Chapter 38

"He is still digging around and it is starting to really grate on Roger's nerves. I think Roger suspects how I feel about him but he hasn't come right out and asked…yet. I know it is only a matter of time and I just have to hope that when he does I will be convincing. Since that moment at the Manor when he held me in his arms, I haven't been able to think about anything else. I can still see the concern in his eyes as I opened my eyes after 'fainting', he looked so worried. For a moment, I could pretend that there was no-one else in the room and that the past had never happened. I was able to pretend that we were simply 2 people in love, enjoying being in each other's arms. But then I heard Roger's voice and reality came crashing in. HE didn't love me anymore – hadn't for a long time. And as much as I might like to indulge myself by telling myself that his concern in because he is still in love with me, I know deep down the real reason is simply because it's his job. And that reality hurts more than anything Roger has ever done to me because God help me, I still love him. There, I said it. I love him. I love Andy. Now I've said it, I need to be able to move past this and concentrate on escaping Roger. If I am going to succeed I need to forget about how I feel and concentrate on the plan at hand."

Andy felt his voice break on the last words as he said them and his eyes flooded quickly. Abruptly he stood and turned his back on the others in the room, giving himself time to find his composure. 'How can she think what I felt for her would disappear completely?' he thought to himself as he struggled to regain his grip on his emotions. 'She still loves me' he thought. Andy stood stock still in the room as he grappled with his warring emotions. Whilst he knew he was in love with Prue, he had to face the reality that she wasn't the same person he had known. And that scared him more than he dared admit.

Andy heard a movement behind him but was too caught up in his thoughts to think about it, until he heard Phoebe continue reading from the diary he had put down when he finished the last chapter.

"I can still see her face as she was bent over that table. I know it wasn't the first time he had been with this one – she must be a favourite as I have seen them together in comprising positions before. Since it happened, not once has Roger brought up the subject either for an apology, an explanation or a telling off. It's as if it never happened and I simply got mugged. He hasn't even apologised like he usually does when he does these things to me. But even if he did, it doesn't matter anymore. I am free of his control although he doesn't know it yet. I have to keep pretending for a little while longer. I finally made contact with my old contact from college and he has promised to work as quickly as he can to get me what I need."

Andy returned to his seat and continued to listen, finding it easier to deal with the revelations when someone else was reading them aloud.

"I know my sisters will be upset for a little while to think that I am dead but I have to do it for their safety and mine. If Roger even suspects a thing, he will harm them to find me. He may not love me or want me as a wife in the way it matters, but he couldn't stand the knock to his pride and manhood if people found out that I left him. I now know that getting involved with me was only a way of securing his job at the museum and after that it was simply for show. I guess I should have worked that out when he first started asking me out but I was blind to it. Some people would say I was so desperate to have someone want me, be interested in me, love me just for being me, that I was willing to believe anything. Who knows? Maybe they are right but it is something I guess we will never really know for sure. One thing I do know for sure though, is that this plan is the only hope I have of surviving and repairing my life without tearing my sisters' apart. It has to work or I will never forgive myself. Grams was right – I must protect them at all costs – regardless the price."

The silence was deafening. The noise of the machines Prue was connected to seemed to fade to nothing in light of the words Phoebe had just read. Everyone in the room had assumed she planned to run away, pure and simple. Not once had it crossed anyone's mind that she might have been planning to fake her own death.

Andy felt his blood begin to boil in his veins. "How dare he use such an incredible woman for something as meaningless as a job or for show! She is worth so much more than that. And to cheat on her – repeatedly. God knows if I could get my hands on him right now he'd be dead. To drive her to believe that faking her own death was best for everybody – Christ this guy has destroyed her completely and I am not going to let him get away with it." As he finished, Andy visibly shrank back into his chair as the fight left him and his eyes drifted towards Prue again.

Piper meanwhile held her anger in check until Andy was done. But her anger wasn't directed at Roger, it was directed at Prue. Standing up and moving even closer to the bed, Piper shouted, "How could you possibly think that faking your own death wouldn't hurt us? How could you possibly think we could get over it quickly? How can you not realise that you are the very thing that keeps us both going? You have been there for us through everything in our lives – how could you think we would be fine without having you there for all the other things like our weddings, like our children, like Christmas, birthdays and Thanksgivings? How can you possibly think that? ANSWER ME DAMMIT! ANSWER ME PRUE – YOU OWE US BOTH THAT MUCH. I WANT YOU TO WAKE UP OUT OF THIS STUPID COMA AND ANSWER ME!" Piper had a hold of both of Prue's arms and was starting to shake her. Darryl reached out and grabbed hold of her before she did any damage to her sister and held her tightly in his arms.

Phoebe had begun crying and Andy was just looking at everyone in shock not knowing what to do or say. As he was about to say something he looked at his partner who gently shook his head no. Interrupting his look to mean not now, Andy sat back slightly and looked towards Phoebe who was beginning to quiet.

Morris knew he had tell them about the videotapes. He had to put a stop to this torture. They had the evidence and while it might be a better case with something from Prue herself, either in testimony or diary, the truth was this was killing the sisters and his partner and he had to stop it now.

As Piper gently extricated herself from his arms, wiping her eyes and offering a grateful half smile, she returned to her seat and Morris knew the time had come.

"Um I have something you should all know before we carry on. With recent events in the hospital and with the diaries I hadn't had a chance to tell you what was found in the search of Roger's house. It is enough to get us a conviction on several counts, although we all know testimony from Prue would be better. But reading these diaries is destroying each and every one of you, and you are all going to need to be strong to help Prue when she eventually wakes up. So I think you guys should stop reading now."

Everyone looked at Morris, half grateful, a little annoyed but also curious. Andy was the first to find his voice. "Why didn't you say anything man? We could of saved ourselves a whole lot of pain here."

"I know and I'm sorry. It honestly slipped my mind when you started to read the diaries. Honestly man. I would never put anyone through that kind of pain on purpose you know that. I left a message on your cell when I first made the discovery but forgot to ask you if you had got it" Morris replied, feeling guilty for his slip.

"Damn it! There was a message on my phone, I just didn't bother to check it earlier." Andy said.

Piper had regained her composure enough to ask the inevitable question "What did you find?"

"I'm not sure you want to know the answer to that. It is pretty sick – even I was horrified by what I saw."

Not letting up for a second all three replied at the same time, "Tell us. We want to know"

"Ok then." Morris replied. Taking a deep breath he said, "It seems Roger has more of a dark, sadistic side that we imagined. We searched the property thoroughly but the only evidence we found came from their bedroom. We noticed something was wrong with the structure and discovered a hidden small room which had cameras and recording equipment focused on the bedroom. We found loads and loads of tapes and it was horrific."

Looking at all three in turn, he could tell from their looks on their faces that they wanted him to continue – they wanted to know everything. Stealing himself for their reactions to what he was about to reveal, Morris fixed his eyes on the floor in front of him and continued. "Roger filmed his attacks on Prue. They date back a long way. I only checked one of the recent tapes I could find – it was filmed about 6 weeks ago. I didn't watch it all – I couldn't. What I did see was pure evil at work – he took sadistic pleasure from putting Prue through any kind of torture he could come up with, while she was conscious and unconscious. I have no doubt that the other tapes will be the same. And judging by the sheer quantity of tapes, I would say this has been going on for a long time. I hate to tell you think, but he has been putting Prue through probably years of systematic abuse – mental, physical and I hate to tell you this but sexual too."

Morris kept looking at the floor, scared to look at the others, afraid of their reactions.

Before anyone could react or say anything, an unexpected voice sounded throughout the room.

"Please help me", Prue uttered as her eyes fluttered open.