Disclaimer: The Charmed Characters are the property of Aaron Spelling and Constance Burge. I just borrow them for your enjoyment and my writing addiction.


"Phoebe hurry up we're going to be late?"

"I'm coming already." Phoebe ran down the last few stairs in the Manor she shared with her sisters. "Would you relax we have lots of time."

"Tell that to Prue when we are running through the door as the movie starts." Piper replied as she hurried her sister along.

"Ok can I tie my shoe!?"

"Yeah in the car. Lets go!" Piper pulled at Phoebes arm as she went to bend down and tie her shoe.


Phoebe walked into the café behind her sisters still shivering at the movie they had seen.

Piper looked back to her sister and smiled. "Was your idea Phoebs." She said as she tucked her arms through Phoebes.

"Actually it was Prue's." Phoebe said as she looked ahead to her big sister.

Piper stopped and looked at Prue, "You?"

"Yeah, Andy and I wanted to see it a few weeks ago but he got called in. He told me to go with you guys if I really wanted to see it that bad. We could always go later."

"So you were the one. What were you thinking?" Piper glared at her sister still shocked that it was Prue's idea.

"It looked good. I mean come on you two. That's nothing compared to what we have seen in the last few months."

"What part of TRUE did you not understand Prue. That really happened to some guy." Phoebe shot out as they got in line for their coffees.

"Phoebe relax, it isn't going to happen to you. Last time I checked we don't live anywhere near Haiti." Prue had to tease her youngest sister, knowing the kind of movies she watched as a child

"How can you say that, when we have had demons and warlocks blowing up in our living room?" Phoebe asked under her breath as they made their way to a table. "God I'm going to have nightmares for a week." She mumbled to anyone of her two sisters that would listen.

"Miss 'Queen of the Thriller' movies. Nightmares. This I gotta see." Prue laughed it off.

"Oh you will. When I wake up in the middle of the night screaming. I'm running to your room."


Images of the title itself burned across Phoebes mind as she got ready for bed. The old burned out ship. The zombie walking across to the lady. The serpent coming from no where. 'The Serpent and the Rainbow.' "Trust Prue to find some old 80's movie to go see." Phoebe talked to herself as she crawled into bed.

Piper paused briefly outside Prue room just as Prue as pulling was her door to go to bed.

"Yeah, you may want to keep that open."

"Why?" Prue then realized her mistake. "She'll be fine Piper. She's seen worse I'm sure when she was younger."

"And where did she end up those nights too?" Piper raised her eyebrows at Prue before heading off to her own room to bed.

Prue looked across at the closed door before her. She thought a moment as something came to her mind. Leaving the door where it was, she went to bed and turned out the light.


"Halliwell hurry up!"

"I'm coming. What's the big hurry anyway?" Phoebe ran after her boyfriend as they ran down towards the beach.

He took her hand and guided her to the sand. "Ok whatever happens you stay here."

"What? Jack what's going on?"

"What's going on? Payback, that's what. Now stay here. And stay out of sight." He leaned forward and gave her a passionate kiss, "I'll be back to finish that." He smiled at her as he walked further down the beach away from the cave he had left her standing in.

She stood and watched as Jack made his way down the beach but as quickly as he turned and walked away she felt the scream of terror get caught in her throat. As she watched the sand on the beach get stained with blood.

The scream filled the Manor causing lights to immediately flicker on and footsteps to hurry down the hallway.

She felt the cool air on her damp skin as she tried to gain a breath. But all she got were heaves of air not enough to make her breath normally.

She felt the arms come around her and at first she pulled away, but she felt the soothing hand on her head and the soft words speaking to her. She was safe as she leaned into the arms around her knowing that it was Prue who was there to protect her.

"Slow breaths Phoebs it's ok."

Piper rushed in the room and quickly made her way to Phoebes bedside as she looked up at Prue. She wanted to say 'I told you so' but somehow at that moment it didn't seem appropriate. "Phoebs you're ok now sweetie. It was just a bad dream." She ran her hand over the top of Phoebes head as she leaned forward and practically whispered to her. Anything to help calm her sister down.

Piper couldn't even remember when it was that both her and Prue had learned the fast way to calm Phoebe after a nightmare. She did know it was when they were all very young. Having lost their mother at an early age, the older two Halliwell sisters learned quickly how to care for the youngest. She was the one always getting into something. A bad dream, a scraped knee, but each time Prue and Piper would calm her down.

Prue felt Phoebe start to relax in her arms, and knew what that usually meant. She guided her sister back down on hr pillow before pulling back the covers and crawling in behind her, "I got her Piper. Got to bed."

"Are you sure?"

"Yeah. Sorry to wake you."

Piper leaned down and gave both her sisters a kiss, "you should be sorry. I told you."

"I know. Now git. I'll see you in the morning." Prue took Pipers hand in hers and gave it a gentle squeeze before letting go and focusing on the figure that was now snuggling up next to her. Wrapping her arms around her little sister, Prue stopped fighting the blanket of sleep that was coming over her.


Phoebe lay awake not moving for fear of waking her sister. She had felt safe the moment she became aware of her surroundings. The nightmare she had now a distant memory, but still very real in her mind.

"You plan on laying here like this all day?"

Phoebe tipped her head up lightly and caught the ice blue eyes of her oldest sister. "Maybe. Sorry."

"For what? Waking the whole house with a blood-curdling scream, that probably also woke half the neighbourhood, as well as Mum and Grams? Don't worry about it, comes with the job."

"Yeah I guess it does doesn't it? Was it really that bad?"

Prue thought a moment before kissing the top of Phoebes head, "Sorry for taking you to that movie."

"It's ok. As you said. I've probably seen worse when I was younger." Phoebe smiled up at Prue letting her know she gad heard her sister the night before.

"Eaves dropper." She tightened her hold on her sister as she tried to squirm away. "Seriously. You ok?" Prue asked with concenr

Phoebe looked away from Prue and cast her eyes to the light that was trying to peek through her window. "Yeah it's like a vague memory now."

"So you don't even remember it?"

"Not really, it's like bits and pieces now. I was at a beach and then there was just all this blood. It was just like." She thought a minute as she tried to get her brain to think of something she had long forgotten.

"Like what honey?"

"That's just it. I feel as if I should remember something like that but I don't; At least not all of it. And the longer I am awake the foggier it becomes."

Prue looked down at Phoebe a little worried that there was more to this then just a nightmare from a scary movie.


Prue sat at her desk at Buckland's thinking on her sister and the night before. Something was bothering Phoebe and Prue couldn't figure it out.

"Knock knock."

Prue looked up, "Andy hi."

"Hi. So how was it?"

"It? Oh the movie. It was great. Though not sure it was a great idea to go."

"Let me guess. Phoebe woke up in the middle of the night screaming?" he smiled reacalling the times Prue had told him about Phoebe and her scarey movies and waking up.

Prue raised one eyebrow and looked at him.

"She always did Prue. We both know that."

"Yeah she did didn't she." Prue laughed at memories of her sister jumping into her bed and hiding under the covers. "From Snow White and Sleeping Beauty.'

"To Kill it Before it Dies." Andy added in as he laughed. "Poor kid. She ok?"

"Yeah same as always. But it's weird. She said her nightmare reminded her of something. She just can't remember what."

"Well they say dreams are sometimes memories we push back. Maybe something bad she saw or felt and she buried it deep inside."

Prue looked at him with both eyebrows raised slightly. "Ok."

"Sorry. Had to take a pysch course before I was made Inspector. Helps me get inside what they are thinking."

"They?"

"Killers and such."

"Oh." Prue looked at him curious but took his answer. "So what brings you by anyway other then a Halliwell movie review?"

"Dinner hopefully. Then maybe a walk on the beach and anything else that may come after." He smiled at her wondering why he had ever let her out of his life.

"Hmm tempting."

"Was hoping it was. Pick you up at 630?"

"Sure."

They both got up as Andy moved around her desk and took her in his arms, "pack your toothbrush." He leaned down and kissed her before leaving her office. Not giving her a chance to say no.

Prue stood and watched as he left the office and sat down almost dreamily. Turning back to her notes she heard her door open again, "What, you decided I can use your toothbrush?"
"Ewww."

Prue looked up and saw Piper standing in the doorway making her way to the same chair Andy had just left. "Piper. Hi."

"Yeah hi. Andy hey. Guess Phoebe and I are eating alone tonight and the movie night at home has been cancelled." She smiled knowingly at her sister.

"Yeah sorry." Prue looked down at her books blushing slightly.

Piper laughed as her older sister squirmed slightly under her gaze, "Good thing for you I wasn't Phoebe walking in then."

"Yeah good thing."

Piper laughed again before turning more serious. "Prue did she say anything this morning about last night?"

"No why?"

"I don't know when I came home after my run this morning I heard her on the phone."

"So." Prue didn't see Pipers point.

"She was talking to Jane."

"Jane? Piper point?"

"Jane Clayton. You remember her. Phoebe was dating her brother when they were in high school."

Prue thought a moment when she realized who Piper was talking about. "Jack Clayton's sister. As in the same Jack that was murdered on the beach and they never found out who did it."

"Same guy yeah. But when I asked her who she was talking to she said it was a wrong number."

"Why would she say that?"

"I don't know. I was hoping you knew."

Prue leaned back in her chair and tried to think of anything as to why Phoebe would hide whom she was talking to. "I can't think of anything. Maybe we need that sister night after all."

"No you go out with Andy. I'll see what I can think of. Maybe I'm just reading to much into this."

"Maybe." Prue agreed but quietly. Why would Phoebe hide the fact she was talking to her old boyfriend's sister?