Happy Swap of Joy
I stepped way out of my comfort zone to write this piece for captainamergirl. I'm a fan of the original Charmed, but I've never written anything for the show (that I can remember lol). It will be available on AO3 tomorrow.
I hope you enjoy it!
[Charmed ficlet for captainamergirl]Shadows of the Manor
Charmed (1998), Prue Halliwell & Piper Halliwell & Phoebe Halliwell
Summary: Prue, Piper & Phoebe Halliwell have a frank discussion
1201 words
---
The Halliwell sisters had always been a complicated trio. In a family shaped by magic and loss, their love for each other was both a blessing and a burden. It was the kind of love that could conjure unimaginable power but also tear them apart with a single word.
Tonight, the Manor was unusually quiet, save for the occasional creak of the wooden floorboards and the soft rustling of the wind outside. In the living room, Prue, Piper, and Phoebe sat on the couch, their faces illuminated by the soft glow of a table lamp. They weren’t hunting demons or researching spells. This wasn’t about the Book of Shadows or the Elders. Tonight, it was about them.
---
Prue folded her arms across her chest, her gaze flitting between Piper and Phoebe. "We need to talk," she said, her tone clipped but resolute.
"About what?" Piper asked cautiously, already sensing the tension.
"About us," Prue replied, her eyes settling on Phoebe. "About how we always seem to fall into the same patterns-arguing, blaming each other, and never actually addressing what's really wrong."
Phoebe leaned back in her seat, crossing her legs defensively. "Oh, so this is my fault now?"
Prue sighed, pinching the bridge of her nose. "No, Phoebe, it's not just you. It's all of us. But if we don't figure this out, we're going to destroy each other faster than any demon ever could."
Piper, always the mediator, raised her hands. "Okay, let's calm down. If we're going to do this, we need ground rules. No yelling, no blaming, and no storming off."
Phoebe arched an eyebrow. "No promises on that last one."
Prue shot her a look but held her tongue. Piper took a deep breath. "Fine. Who wants to start?"
---
Prue broke the silence. "I’ll go first." She glanced at Piper and Phoebe, her voice softening. "Growing up, I always felt like I had to be the responsible one. After Mom died, I didn’t have a choice. I had to take care of you, Piper, and keep Phoebe in line. But no one ever asked if I wanted to."
Piper frowned. "We didn’t ask you to take on all that, Prue. You chose to."
"Did I?" Prue countered, her voice tightening. "Or did I just step into a role that no one else wanted? I didn’t have the luxury of being carefree like Phoebe or finding the middle ground like you. I had to be the rock, and it wasn’t fair."
Phoebe looked down at her hands, guilt flickering across her face. "I didn’t realize how much pressure you were under. I just...I felt like you were always judging me, always finding fault in everything I did."
"Because I was scared," Prue admitted, surprising both of them. "Scared that if I didn’t keep things together, everything would fall apart. And sometimes, I took that fear out on you."
---
Piper exhaled slowly. "I always felt stuck in the middle. Like I had to be the peacemaker between you two, and it was exhausting. I wanted to scream every time you two started fighting because it felt like I was invisible. Like my feelings didn’t matter as long as I kept the peace."
Phoebe nodded, her voice barely above a whisper. "I think I resented both of you for that. Prue, because you were so controlling, and Piper, because you never stood up for yourself-or me. I felt like the odd one out, the screw-up who couldn’t do anything right."
"That’s not true," Piper said softly.
"Isn’t it?" Phoebe challenged, her eyes glistening. "You two were this united front, and I was just...there. Making mistakes, causing trouble. I felt like I didn’t belong."
Prue’s voice broke through the tension. "You did belong, Phoebe. But I didn’t know how to show you that. I was so focused on keeping us safe that I didn’t see how much I was pushing you away."
---
Phoebe sniffled, her voice wavering. "Do you know how hard it was for me when I left for New York? I wasn’t just running away from our problems-I was running away from you two. I thought maybe if I got some distance, things would get better. But it didn’t. It just made me feel like I was abandoning both of you."
Piper reached over, placing a hand on Phoebe’s knee. "We never talked about how we felt when you left. It hurt, Phoebe. But I think we were all too stubborn to admit it."
Prue nodded, her eyes softening. "I was angry at you for leaving, but I was angrier at myself for not making you feel like you could stay. I didn’t know how to say that then."
Phoebe looked up at her sisters, her voice quiet. "I think I blamed myself for a long time. For everything. For Mom dying, for Grams having to raise us, for you two having to pick up the slack. I felt like I was a burden."
"You weren’t," Piper said firmly. "None of that was your fault. We all carried things we shouldn’t have had to carry. And we didn’t always do it gracefully, but we did it together."
---
Prue sat back, her eyes glistening. "I think I got so caught up in being the protector that I forgot how to just be your sister. I pushed too hard because I thought I had to. But I didn’t realize I was pushing you both away."
"You weren’t just our protector," Phoebe said softly. "You were our anchor, Prue. Even when we fought, I always looked up to you. And I think I hated you for that sometimes because I couldn’t live up to your expectations."
Prue smiled faintly. "You didn’t have to, Phoebe. I didn’t expect you to be like me. I just wanted you to be okay."
Piper looked between her sisters, her voice steady. "We’ve all been carrying these wounds for so long. It’s like they became part of who we are. But I don’t want us to keep hurting each other. We’ve been through too much to let this break us."
---
The room fell silent again, the weight of their confessions heavy but somehow freeing. Finally, Phoebe broke the quiet with a tentative smile. "So, what do we do now? Do we hug it out? Have a magical group therapy session?"
Piper chuckled softly. "No spells, please. Let’s keep this moment demon-free."
Prue smirked, a rare lightness in her expression. "I think the first step is trying. Listening to each other, even when it’s hard. And remember that we’re stronger together."
Phoebe nodded, her smile widening. "I can do that. But don’t expect me to stop annoying you. It’s part of my charm."
"Wouldn’t dream of it," Prue said, rolling her eyes but smiling nonetheless.
Piper stood, pulling her sisters to their feet. "Come on. We’ve got leftover pizza in the kitchen. Let’s start this truce over carbs."
---
They walked to the kitchen together, their steps lighter than they’d been in years. For the first time, they weren’t just the Charmed Ones. They were sisters-imperfect, complicated, but unbreakable.
And that, they knew, was their greatest power of all.
I hope you enjoy it!
[Charmed ficlet for captainamergirl]Shadows of the Manor
Charmed (1998), Prue Halliwell & Piper Halliwell & Phoebe Halliwell
Summary: Prue, Piper & Phoebe Halliwell have a frank discussion
1201 words
---
The Halliwell sisters had always been a complicated trio. In a family shaped by magic and loss, their love for each other was both a blessing and a burden. It was the kind of love that could conjure unimaginable power but also tear them apart with a single word.
Tonight, the Manor was unusually quiet, save for the occasional creak of the wooden floorboards and the soft rustling of the wind outside. In the living room, Prue, Piper, and Phoebe sat on the couch, their faces illuminated by the soft glow of a table lamp. They weren’t hunting demons or researching spells. This wasn’t about the Book of Shadows or the Elders. Tonight, it was about them.
---
Prue folded her arms across her chest, her gaze flitting between Piper and Phoebe. "We need to talk," she said, her tone clipped but resolute.
"About what?" Piper asked cautiously, already sensing the tension.
"About us," Prue replied, her eyes settling on Phoebe. "About how we always seem to fall into the same patterns-arguing, blaming each other, and never actually addressing what's really wrong."
Phoebe leaned back in her seat, crossing her legs defensively. "Oh, so this is my fault now?"
Prue sighed, pinching the bridge of her nose. "No, Phoebe, it's not just you. It's all of us. But if we don't figure this out, we're going to destroy each other faster than any demon ever could."
Piper, always the mediator, raised her hands. "Okay, let's calm down. If we're going to do this, we need ground rules. No yelling, no blaming, and no storming off."
Phoebe arched an eyebrow. "No promises on that last one."
Prue shot her a look but held her tongue. Piper took a deep breath. "Fine. Who wants to start?"
---
Prue broke the silence. "I’ll go first." She glanced at Piper and Phoebe, her voice softening. "Growing up, I always felt like I had to be the responsible one. After Mom died, I didn’t have a choice. I had to take care of you, Piper, and keep Phoebe in line. But no one ever asked if I wanted to."
Piper frowned. "We didn’t ask you to take on all that, Prue. You chose to."
"Did I?" Prue countered, her voice tightening. "Or did I just step into a role that no one else wanted? I didn’t have the luxury of being carefree like Phoebe or finding the middle ground like you. I had to be the rock, and it wasn’t fair."
Phoebe looked down at her hands, guilt flickering across her face. "I didn’t realize how much pressure you were under. I just...I felt like you were always judging me, always finding fault in everything I did."
"Because I was scared," Prue admitted, surprising both of them. "Scared that if I didn’t keep things together, everything would fall apart. And sometimes, I took that fear out on you."
---
Piper exhaled slowly. "I always felt stuck in the middle. Like I had to be the peacemaker between you two, and it was exhausting. I wanted to scream every time you two started fighting because it felt like I was invisible. Like my feelings didn’t matter as long as I kept the peace."
Phoebe nodded, her voice barely above a whisper. "I think I resented both of you for that. Prue, because you were so controlling, and Piper, because you never stood up for yourself-or me. I felt like the odd one out, the screw-up who couldn’t do anything right."
"That’s not true," Piper said softly.
"Isn’t it?" Phoebe challenged, her eyes glistening. "You two were this united front, and I was just...there. Making mistakes, causing trouble. I felt like I didn’t belong."
Prue’s voice broke through the tension. "You did belong, Phoebe. But I didn’t know how to show you that. I was so focused on keeping us safe that I didn’t see how much I was pushing you away."
---
Phoebe sniffled, her voice wavering. "Do you know how hard it was for me when I left for New York? I wasn’t just running away from our problems-I was running away from you two. I thought maybe if I got some distance, things would get better. But it didn’t. It just made me feel like I was abandoning both of you."
Piper reached over, placing a hand on Phoebe’s knee. "We never talked about how we felt when you left. It hurt, Phoebe. But I think we were all too stubborn to admit it."
Prue nodded, her eyes softening. "I was angry at you for leaving, but I was angrier at myself for not making you feel like you could stay. I didn’t know how to say that then."
Phoebe looked up at her sisters, her voice quiet. "I think I blamed myself for a long time. For everything. For Mom dying, for Grams having to raise us, for you two having to pick up the slack. I felt like I was a burden."
"You weren’t," Piper said firmly. "None of that was your fault. We all carried things we shouldn’t have had to carry. And we didn’t always do it gracefully, but we did it together."
---
Prue sat back, her eyes glistening. "I think I got so caught up in being the protector that I forgot how to just be your sister. I pushed too hard because I thought I had to. But I didn’t realize I was pushing you both away."
"You weren’t just our protector," Phoebe said softly. "You were our anchor, Prue. Even when we fought, I always looked up to you. And I think I hated you for that sometimes because I couldn’t live up to your expectations."
Prue smiled faintly. "You didn’t have to, Phoebe. I didn’t expect you to be like me. I just wanted you to be okay."
Piper looked between her sisters, her voice steady. "We’ve all been carrying these wounds for so long. It’s like they became part of who we are. But I don’t want us to keep hurting each other. We’ve been through too much to let this break us."
---
The room fell silent again, the weight of their confessions heavy but somehow freeing. Finally, Phoebe broke the quiet with a tentative smile. "So, what do we do now? Do we hug it out? Have a magical group therapy session?"
Piper chuckled softly. "No spells, please. Let’s keep this moment demon-free."
Prue smirked, a rare lightness in her expression. "I think the first step is trying. Listening to each other, even when it’s hard. And remember that we’re stronger together."
Phoebe nodded, her smile widening. "I can do that. But don’t expect me to stop annoying you. It’s part of my charm."
"Wouldn’t dream of it," Prue said, rolling her eyes but smiling nonetheless.
Piper stood, pulling her sisters to their feet. "Come on. We’ve got leftover pizza in the kitchen. Let’s start this truce over carbs."
---
They walked to the kitchen together, their steps lighter than they’d been in years. For the first time, they weren’t just the Charmed Ones. They were sisters-imperfect, complicated, but unbreakable.
And that, they knew, was their greatest power of all.