Part One
Paige jolted up in her bed and let out a chilling scream that echoed around her room as she felt her body shake. She felt her body freeze up as she came out of her recurring dream, the events that had unfolded at P3 only a matter of weeks ago.
The dream had been so real; she had not only seen the events but had had a suffocating feeling that she had felt his body still on top of her, overpowering her.
It took a couple of minutes to realise that she was still in her bedroom and that no one else was there.
After a couple of deep breath, where she gripped the sides of her bed firmly, she slowly reached her right arm across to her bedside cabinet while using her left hand to dry her eyes. Just as she was about to open the door of the wooden cabinet, she noticed her older sisters standing at her door.
"Sorry if I woke you." Paige muttered turning to the side and hiding her head in the pillows. "I didn't mean too and everything's okay now."
Piper glanced over at Phoebe who rested on the door looking into the room before making her way over into her baby sister's room. Piper sat next to Paige on her bed as she pulled her towards her and felt Paige's shaking body.
"It's okay, don't worry that angel of a son of mine would have woke me up soon anyway." Piper explained as she looked directly into Paige's tearstained eyes. "So you've nothing to worry about."
"Yeah," Phoebe agreed from her position in the doorway. "I'd have to be up for work in about an hour."
Piper smiled over at Phoebe. "See you should never doubt me, there's nothing to worry about. 'Cause we both might as well be up with you than fighting for the bathroom."
Paige considered the concerned look on her oldest sister's face for a second before dismissing it. A young face that was beginning to visibly show 'worry' lines across her forehead and bags under her eyes.
It would have been so easy to fall into Piper's loving tender arms and let her worries drift away. But Piper was not going to be able to make what had already happen disappear into thin air, so what was the point in giving her all the details of what had happened in P3. The reason why she was still petrified and had woken up in a sweat screaming since everything had unfolded on that dreadful night.
She had dealt with it on her own then and could do it again now.
Pulling away from Piper, Paige jerked her knees up to her body for protection. "I'm okay. Go back to bed."
Piper crossed her arms as she fixed her gaze on Paige, "You're not okay, you're still shaking."
"But I'll be okay."
"Yes you will," Piper said in a reassuring voice as she glanced up at Phoebe and the doorway to Paige's bedroom. "But it's okay to fall apart from time to time, its okay for things to take time and its okay to let other know how you feel."
Piper looked between her two sisters. She had never felt so isolated as in the last two weeks. Both of her younger sisters had blocked her out from the events that had occurred in her club. She was sure that they were isolating themselves to protect her from the facts but it was only hurting the two of the more.
Paige had become a shell of her former self. She looked diminished in her figure and her eyes were that of a frighten girl as she physically jumped in her skin whenever she heard a door open.
Phoebe had gone to the other extreme and blocked out all her feelings as she threw herself back into her job. Giving the full impression that she was functioning as normal. However, she had not left the house for anything other than work and had a firm steel untouchable look in her eyes as she had stopped touching anyone who came near her.
Paige flicked her eyes up to look at Piper as she thought about what her older sister had just told her. "Maybe a hug would be okay."
Piper pulled Paige into a great bear hug as she kissed her forehead. The eldest Halliwell felt Paige's exhausted, trembling body in her arms as she wiped the sweat coated hair out of her eyes.
"I'm here for you, you just remember that." Piper explained as she held onto Paige with a tighter grip than before. "And you never, never need to ask for a hug."
Phoebe glanced over at her two sister's hug as she felt an empty feeling rise from her heart. She wanted to rush over there and join the two of the in the hug, but something held her back. The same feeling that she had failed to fight for the last fortnight. The feeling that her feet were glued to the floor as she attempted to move them forward, a feeling of fear.
"I'll go get you some water." Phoebe offered heading for the stairs and leaving the scene that had developed before her.
Phoebe almost sprinted down the stair and into the kitchen nearly knocking Leo who was holding Wyatt while warming up some breast milk. Not looking up at Leo she headed straight for the coffee machine.
"Sorry," Phoebe muttered as she poured a glass of water out.
"That's okay," Leo replied as he cooed at his infant son. "How's Paige?"
"Coping," Phoebe told him bluntly as she smiled at her nephew. "Piper's with her."
Leo looked directly at Phoebe as she turned back to the cupboard to get down a couple of mugs. She had clearly been avoiding all contact with people over the last couple of weeks, something that had not gone unnoticed by the whitelighter.
"And how are you?"
"Me?" Phoebe questioned avoiding her brother-in-laws gaze. "I'm fine."
"And that's why you can't touch Paige or go anywhere near P3."
"I was shot there, Leo." Phoebe spat out as she ignored the other part of Leo's statement.
* * *
Piper carefully rested Paige's head back down on the pillow as she felt her younger sister fall back to sleep through a mixture of emotion and pure exhaustion. She was just glad that Paige could still sleep even if it was in scattered patches. It was the only time that she looked even partly peaceful when her eyes were closed. That was until she would start to shake and wake up with an ear-piercing scream and panting.
Paige had been fighting off sleep until her eyes closed with a lack of energy to fit to keep them open. And her emotional state of earlier seemed to have shattered her and her body was sent into overdrive and her eyes shut.
Piper kissed her younger sister on the forehead as she turned to head for the door only to have her path blocked by a man.
"What the hell."
"Get out of the way witch."
The man smiled at Piper before throwing her to the floor. He was going to kill the Charmed Ones and take his rightful place on the throne of the underworld.
Piper looked up from the floor at the demon that was now bouncing a fireball in his hands. In instinct, Piper threw her arms up in the air as she saw the demon shatter into thousands of pieces and sending the fireball of course.
Paige woke with a jolt as she saw a fireball fly into her light.
"Leo, Phoebe," Piper screamed at the top at her voice before turning to look at Paige. "You okay?"
Paige jolted up in her bed and let out a chilling scream that echoed around her room as she felt her body shake. She felt her body freeze up as she came out of her recurring dream, the events that had unfolded at P3 only a matter of weeks ago.
The dream had been so real; she had not only seen the events but had had a suffocating feeling that she had felt his body still on top of her, overpowering her.
It took a couple of minutes to realise that she was still in her bedroom and that no one else was there.
After a couple of deep breath, where she gripped the sides of her bed firmly, she slowly reached her right arm across to her bedside cabinet while using her left hand to dry her eyes. Just as she was about to open the door of the wooden cabinet, she noticed her older sisters standing at her door.
"Sorry if I woke you." Paige muttered turning to the side and hiding her head in the pillows. "I didn't mean too and everything's okay now."
Piper glanced over at Phoebe who rested on the door looking into the room before making her way over into her baby sister's room. Piper sat next to Paige on her bed as she pulled her towards her and felt Paige's shaking body.
"It's okay, don't worry that angel of a son of mine would have woke me up soon anyway." Piper explained as she looked directly into Paige's tearstained eyes. "So you've nothing to worry about."
"Yeah," Phoebe agreed from her position in the doorway. "I'd have to be up for work in about an hour."
Piper smiled over at Phoebe. "See you should never doubt me, there's nothing to worry about. 'Cause we both might as well be up with you than fighting for the bathroom."
Paige considered the concerned look on her oldest sister's face for a second before dismissing it. A young face that was beginning to visibly show 'worry' lines across her forehead and bags under her eyes.
It would have been so easy to fall into Piper's loving tender arms and let her worries drift away. But Piper was not going to be able to make what had already happen disappear into thin air, so what was the point in giving her all the details of what had happened in P3. The reason why she was still petrified and had woken up in a sweat screaming since everything had unfolded on that dreadful night.
She had dealt with it on her own then and could do it again now.
Pulling away from Piper, Paige jerked her knees up to her body for protection. "I'm okay. Go back to bed."
Piper crossed her arms as she fixed her gaze on Paige, "You're not okay, you're still shaking."
"But I'll be okay."
"Yes you will," Piper said in a reassuring voice as she glanced up at Phoebe and the doorway to Paige's bedroom. "But it's okay to fall apart from time to time, its okay for things to take time and its okay to let other know how you feel."
Piper looked between her two sisters. She had never felt so isolated as in the last two weeks. Both of her younger sisters had blocked her out from the events that had occurred in her club. She was sure that they were isolating themselves to protect her from the facts but it was only hurting the two of the more.
Paige had become a shell of her former self. She looked diminished in her figure and her eyes were that of a frighten girl as she physically jumped in her skin whenever she heard a door open.
Phoebe had gone to the other extreme and blocked out all her feelings as she threw herself back into her job. Giving the full impression that she was functioning as normal. However, she had not left the house for anything other than work and had a firm steel untouchable look in her eyes as she had stopped touching anyone who came near her.
Paige flicked her eyes up to look at Piper as she thought about what her older sister had just told her. "Maybe a hug would be okay."
Piper pulled Paige into a great bear hug as she kissed her forehead. The eldest Halliwell felt Paige's exhausted, trembling body in her arms as she wiped the sweat coated hair out of her eyes.
"I'm here for you, you just remember that." Piper explained as she held onto Paige with a tighter grip than before. "And you never, never need to ask for a hug."
Phoebe glanced over at her two sister's hug as she felt an empty feeling rise from her heart. She wanted to rush over there and join the two of the in the hug, but something held her back. The same feeling that she had failed to fight for the last fortnight. The feeling that her feet were glued to the floor as she attempted to move them forward, a feeling of fear.
"I'll go get you some water." Phoebe offered heading for the stairs and leaving the scene that had developed before her.
Phoebe almost sprinted down the stair and into the kitchen nearly knocking Leo who was holding Wyatt while warming up some breast milk. Not looking up at Leo she headed straight for the coffee machine.
"Sorry," Phoebe muttered as she poured a glass of water out.
"That's okay," Leo replied as he cooed at his infant son. "How's Paige?"
"Coping," Phoebe told him bluntly as she smiled at her nephew. "Piper's with her."
Leo looked directly at Phoebe as she turned back to the cupboard to get down a couple of mugs. She had clearly been avoiding all contact with people over the last couple of weeks, something that had not gone unnoticed by the whitelighter.
"And how are you?"
"Me?" Phoebe questioned avoiding her brother-in-laws gaze. "I'm fine."
"And that's why you can't touch Paige or go anywhere near P3."
"I was shot there, Leo." Phoebe spat out as she ignored the other part of Leo's statement.
* * *
Piper carefully rested Paige's head back down on the pillow as she felt her younger sister fall back to sleep through a mixture of emotion and pure exhaustion. She was just glad that Paige could still sleep even if it was in scattered patches. It was the only time that she looked even partly peaceful when her eyes were closed. That was until she would start to shake and wake up with an ear-piercing scream and panting.
Paige had been fighting off sleep until her eyes closed with a lack of energy to fit to keep them open. And her emotional state of earlier seemed to have shattered her and her body was sent into overdrive and her eyes shut.
Piper kissed her younger sister on the forehead as she turned to head for the door only to have her path blocked by a man.
"What the hell."
"Get out of the way witch."
The man smiled at Piper before throwing her to the floor. He was going to kill the Charmed Ones and take his rightful place on the throne of the underworld.
Piper looked up from the floor at the demon that was now bouncing a fireball in his hands. In instinct, Piper threw her arms up in the air as she saw the demon shatter into thousands of pieces and sending the fireball of course.
Paige woke with a jolt as she saw a fireball fly into her light.
"Leo, Phoebe," Piper screamed at the top at her voice before turning to look at Paige. "You okay?"