Part Four
Piper glanced over as she watched her younger sister talking to the prosecutor about the morning's activities. Piper's eyes thinned as she watched Phoebe place her hand onto her hips and nod her head.
Both her sisters had been very defensive and tense this morning. Phoebe had handled the tension by attempting to keep herself busy, flapping around the kitchen, messing around with her cell phone and changing her outfit six times. Paige had hardly eaten anything and darted to the bathroom several times avoiding company and wanting to spend time on her own.
Piper glanced over at the restroom sign; nerves had really hit her youngest sister this morning, before looking up at her husband. "Do you think I should check if she's okay?"
Leo put a reassuring arm around the oldest Halliwell's shoulders. "She'll be fine, you know how strong and determined."
"Stubborn." Piper interrupted him.
"Stubborn, yeah, but I do think we should leave her to have some alone time. If she wants to talk about it she'll come to you and today Phoebe will need you as much as Paige does." Leo explained.
Piper glanced over at Phoebe and watched as her sister nodded stiffly. "I guess your right. She just been good at hiding things since Cole."
Piper's voice dried up as she saw Phoebe approaching her. Phoebe offered her sister a small weak grin as she lowered her arms. She studied Piper face for a moment focusing at the creases on her young brow.
Phoebe gulped as she kept her eyes fixed on her older sister. "Well everything should start in an hour."
"There's a but, isn't there?" Piper said as she met Phoebe eyes for the first time. "What's the but?"
"The scum is pleading not guilty to the." Phoebe glanced downwards and straighten her navy blue tailored suit jacket. She did not want to meet her older sisters eyes, as she knew what Pier was going to think when she told her. The exact same thing as she was about that filth. "He says Paige, you know, was well er more than willing."
Piper turned with her mouth slightly open to look at her husband who pulled his arm around her tighter than before. She didn't know what to say as her eyes met her husbands' eyes for guidance. She didn't know why but she had had some small hope that he would not put Paige through those questions. Disbelief ran through her that he could appeal guilty to armed robbery and attempted murder but not rape. It was as if he was enjoying the pain he was causing.
Leo glanced up at the restroom sign and felt a small lump in his own throat. "Well, its what we expected to happen."
* * *
Paige gripped stiffly hold of the sink as she felt her head spin and her knees buckle. She breathed slowly as loosened her grasp and felt her stomach start to wrench again. The youngest Charmed One relaxed her grip further and she used her left hand to slowly massage her stomach.
"You look as bad as I feel."
Paige looked over to the doorway to see a small thin woman who looked like she had lost a lot of weight in a short period of time with graying hair standing there. She wore smart gray suit which she appeared to be somewhat swamped in with blue scarf and had a worried expression that she recognized from her own face.
"I've felt better." Paige admitted as she felt the spinning in her head starting to disappear, the weathered look on the older woman face had an endearing quality to it. She offered a small smile. "I've had a bad time recently and being pregnant is not helping my emotions today they're on some form of roller coaster at the moment. And I'm not even in there yet. I'm sorry you don't need to listen to my problems."
"Don't you worry about it, I know how that feels dear." The woman agreed. "But you're young you can get over whatever life throws at you. They won't send a pretty face like yours to jail."
Paige started to open her mouth but stopped. This woman obviously needed to talk to someone as much as she did and it wouldn't hurt to listen. She probably would not have been there if she hadn't had got a supportive family behind her. Paige felt a slight warm glow inside her as she moved away from the sink she had a family that would help her.
"Not like my youngest. His brief says that he'll go unless he can twist the words of this lying little witch that put him in this position."
Paige flinched at the woman words, "Well everyone gets what they deserve, the innocent get off and the guilty end up where they belong. Well that's what I keep telling myself, it all that's getting me through all this."
"You're so young and naïve dear. The law sees what it wants to and not the truth." The older woman told her. "You see my Michael is a good boy, he's always been a good boy. He'd do anything in the world for me and don't what I'd do without him. He just fell in with a bad lot and has got this little nasty piece of work is telling all sort of lies about him."
"Michael?" Paige felt her stomach double over as realization started to hit her. "What he up for?"
"All sorts of things but the worst one is unthinkable, especially for such a sensitive man, my boy wouldn't hurt a fly let alone," The woman mouth dried up as she struggled for the word. "Rape a girl."
Paige forced herself to keep her face straight and unemotional. She had thought of Mike as an isolated figure, some evil being, not someone with a family who was hurting as well.
"I'm sorry," Paige weakly, replied. "I've go to go, morning sickness."
Paige sank onto the floor in the toilet cubical. She felt worst now then when she was throwing up early this morning or feeling like she was going to faint. She heard a small bang on the door.
"I've got to now dear, but I promise you and that baby will get through everything, just like my Michael."
* * *
Phoebe sat in the witness stand and it struck her how small and enclosed the area was. It gave her the feeling that with ever eye in the room focused on her, that she was on trial. She stretched her leg out and hit the wood as she felt a shiver run down her back.
"Please raise your left hand and place the right hand on the bible and repeated after me. 'I swear to tell the truth, the whole truth and nothing put the truth.'"
Phoebe felt her hand on the small red book as she open her mouth and forced herself to shake of any nerves. "I swear to tell the truth, the whole truth and nothing put the truth."
Piper glanced over as she watched her younger sister talking to the prosecutor about the morning's activities. Piper's eyes thinned as she watched Phoebe place her hand onto her hips and nod her head.
Both her sisters had been very defensive and tense this morning. Phoebe had handled the tension by attempting to keep herself busy, flapping around the kitchen, messing around with her cell phone and changing her outfit six times. Paige had hardly eaten anything and darted to the bathroom several times avoiding company and wanting to spend time on her own.
Piper glanced over at the restroom sign; nerves had really hit her youngest sister this morning, before looking up at her husband. "Do you think I should check if she's okay?"
Leo put a reassuring arm around the oldest Halliwell's shoulders. "She'll be fine, you know how strong and determined."
"Stubborn." Piper interrupted him.
"Stubborn, yeah, but I do think we should leave her to have some alone time. If she wants to talk about it she'll come to you and today Phoebe will need you as much as Paige does." Leo explained.
Piper glanced over at Phoebe and watched as her sister nodded stiffly. "I guess your right. She just been good at hiding things since Cole."
Piper's voice dried up as she saw Phoebe approaching her. Phoebe offered her sister a small weak grin as she lowered her arms. She studied Piper face for a moment focusing at the creases on her young brow.
Phoebe gulped as she kept her eyes fixed on her older sister. "Well everything should start in an hour."
"There's a but, isn't there?" Piper said as she met Phoebe eyes for the first time. "What's the but?"
"The scum is pleading not guilty to the." Phoebe glanced downwards and straighten her navy blue tailored suit jacket. She did not want to meet her older sisters eyes, as she knew what Pier was going to think when she told her. The exact same thing as she was about that filth. "He says Paige, you know, was well er more than willing."
Piper turned with her mouth slightly open to look at her husband who pulled his arm around her tighter than before. She didn't know what to say as her eyes met her husbands' eyes for guidance. She didn't know why but she had had some small hope that he would not put Paige through those questions. Disbelief ran through her that he could appeal guilty to armed robbery and attempted murder but not rape. It was as if he was enjoying the pain he was causing.
Leo glanced up at the restroom sign and felt a small lump in his own throat. "Well, its what we expected to happen."
* * *
Paige gripped stiffly hold of the sink as she felt her head spin and her knees buckle. She breathed slowly as loosened her grasp and felt her stomach start to wrench again. The youngest Charmed One relaxed her grip further and she used her left hand to slowly massage her stomach.
"You look as bad as I feel."
Paige looked over to the doorway to see a small thin woman who looked like she had lost a lot of weight in a short period of time with graying hair standing there. She wore smart gray suit which she appeared to be somewhat swamped in with blue scarf and had a worried expression that she recognized from her own face.
"I've felt better." Paige admitted as she felt the spinning in her head starting to disappear, the weathered look on the older woman face had an endearing quality to it. She offered a small smile. "I've had a bad time recently and being pregnant is not helping my emotions today they're on some form of roller coaster at the moment. And I'm not even in there yet. I'm sorry you don't need to listen to my problems."
"Don't you worry about it, I know how that feels dear." The woman agreed. "But you're young you can get over whatever life throws at you. They won't send a pretty face like yours to jail."
Paige started to open her mouth but stopped. This woman obviously needed to talk to someone as much as she did and it wouldn't hurt to listen. She probably would not have been there if she hadn't had got a supportive family behind her. Paige felt a slight warm glow inside her as she moved away from the sink she had a family that would help her.
"Not like my youngest. His brief says that he'll go unless he can twist the words of this lying little witch that put him in this position."
Paige flinched at the woman words, "Well everyone gets what they deserve, the innocent get off and the guilty end up where they belong. Well that's what I keep telling myself, it all that's getting me through all this."
"You're so young and naïve dear. The law sees what it wants to and not the truth." The older woman told her. "You see my Michael is a good boy, he's always been a good boy. He'd do anything in the world for me and don't what I'd do without him. He just fell in with a bad lot and has got this little nasty piece of work is telling all sort of lies about him."
"Michael?" Paige felt her stomach double over as realization started to hit her. "What he up for?"
"All sorts of things but the worst one is unthinkable, especially for such a sensitive man, my boy wouldn't hurt a fly let alone," The woman mouth dried up as she struggled for the word. "Rape a girl."
Paige forced herself to keep her face straight and unemotional. She had thought of Mike as an isolated figure, some evil being, not someone with a family who was hurting as well.
"I'm sorry," Paige weakly, replied. "I've go to go, morning sickness."
Paige sank onto the floor in the toilet cubical. She felt worst now then when she was throwing up early this morning or feeling like she was going to faint. She heard a small bang on the door.
"I've got to now dear, but I promise you and that baby will get through everything, just like my Michael."
* * *
Phoebe sat in the witness stand and it struck her how small and enclosed the area was. It gave her the feeling that with ever eye in the room focused on her, that she was on trial. She stretched her leg out and hit the wood as she felt a shiver run down her back.
"Please raise your left hand and place the right hand on the bible and repeated after me. 'I swear to tell the truth, the whole truth and nothing put the truth.'"
Phoebe felt her hand on the small red book as she open her mouth and forced herself to shake of any nerves. "I swear to tell the truth, the whole truth and nothing put the truth."