AN: I wrote this rather quickly so I apologize if it is slightly unedited.


A few days passed and with a combination of painkillers and her mom's remedy potion, Paige's bruises had already begun to heal significantly.

Phoebe, Paige and Piper were eating breakfast at the kitchen table.

Piper was reading the morning newspaper while occasionally glancing at Paige, thinking about how considerably healthier she looked. Before their mother's potion had properly started working, Paige's skin had been a grossly pale colour and the bruises had made her look like she should be lying on an autopsy table.

Phoebe was discretely observing Paige that morning too.

After a few of Piper's home cooked delicacies, plenty of medication and far too much babying from her siblings, Paige's skin had begun to return its glow.

Paige looked over at Piper and caught her eye. "We do you keep looking at me like that?" She asked.

Phoebe looked over at Paige and watched.

"Like what?" Piper responded innocently.

"Like that." Paige gave her a small smile. "I thought that with my bruises starting to show a little less, you'd both stop looking at me so much but it's like the opposite!" She exclaimed.

"Paige that's why we're looking at you. You're looking so much healthier and it's making me happy." Piper smiled.

Paige smiled. "Really?" She looked at Phoebe.

Phoebe nodded. "You've healed so much; a lot of your bruises are barely brown now. You look lovely. You're really starting to look like your old self." Phoebe smiled, giving Paige's forearm a friendly squeeze.

"You really think so?" Paige asked them both in disbelief.

"Yeah!" Piper smiled. "Your lip has completely healed and all of your bruises are fading. This kind of healing should have taken weeks, it's only been days." She said in wonder.

"I guess mom's still got it in her." Phoebe smiled. "Those potions seem pretty miraculous."

"Yeah." Paige responded. "I need to thank her again for those. It was so kind of her."

"It was." Piper responded. "It's nice to know that she still looks out for us, isn't it?" She smiled.

"Yeah. I guess not everyone's mothers come back from the grave to take care of them when they are in need." Phoebe happily sighed.

"Well she's not exactly an ordinary mother." Paige said with a smile.


A few hours later Phoebe, Paige and Piper were sat on the living room couch.

"Oh god." Phoebe sighed.

"What's up?" Piper asked curiously.

"I just realised that none of us have even left the house in six days." Phoebe replied.

Paige raised her eyebrows. She hadn't realised how long it had actually been. "Phoebe, why don't you and I go and get some groceries today. We're running really low." She suggested.

"Well sure, but are you okay to do that?"

"Yes. I'm fine. I'm not made of porcelain."

"Okay. Let's go." Phoebe stood up.

"I'll make something that we can all eat when you guys get back." Piper added.

"That sounds great. I'll look forward to it." Paige nodded while standing up. Piper smiled.

"We'll be back in an hour or two." Phoebe said before walking out of the kitchen with Paige.

Paige Matthews was wearing a black pair of combat trousers and a nice top. Phoebe was wearing a silky orange vest top and a brown skirt. Phoebe's hair was in a neat bun and Paige's hair rested around her shoulders.

It was a quick twenty minute drive to the nearest supermarket and Paige and Phoebe were chatting as they drove there.

"You seem very cheerful today." Phoebe observed.

"Well I'm feeling a lot more cheerful." Paige responded next to her.

"Is there a particular reason for that?" Phoebe asked.

"Strong pain relief and two wonderful sisters seem to have done the trick." Paige smiled.

Phoebe looked at her and smiled appreciatively.

Paige sighed happily and glanced out of the window at the sunny day in San Francisco.

Phoebe opened her mouth and closed it again thinking of what to say. "-You know, I've been really worried about you Paige."

Paige glanced back at her. "I know." She responded.

"I was so scared the first night you got back. You were so weak and vulnerable and I'd never seen you like that before."

Paige nodded sadly.

"You were so sad as well. So sad. It made me so frightened for you. I imagined what could have happened to you and I feared the worst." Phoebe said, her eyes fixed to the road in front of her. "And I guess it happened. But what I'm trying to say is that I'm still worried about you. Paige it's only been six days. I was expecting you to be that shaky, devastated person you were the night I found you for at least three weeks. Not less than six days. So I'm just wondering if you are actually okay in there. Or if you still feel that way but are getting better and better at being your old self and hiding it."

Paige listened and thought about what Phoebe had said. "I'm sorry I made you so worried about me."

"No. Don't apologise, I didn't mean to make it sound it sound like a criticism because you were not in the wrong, never. And it's what we do, worry about each other."

Paige nodded. "Yeah. -Wait why are you asking me this when you have empathic powers. You know exactly how I'm feeling all of the time."

"Because I want to hear it from you. And I'm trying to tone down my empathic powers because they just seem to cause problems."

"I would normally detest to you toning down any of your powers but in this case, I'm not so sure." Paige gave her a half smile.

"So tell me. I'll switch off my head and listen to how you feel. Because I want to know."

Paige thought about it. "You're right about the six days thing. I do still have all of those feelings but I'm just trying to get rid of them. I want to push this away. Bury it down inside my body so I can just move on with my life."

"That's not healthy."

"But reliving it and thinking about it constantly would ruin me. I would never get better. It would just end up with me killing myself or getting obsessed with it and crazily trying to catch the guys. So I think the best thing is to just try and push it away. Those guys already took enough from me. They don't deserve my life too."

"I know sweetie but you can't just bury things. It will haunt you in a different way."

"You sound like you're speaking from experience."

"Let's not get distracted." Phoebe said, taking a left turn. "I'm trying to say that I want you to put this behind you and move on with your life at some point in the very near future but maybe not today."

"Yes Dr. Halliwell. Thank you for your advice." Paige said a little sarcastically.

"I'm not joking around Paige. I'm serious."

"I know, I know. I just don't know what to say."

"I know honey. This whole thing is really difficult." Phoebe replied, looking at Paige.

Paige nodded.

After another five minutes of driving, they had reached the supermarket. Next to the supermarket there were a chain of other shops that were mainly clothes stores and furniture stores.

"Maybe we could have a look at some clothes afterwards." Phoebe suggested.

"Yeah sure." Paige said whilst getting out of the car.

Phoebe smiled, linked up her arm in Paige's and they walked across the car park into the grocery store.

They did a fairly quick shop and managed to get everything they needed. They took their shopping bags and put them in the boot before heading into the clothes store.

Paige looked around at all the tops, jeans and dresses. "These are really cute clothes. I don't know why I've never been here before."

"I used to come here with Cole a lot because he liked the men's clothes here."

Paige smiled. They walked around for a while, browsing all of the beautiful clothes when Paige stopped frozen.

Her body stiffened and she stared at a man a few metres away in fear. He was fairly tall and very built up; he had sandy coloured hair and piercing eyes. He seemed calm and collected and was browsing the clothing aisles.

Paige stared in horror. She couldn't forget those blue eyes. She'd already managed to forget a lot about that night but she could never forget those icy blue goblets that stared deep into her eyes when they raped her.

She backed up defensively into a shelf and hit her back hard. Her breathing intensified and her whole body started shaking in fear. She watched with utter terror as he continued staring at the clothes. Luckily he hadn't seen her.

"Paige what's wrong?" Phoebe asked worriedly. She tried to walk closer to her sister but the look in her eyes was scaring her. She looked so freaked out and petrified that Phoebe actually felt scared to approach her.

Suddenly she got it. She followed her gaze and stared and the menacing man. Even if she hadn't known what he had done, he would have given her the chills.

Paige's whole body shook. She couldn't control herself. Suddenly every moment of that night came flooding back. How they'd hit her constantly, how she'd screamed and cried non stop, how she thought that this was how she was going to die. She remembered the way they touched her hair and stroked her face, even as she turned her head away in disgust. She remembered them cutting her legs with the small knife. But most of all, she remembered those eyes.

Tears were falling down her cheeks and she couldn't take her eyes away from him. Suddenly, he looked up. He stared right at her, watched her, absorbing her emotion. Then he smiled. Straight into her eyes, he gave her a cocky grin, a proud smile. Enjoying her state.

Although he was a few metres away, his face was plain as sight. He smiled darkly and took a step towards her, jokily.

Paige put her arms in front of her face defensively. Phoebe watched in horror. She was frozen in shock. She'd had a plan in her head for if she ever got to meet either of those bastards, she had a whole list of ways she would hurt them, but right now, she just couldn't. She couldn't make her legs move; they were frozen to the spot.

He took another step forwards smiling as Paige flinched again. She watched desperately as he slowly walked closer from a few metres away. He came closer to them. One step at a time. Grinning. He was loving the effect he had on her.

When he was just a few metres away, he spoke to Paige. "Just you wait girl. The last time was only a warm up." He snarled with a grin.

He suddenly lunged forward and Paige grabbed Phoebe's wrist tightly and orbed them both, screaming as she did so.

Xxxxxxx

Then landed roughly in the manor, both hitting the ground hard. Paige instantly sat up and scurried over to the wall, pulling her knees up to her chest defensively. Her eyes were still wide and frightened.

Piper ran into the living room where they both were. "What the hell happened?" She asked worriedly. Phoebe sat up slowly and quickly wiped away some tears that had formed.

Paige put her head on her knees and cried loudly. Her body was still shaking violently and her back was throbbing from where she'd hit the shelf in the store.

Piper crouched down in front of Phoebe and Paige, waiting for an answer.

Phoebe sat, stunned. She didn't know what to say. She's never felt so weak and embarrassed in her whole life. She couldn't imagine how Paige was feeling right now.

Phoebe shuffled over to Paige from the floor. "Sweetheart it's going to be okay." She said with tears in her voice, stroking her sister's arm that was wrapped around her knees. Paige didn't even look up.

"Phoebe what's going on?" Piper said desperately.

"I'll- I'll tell you later. We need to make sure she's okay. This was really bad Piper." Phoebe stuttered, now gently shaking Paige's arm. "Paige please just look at me."

Paige shook her head and cried harder into her knees.

"Paige please. I need to know you're okay." Phoebe said, tears also running down her cheeks. She could feel Paige's body shaking under her hand. "C'mon baby. Please, just look at me." Phoebe said sadly. Paige finally looked up slowly. Her cheeks tear stained and her eyes full of emotion.

"Oh sweetheart." Phoebe cried, clutching her younger sister's cheek. "I know that was really, really scary but it's never going to happen again." Phoebe said, also trying to convince herself.

"But what he said-" Paige spluttered. Piper watched worriedly. She picked up Paige's hand and held it tightly in her own.

"It's not going to happen Paige. Simple as that." Phoebe said firmly. "I promise. And I mean that. More than I've ever meant anything before. I won't let him. Never." She said before giving Paige's forehead a quick chaste kiss.

Paige looked at her gratefully through tears.

"What happened?" Piper asked quietly. Not expecting an answer.

Phoebe sighed to herself. "We- were in the clothes store and we- came across one of the men that… raped Paige. He was a creepy, disgusting son-of-a-bitch. She got really, really scared and he stepping forwards with this sick grin, scaring the shit out of her. He suddenly ran at her and she screamed and orbed us back here…" Phoebe said, looking at Paige.

"Oh god. Sweetie are you okay?" Piper said, moving closer to Paige.

Paige looked at her with dismay. "I don't feel so good." Paige said, putting her hand on her forehead. Paige pushed her self up so that she was now standing against the wall.

"What do you mean?" Piper said to her worriedly, standing up too.

Paige looked down at her shaking palms and they began to blur. She blinked her eyes a few times, trying to clear her vision but had no such look. It was whirling round and around in her head. She was remembering it all. Seeing him had sparked her memories back to life, made them so much more vivid. Memories flashed through her head, everything they'd done to her, flash, flash, flash. Every single time they'd hit her, flashing through her mind like a vortex. His triumphant grin in the clothes store. Filing through her brain. It all began to speed up and she got the most awful headache. Faster and faster the memories went, like a deck of cards being shuffled quickly. It spun faster and faster, a flash still separating every frame. Suddenly she realised her real world was spinning and there was nothing she could do to stop it.

"Just you wait. The last time was only a warm up." Was the last thing she heard before she collapsed.