Psychosis
Paige listlessly stared at the flickering images on the screen. The television's volume was muted, but then again it wasn't exactly something Paige was interested in watching - some old black and white horror flick that Phoebe had lent her - 'Kill It And It Dies' or something.
She lay on her bed, dressed in a vest top and loose pants, propped against the several pillows she'd arranged against the headboard. Sleep wouldn't come. Her mind was knit with worry and fretting about her poor sister, unconscious in the next room. Piper. Her sister.
Sighing deeply, Paige glanced up at the screen again. Boring. All Paige wanted to do was to be sitting next door making sure Piper was alright. But for some reason Phoebe had decided that they would take individual watches so they'd get at least some sleep that night. Sounded like Phoebe had done this sort of thing before.
Well, Phoebe had been on watch for three hours and Paige hadn't slept a wink.
At that moment there was a quiet knock on the door and Phoebe herself stuck her head round, smiling weakly at Paige. "Oh you're awake," she said, a little surprised, and softly padded in.
Paige made room for Phoebe to sit down beside her. "How is she?" she whispered, intending to speak louder but her dry mouth hindered her. She watched Phoebe's expression intently for any details of Piper's progress... if any.
"Still out," Phoebe told her. "It's kinda worrying, I mean she's been asleep for over twelve hours now."
Silence settled over the two. Paige glanced at her watch and saw Phoebe was right; it was four in the morning. Piper had been asleep for ages. Or maybe it was unconsciousness.
Phoebe raised her legs onto the bed so she was leaning against the pillows beside Paige. She rested her head on Paige's shoulder, closing her eyes wearily.
"Will I go through?" Paige asked, hoping Phoebe would agree. She looked tired.
Phoebe's eyes found the television. "Oh, you're watching 'Kill It Before It Dies'!" she said, somewhat excited.
"Sorta," Paige commented quietly, not wanting to tell Phoebe she thought her favourite movie was a pile of crap. She stood up, stretching away the stiffness from lying in the same position for hours.
"May I?" Phoebe asked, wondering if she could stay in Paige's room and watch the movie. It was a lot warmer in here than it would be in her own room.
Turning to the screen, Paige laughed in spite of herself. "Sure, Phoebe."
Phoebe grinned and slipped under the blankets on Paige's bed, settling down. She was feeling more awake now, but knew she'd probably come back down after Paige left and soon be asleep.
Looking down at her sceptically with a small smile on her lips, Paige shook her head slightly and left the room.
She came to a stop outside her older sister's room, and wet her lips before tentatively pushing open the door. It was dark inside, and she could only faintly make out Piper's sleeping form in the light from the doorway. She stepped inside and closed the door softly.
It was difficult to navigate her way around the room when she couldn't see a thing, but her eyes soon adjusted, and she found her way to the chair that had been placed beside the bed. There was a small sheet over it, and Paige wrapped this around herself before sitting down and finally taking a proper look at Piper.
She was sleeping soundly, her smooth face untroubled. A hand rest beside her head, and once or twice the fingers would give a few twitches; Piper must be dreaming.
Paige laid a hand on Piper's head, cupping her cheek lovingly. How could she feel so much fondness for someone she knew so little? It was strange, but it didn't matter.
*
Phoebe's eyes drooped as she tried to pay attention to the movie. She hadn't even noticed there was no sound, she was that tired. Giving in, she shifted herself onto her side, acknowledging that this was not her bed but she was too settled and warm to care. Just as she was about to drift off, her eyes involuntarily flickered, and she saw something.
It took her moments to register that it was Piper's bracelet sitting on Paige's bedside table.
Forcing herself back to alertness, Phoebe reached for the jewellery and picked it up, smiling. She was thinking about how she too borrowed things from her sisters without permission... not that it was really possible to get permission off Piper in her current state.
Looking at the silver, Phoebe's fingers played over the bracelet for a few moments before she was pulled into a premonition.
~ ~ ~
Piper is standing beside a river, looking in with tears pouring down her face. In the river lies a body. Face down. A woman. Then Piper turns around and finds herself facing... mom? She screams and falls backwards... screams for help, for Phoebe, for Paige and... for Prue.
And so it went on.
~ ~ ~
When she came to, Phoebe was sweating. That was no normal premonition.
She thought to look at her watch, and saw that she'd been out for over twenty minutes! What the hell had just happened? That was more of a dream than a premonition. It was so scary... seeing mom like that... she looked so awful, stooped over and with old, cracked skin. She was terrifying, and attacking Piper like that - it was horrible.
This wasn't the sort of dreams that Piper was having, was it? No wonder she was crazy, being plagued by visions as awful as what Phoebe'd just seen.
Something told Phoebe that this was exactly the sort of thing Piper was seeing. The very idea chilled Phoebe to the bone.
There was a knock at the door and Paige rushed in. "Phoebe are you okay?" she asked, her brow knit with concern. "I heard you yell."
Phoebe regained herself and let Paige sit next to her and take her hand. "Yeah..." she said, then decided against lying. "No. I had a premonition. A feature length premonition. Or... dream. Or psychic connection, or something."
"What are you talking about?" Paige said, her eyebrows raised at her nonsensical sister.
Raising a hand to her temple, Phoebe paused and breathed. "It was weird," she said, "I felt like... like I was in Piper's dream or something... I was watching what was happening to her, and oh god it was horrible."
Paige bit the inside of her lip and laid a comforting hand on Phoebe's leg. "Are you okay?" she asked softly.
"Yeah it's, it's Piper I'm more concerned about. If that's the sort of thing that's happening to her all the time... in her head... Paige it's horrible. Prue was there and... oh..." She fell into silence thinking about her sister. Dream or not, it had been a long time since Phoebe had seen Prue, and she'd seen images of her in Piper's dream. If it even was Piper's dream.
Deciding to take action, Paige picked herself off the bed and wandered through to Piper's room. She was shocked to see Leo stooped over her, and quickly walked in to see what he was doing.
He jumped back upon seeing Paige, but his hands remained hanging above Piper's body.
"Great minds," she whispered, and placed her hands over Piper too. "That's just what I was gonna try to do."
"It's hopeless," Leo sniffed. "Healing doesn't work."
They stood in silence and concentrated on using their combined healing powers so there would be more strength in their magic. Nothing was happening.
Phoebe padded in ad watched quietly. After a long while, she pulled in a long breath of defeat. "It's not working you guys. We're never gonna get her back."
"Don't say that!" Paige said shortly. "Of course we will. I know we will. Even if we have to go in there and fix her."
There was a pause.
"That's it!" Phoebe cried, and ran out of the room.
Paige listlessly stared at the flickering images on the screen. The television's volume was muted, but then again it wasn't exactly something Paige was interested in watching - some old black and white horror flick that Phoebe had lent her - 'Kill It And It Dies' or something.
She lay on her bed, dressed in a vest top and loose pants, propped against the several pillows she'd arranged against the headboard. Sleep wouldn't come. Her mind was knit with worry and fretting about her poor sister, unconscious in the next room. Piper. Her sister.
Sighing deeply, Paige glanced up at the screen again. Boring. All Paige wanted to do was to be sitting next door making sure Piper was alright. But for some reason Phoebe had decided that they would take individual watches so they'd get at least some sleep that night. Sounded like Phoebe had done this sort of thing before.
Well, Phoebe had been on watch for three hours and Paige hadn't slept a wink.
At that moment there was a quiet knock on the door and Phoebe herself stuck her head round, smiling weakly at Paige. "Oh you're awake," she said, a little surprised, and softly padded in.
Paige made room for Phoebe to sit down beside her. "How is she?" she whispered, intending to speak louder but her dry mouth hindered her. She watched Phoebe's expression intently for any details of Piper's progress... if any.
"Still out," Phoebe told her. "It's kinda worrying, I mean she's been asleep for over twelve hours now."
Silence settled over the two. Paige glanced at her watch and saw Phoebe was right; it was four in the morning. Piper had been asleep for ages. Or maybe it was unconsciousness.
Phoebe raised her legs onto the bed so she was leaning against the pillows beside Paige. She rested her head on Paige's shoulder, closing her eyes wearily.
"Will I go through?" Paige asked, hoping Phoebe would agree. She looked tired.
Phoebe's eyes found the television. "Oh, you're watching 'Kill It Before It Dies'!" she said, somewhat excited.
"Sorta," Paige commented quietly, not wanting to tell Phoebe she thought her favourite movie was a pile of crap. She stood up, stretching away the stiffness from lying in the same position for hours.
"May I?" Phoebe asked, wondering if she could stay in Paige's room and watch the movie. It was a lot warmer in here than it would be in her own room.
Turning to the screen, Paige laughed in spite of herself. "Sure, Phoebe."
Phoebe grinned and slipped under the blankets on Paige's bed, settling down. She was feeling more awake now, but knew she'd probably come back down after Paige left and soon be asleep.
Looking down at her sceptically with a small smile on her lips, Paige shook her head slightly and left the room.
She came to a stop outside her older sister's room, and wet her lips before tentatively pushing open the door. It was dark inside, and she could only faintly make out Piper's sleeping form in the light from the doorway. She stepped inside and closed the door softly.
It was difficult to navigate her way around the room when she couldn't see a thing, but her eyes soon adjusted, and she found her way to the chair that had been placed beside the bed. There was a small sheet over it, and Paige wrapped this around herself before sitting down and finally taking a proper look at Piper.
She was sleeping soundly, her smooth face untroubled. A hand rest beside her head, and once or twice the fingers would give a few twitches; Piper must be dreaming.
Paige laid a hand on Piper's head, cupping her cheek lovingly. How could she feel so much fondness for someone she knew so little? It was strange, but it didn't matter.
*
Phoebe's eyes drooped as she tried to pay attention to the movie. She hadn't even noticed there was no sound, she was that tired. Giving in, she shifted herself onto her side, acknowledging that this was not her bed but she was too settled and warm to care. Just as she was about to drift off, her eyes involuntarily flickered, and she saw something.
It took her moments to register that it was Piper's bracelet sitting on Paige's bedside table.
Forcing herself back to alertness, Phoebe reached for the jewellery and picked it up, smiling. She was thinking about how she too borrowed things from her sisters without permission... not that it was really possible to get permission off Piper in her current state.
Looking at the silver, Phoebe's fingers played over the bracelet for a few moments before she was pulled into a premonition.
~ ~ ~
Piper is standing beside a river, looking in with tears pouring down her face. In the river lies a body. Face down. A woman. Then Piper turns around and finds herself facing... mom? She screams and falls backwards... screams for help, for Phoebe, for Paige and... for Prue.
And so it went on.
~ ~ ~
When she came to, Phoebe was sweating. That was no normal premonition.
She thought to look at her watch, and saw that she'd been out for over twenty minutes! What the hell had just happened? That was more of a dream than a premonition. It was so scary... seeing mom like that... she looked so awful, stooped over and with old, cracked skin. She was terrifying, and attacking Piper like that - it was horrible.
This wasn't the sort of dreams that Piper was having, was it? No wonder she was crazy, being plagued by visions as awful as what Phoebe'd just seen.
Something told Phoebe that this was exactly the sort of thing Piper was seeing. The very idea chilled Phoebe to the bone.
There was a knock at the door and Paige rushed in. "Phoebe are you okay?" she asked, her brow knit with concern. "I heard you yell."
Phoebe regained herself and let Paige sit next to her and take her hand. "Yeah..." she said, then decided against lying. "No. I had a premonition. A feature length premonition. Or... dream. Or psychic connection, or something."
"What are you talking about?" Paige said, her eyebrows raised at her nonsensical sister.
Raising a hand to her temple, Phoebe paused and breathed. "It was weird," she said, "I felt like... like I was in Piper's dream or something... I was watching what was happening to her, and oh god it was horrible."
Paige bit the inside of her lip and laid a comforting hand on Phoebe's leg. "Are you okay?" she asked softly.
"Yeah it's, it's Piper I'm more concerned about. If that's the sort of thing that's happening to her all the time... in her head... Paige it's horrible. Prue was there and... oh..." She fell into silence thinking about her sister. Dream or not, it had been a long time since Phoebe had seen Prue, and she'd seen images of her in Piper's dream. If it even was Piper's dream.
Deciding to take action, Paige picked herself off the bed and wandered through to Piper's room. She was shocked to see Leo stooped over her, and quickly walked in to see what he was doing.
He jumped back upon seeing Paige, but his hands remained hanging above Piper's body.
"Great minds," she whispered, and placed her hands over Piper too. "That's just what I was gonna try to do."
"It's hopeless," Leo sniffed. "Healing doesn't work."
They stood in silence and concentrated on using their combined healing powers so there would be more strength in their magic. Nothing was happening.
Phoebe padded in ad watched quietly. After a long while, she pulled in a long breath of defeat. "It's not working you guys. We're never gonna get her back."
"Don't say that!" Paige said shortly. "Of course we will. I know we will. Even if we have to go in there and fix her."
There was a pause.
"That's it!" Phoebe cried, and ran out of the room.