The thumping in her head throbbed until she couldn't take it any more. It was like Thumper batting his little foot against her temple. "Oh someone shot the rabbit." She moaned as she held her hand to her head.
"Hey you."
She felt the steady stroke of someones hand gently running over her head, "Did you shot the rabbit because he is still thumping." She looked up and smiled at the brown eyes that were starring back to her.
"I think I'll let the doctors do that," she said bending down and placing a kiss on her sisters' forehead.
She tried to push herself up from the stretcher only to have not only her head protest but her ribs and chest as well.
"Easy Phoebs that was quite the hit you took Sis."
"Where's Prue?" she continued to pushed herself up closing her eyes to help keep the pain away; in her mind anyway.
"Right here."
Phoebe looked up to see Prue walking towards the ambulance. The first thing she noticed was the bandage around her upper arm.
"You're ok?" Phoebe stated with relief.
"Yeah I just need a few stitches. Thanx to you."
"I'm sorry."
"Sorry? Honey you saved my life. If you hadn't pushed me when you did I would probably be dead. Now how are you?" Prue sat beside her sister and held her close.
"She has Thumper in her head." Piper smiled, as the paramedics attended the gash on her own forehead.
"Well lucky for her she has a hard head. I'm betting Ole Thumper will be moving on soon." Prue said a she ran her hand over Phoebes head brushing back a stray piece of hair from her face. "You really ok sweetie?"
"Once I get home I will be." Her mind tried to process what she had seen and felt and still everything was a mumble of images. She wasn't sure what was real and what was from her premonition. "TJ?" she sheepishly asked not sure again what was real or not.
With slight hesitation Prue looked down at her sister, "he's dead Phoebe."
More and more of what she had actually seen were true. But what she didn't get was that she still felt as if what she had seen was totally different then what the outcome was.
"He made an agreement. He knew the consequences."
"This is not right. You forced his hand. You set it up."
"I did not."
"You, no, but Evil, yes. He knew what Andy would do if it came to this. It isn't right. He did what he was destined to do. He set things right."
He paused a moment, trying to recollect what had happened. Words spoken here and there. They were right. This was the true outcome. He was played as much as good was.
"I will release him. But next time."
"There won't be a next time." She shot back.
Andy stood before her as he looked back not really sure what had happened. "Care to explain this to me?"
She placed an arm over his shoulder, "Yes I will Andrew. But firsts lets talk about you and my daughter." Patty smiled across at him as they made their way towards greener pastures. "You do know you will have to explain this to Phoebe.
"Phoebe? Why Phoebe?"
"Because she will be the most confused. She will remember part of what really happened. Down side of her power." Patty explained as the neared Penny who smiled thankful that their friend was still with them.
Andy smiled knowing he was in good company, family. And that one day he would see Prue again but today was not her day. Nor any of them.
She sat twirling the asthame they had gotten from Brandon, a priest whose heritage put him right in the path of the Charmed Ones. But with Prues help and a new set of destiny he was saved to serve the greatest good of all: God.
Her fingers lanced through it expertly, weaving between each one and not cutting a layer of skin. She had learned the trick in NYC from Sonny funny enough. Twirling the blade between each finger each times moving it faster and faster.
Resting the blade against her she tilted her head back against the cushions. She wasn't even sure what her mind was thinking, only that something had gone wrong. Or right in their case.
"You didn't imagine it Phoebe." The voice was soft and low. But she heard it still.
"Andy?"
"Hey kiddo." He looked down at her and caught her quickly looking around her.
"They can't see me don't worry. I came to see you. I know you have been confused as to what happen yesterday."
"Now see that's and understatement Andy and you know me better then that."
"I do and that is why I'm here. You are the one most confused by this."
Phoebe wasn't really sure if she was ready for his explanation but she didn't really have a choice.
"I saw what happened and I freaked out. No one up there would help you guys so I did."
"Wait what do you mean saw what happened?"
"Phoebe what you saw in your vision was real. You all died. I made a deal with evil to set things right. To set them the way it should have been. But more so I made it so instead of you living that reality you saw it in a premonition."
"So you reverse time?"
"Yes and no. I had it stopped. So what was happening was what you saw. No one else but the four of you were really effected. Not even the cops outside. What they heard was the gun shots, but what they came into was the end result. You all surviving."
She tried to take everything in, "That is why everything to me was so weird. All mixed up."
"Your brain processed both. What happened and what really happened."
"And you? You made a deal with evil Andy! What happened to you?"
Andy hesitated a moment, but long enough for Phoebe to realize something was wrong. "Andy?"
"He took my soul."
"Andy!?" she cried out in fear and anticipation for a fight with evil.
"Phoebe, it's ok. You think I would be here if I were in the land of the evil soul taker."
"I guess not." She couldn't help but smile up at him.
"Your mum helped me out. It seems that evil was playing games and what I helped to be was the meant to be result. Evil was messing with things it shouldn't have been."
"So you're ok. No evil after life. No chance the Charmed Ones are gonna have to go in there and save your sorry ass."
"None." He laughed as Phoebe let it all out.
"I have to go Phoebe but I needed to tell you what happened. Your mother said you would be the one most confused."
"I was and still am but now I understand it a bit more."
Andy reached forward and pulled her into a hug. "Love you. Take care of yourself. And don't tell your sisters I was here. It will only get more confusing."
Phoebe was about to protest but saw the look in his eyes. A look Andy only kept for her. Whenever they held a secret to each other. "I promise." Was all she said as she watched him disappear in a sea of blue lights.
"One more thing Phoebe." He watched as she wondered what the next promise would be. "Tell your sisters everything. Tell them the truth."
She looked up at him not really sure if she should or not, but it was something she knew had to be done. They deserved to know after everything.
"I will."
--- ----
Piper stepped in the living room and saw her baby sister sleeping. Sitting beside her, she ran her hand over her head brushing back the few pieces of hair that had fallen a stray. "What aren't you telling us baby?" she asked wondering what more secrets Phoebe was hiding from them
Phoebe opened her eyes to see Piper looking down to her. As she looked past Piper she could see Prue also watching her.
"How you feeling sweetie?" Piper asked with love and concern.
"Better." She replied not really sure what had happened. But she would keep her promise to Andy. "How you two doing?"
"Well killer headache but good." Piper said as she cast her eyes towards Prue
Prue cast a glance to her sisters before speaking, "I'm good. Just a bit sore."
She wasn't sure even where to begin, as she knew she had to tell them the truth. The real truth. "We need to talk." Phoebe spoke as she eyed her sisters knowingly.
"Phoebe I can't let you do this."
"Clay I want to. You have to pay TJ off and get away from him and if me helping you with this delivery is what it takes, then that is what I am going to do." She answered as she held his face in her hand. Her eyes locked onto his.
"I don't like it. Ever since I got you away from Sonny he has been watching for his chance to get you back."
"He won't get me back. He hurt me to much for that."
They got out of the cab and walked up the short walkway to the front door. Knocking the way they had been told the door cracked open enough to let them in.
Phoebe noticed the looks they were all getting as she heard TJ's voice in the back ground.
"Clay nice of you to make it. And I see you brought your girl." He looked down Phoebe before focusing back towards his work. "You know the deal man. Make the deliveries and then come back here with the cash."
"I know the deal TJ. Let's just get this over with."
"Not so fast." Sonny spoke up from the corner. "I say we alter the deal a bit to get you to agree with this. Wouldn't want to you skip out on us."
Phoebe could feel the fear in her body, as he held his gaze on her the whole time he spoke.
"We have a deal Sonny."
"I'm changing it." he spoke with venom as he pushed Clay towards the wall near the door. The smoke filled the room, casting an eerie haze around everyone. "Phoebe stays here till you get back."
"NO WAY!" Clay shot out but was held back by two other men.
"She stays." Sonny whispered in his ear as he leaned into Clay. "If you are all that worried. I suggest you hurry."
Clay looked at Phoebe and then back to Sonny. He knew he didn't really have a choice.
Phoebe watched in fear as Clay reluctantly left her behind, boith of them knowing what would happen the minute he was gone.
Sonny cast his eyes towards her as she slowly backed away from him, but hequickly grabbed her arm and pulled her to a back room. Throwing her towards the bed roughly as soon as he got there, slamming the door behind him. He moved quickly across teh room grabbing her wrists before she could even get off the bed. "I missed this Phoebe."
"Get off of me you bastard." She twisted in his grasp lifting her knee hard and slamming it on the mark she was aiming for.
His cry could have woken the dead as she scrambled off the bed and for the door.
"You little bitch!" he made his way after her as fast as he could, pulling her to the floor in the hallway by her hair. "You want it rough bitch? We can do this right here, then maybe I'll let the boys have a go at you to." He rammed his fist into her stomach.
His hands grabbed the top of her shirt and ripped it open to reveal her smooth skin underneath, "Oh yeah that's what I missed." He ran his hand over her skin before resting it on her breast. He looked down at her as she just shook her head no.
"Let me go!" she tried to squirm under him again but he was too heavy. Sitting on her hips making it nearly impossible to get free.
He reached in his back pocket to pulled out his knife. Snapping it open he could see the fear in her eyes. Fear that gave him energy. Running it down her neck he slid it with ease under her bra and cut it open.
What she heard next scared her as much as it relieved her.
"Sonny save it, we got trouble."
Sonny leered down at her once again before standing up and pulling her up with him, "This isn't over by a long shot Phoebe." He whispered in her ear as he pulled her down the hall not carrying if every guy in the house saw her, as her shirt hung open around her.
"Cops? What the hell are they doing here?" Sonny looked up at TJ trying to process what was going on.
"That's what I'd like to know. Clay boy just left, his girl came to help him with this run. Sounds to convenient to me." TJ spoke as he cast his eyes to Phoebe.
Sonny tightened his grip on Phoebes arm causing her to cry out in pain, "You bring the cops bitch?"
TJ watched as she grimaced again, as Sonny grabbed her by the neck pulling her towards him.
TJ walked towards her taking out his gun. He ran the cold steel down the side of her face. The tears flowing freely as her fear started to consume her. "Now Phoebe why would you go and do that. huh?"
"I..I did.didn't."
"No?" TJ held her eyes to his. But before anyone could even react he spun around and pulled the trigger hitting Matt in the chest. "You're right. You didn't, but the cop there did."
Silence filled the room, but outside they could hear the running of feet as the door burst open.
Shots echoed through the small room as Phoebe curled into a ball on the floor looking over at the cold stare on Matt's face. His eyes fixed on her and her alone.
Prue and Piper didn't know what to say. They both reached over and held Phoebe as the tears streamed down her face.
"Honey, what you went through. You should have told us." Piper spoke softly as her sister still cried in her arms.
"I couldn't. I couldn't tell anyone. I was suppose to testify against him in court for the murder, but I couldn't I was too scared. So he only went to jail for the drug bust. And then. Then we started our destiny, you would have been disappointed in me for not getting up and telling. I ran like I always did."
Prue was at a lost for words. Her baby sister was nearly raped and then witnessed a man murdered. She had kept all of that inside her for so long. "You lied to me." Was the only thing that came out of her mouth. She wasn't even sure if that was the most important thing, but that was what came out.
Phoebe pulled back and looked at Prue, "I had to. I knew if I told you the truth you wouldn't have let me go."
"You're right I wouldn't have." She agreed, "But you never gave me the chance." she spoke softly
"I'm sorry." She felt new tears start down her face but she also felt the arms of her protector around her holding her tight.
"Let it out Phoebs. We're not going anywhere."
"I could have lost you both because I was stupid."
"You were not stupid. Scared but definitely not stupid." Prue spoke in hushed tones easing her sisters' fears as she had many times as a child.
"You're not disappointed in me. For leaving?" she pulled back slightly as she looked up at Prue and towards Piper.
Piper took Phoebes hands in hers, "Honey we can't be. We don't have the right to be. You went through something terrible. We can't judge you for something we have no idea of. You were scared. Scared they would kill you. You did what you thought was your only way out."
"It takes a brave person to even stand up to say they would do something like that. Something you were going to do. You got scared. It's natural. Most people wouldn't have even come forward." Prue put in. "We are not disappointed in you honey and never will be."
Phoebe leaned back in against Prue, resting her head on her chest. She held her gaze on Prue upper arm where the white bandage showed. A remainder to her of what she could have prevented.
Prue looked down at her sister and saw what she was doing, "Honey, I know what's going on in that head of yours and this was not your fault. TJ brought this on his own. He would have anyway. He could have from jail. As Grams always told us things happen for a reason. I think the reason this happened now was so you could talk to us about it. Tell us what you went through. If any one should be blaming themselves it should be me. I pushed you out that door and to NYC in the fist place."
"No if we want to go back that far lets blame it on Roger. He was the one who lied to you. It's his fault." She smiled up at her big sister.
Prue looked over at Piper who was trying to hold back a laugh, "Yeah its Rogers fault." Prue agreed as she tightened her hold on her sister, with Piper also now leaning in against Phoebe. The three of them together safe and sound.
Phoebe felt herself drifting off to sleep, 'thank you Andy for protecting us.' She said to herself. Keeping that one secret from her sisters. One they would never find out.