San Francisco Bay Area, Friday Afternoon [NFB]
Piper really wanted some answers about what really happened to her mother. It was one of the things she planned to do while on this trip. She knew Grams wasn't going to give her those answers. At least not all of them.
She had to see the campsite for herself. Of course, she couldn't tell Grams that. Grams thinks she and Veronica went to Fisherman's Wharf. Piper really hated lying to her, but she felt she had no choice.
Now, she stood on the campsite, gazing out at the lake, the one that haunted her dreams a few weeks ago. Then she turned toward the abandoned cabin. She tried to open the door, but it was locked.
"Feel like breaking and entering again?" Piper asked Veronica, smiling mischievously.
"Who me?" Veronica asked, pulling her lock pick kit out of her purse. "Where would you ever get the idea that I would do something like that?"
She stepped up to the door and examined the lock. Within seconds, she had it popped. "This is kid stuff," she told Piper with a grin.
Piper snickered as she wandered into the cabin. "I knew I could count on you."
Immediately, she began searching for anything that might clue her in on what might have happened to her mother.
"So, what exactly are we looking for?" Veronica asked, gingerly moving some dusty books.
"I'm not sure, to be honest," Piper replied, continuing to look around. Eventually, she came across some articles about every drowning that occurred at the lake. "The hell?"
"What did you find?" Veronica asked, walking over to where Piper was standing and looking over her shoulder.
"Articles," Piper said, showing them to Veronica. "About the drownings that occurred here. So many. It can't just be a coincidence..."
"So your mom wasn't the first?" Veronica asked, scanning the headlines.
"Apparently not," Piper said with a frown. "I guess they finally had to close this place down."
"That's... weird," Veronica admitted, wandering over to a stack of boxes. She popped the lid off one and started rifling through a stack of photos she found. "Do you think something caused the drownings? I find it hard to believe there were so many randomly."
"I'm really starting to suspect that something demonic was the cause," Piper said, continuing to glance at the articles. "Why else would they close the camp?"
"Do you think your mom knew it was something demonic?" Veronica asked. "Hey," she said, coming to a picture that looked somewhat familiar. "Isn't that your mom?"
"She might have. Maybe she was trying to stop it," Piper said thoughtfully, smiling at the picture. "Yeah, that's her. She looks happy in that picture."
Then she got serious. "I wonder why there's a picture of her here or all places."
"Well, you said that you and your sisters came here? Maybe it was taken on a parents weekend or something," Veronica said with a shrug, putting the picture aside and continuing to look through the stack. She was glad she had paid attention to the various family pictures hanging around Piper's home when she was there.
Piper nodded. "Yeah, that's probably why."
She continued looking around, opening drawers. Eventually, she came upon something that interested her. "Huh. There's a bunch of letters here. Maybe they will reveal something."
"Oh, letters are usually good sources of information," Veronica agreed, walking over to Piper. "Open one up."
Piper opened one of the letters and started reading out loud. "Dear Sam..."
She stopped reading suddenly. "Sam? Oh my god. He was my mother's whitelighter... Paige's father."
She continued reading the letter. "Dear Sam, Where are you? It's been two weeks since you were last here and I wonder 'are you alright.' Do they have you off guiding someone? And I wonder when they will send you back to San Francisco. To me."
"Why would letters from your mother to her white lighter be in an old cabin?" Veronica wondered.
"Maybe he lived here?" Piper said with a shrug as Veronica took a letter and started reading it. "Sam, yes you were clear. My eyes were open to the difficulties, the risks, but my answer is the same as it was when you were still here with me. No one understands me the way you do, no one can."
Piper couldn't help smiling. Her mom was happy then. It's clear she loved Sam very much.
"They were happy together."
She frowned when she saw the contents of another letter. "Huh, this one mentions the demon."
"You can't be with me up at the lake. This demon is too strong and I can't risk losing you, not for myself or the others you protect. They must as always come first," Piper read. "You know I'd never face this demon if I didn't think I'd be home in time for dinner to see my girls, to see you."
She glanced at the date the letter was written. "She never came home that night..." She couldn't help it when the tears formed.
Veronica leaned over and hugged her friend. "The demon must have been stronger than she expected," Veronica said. "But I wonder why Sam didn't help her. Aren't whitelighters supposed to keep their charges safe?"
Piper shrugged sadly. "Yes, they are. I don't know why he didn't help her. I don't think he would have done that on purpose. Not save her I mean. At least I know what really happened to her."
She wandered back outside and stared at the lake. "Maybe someday my sisters and I will vanquish the demon in there. I don't think we're strong enough to face it yet, though."
"Too bad you don't know how your mom tried to do it," Veronica said. "That might help you figure out a way to succeed." She put a reassuring hand on Piper's shoulder.
She nodded. "I think we're not meant to deal with this yet."
She put the letters in her bag. "I think I'm going to give these to Paige since Sam is her father."
"Thanks for helping me out with this," Piper said to Veronica. "It means a lot."
"That's what BFFs are for," Veronica said, grinning. "And now you can go back and tell Marty what an awesome lock picker I am."
Piper giggled. "I'll do that."
"We can go do some touristy stuff now if you want," Piper said as they headed back to the car Grams let her borrow.
"Lead the way," Veronica said.
[ooc: played via email; some of the dialog in this post is taken from the Charmed episode "P3H2O," one of the worst episode titles ever, omg!]
She had to see the campsite for herself. Of course, she couldn't tell Grams that. Grams thinks she and Veronica went to Fisherman's Wharf. Piper really hated lying to her, but she felt she had no choice.
Now, she stood on the campsite, gazing out at the lake, the one that haunted her dreams a few weeks ago. Then she turned toward the abandoned cabin. She tried to open the door, but it was locked.
"Feel like breaking and entering again?" Piper asked Veronica, smiling mischievously.
"Who me?" Veronica asked, pulling her lock pick kit out of her purse. "Where would you ever get the idea that I would do something like that?"
She stepped up to the door and examined the lock. Within seconds, she had it popped. "This is kid stuff," she told Piper with a grin.
Piper snickered as she wandered into the cabin. "I knew I could count on you."
Immediately, she began searching for anything that might clue her in on what might have happened to her mother.
"So, what exactly are we looking for?" Veronica asked, gingerly moving some dusty books.
"I'm not sure, to be honest," Piper replied, continuing to look around. Eventually, she came across some articles about every drowning that occurred at the lake. "The hell?"
"What did you find?" Veronica asked, walking over to where Piper was standing and looking over her shoulder.
"Articles," Piper said, showing them to Veronica. "About the drownings that occurred here. So many. It can't just be a coincidence..."
"So your mom wasn't the first?" Veronica asked, scanning the headlines.
"Apparently not," Piper said with a frown. "I guess they finally had to close this place down."
"That's... weird," Veronica admitted, wandering over to a stack of boxes. She popped the lid off one and started rifling through a stack of photos she found. "Do you think something caused the drownings? I find it hard to believe there were so many randomly."
"I'm really starting to suspect that something demonic was the cause," Piper said, continuing to glance at the articles. "Why else would they close the camp?"
"Do you think your mom knew it was something demonic?" Veronica asked. "Hey," she said, coming to a picture that looked somewhat familiar. "Isn't that your mom?"
"She might have. Maybe she was trying to stop it," Piper said thoughtfully, smiling at the picture. "Yeah, that's her. She looks happy in that picture."
Then she got serious. "I wonder why there's a picture of her here or all places."
"Well, you said that you and your sisters came here? Maybe it was taken on a parents weekend or something," Veronica said with a shrug, putting the picture aside and continuing to look through the stack. She was glad she had paid attention to the various family pictures hanging around Piper's home when she was there.
Piper nodded. "Yeah, that's probably why."
She continued looking around, opening drawers. Eventually, she came upon something that interested her. "Huh. There's a bunch of letters here. Maybe they will reveal something."
"Oh, letters are usually good sources of information," Veronica agreed, walking over to Piper. "Open one up."
Piper opened one of the letters and started reading out loud. "Dear Sam..."
She stopped reading suddenly. "Sam? Oh my god. He was my mother's whitelighter... Paige's father."
She continued reading the letter. "Dear Sam, Where are you? It's been two weeks since you were last here and I wonder 'are you alright.' Do they have you off guiding someone? And I wonder when they will send you back to San Francisco. To me."
"Why would letters from your mother to her white lighter be in an old cabin?" Veronica wondered.
"Maybe he lived here?" Piper said with a shrug as Veronica took a letter and started reading it. "Sam, yes you were clear. My eyes were open to the difficulties, the risks, but my answer is the same as it was when you were still here with me. No one understands me the way you do, no one can."
Piper couldn't help smiling. Her mom was happy then. It's clear she loved Sam very much.
"They were happy together."
She frowned when she saw the contents of another letter. "Huh, this one mentions the demon."
"You can't be with me up at the lake. This demon is too strong and I can't risk losing you, not for myself or the others you protect. They must as always come first," Piper read. "You know I'd never face this demon if I didn't think I'd be home in time for dinner to see my girls, to see you."
She glanced at the date the letter was written. "She never came home that night..." She couldn't help it when the tears formed.
Veronica leaned over and hugged her friend. "The demon must have been stronger than she expected," Veronica said. "But I wonder why Sam didn't help her. Aren't whitelighters supposed to keep their charges safe?"
Piper shrugged sadly. "Yes, they are. I don't know why he didn't help her. I don't think he would have done that on purpose. Not save her I mean. At least I know what really happened to her."
She wandered back outside and stared at the lake. "Maybe someday my sisters and I will vanquish the demon in there. I don't think we're strong enough to face it yet, though."
"Too bad you don't know how your mom tried to do it," Veronica said. "That might help you figure out a way to succeed." She put a reassuring hand on Piper's shoulder.
She nodded. "I think we're not meant to deal with this yet."
She put the letters in her bag. "I think I'm going to give these to Paige since Sam is her father."
"Thanks for helping me out with this," Piper said to Veronica. "It means a lot."
"That's what BFFs are for," Veronica said, grinning. "And now you can go back and tell Marty what an awesome lock picker I am."
Piper giggled. "I'll do that."
"We can go do some touristy stuff now if you want," Piper said as they headed back to the car Grams let her borrow.
"Lead the way," Veronica said.
[ooc: played via email; some of the dialog in this post is taken from the Charmed episode "P3H2O," one of the worst episode titles ever, omg!]