Phoebe
Paige looked up from her magazine when Phoebe entered the kitchen. "Hey, sweetie, how're you feeling?"
"I think I got more done for my column," Phoebe answered as she poured herself a glass of orange juice, "than I would've if I'd actually gone into work today. Elise's happy with what I e-mailed her so I guess that's all that matters."
"How's your wrist?" Paige inquired.
Phoebe drank from her glass. "Throbs a bit but I'm fine."
Paige frowned, "I still don't understand why you didn't call us last night when it happened or why you won't let me heal your wrist now."
Phoebe stared at the bandage that bound her left wrist, "I told you, it wasn't demon-related and I --"
"But Leo and I have healed dozens of our everyday cuts and bruises," her younger sister interrupted. "It's not personal gain. Not really."
"I'm fine," Phoebe softly warned. She drank some more before she added, "Ava said it was a clean cut and that after she takes out the stitches next week it probably won't leave much of a scar."
"But you don't have to have a scar," Paige suggested.
"Weren't you the one who wanted to keep the scar from your very first war wound'?" Phoebe reminded her sister before she softly considered, "Sometimes it's important to see the scarsso they remind us"
"Is everything okay?" Paige asked with concern. "It's been a pretty rough week for you, do you want to talk about it? I mean, the other day when we had sister-beauty-day, it was great but we didn't really talk."
Phoebe shook her head and finished her drink. She stared at the empty glass she set down and said, "There's nothing to talk about."
Paige stood up and went over to her sister, "I know it hurt you to see Cole like that. It's okay to feel bad. I mean, last year you were to marry the love of your life and now that same guy's gone over the edge and is nuts."
"Paige" Phoebe clenched her fists and did her best to hold back her tears. "I know you mean well, but the last thing I want to do is talk to you or Piper about Cole."
"But we --" Paige interrupted as she touched her sister's arm.
"Paige, please," Phoebe insisted as she stepped back, "I love you both but you don't understand anything about me and Cole. I can't talk to you about it. Not yet anyway."
"Honey," Paige said as she hugged her sister, "you can't keep it all bottled up inside. You've got to talk to someone. If not us then maybe Leo or even your father."
Phoebe patted her sister's back and pulled away. "I talked to someone, don't worry."
"You did?" Paige questioned in surprise. "That's great," she added in slight disappointment.
"I wish you didn't look so sad," Phoebe noted. "I'm not deliberately trying to hurt you or Piper. I just needed to talk to someone who would really understand where I was coming from. Someone who'd been there."
"You found some other witch who married a demon who became the Source of all evil?" Paige asked with a shiver.
Phoebe gave a slight laugh. "Not exactly."
"Well, if it helped you to talk to her," Paige commented as she headed back to her seat, "then that's all I need to hear. Listen, Piper's trying to make up for lost time at the club and said we're on our own for dinner. You in the mood for pizza?"
"Dinner, already?" Phoebe asked as she looked at the clock. "It's late," she murmured, "I didn't realize the time."
"Why?" Paige asked distractedly. "You've got somewhere to be?"
"No," she softly answered as she returned the orange juice to the fridge. The grandfather clock from the other room chimed the hour and Phoebe froze. "Thank you," she whispered wistfully to the ceiling.
"You say something?" Paige asked as she looked up from her magazine.
"No," Phoebe answered. She headed for the doorway and, more to herself than to her sister, she added, "He listened and seemed to understand. It helped more than he'll ever know. I just wish we'd had more time."
"He?" Paige asked with interest as she watched her sister. She hurried after her sister and questioned, "What is it? Who'd you talk to?" She suddenly looked nervous and followed Phoebe into the hallway, "It wasn't Cole was it? Oh, honey, tell me it wasn't Cole." But before Phoebe could answer, the doorbell rang and Paige passed Phoebe to answer it. "We're not done here," she warned her older sister.
Phoebe watched Paige open the door to someone from the local florist. She saw him holding a large bouquet of mixed long-stem roses. "Those're beautiful."
Paige turned to her sister as she read the accompanying card's envelope, "Glad you think so, sis, they're for you."
Surprised, Phoebe went to the door and gave a polite smile to the delivery guy. "A little late for making deliveries."
He handed her the bouquet and smiled, "My last ones for the nightMs. Halliwell, II just want you to know, I read your column every day."
"Thank you," Phoebe smiled as she sniffed the roses, "that's very sweet of you to say." She opened the envelope and scanned the card: We have no words for our gratitude ~ The Turner Men Phoebe smiled and sniffed the flowers again.
Paige noticed her sister's smile. "Well, don't keep me in suspense. Who sent the flowers? Some secret admirer?"
Phoebe shook her head, "No, just a thank you from afather and son I tried to help. I think I did. Ihope I did."
"Oh, I'm sure you did," the delivery guy told her. "You help a lot of people. Every day. Me included."
"You?" she asked in surprise.
He nodded, "Yeah, my wife and Iwell, we've had a bit of a rough time lately."
"Oh, I'm sorry," Phoebe told him.
He quickly continued, "But you gave some advice to someone else bout how we should give each other some spacey'know, spend some time apart and figure things outbefore it got so bad that we'd have nothing left"
"Did it help?" she automatically asked. "Sorry," she quickly apologized, "none of my business."
"Yeah it is, in a way," he shook his head politely. "Yeah, it's helped. We didn't separate or nothin' but we kept more to ourselves a bit. Didn't bite each other's heads off. Took time to get our thoughts straight. Then one night we just started talkin'. Really talkin', bout our kids, our doubts, concerns. It's not back to what we were before but we're getting' there. We're workin' real hard at it. Thank you."
"You're welcome," Phoebe softly told him even as her thoughts were filling of a different couple in need of the same advice. "Oh," she suddenly realized, "wait just a second." She shoved her flowers at Paige and reached for her purse on the side table. She stared at the card in her hand as she pulled out her wallet.
"Oh, that's okay," he interrupted. She stared back at him and he smiled, "You've done so much for me and my wife. Really, that's not necessary." He tipped his hat towards her and Paige, "Have a good night."
"You too," she said as he turned away. She closed the door and put back her wallet. Then she took her flowers back from Paige. She inhaled their sweet scent again and sighed. "Better get these in water." She suddenly noticed Paige's look and asked, "What's wrong?"
"Did this father/son thing have anything to do with your accident last night?" Paige asked.
"What? Why would you think that?" Phoebe quickly asked as she walked past Paige.
"You've seemed off all week, got turned into a mummy the other day, went to bed early last night," Paige considered, "told us about that kitchen accident with the knife, and suddenly you're getting flowers?"
"You and Prue with your suspicions," Phoebe muttered. "It's a nice gesture. Nothing evil behind it."
Paige looked at her sister in surprise, "I didn't say anything about it being evil. Phoebe, what's going on?"
The doorbell rang again and Phoebe quickly turned to answer the door. "I'll get it." She placed the bouquet down on the table and opened the door to a sheepish looking florist delivery guy. She smiled, "Change your mind about the tip?"
He smiled and shook his head. "Went back to my truck and discovered that my last delivery is here."
"Here?" Paige asked as she joined Phoebe at the door.
"Actually," he clarified as he held out two bouquets, "I've got two bunches for you, Ms. Halliwell."
Phoebe accepted a bouquet of short-stemmed white roses. "They're beautiful," she murmured as she reached for the attached envelope. She lay the bouquet on the table, next to the previous one, opened the envelope, and read the words on the card: Pure, sweet, fragile but with an inner strength - just as you areDon't be afraid of your thorns, daughter. I'm here for you whenever you need me to be, all you have to do is call ~ Benjamin
"You okay?" Paige asked in concern as she watched her sister's stunned reaction from behind.
"Yeah," Phoebe quickly answered as she slipped both cards into her pocket, "I'm fine." She wiped her eyes and pulled herself together before she turned back to them. "You said something about a second bunch."
"Yeah," he said as he handed her the second bunch, "here ya go."
Phoebe took the bouquet of wildflowers and indicated her purse to Paige, "Would you mind?"
Paige retrieved some money from Phoebe's purse and handed a few bills to the guy. "Here you go."
The guy smiled back at them both, "Thanks. Have a good night."
"Good night," Phoebe answered distractedly as she stared at the flowers. She inhaled their fragrance and squeezed her eyes shut to keep back the tears. She knew who sent them but, for some crazy reason, was afraid to read his card.
Paige closed the door and watched her sister stare at the bouquet. "Guess they're pretty grateful, huh."
"Huh?" Phoebe turned in surprise.
"That father and son you helped," Paige answered. "A bit excessive but, you're right, sweet gesture."
"Yeah," Phoebe agreed distractedly as she fumbled with the envelope, "sweet." She put down the bouquet on top of the mixed roses. Suddenly, she reached into the bouquet of white roses and carefully pulled out a single stem. "Paige, would you do me a favor and put all these in vases for me?" She headed for the door and grabbed her purse and car keys.
"No but, hey," Paige watched her sister, "where're you going? What about dinner?"
"I'll eat later," Phoebe apologized. "I justthere's somewhere I have to be."
"Hey, are you okay?" Paige asked with concern but Phoebe was already out the door. "Where's your coat?"
Phoebe's heart was pounding and she looked at the envelope in her hand. She ignored the evening chill, took a deep breath, and opened it. She held the card up to the porch light and read his words: After all I've done, thank you doesn't quite seem enough for all you've done. I hope I can somehow return the favor by finally giving you what you want - time and space. Maybe one dayNever forget, I'll love you always, Cole
Phoebe choked back a sob, clenched the rose and card in her hand, and raced down the front steps to her car.
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