imaginedyou | Passing On [Charmed; Prue, Paige]

Title: Passing On
Fandom: Charmed
Character(s): Prue Halliwell, Paige Matthews
Challenge: From ES: (A) line(s) of dialogue to include. (One, two or all in one fic!); "The knife just slipped. Sixty-seven times."
Notes: Set in early to mid season four, when Paige has just found her family and is trying to learn what it is to be a witch. (Set after another fic I wrote that I no longer have.) 701 Words.

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Paige pointed to a page in the book, "-and this funky guy? Piper said you vanquished him by yourself."

"He thought he was winning, then all of a sudden the knife just slipped!" Prue insisted, "...Sixty-seven times."

"You were one bad-ass Charmed One, weren't you," Paige said with a smile, closing the book. "I mean, I guess you still are."

"In a way." Prue agreed. "But I'm not alive anymore, so I can't actively use my powers against demons in the same way that you guys can. Grams and Mom and I as spirits can cast spells, but mostly to reverse..." She paused, not wanting to point out too obviously that sometimes the Charmed One's spells just plain backfired. "Mistakes. Or give blessings." Prue stopped herself from rambling too much with a breath. "You needed to step up to your destiny anyway. Find out who you really were."

"Hey, I know who I am!"

"You know what I mean though," Prue replied. "You knew you were Paige Matthews, you knew what you liked and what you didn't like, you knew life, and love, and laughter. But you didn't know about your heritage from your blood-family."

"Good old mom and dad," Paige said half-heartedly trying to make light of things. "Most parents pass on brown eyes and hair, mine had to give me spell-casting and orbing."

"Yeah, that part is kind of hard to adjust to huh."

"Just a little!" Paige said ernestly. "And I try to explain that to Piper and Phoebe and they listen but not really. Piper just wants me to be the best I can right away. And Phoebe is distracted by her own life."

"Well Piper's right," Prue said firmly. "You can't make mistakes like we did, you can't afford to. Piper and Phoebe can't lose another sister. Especially when they only just found her."

"That's what everyone tells me."

"It's all my fault, really." Prue said. "I was the pushy eldest sister who had to do everything right, and now Piper is trying to step up to that while dealing with the fact that I'm gone and she has a whole other sister she never knew of before that she has to do right by. And Phoebe has so many issues being thrown at her right now, with love and family and work, she doesn't want to stop and focus on anything because then she has to admit how much it all hurts. And that she's not sure if she can cope."

Prue paused, and realised the reason Paige hadn't said anything was because she was listening so intently to everything. Prue took another breath and continued. "If I hadn't died then Piper wouldn't fear it happening again so much that she's pushing you to unreachable limits. And Phoebe would've been stronger to handle her life and problems instead of feeling that empty place where I used to be."

"Piper told me you liked to put the blame of everything onto yourself, too," Paige smiled. "They have a say in their own actions too you know."

"So do you," Prue pointed out. "You grew up alone being the only voice so you were always listened to. Now you're one of four, and you need to raise your voice to be heard a little."

"Because I have issues too," Paige said forlornly. Prue nodded and placed a hand on Paige's shoulder.

"Exactly, and I'm here for you, aren't I? I'm listening. I certainly have a lot less baggage since hitting the spirit world! So I have even more time for my sisters and their problems, see?"

"Yeah," Paige settled herself into a small smile. Life wasn't perfect but everyone was doing the best with what they had right now. "I'll try and talk to them, and help them if I can, too. Thanks, Prue."

"Paige, who are you talking to?" Piper asked, calling up the stairs as she ascended, walking into the attic. Paige glanced back to where Prue had been and found nothing. Piper still hadn't come to terms with everything, it wasn't time for her to see Prue again yet.

"Oh, just myself," she said with a sigh, standing up and stretching. "I was practising some stuff I wanted to say to you and Phoebe..."

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