"But I don't even know what to look for," Phoebe whispered to Piper as she
settled in an old chair with the Book of Shadows in her lap.
"Anything having to do with dreams," Piper whispered back. She left Phoebe alone and crossed the attic to where Paige was sitting in a corner with a book on dreams. "You find anything?"
Paige shook her head, stifling a yawn. "Nothing yet. I can find stuff on dreams that I'm being abused, but nothing about watching little kids being abused." She rubbed her eyes, dropping her book into her lap. "I'm so tired, and I don't want to fall asleep."
"I won't let you fall asleep," Piper assured her. Paige nodded and picked up her book, once again trying to focus on the pages. Piper turned around, hiding her own yawn behind her hand. As she settled into another chair, she glanced down at her watch and groaned. It was almost one in the morning; the three of them had been looking through books on dreams that Phoebe had borrowed from the library for a couple of hours, and they had all come up empty-handed. Piper sighed, then opened a different book and started paging through it.
The book explained almost everything she could have wondered about dreams. Every little symbol, from a cross on a wall to the significance of falling or flying, was detailed, highlighted, and explained away. Everything but seeing a child being abused. Frustrated, she closed the book and looked up just in time to see Paige drop her hands to her lap as her eyes fell closed. "Paige, don't you close your eyes," she said sternly.
Paige started and looked up at Piper, blinking rapidly. Then she shook her head and wearily ran her fingers through her hair. "Piper, this is impossible. These books aren't going to tell me what the stupid dreams mean."
"Paige, you can't give up," Phoebe said. She set the Book down and crossed the attic, nestling on the floor right next to Paige. She nudged her a little, presumably to keep her awake. "We'll find the answer, honey."
Paige shook her head again. "No, we won't. There is no big answer. The answer lies somewhere within me, and it doesn't matter how many books we look through. The books won't have the answer."
Phoebe glanced at Piper as she opened her mouth to argue. Piper just shook her head at her sister, telling her at once to let it drop. She hated seeing Paige so hopeless, but she did have a point. None of the books so far had given them an answer; it was foolish to stay up looking through them. "Why don't we call it a night," Piper suggested. "We can pick it up in the morning once we've all had a little rest."
A panicked look crossed Paige's face for a moment. "Piper, I can't go to sleep! I don't want to watch Jamie suffer anymore. I can't . . ."
Phoebe immediately wrapped Paige in a sideways hug. "Shh, it's okay."
Piper stood up and walked over to them, trying to think of how she could calm Paige. Obviously the three of them couldn't stay up all night, but there was no way Paige was going to agree to go to bed. Not that Piper could blame her; she wouldn't want to have those dreams, either. "Paige, honey, you have to sleep--"
Paige jumped to her feet and backed herself into the corner, vehemently shaking her head. "I can't. I can't watch it anymore. She's only little and she's being tortured and I can't do a damn thing to help her."
"Paige, listen to me." Piper placed both hands on her sister's shoulders for emphasis. "Listen to yourself. You just gave yourself the answer. You're upset because you think that by quitting your job, you won't be able to help little kids anymore. That's what these dreams are about."
"You really think so?" Paige asked warily.
"I really do," Piper replied.
Paige nodded and stepped forward a little, allowing her tense muscles to relax. "I'm still not going to sleep."
"You have to at least try," Phoebe said, picking herself up from the floor. "I mean, you can't stay awake for the rest of your life."
Tears jumped into Paige's eyes as she looked down at the floor, realizing that Phoebe was right. Piper sighed and was trying to think of something she could do to ensure that Paige wouldn't dream when she got an idea. "Paige, how badly do sleeping pills affect you?"
"Pretty bad," she answered, obviously not following Piper's train of thought. "Whenever I take anything like that, I'm zonked for hours."
"How zonked? Do you dream when you take it?"
Paige's eyes lit up in realization, finally understanding what Piper wanted to do. "I don't think so," she said with a smile.
"Good. I have some sleeping pills from years ago . . . I don't even remember why. Anyway, I can let you take one just for tonight. We'll figure out how to make the dreams go away in the morning."
Paige nodded. "I'm just warning you, though, if you give it to me now, I can pretty much guarantee I won't be up before ten."
"That's perfectly fine," Piper smiled. "Go on downstairs. I'll be down in a minute to give you the medicine, okay?"
"Okay." Paige yawned and tiredly shuffled out of the attic.
"Piper, I'm not so sure she's having these dreams because she quit," Phoebe said once she was certain Paige was out of earshot.
"Why not?"
"I mean, your theory makes sense, but the dreams seem . . . chronological, I guess. The first one was about the kids in the woods, the second was Helen beating Meaghan, and then the third has Jamie running away because she was scared after what happened to Meaghan. What are the chances that three dreams at three different times would follow an order?"
"Not good chances," Piper sighed. "So what are they, then, if they're not regular dreams?"
"I don't know," Phoebe admitted. "Look, I'll stay up a little bit longer looking through the Book. You go down, take care of Paige, and go to bed. If I find anything, I'll wake you."
"Okay, hon." Piper wrapped her sister in a quick hug, then let go and smiled. "G'night." With a heavy sigh, she left the attic and made her way downstairs. Quickly, she went into her room and dug through the top drawer of her dresser. As soon as her fingers hit the pill bottle, she snatched it and fished out one pill. Then she went to the bathroom, poured a glass of water, and tiptoed down the hall to Paige's room.
Piper's heart went out to her the moment she saw her. She was huddled under the covers, fighting to keep the tears in her eyes from spilling over. As soon as she saw Piper in the doorway, she sat up and smiled. "My drugs are here."
Piper giggled as she handed the glass to Paige and dropped the pill into her other hand. "Yes, they are. But remember, this is just for tonight."
"Yes, ma'am," Paige said after washing down the pill with a gulp of water. She set the glass on her nightstand and yawned, lying back down. "I better not have bad dreams tonight."
"You won't," Piper said softly. She straightened the blankets around Paige as she allowed her eyes to fall closed. "Good night, Paige."
"Night, Piper," Paige whispered, her voice growing softer as she began slipping into sleep.
Piper crept out of the room and slowly pulled the door closed. With a sigh, she made her way into her own room. Leo still wasn't home, so Piper had the room to herself. Ordinarily, that would make her a little lonely, but she was just entirely too tired to even think about it. She climbed into bed, her eyes closing the instant her head hit the pillow.
It seemed as though she had been in bed for all of five seconds when she heard someone hissing her name. She moaned and tried to ignore the voice. A moment later, she felt someone tapping her shoulder. "What?" she whined.
"Piper, I think I found something." The urgency in Phoebe's voice woke Piper up a little. "And if it is what I think it is, this isn't going to be easy to explain to Paige without freaking her out."
Piper sat up, squinting against the dim light filtering in from the hallway. "What are you talking about?"
"I don't want to be the one to tell her that if this is what the Books says it is, Jamie, Meaghan, and Helen all are or were real."
"Anything having to do with dreams," Piper whispered back. She left Phoebe alone and crossed the attic to where Paige was sitting in a corner with a book on dreams. "You find anything?"
Paige shook her head, stifling a yawn. "Nothing yet. I can find stuff on dreams that I'm being abused, but nothing about watching little kids being abused." She rubbed her eyes, dropping her book into her lap. "I'm so tired, and I don't want to fall asleep."
"I won't let you fall asleep," Piper assured her. Paige nodded and picked up her book, once again trying to focus on the pages. Piper turned around, hiding her own yawn behind her hand. As she settled into another chair, she glanced down at her watch and groaned. It was almost one in the morning; the three of them had been looking through books on dreams that Phoebe had borrowed from the library for a couple of hours, and they had all come up empty-handed. Piper sighed, then opened a different book and started paging through it.
The book explained almost everything she could have wondered about dreams. Every little symbol, from a cross on a wall to the significance of falling or flying, was detailed, highlighted, and explained away. Everything but seeing a child being abused. Frustrated, she closed the book and looked up just in time to see Paige drop her hands to her lap as her eyes fell closed. "Paige, don't you close your eyes," she said sternly.
Paige started and looked up at Piper, blinking rapidly. Then she shook her head and wearily ran her fingers through her hair. "Piper, this is impossible. These books aren't going to tell me what the stupid dreams mean."
"Paige, you can't give up," Phoebe said. She set the Book down and crossed the attic, nestling on the floor right next to Paige. She nudged her a little, presumably to keep her awake. "We'll find the answer, honey."
Paige shook her head again. "No, we won't. There is no big answer. The answer lies somewhere within me, and it doesn't matter how many books we look through. The books won't have the answer."
Phoebe glanced at Piper as she opened her mouth to argue. Piper just shook her head at her sister, telling her at once to let it drop. She hated seeing Paige so hopeless, but she did have a point. None of the books so far had given them an answer; it was foolish to stay up looking through them. "Why don't we call it a night," Piper suggested. "We can pick it up in the morning once we've all had a little rest."
A panicked look crossed Paige's face for a moment. "Piper, I can't go to sleep! I don't want to watch Jamie suffer anymore. I can't . . ."
Phoebe immediately wrapped Paige in a sideways hug. "Shh, it's okay."
Piper stood up and walked over to them, trying to think of how she could calm Paige. Obviously the three of them couldn't stay up all night, but there was no way Paige was going to agree to go to bed. Not that Piper could blame her; she wouldn't want to have those dreams, either. "Paige, honey, you have to sleep--"
Paige jumped to her feet and backed herself into the corner, vehemently shaking her head. "I can't. I can't watch it anymore. She's only little and she's being tortured and I can't do a damn thing to help her."
"Paige, listen to me." Piper placed both hands on her sister's shoulders for emphasis. "Listen to yourself. You just gave yourself the answer. You're upset because you think that by quitting your job, you won't be able to help little kids anymore. That's what these dreams are about."
"You really think so?" Paige asked warily.
"I really do," Piper replied.
Paige nodded and stepped forward a little, allowing her tense muscles to relax. "I'm still not going to sleep."
"You have to at least try," Phoebe said, picking herself up from the floor. "I mean, you can't stay awake for the rest of your life."
Tears jumped into Paige's eyes as she looked down at the floor, realizing that Phoebe was right. Piper sighed and was trying to think of something she could do to ensure that Paige wouldn't dream when she got an idea. "Paige, how badly do sleeping pills affect you?"
"Pretty bad," she answered, obviously not following Piper's train of thought. "Whenever I take anything like that, I'm zonked for hours."
"How zonked? Do you dream when you take it?"
Paige's eyes lit up in realization, finally understanding what Piper wanted to do. "I don't think so," she said with a smile.
"Good. I have some sleeping pills from years ago . . . I don't even remember why. Anyway, I can let you take one just for tonight. We'll figure out how to make the dreams go away in the morning."
Paige nodded. "I'm just warning you, though, if you give it to me now, I can pretty much guarantee I won't be up before ten."
"That's perfectly fine," Piper smiled. "Go on downstairs. I'll be down in a minute to give you the medicine, okay?"
"Okay." Paige yawned and tiredly shuffled out of the attic.
"Piper, I'm not so sure she's having these dreams because she quit," Phoebe said once she was certain Paige was out of earshot.
"Why not?"
"I mean, your theory makes sense, but the dreams seem . . . chronological, I guess. The first one was about the kids in the woods, the second was Helen beating Meaghan, and then the third has Jamie running away because she was scared after what happened to Meaghan. What are the chances that three dreams at three different times would follow an order?"
"Not good chances," Piper sighed. "So what are they, then, if they're not regular dreams?"
"I don't know," Phoebe admitted. "Look, I'll stay up a little bit longer looking through the Book. You go down, take care of Paige, and go to bed. If I find anything, I'll wake you."
"Okay, hon." Piper wrapped her sister in a quick hug, then let go and smiled. "G'night." With a heavy sigh, she left the attic and made her way downstairs. Quickly, she went into her room and dug through the top drawer of her dresser. As soon as her fingers hit the pill bottle, she snatched it and fished out one pill. Then she went to the bathroom, poured a glass of water, and tiptoed down the hall to Paige's room.
Piper's heart went out to her the moment she saw her. She was huddled under the covers, fighting to keep the tears in her eyes from spilling over. As soon as she saw Piper in the doorway, she sat up and smiled. "My drugs are here."
Piper giggled as she handed the glass to Paige and dropped the pill into her other hand. "Yes, they are. But remember, this is just for tonight."
"Yes, ma'am," Paige said after washing down the pill with a gulp of water. She set the glass on her nightstand and yawned, lying back down. "I better not have bad dreams tonight."
"You won't," Piper said softly. She straightened the blankets around Paige as she allowed her eyes to fall closed. "Good night, Paige."
"Night, Piper," Paige whispered, her voice growing softer as she began slipping into sleep.
Piper crept out of the room and slowly pulled the door closed. With a sigh, she made her way into her own room. Leo still wasn't home, so Piper had the room to herself. Ordinarily, that would make her a little lonely, but she was just entirely too tired to even think about it. She climbed into bed, her eyes closing the instant her head hit the pillow.
It seemed as though she had been in bed for all of five seconds when she heard someone hissing her name. She moaned and tried to ignore the voice. A moment later, she felt someone tapping her shoulder. "What?" she whined.
"Piper, I think I found something." The urgency in Phoebe's voice woke Piper up a little. "And if it is what I think it is, this isn't going to be easy to explain to Paige without freaking her out."
Piper sat up, squinting against the dim light filtering in from the hallway. "What are you talking about?"
"I don't want to be the one to tell her that if this is what the Books says it is, Jamie, Meaghan, and Helen all are or were real."