Disclaimer: I don't own Charmed, unfortunately. I do not presume to, I simply use the characters that I love in my own stories. It's harmless fun.
AN: I know, I know. You guys were all so confused when I left off on Race to Rescue. To clear it all up, the Elders were showing Piper what had been prophesied to happen in order to help the Charmed Ones avoid the mistakes they made that placed them in the power of Naruk, whom the Elders knew there was no escape from. Everything that you have read in this series have been part of the vision they showed her. Prue died only days ago, they know about Paige, but she doesn't live with them. Also, Cole is gone. Please bear with me as I try to pull my insane ideas off. Thanks for being with me this long, I hope I have answered some questions. Please, let me know if there is more I can do to help clear things up.
Piper lay in bed long after she awoke from her restless slumber. She couldn't bring herself to move, not even enough to sit up. Grief and sorrow held her as a prisoner in her own bed, keeping her there with a heavy weight. She felt her chest burning with the emotions and fought to breathe. Tears stung her eyes, but she hardly noticed anything but the slow suffocation of anguish. The motivation to live had drained from her, like the blood of her dead sister. Nothing seemed to matter to her, except her own failure, making itself known to her over and over again. Images flashed in her mind, brilliant pictures of her blood-covered older sister. She stared out sightlessly, but her mind's eye did not see her true surroundings, but repetitious scenes of death.
"Why?," she whispered, struggling to voice her feelings, "Why did you leave me all alone?"
When no answer echoed through the room, she allowed herself an agonized sob and slipped further down into the burrow of blankets she'd created for herself. Any tears she'd held back before now began to surface, bathing her cheeks in their salty expressions of woe. She didn't bother to muffle her cries. What did it matter if someone heard her? She couldn't bring herself to feel guilty, even though, somehow, she knew she should. If she was leaving the burden for someone else to carry, she was completely unaware of its absence. Curling her legs into her abdomen, Piper situated herself into a fetal position.
Phoebe buried her face in her hands and pushed her fingers roughly through her hair. She had no idea what to do for Piper, and she couldn't help but wonder how long before her beloved older sister was lost forever in her own pain. Silently, she cursed anyone she could think of for the position she was in. Prue would know what to do, but then, Prue was gone. Her death had been the catalyst for this entire downward spiral. If anything, she should be blaming Prue, but she couldn't bring herself to do it. It was all she could do not to give in to the sorrow pulling her in all directions. For now, she had to hold it together.
Her mind turned another corner as she thought of her oldest sister she so missed. Things from the past crept up, weaving colorful memories, bringing tears to her eyes. As she remembered, a solution popped into her mind. Something triggered a long buried memory in her mind.
~Flashback~ "I'm home," Phoebe yelled, running into the manor, followed by Piper, then Prue. Halting suddenly, she whirled around, stopping her sisters dead in their tracks.
"You will never guess what happened today," she whispered excitedly. Prue and Piper exchanged looks that said 'Do we really want to know?'. Phoebe waited, expecting them to immediately bombard her with questions. When they didn't she plowed into her story.
"Gary Jenkins actually told Nathan, who told his girlfriend Sarah, who told her best friend, who told my best friend who told me," she said, rushing her words, then taking a deep breath, "that he liked me!" Prue burst out laughing, then stopped abruptly when Prue elbowed her.
"That's great Phoebs," Piper said, pretending to be excited for her.
"Prue doesn't think so," Phoebe complained. Piper glanced at her sister, shooting daggers at her, before smiling at Phoebe.
"Sure she does. Don't you Prue," she asked, her tone warning Prue of imminent disaster if she did not show some support.
"Yeah, Phoebe, it's wonderful," Prue answered with an obvious lack of enthusiasm. Phoebe was thoroughly unconvinced.
"See?," Piper soothed, putting an arm around Phoebe's shoulders.
~End~
Normally, when Phoebe remembered the incident, she remembered the one week that followed. Gary Jenkins had asked her to "go out with him", which she had readily agreed to. After seven days, he dumped her to "date" her best friend and she'd been left behind, completely crushed. For some reason, she was finally able to go past the initial unpleasant beginning and plunged into another phase of that particular part of her life. Sighing, Phoebe allowed herself to be fully immersed in the memory.
~Flashback~
Phoebe flung herself across her bed, not bothering to peel back the covers or even remove her shoes. Her life was officially over. She could never show her face in school again and all because of that idiot Gary Jenkins. Fortunately, she'd had the self control to restrain the tears she'd felt building all day until this very moment and she hadn't humiliated herself further in front of her judgemental peers. Now, she let tears flow freely as she recounted the events of her day.
This morning, her boyfriend Gary had proudly marched up to her and before she could so much as say 'Hi', he announced to her and the rest of her class that he had been using her to get to Lisa Braddock, her former best friend. She had had to bear the not-quite suppressed snickers and the outright taunts from her classmates all day.
Lying on her neatly made bed, Phoebe released all of her pent-up emotions in violent sobs. Self-pity fueled her tears and she allowed them to continue. For all she cared, she could die of heartbreak right now. A soft knock on her previously slammed door startled her, and she jumped up, wiping the tears from her cheeks as she did so.
"Go away," she cried, but the knocker was persistant. "Fine. Come in. Get your kicks in while I'm down," she relented dramatically, sighing and throwing herself across her bed once more.
"Phoebs?," came the questioning call from her oldest sister, Prue. Phoebe ignored her and hid her face in her pillow. Prue came forward hesitantly, then quickened her pace and joined her sister on the bed. For a few seconds, Phoebe remained motionless before thrusting herself into Prue's awaiting arms.
"Shhh, sweetie. Calm down and tell me what happened," she requested in a soothing voice. Phoebe cried for a few minutes, until her sobs quietened to whimpers.
"He..he...broke up with me Prue. In front of the entire class," she explained, then jerked away. She searched Prue's eyes for some sign of amusement before leaning into her again. Prue tightened an arm around her and used the other to smooth Phoebe's hair from her tear-stained cheeks.
They stayed that way a few minutes without moving. Prue finally pulled away enough to look into her younger sister's eyes. Smiling gently, she wiped away a few stray tears then leaned over to kiss Phoebe's forehead.
"I have a song for you," she offered tentatively, "If you want." Phoebe stared at her, unused to the lack of confidence in Prue's voice.
"Really?," she asked eagerly, smiling for the first time all day, "Can you sing it to me?" Prue nodded and cleared her throat. For a moment, she thought about backing out, but Phoebe looked so expectant that she couldn't do it.
"My angel girl,
Your heart is broken now, I know
but give it time
these wounds will close
My angel girl,
If I could take away this hurt
you know I would
That's what you deserve
Oh, I tried to save you from this pain
and the emptiness you feel
but give it time, my angel girl
these wounds will heal.
Oh, but give it time, my angel girl
these wounds will heal."
Prue finished and looked down at her hands, which were folded in her lap. Phoebe scrambled to hug her fiercely.
"Thanks, Prue," she whispered gratefully.
~End~
Phoebe brushed away the tears that had escaped her tight control and smiled slightly. Prue had never again mentioned that song, and Phoebe had all but forgotten it. She knew what she had to do to get her sister through this first stage of mourning. Quietly, she trudged upstairs and made her way to the door to Piper's room. Without knocking, she cracked open the door and slipped inside.
The huddled figure of her sweet older sister nearly broke her heart, and she had to stop a moment to recompose herself. It wouldn't do Piper any good if she broke down, too. She forced herself to move and climbed into bed beside Piper, who didn't move a muscle, or acknowledge Phoebe in any way. Once she'd wrapped her arms tightly around her sister, Phoebe positioned her mouth close to Piper's ear.
"My angel girl,
Your heart is broken now, I know
but give it time
these wounds will close
My angel girl,
If I could take away this hurt,
you know I would
That's what you deserve
Oh, I tried to save you from this pain
and the emptiness you feel
but give it time, my angel girl
these wounds will heal.
Oh, but give it time, my angel girl
these wounds will heal."
AN: I know, I know. You guys were all so confused when I left off on Race to Rescue. To clear it all up, the Elders were showing Piper what had been prophesied to happen in order to help the Charmed Ones avoid the mistakes they made that placed them in the power of Naruk, whom the Elders knew there was no escape from. Everything that you have read in this series have been part of the vision they showed her. Prue died only days ago, they know about Paige, but she doesn't live with them. Also, Cole is gone. Please bear with me as I try to pull my insane ideas off. Thanks for being with me this long, I hope I have answered some questions. Please, let me know if there is more I can do to help clear things up.
Piper lay in bed long after she awoke from her restless slumber. She couldn't bring herself to move, not even enough to sit up. Grief and sorrow held her as a prisoner in her own bed, keeping her there with a heavy weight. She felt her chest burning with the emotions and fought to breathe. Tears stung her eyes, but she hardly noticed anything but the slow suffocation of anguish. The motivation to live had drained from her, like the blood of her dead sister. Nothing seemed to matter to her, except her own failure, making itself known to her over and over again. Images flashed in her mind, brilliant pictures of her blood-covered older sister. She stared out sightlessly, but her mind's eye did not see her true surroundings, but repetitious scenes of death.
"Why?," she whispered, struggling to voice her feelings, "Why did you leave me all alone?"
When no answer echoed through the room, she allowed herself an agonized sob and slipped further down into the burrow of blankets she'd created for herself. Any tears she'd held back before now began to surface, bathing her cheeks in their salty expressions of woe. She didn't bother to muffle her cries. What did it matter if someone heard her? She couldn't bring herself to feel guilty, even though, somehow, she knew she should. If she was leaving the burden for someone else to carry, she was completely unaware of its absence. Curling her legs into her abdomen, Piper situated herself into a fetal position.
Phoebe buried her face in her hands and pushed her fingers roughly through her hair. She had no idea what to do for Piper, and she couldn't help but wonder how long before her beloved older sister was lost forever in her own pain. Silently, she cursed anyone she could think of for the position she was in. Prue would know what to do, but then, Prue was gone. Her death had been the catalyst for this entire downward spiral. If anything, she should be blaming Prue, but she couldn't bring herself to do it. It was all she could do not to give in to the sorrow pulling her in all directions. For now, she had to hold it together.
Her mind turned another corner as she thought of her oldest sister she so missed. Things from the past crept up, weaving colorful memories, bringing tears to her eyes. As she remembered, a solution popped into her mind. Something triggered a long buried memory in her mind.
~Flashback~ "I'm home," Phoebe yelled, running into the manor, followed by Piper, then Prue. Halting suddenly, she whirled around, stopping her sisters dead in their tracks.
"You will never guess what happened today," she whispered excitedly. Prue and Piper exchanged looks that said 'Do we really want to know?'. Phoebe waited, expecting them to immediately bombard her with questions. When they didn't she plowed into her story.
"Gary Jenkins actually told Nathan, who told his girlfriend Sarah, who told her best friend, who told my best friend who told me," she said, rushing her words, then taking a deep breath, "that he liked me!" Prue burst out laughing, then stopped abruptly when Prue elbowed her.
"That's great Phoebs," Piper said, pretending to be excited for her.
"Prue doesn't think so," Phoebe complained. Piper glanced at her sister, shooting daggers at her, before smiling at Phoebe.
"Sure she does. Don't you Prue," she asked, her tone warning Prue of imminent disaster if she did not show some support.
"Yeah, Phoebe, it's wonderful," Prue answered with an obvious lack of enthusiasm. Phoebe was thoroughly unconvinced.
"See?," Piper soothed, putting an arm around Phoebe's shoulders.
~End~
Normally, when Phoebe remembered the incident, she remembered the one week that followed. Gary Jenkins had asked her to "go out with him", which she had readily agreed to. After seven days, he dumped her to "date" her best friend and she'd been left behind, completely crushed. For some reason, she was finally able to go past the initial unpleasant beginning and plunged into another phase of that particular part of her life. Sighing, Phoebe allowed herself to be fully immersed in the memory.
~Flashback~
Phoebe flung herself across her bed, not bothering to peel back the covers or even remove her shoes. Her life was officially over. She could never show her face in school again and all because of that idiot Gary Jenkins. Fortunately, she'd had the self control to restrain the tears she'd felt building all day until this very moment and she hadn't humiliated herself further in front of her judgemental peers. Now, she let tears flow freely as she recounted the events of her day.
This morning, her boyfriend Gary had proudly marched up to her and before she could so much as say 'Hi', he announced to her and the rest of her class that he had been using her to get to Lisa Braddock, her former best friend. She had had to bear the not-quite suppressed snickers and the outright taunts from her classmates all day.
Lying on her neatly made bed, Phoebe released all of her pent-up emotions in violent sobs. Self-pity fueled her tears and she allowed them to continue. For all she cared, she could die of heartbreak right now. A soft knock on her previously slammed door startled her, and she jumped up, wiping the tears from her cheeks as she did so.
"Go away," she cried, but the knocker was persistant. "Fine. Come in. Get your kicks in while I'm down," she relented dramatically, sighing and throwing herself across her bed once more.
"Phoebs?," came the questioning call from her oldest sister, Prue. Phoebe ignored her and hid her face in her pillow. Prue came forward hesitantly, then quickened her pace and joined her sister on the bed. For a few seconds, Phoebe remained motionless before thrusting herself into Prue's awaiting arms.
"Shhh, sweetie. Calm down and tell me what happened," she requested in a soothing voice. Phoebe cried for a few minutes, until her sobs quietened to whimpers.
"He..he...broke up with me Prue. In front of the entire class," she explained, then jerked away. She searched Prue's eyes for some sign of amusement before leaning into her again. Prue tightened an arm around her and used the other to smooth Phoebe's hair from her tear-stained cheeks.
They stayed that way a few minutes without moving. Prue finally pulled away enough to look into her younger sister's eyes. Smiling gently, she wiped away a few stray tears then leaned over to kiss Phoebe's forehead.
"I have a song for you," she offered tentatively, "If you want." Phoebe stared at her, unused to the lack of confidence in Prue's voice.
"Really?," she asked eagerly, smiling for the first time all day, "Can you sing it to me?" Prue nodded and cleared her throat. For a moment, she thought about backing out, but Phoebe looked so expectant that she couldn't do it.
"My angel girl,
Your heart is broken now, I know
but give it time
these wounds will close
My angel girl,
If I could take away this hurt
you know I would
That's what you deserve
Oh, I tried to save you from this pain
and the emptiness you feel
but give it time, my angel girl
these wounds will heal.
Oh, but give it time, my angel girl
these wounds will heal."
Prue finished and looked down at her hands, which were folded in her lap. Phoebe scrambled to hug her fiercely.
"Thanks, Prue," she whispered gratefully.
~End~
Phoebe brushed away the tears that had escaped her tight control and smiled slightly. Prue had never again mentioned that song, and Phoebe had all but forgotten it. She knew what she had to do to get her sister through this first stage of mourning. Quietly, she trudged upstairs and made her way to the door to Piper's room. Without knocking, she cracked open the door and slipped inside.
The huddled figure of her sweet older sister nearly broke her heart, and she had to stop a moment to recompose herself. It wouldn't do Piper any good if she broke down, too. She forced herself to move and climbed into bed beside Piper, who didn't move a muscle, or acknowledge Phoebe in any way. Once she'd wrapped her arms tightly around her sister, Phoebe positioned her mouth close to Piper's ear.
"My angel girl,
Your heart is broken now, I know
but give it time
these wounds will close
My angel girl,
If I could take away this hurt,
you know I would
That's what you deserve
Oh, I tried to save you from this pain
and the emptiness you feel
but give it time, my angel girl
these wounds will heal.
Oh, but give it time, my angel girl
these wounds will heal."