Part Two
Phoebe came into Paige's room holding the Book of Shadows as a protective shield at her. She looked up at her two sisters and then her eyes shifted to incinerate bedside light and scorch marks on the wall.
Her eyes fixed on Piper who holding tightly onto Paige. Paige had taken a similar stance of protecting her body with her knees and looking down at the floor.
"Is she okay?"
Piper glanced at Paige before looking back to Phoebe, who was still visibly keeping her distance from the bed. "We'll get through it."
"'Cause we will." Phoebe agreed as she glanced at her younger sister.
Phoebe smiled as she placed the Book of Shadows on Paige's bed and turned it so both Piper and Paige could see the pages. Phoebe quickly scanned through the pages as she flicked through trying to identify the demon.
Unable to find the demon she violently slammed the book down in dissatisfaction, shaking the bed and making both Piper and Paige jump. This one demon was not the route of the problem; the route of the problem she reluctantly admitted to herself was those evil sons of bitches at P3 a fortnight ago.
Phoebe's body tensioned as she thought about that night and she took a couple of steps back into a chair and keeping her distance from Paige.
Piper's eyes left Paige and glanced over at Phoebe. She let out a small sigh as she noticed Phoebe taking her familiar position as she backed away.
"What's going on in that head of yours?" Piper asked as her eyes drifted onto the Book of Shadows that had been slammed shut at the edge of Paige's bed.
"All sorts of different things. But you know what I'm more worried about," Phoebe started keeping her eyes fixed on her younger sister. "Is not that we can't vanquish them it is that it's the seventeenth demon in the two weeks we've vanquished. I mean there must be a reason why they are all attacking now."
"Self promotion. Rising to try and become the Source." Piper suggested considering Phoebe's statement for the first time, she had been fair to worried about other attractive to worry about counting demons. "It wouldn't be the first time."
Phoebe focused her eyes on Paige, "That was not what I was thinking."
* * *
Leo had darted downstairs as soon as he had heard the phone go, both to escape from the tension of Paige's room and to give the three girls time to talk. He was not sure on what the best path to take was, after all his years of experience as a whitelighter he had never experienced this before.
All the evil he had fought since his own death during the Second World War had a vanquish that was available. Even when there had been a personal involvement and even love, the vanquish and the fact that they were dealing with Demons had provided an answer. This was the case with Cole. There was something in them that could define them as evil.
This was different, the aggressors here were human beings and that seemed to have shaken the Charmed Ones even more.
The only thing that he did know was the girls needed to work through this together and talk about it. It had been the only way that they had got through things in the past and he was convince it was the only way they could come through this.
"Sorry Darryl." He said down the phone as he heard his friend's voice. "I drifted away into my thoughts."
"That's okay." Darryl's voice replied. "How are Phoebe and Paige coping?"
"Not very well. But I know that there strong enough to get through this."
"Of course they are." Darryl said with a strong conviction in the tone of his voice. "But we do need to go over their full statements soon."
"What?" Leo asked in a stunned fashion.
Leo glanced up the stairs in disbelief, how was he going to tell his family that the police wanted them to relive the experience again. The only thing that had seemed to be getting them through the whole episode was the knowledge that the feeling would not last forever and slowly they would be able to be able to put this behind them.
"Leo," Darryl voice had a reasoning tone. "I've put them off as long as possible and its only the fact were friends that there has not been an officer round earlier. But there are big gaps in the statement, especially Paige's, like what happened in the office. And if possible we are going to need them both to testify."
"I know."
"I'll come over as soon as I get into the office." Darryl told him, "And try to explain what we need."
"Okay, we'll see you later." Leo said as he glanced at the stairs again.
"You take care of the girls for me."
Leo offered the briefest if smiles, "I will."
* * *
Piper kept her eyes on Phoebe. She had had enough of these vague comments and these avoiding tactics that she was using. She knew that her younger sister was suffering to deal with everything but she was going to get to the route of these problems now.
Piper kissed Paige on the top of her forehead and gave her a squeeze before standing up. "I'll be right back."
She roughly grabbed Phoebe wrist and pulled her up out of the chair and just outside Paige's room. Phoebe looked in shock as she rested her hand on her hip and waited for Piper to close to door before she spoke.
"What the hell was that about?" Phoebe asked.
"Exactly what I was going to ask you." Piper told glancing at the closed door and gesturing to Phoebe to keep her voice down. "I want to go what's going on right now."
"As I just said, I think there's more to these endless demonic attacks that meets the eye." Phoebe explained.
"That's not what I'm talking about, we can deal with the demons." Piper told her sister as she soften her look on her face as noticed Phoebe's shaken face. "I'm talking about you."
Phoebe looked back in shock at her older sister, she could not believe that Piper was actually challenging her over this issue.
"Well in case you hadn't noticed P3 was held under siege and I was shot as well as seeing things that you couldn't even imagine." Phoebe answered back at her older sister. "It's going to take more than two weeks to get over this."
Piper reached out to Phoebe, "Well tell me about it then. Make me understand, because I can't help if neither you or Paige will talk about it."
Phoebe pulled away from Piper as she felt tears start to well in her eyes. She could not hide this anymore.
"Phoebe," Piper started, "Please let me in and tell me what's wrong. Tell me why you can't touch Paige and why you have a pained look in your eyes every time you look at her."
"I left her in that room with that son of a bitch."
"Ah Phoebe," Piper said as she reached her arm out. "I don't blame and neither does Paige. You were focused to leave her in there, they would have shot you otherwise."
"But I do, I blame myself." Phoebe explained as she turned her back to the room. "And when I went back in that office to comfort her as I was jolted into premonition after premonition and I dealt with that then because there was no other choice. But now she has you and I'm not sure whether I can see her go through that all again."
Phoebe came into Paige's room holding the Book of Shadows as a protective shield at her. She looked up at her two sisters and then her eyes shifted to incinerate bedside light and scorch marks on the wall.
Her eyes fixed on Piper who holding tightly onto Paige. Paige had taken a similar stance of protecting her body with her knees and looking down at the floor.
"Is she okay?"
Piper glanced at Paige before looking back to Phoebe, who was still visibly keeping her distance from the bed. "We'll get through it."
"'Cause we will." Phoebe agreed as she glanced at her younger sister.
Phoebe smiled as she placed the Book of Shadows on Paige's bed and turned it so both Piper and Paige could see the pages. Phoebe quickly scanned through the pages as she flicked through trying to identify the demon.
Unable to find the demon she violently slammed the book down in dissatisfaction, shaking the bed and making both Piper and Paige jump. This one demon was not the route of the problem; the route of the problem she reluctantly admitted to herself was those evil sons of bitches at P3 a fortnight ago.
Phoebe's body tensioned as she thought about that night and she took a couple of steps back into a chair and keeping her distance from Paige.
Piper's eyes left Paige and glanced over at Phoebe. She let out a small sigh as she noticed Phoebe taking her familiar position as she backed away.
"What's going on in that head of yours?" Piper asked as her eyes drifted onto the Book of Shadows that had been slammed shut at the edge of Paige's bed.
"All sorts of different things. But you know what I'm more worried about," Phoebe started keeping her eyes fixed on her younger sister. "Is not that we can't vanquish them it is that it's the seventeenth demon in the two weeks we've vanquished. I mean there must be a reason why they are all attacking now."
"Self promotion. Rising to try and become the Source." Piper suggested considering Phoebe's statement for the first time, she had been fair to worried about other attractive to worry about counting demons. "It wouldn't be the first time."
Phoebe focused her eyes on Paige, "That was not what I was thinking."
* * *
Leo had darted downstairs as soon as he had heard the phone go, both to escape from the tension of Paige's room and to give the three girls time to talk. He was not sure on what the best path to take was, after all his years of experience as a whitelighter he had never experienced this before.
All the evil he had fought since his own death during the Second World War had a vanquish that was available. Even when there had been a personal involvement and even love, the vanquish and the fact that they were dealing with Demons had provided an answer. This was the case with Cole. There was something in them that could define them as evil.
This was different, the aggressors here were human beings and that seemed to have shaken the Charmed Ones even more.
The only thing that he did know was the girls needed to work through this together and talk about it. It had been the only way that they had got through things in the past and he was convince it was the only way they could come through this.
"Sorry Darryl." He said down the phone as he heard his friend's voice. "I drifted away into my thoughts."
"That's okay." Darryl's voice replied. "How are Phoebe and Paige coping?"
"Not very well. But I know that there strong enough to get through this."
"Of course they are." Darryl said with a strong conviction in the tone of his voice. "But we do need to go over their full statements soon."
"What?" Leo asked in a stunned fashion.
Leo glanced up the stairs in disbelief, how was he going to tell his family that the police wanted them to relive the experience again. The only thing that had seemed to be getting them through the whole episode was the knowledge that the feeling would not last forever and slowly they would be able to be able to put this behind them.
"Leo," Darryl voice had a reasoning tone. "I've put them off as long as possible and its only the fact were friends that there has not been an officer round earlier. But there are big gaps in the statement, especially Paige's, like what happened in the office. And if possible we are going to need them both to testify."
"I know."
"I'll come over as soon as I get into the office." Darryl told him, "And try to explain what we need."
"Okay, we'll see you later." Leo said as he glanced at the stairs again.
"You take care of the girls for me."
Leo offered the briefest if smiles, "I will."
* * *
Piper kept her eyes on Phoebe. She had had enough of these vague comments and these avoiding tactics that she was using. She knew that her younger sister was suffering to deal with everything but she was going to get to the route of these problems now.
Piper kissed Paige on the top of her forehead and gave her a squeeze before standing up. "I'll be right back."
She roughly grabbed Phoebe wrist and pulled her up out of the chair and just outside Paige's room. Phoebe looked in shock as she rested her hand on her hip and waited for Piper to close to door before she spoke.
"What the hell was that about?" Phoebe asked.
"Exactly what I was going to ask you." Piper told glancing at the closed door and gesturing to Phoebe to keep her voice down. "I want to go what's going on right now."
"As I just said, I think there's more to these endless demonic attacks that meets the eye." Phoebe explained.
"That's not what I'm talking about, we can deal with the demons." Piper told her sister as she soften her look on her face as noticed Phoebe's shaken face. "I'm talking about you."
Phoebe looked back in shock at her older sister, she could not believe that Piper was actually challenging her over this issue.
"Well in case you hadn't noticed P3 was held under siege and I was shot as well as seeing things that you couldn't even imagine." Phoebe answered back at her older sister. "It's going to take more than two weeks to get over this."
Piper reached out to Phoebe, "Well tell me about it then. Make me understand, because I can't help if neither you or Paige will talk about it."
Phoebe pulled away from Piper as she felt tears start to well in her eyes. She could not hide this anymore.
"Phoebe," Piper started, "Please let me in and tell me what's wrong. Tell me why you can't touch Paige and why you have a pained look in your eyes every time you look at her."
"I left her in that room with that son of a bitch."
"Ah Phoebe," Piper said as she reached her arm out. "I don't blame and neither does Paige. You were focused to leave her in there, they would have shot you otherwise."
"But I do, I blame myself." Phoebe explained as she turned her back to the room. "And when I went back in that office to comfort her as I was jolted into premonition after premonition and I dealt with that then because there was no other choice. But now she has you and I'm not sure whether I can see her go through that all again."