eat since dinner the previous evening--we'd only had coffee before the funeral. Of course Leo, Andy, and Cole didn't need food, but my tummy was growling and Prue admitted to the beginnings of a hunger headache.

--PRUE--

Although it wasn't planned, it just somehow seemed right that the first restaurant we came to was Quake. The restaurant where Piper was once both chef and manager before becoming the owner of P3 just seemed like the right place to have our post-burial meal. Naturally being there brought back all sorts of memories, and everywhere we looked, we could see Piper doing her thing, but somehow it was nice to do that...it seemed like we were doing what Pastor Williams had told us to do...continue to remember and tell stories of Piper.

Only one story made all of us laugh until the tears rolled down our faces. That was when Leo and Phoebe told the rest of us about the time when...

[Start Flashback: (Episode 1.14 Secrets And Guys)]

[Scene: Quake. Piper comes out of the kitchen and goes towards Leo.]

Piper: Sorry. Small mutiny in the kitchen. (She sits down.) Where were we?

Leo: Piper there’s something I need to tell you.

Piper: Yeah?

Leo: Uh, look. Forgive me, but I could be summoned at any moment, so I have to tell you this now. I can’t…I can’t, uh…I can’t believe how much I missed you.

Piper: Well Leo, I missed you too, but what do you mean "summoned"? Summoned where?

(Harry comes out of the kitchen and stands by the door.)

Harry: Hey, uh…Piper. No respect I can live with, OK, but where the hell is my coriander?

(He goes back into the kitchen.)

Piper: OK. That’s it. I’m ending this now.

(Piper gets up and heads towards the kitchen. Phoebe enters.)

Phoebe: Oh my gosh. You know.

Piper: Of course I know. The whole restaurant knows. Didn’t you hear him scream it across the room?

Phoebe: (To Leo.) I thought it was a secret.

Leo: Phoebe...

Piper: I wish. It will probably be in the newspaper tomorrow.

Phoebe: No. It can’t be. Look Piper, he never meant to hurt you.

Piper: Phoebe, please. You haven’t even met the manic yet. What’s gotten into you?

(Piper goes into the kitchen. Phoebe looks questionably at Leo.)

Leo: She’s talking about the new chef.

[End Flashback]

--PHOEBE--

Despite ordering our favorite items on the menu, both Prue and I only ate one or two bites before putting down our forks. Immediately the others began cajoling us into eating a bit more, asking us what Piper would think about us turning down food, especially food at Quake, and the two of us managed to eat half of what was on our plates before insisting that we couldn't swallow another bite without becoming ill. So after trying to pay the manager who had taken over after Piper left, who insisted that it was on the house, Andy drove us to the mini-golf place.

--ANDY--

Playing the simple, mindless game gave us a chance to forget what was going on for awhile, even as we laughed as we remembered certain things that Piper had done or said on the course, especially remembering her reaction towards particularly bad or good shots.

But we were only able to play 3 or 4 holes, before we admitted that we were so exhausted that without saying a word, we all agreed that just going home and getting some rest before the celebration of Piper's life at P3 was the best thing for us to do. So we all returned to Prue's car and I drove us back to the Manor, where we all headed upstairs to try to get some much-needed rest.

--LEO--

The only one who didn't stay in one of the bedrooms was me. I couldn't stand to lie down on the bed that I'd once shared with Piper. So instead I headed back for my favorite sanctuary...the top of the Golden Gate Bridge.

---

And since you already know the drill if you want more....

[Esmeralda]

No, we wouldn't change the characters, not like "he who shall not be named" or the ones who wrote the original RP that this is based on (well, except for "Prue" and "Paige"), but we're glad that they did such a rotten job, since otherwise you guys wouldn't be reading *this* fic! And we're thrilled silly that you all think we're writing the characters as they were during the first two seasons before they were "kerned" (Thanks to Justro for coming up with that term! She's also the one who introduced us to "Kernus".). If you think that someone *isn't* acting as they would during those seasons (or Cole during S3), be sure to let us know so we can discuss it and change it if we agree with you.

Sammi, your comment re: Cole made me smile, too. He's not Phoebe's husband yet, but knowing your reaction towards your guy, if you like the way we're writing him, then we know we're doing a good job!

Again, thanks so much for reading and replying to our fic! *joins Primrose in happy dance*

[woogyinthehouse]

GREAT UPDATE!! Although i was sad about them not having Piper there that little flashback was perfect! I love this fic so much and i know i always say that but i want you both to know i really do. I also want to say:

UPDATE UPDATE UPDATE!!!!

[pipercharmedphreak]

What a great job you two are doing!! It is sad to see that Piper is not there, but still I am yearning to read more!!! Great choice of a flashback that scene always has me cracking up. I like the mini-golf idea. I always was kinda wondering what the sisters would enjoy doing in their spare time before magic came into their lives im S1.

[~.:Alysha:.~]

Yeah i love it..I love that episode of the flashback what a great memory and great time to put it in! Please update again very very very soon!!

[Primrose_Empath]

Happy Leap Day!

Starting to sound like a broken record here, but thank you, thank you, thank you! Yesterday's flashback is one of our favorites too, and we're thrilled that you thought it fit perfectly.

The idea of them playing mini-golf in Piper's memory sort of came from my personal experience. When my grandpa (on my Dad's side) died back in '94, my Dad, my uncles, and myself went out after the funeral and played a round of golf in his honor.

Ever wonder what might've happened if these two suddenly didn't have their peace-making sister around anymore?

---

--PHOEBE--

A couple hours later, I wandered into the kitchen. I didn't really want to go there; it reminded me too much of my lost sister. But after only having coffee that morning and hardly eating any of my dinner at Quake, my tummy was growling and there was only one place in the Manor where I could find food...the kitchen.

I knew there would be plenty of food at P3 that night, but I also knew that I wouldn't get much chance to eat any of it...Prue and I and the others would be too busy playing hostess. Prue was going to play MC for the bands while I was going to stand at the door with Cole and Joe, one of P3's bouncers who had also been one of the pallbearers, making sure that only those who had the funeral program with a Piper-memory and their name and address already filled out would be allowed in. Before I'd laid down to rest, I'd made a spreadsheet of all of the mourners who had signed the guest book so Joe could make sure each participant was on the list. No freeloaders were going to get free food and free entertainment at Piper's expense!

I also hoped that that young girl, the one who looked so much like Piper, would decide to come back so that I could apologize for scaring her like that.

As I looked around the kitchen, trying not to see my sister everywhere I looked, I heard footsteps behind me. Turning around, I smiled wanly at my big sister. "So you got hungry, too, huh?"

--PRUE--

Nodding my head in agreement, I returned Phoebe's smile with one of my own. I gazed around the kitchen and sighed. No other room in the house said "Piper" as much as this one. "Eating the wicker furniture wasn't a really appetizing option," I half-joked. "So what are our choices aside from one of the six gazillion casseroles that the neighbors keep bringing over?"

--PHOEBE--

I shrugged. "One of the casseroles sounds good to me. Should I close my eyes and grab one and stick it in the oven? That's all you gotta do, right?"

--PRUE--

I began to chuckle. "For normal people, sure, but not for you. You can go ahead and pick one, but I'll be the one sticking it in the oven."

--PHOEBE--

Prue's chuckle had made my eyes grow wide with shock. Now her words touched off my temper. "And why you and not me?"

--PRUE--

I was sure that Phoebe was simply joking with me and laughed even harder. "Because fire and you are an accident waiting to happen, and the last thing we need tonight is for you to burn the house down."

--PHOEBE--

"Hey!" I cried, much more sensitive than usual and now horribly insulted. "That's only my past lives or in the future! I'm not that bad! I can most certainly stick something in the oven. How hard can that be?"

--PRUE--

I shot my sister a bemused look, still not aware of how hurt and angry she was. After all, Phoebe's cooking abilities, or lack thereof, had been a running joke in the family for years. "For you? Incredibly hard," and with a smirk, I added, " Little Miss I-Can't-Boil-Water-Without-Burning-It. So keep dreaming, 'cause there is no way you are getting anywhere near that oven."

--PHOEBE--

That was the last straw. "Says who, Miss Does-This-Button-Light-the-Stove-or-the-Oven?" I was beginning to scream. "You're just as likely to blow us all to kingdom come as I am to light this place on fire!"

--PRUE--

"Excuse me?!" I countered as I shot an indignant glare in Phoebe's direction. "And just what did you mean by that little statement?"

--PHOEBE--

"Exactly what I meant!" I screamed back. "You know as much about that oven as I do! I happen to know it's a gas stove which means if you're not careful you could blow us up just as easily as I could burn us out of house and home using the top of the stove!"

--ANDY--

"Hey!" I cried as I walked in. "What's going on in here?"

Both sisters turned to face me. "Shut up!" before Phoebe turned on Prue. "Don't you get it, Prue? Without Piper here, we're gonna starve!"

I tried to be conciliatory. "Of course, you're not going to starve."

--PHOEBE--

I spun on him. "I thought we told you to shut up!"

--PRUE--

My eyes opened wide in shock. Immediately I jumped to Andy's defense, totally forgetting that I had yelled at him moments earlier. "Hey!" I screeched, my voice rising in pitch with each syllable. "Don't you dare talk to him that way!!"

--PHOEBE--

"I'll talk to him however the hell I want to!" I kept on screaming at my sister, taking out my pain of losing Piper on Prue. "And if you don't like it, just try to stop me!" Then seeing Prue begin to raise her hand, I growled, "Just remember, you use your power on me, you'll be as helpless as I am! So don't even think about it!"

--PRUE--

I sighed reluctantly as I slowly put my hand back down by my side. Maybe I couldn't use my power on my sister, but I could sure use my voice. "You most certainly will not talk to him 'however the hell you want to', Phoebe Penelope!" I retorted in a low venomous tone as my eyes flashed green. "What on earth did he ever do to you to deserve that? Hmmm? Tell me." Arms crossed and eyebrows raised, I leaned against the kitchen island and awaited Phoebe's response to my verbal challenge.

--PHOEBE--

"I most certainly will, Prudence Victoria!" I screamed right back, in absolutely no mood to be reasonable, especially when Prue had used my full name, which I hated as much as Prue hated hers. "He stuck his nose in where it doesn't belong and that's quite bad enough, thank you!"

--ANDY--

Even as the sisters continued to scream at each other, each word louder, higher and filled with more venom, I watched in a total quandry, trying to figure out how to stop this quickly-escalating argument. "Sisters Break Up over Casserole--Details at Ten." If it wasn't so tragic, it would be humorous, but neither of these two are in the mood for jokes right now. And I've already seen what trying to jump in and reason with them will do. I tapped my chin in thought. There's gotta be a way to stop this...but how when the only person that could bring these two back to their senses is no longer here? Looking up for a millisecond, I quietly whispered, "Some help would be much appreciated right about now." And thankfully, help did come, but from a most unexpected source.

--COLE--

Hearing ever-raising voices, I sprinted into the kitchen just in time to see both sisters use the full-name call on each other. "Andy," I hissed "We've gotta separate these two before they kill each other."

--ANDY--

Nodding emphatically in agreement, I grabbed Prue in a tight hug and orbed her back to her room, leaving Cole behind to try to calm down Phoebe.

---

To Be Continued...

[woogyinthehouse]

Great update. Shame they are arguing but its over the grief of Piper right? They needed that. Still you write very well, both of you. I really want to keep reading so you know what to do ;D

[Primrose_Empath]

Amazing how one little tiny thing can escalate into a huge argument, isn't it?

Here's a nice shiny new piece for your reading pleasure. Enjoy!

---

--PRUE--

I was momentarily confused upon appearing in my room with Andy's arms wrapped around me when I could've sworn that I was downstairs just seconds earlier. Orbing was a mode of transport that I was most definitely not used to. After regaining my bearings, I wriggled free from his grasp and whirled around to face him, my eyes still blazing with anger. "Would you mind telling me why the hell we're up here and not downstairs? I need to be down there -- I wasn't done dealing with Little Miss Attitude yet!"

--ANDY--

I gave her a soft smile. "Sorry, Prue, but you are. I had to separate you before it was too late, before one of you said something you'd regret later, maybe regret for the rest of your lives. When you called her by her full name and she called you by yours, that's when I knew I had to do something. Think about it, Prue. Please, just take a couple of deep breaths and think about it. She's hurting over losing Piper as much as you are. That's the only reason why she struck out at you--because her remaining sister struck out at her. Normally she would've laughed at the fact that she's a terrible cook--she's been that since you were kids and she couldn't even make toast without burning it. But you struck out at her, hurt her, when she's hurting so much, just like you are. You know that as well as I do. You're the bigger person; I know you are. She doesn't need yelling. She needs a hug. Just like you do."

--PRUE--

Hearing Andy's words brought me squarely back to reality. Ever since we were little, he always knew just the right things to say, and as much as I didn't want to admit it, I had been in the wrong earlier by lashing out at Phoebe like I did. The very last thing I'd wanted to do was take out my pain and frustration on someone who was hurting as much as I was--especially when that someone was my only remaining sister. Sighing softly, I shifted my tear-filled gaze from the floor back up to Andy and nodded in affirmation. "You're right, absolutely right. I can't believe I did that to her--she didn't deserve it. I...I...should've known better."

--ANDY--

I reached out and hugged Prue tightly. "That's because you're hurting, too. You're both just ultra-sensitive, so neither of you are thinking straight. That's to be expected." Then reaching down and using her chin to lift her face so that I was looking right at her, I said, "Your baby sister is downstairs using her anger to hide her pain, just like she always has. Piper knew that's what was behind it. That's how she was able to help you guys make up. She's not here to do that now. So what are you going to do to make Piper proud of you?"

********

--PHOEBE--

Meanwhile downstairs, I gave out a loud sigh of frustration as I watched Andy and Prue orb out, then spun on Cole, my eyes still sparking fire. "Well? You gonna say anything? Or are you going to call me Phoebe Penelope, too?" Before he could respond, I spun around, turning my back on him. "Doesn't think I can throw a stupid casserole in the stupid oven, huh? Fine! I'll make a salad instead!" And stalking over to the refrigerator, I grabbed out a head of lettuce, set it on the counter, grabbed the biggest, sharpest knife I could find and began chopping at it. "This is your head, Prue! This is Andy's head! And if you stick your nose into it, Cole, this is your head, too!" As I kept chopping, lettuce flew everywhere around the kitchen, making a total mess.

--COLE--

Her screaming didn't even phase me and I took charge of the situation now that I had let her blow off some steam and take her anger out on an inanimate object. Stalking over to the counter, I grabbed Phoebe from behind, snatched the knife from her hand and set it on the counter before spinning her around. Grabbing her by both shoulders, I shook her in an effort to bring her back to her senses. "Phoebe! You need to knock it off, and I mean now."

--PHOEBE--

I was shocked! "How dare y--" but I never finished my sentence as Cole shut me up the only way he knew how--kissing me.

--COLE--

She raised her hand to slap me, but I grabbed both of her arms and shoved them down to her sides, pressing her back against the counter, never stopping; kissing her as hard as I could.

--PHOEBE--
I kept struggling, but eventually the kiss got to me and I began kissing him back as the tears I'd been trying to hold back began flowing down my cheeks. Feeling the tears, Cole finally released the kiss and let go of my arms, hugging me instead as I laid my head on his shoulders, sobbing like mad. "Why did he have to kill her, Cole? Why? Prue and I would never be screaming at each other like that if Piper was still here," and all Cole could do was hold me and let me cry them out.

--PRUE--

And that's the scene Andy and I saw as we walked into the room. I looked around the kitchen. "Were you trying to put the first salad into orbit?" I softly asked.

---

More to follow...

[*Sammi!*]

I love this! Its showing not only the feelings at the funeral, but the aftermath family stuff which is always the most touching part.

Its fantabulous as always! ;D

[pipercharmedphreak]

Amazing! I really love the fact that Cole kisses Phoebe, the description of it--captures the characters perfectly!! The way Andy speaks to Prue makes my heart melt. Absolutely love it! *Grins*

[~B@MeLiSsA30@B~]

There is no words to explain how wonderful this story is.

[Primrose_Empath]

Well, you really know how to make a writer's day don't ya? Reading all of your comments put a huge grin on my face, so thank you very much for making my Monday (and I'm sure Es's too). ;D

Both Es and I are glad that you guys like how we're showing not only the differences between Prue and Phoebe, but also the differences in the guys, and we like the different way the "angel" and the half-demon handled their girls. We'd say the right guy is with the right girl!

Just a forewarning: This part contains a possible tissue alert. You might not end up needing them, but it wouldn't hurt to have 'em close by just in case!

---

--PHOEBE--

I looked up from Cole's shoulder, tears still streaming down my face, and looked around at the lettuce strewn all around the kitchen. "Yeah, I guess I kinda did. Messing up her kitchen like this, Piper would've killed me."

--PRUE--

I managed a half-hearted smile, but one look at Phoebe's red and tear-streaked face was all it took for me to realize just how much I had hurt my little sister when I had lashed out at her earlier. The thought of losing Phoebe forever over something as stupid as an argument about who was going to stick a casserole in the oven wasn't something that sat well with me and I knew that I needed to be the bigger person and make amends. However, this was most definitely not my area of expertise and I hoped that I could do half as well as Piper would have.

Picking nervously at my cuticles, I mulled over what exactly I was going say. Here goes nothing. "Phoebs? There's something I need to tell you."

--PHOEBE--

Hearing Prue call me Phoebs rather than Phoebe Penelope made me smile. That told me all that I really truly needed to know--that my big sister still loved me even if she did go overboard every once in awhile. "What's that, Prue?"

--PRUE--

Seeing Phoebe's smile gave me the confidence boost that I needed. And taking a deep breath, I looked into her warm brown eyes. "I'm sorry. I'm sorry for striking out at you earlier; I'm sorry for hurting you like I did when you're already hurting. You didn't deserve it, and I should've known better. And if I had just opened my eyes and looked, I would've realized that you weren't joking. That what you really needed right then was a hug and someone to comfort you -- not me laughing at you and then yelling at you."

Pausing to collect my thoughts, I continued, still looking my baby sister square in the eyes. "I know that I rarely, if ever, admit that I'm wrong. But I was -- and I hope that you can find it in your heart to forgive me." The tears that had been threatening to spill over finally did and trickled down my face.

--PHOEBE--

My big sister hadn't even finished speaking before I was running across the kitchen and throwing my arms around her. "No, no, no, Prue; it wasn't your fault--it was mine. I should've known you were only teasing me...we all know what a horrible cook I am. I shouldn't have taken my pain out on you, not when you're hurting as much as I am. I'm sorry; I really am. It's just so hard without Piper reminding me that when you get huffy, it's because you're hurting. But I'd never want to lose you. Not over something as stupid as a casserole! Now why don't you stick one of those gazillion casseroles in the oven, while I clean up this mess and then I promise I'll make a salad without putting it in orbit."

--ANDY--

I turned to look at Cole, a grin on my face that said, "Mission accomplished," before saying to the girls, "Why don't we guys take care of the mess while you gals take care of the food?

Phoebe and Prue contemplated the suggestion and exchanged a glance. Grinning, Phoebe turned back to me and nodded. "You've got yourself a deal."

--PRUE--

And that's exactly what happened. Andy and Cole cleaned up the lettuce explosion while Phoebe worked on a new salad and I took my time in taking casseroles out of the fridge, lifting the aluminum foil or cover, checking to see what it was, dipping my finger into it so I could taste it, and then putting it back, finally settling on some chili that wasn't too spicy yet wasn't too bland and that I knew everyone would like. It wasn't as good as Piper's chili, of course--nothing could be better than Piper's chili--but it would have to do.

"How long do I put it in there for?" I asked. "And at what temperature?"

--PHOEBE--

"Why don't you put it in the microwave?" I suggested. "Then you just have to set it for two minutes on high, test it, and if it's not hot, set it for another two minutes."

--PRUE--

I smiled. "And you thought we would starve," I teased gently.

---

To Be Continued...