Part Five
Phoebe watched as the prosecutor sat back down behind her desk. She gave herself a mental pat on the back; it had all gone okay. She had put her points across well and had even caught a glint of a smile in the prosecutor's eye, like she had with Cole. She felt her heart jump as she thought back two and a half year to the first time she had meet Cole. Saw his face in his mind as she saw Cole smile flash at her in her mind.
Phoebe was jolted out of her daydream as she heard the defensive lawyer's voice say, "Ms. Halliwell."
"Yes."
"Lets deal with the somewhat controversial point at hand first, the matter of your sister and the defendant." The lawyer said as Phoebe offered her a small sharp nod to show that she had understood. "Is it or is it not correct that your sister had spent most of the early part of the evening of 23 March with the defendant?"
"Yes, but."
"A simple one word answer will do Ms. Halliwell. And was it not you're sister that approached my client?"
"Yes I think so," Phoebe said as her voice fluttered. "But."
"And is it true that Miss Matthews exchanged phone numbers with Michael Parlour?"
"Yes, but."
The defense lawyer smiled as she pressed her advantage, "So you're sister appeared to be enjoying herself with my client and feel that it would be worth carried up her interest in him." The smile on her face grew slightly more, "Unless of course you're sister normally exchanges her phone number with men that she has just met."
"No of course she doesn't." Phoebe said forcefully. "But everyone can make mistakes."
"Yes they can, yes they can." The lawyer's evil grin had grown further. "Isn't it true that you sister is a recovery alcoholic? And was in need in an Alcoholic Anonymous meeting as recently as yesterday."
"Objection."
The lawyer turned straight away to the judge, spinning around so quickly Phoebe felt slightly dizzy. "Your honor, since Miss Matthews has brought these claims against the defiant, I feel that it is important for the jury to know both Miss Matthews and Mr. Parlour's personal histories in order to gain a full understanding on their possible motives."
"Objection over ruled."
Phoebe looked to the ceiling and shrugged helplessly. This was going worst than she could ever have imaged. She tried to catch the prosecutor's eye to see if she had done enough while he had been cross-examining her.
* * *
Paige dialed in Eva number on her cell phone and waited for a couple of minutes while the phone was answered. Yet those minutes seemed to drag and seem like as hours as it gave Paige time to look around the room. She was completely alone.
Phoebe and Piper had both been taken away as she was not allowed to talk to either of her sister's before she entered the courtroom herself. But the enforced separation had seem to help as she no longer had her two older sister's running around her and in this state of tension, she was not sure how long she could keep her secret.
"Hello?" Eva soft voice came down her cell phone.
"Eva it's me."
"Hey," Eva said with the tone of her voice slightly tensing. "Have you thought anymore about what we talked about?"
"Yeah I have." Paige told her firmly. "Can you bring those abortion leaflets over I want to get this over with as soon as possible."
"What did Piper and Phoebe say?"
Paige bit her lip slightly, "They support whatever decision I choose."
"Okay, I drop them off on my way to my shift at the hospital." Eva said reluctantly. "But if you ever need anyone else to talk to this about."
"I know where you are." Paige finished her friend's sentence. "Thanks Eva."
* * *
Phoebe came out of the courtroom and fell onto the nearest bench as she looked down to the floor. She had just helped the defense lawyer discredit her sister and been unable to do anything about it. Now it was basically Paige word against that git's and the git was currently looking in a much better position, thanks to her.
The middle Charmed One felt a shudder run through her back, what if he got off on that charge. She felt worst now that those dreadful moments that the realization had hit her that her baby sister had been raped. She's let her down once again.
Phoebe felt a soft hand on her shoulder and turned her head upwards to look at her older sister.
"Don't blame yourself here. I thought you did okay."
"I'm sorry," Phoebe stuttered. "Were you in the same room as me, because I just royally screwed up in there."
"I saw the lawyer twisting it." Piper told her, "And anyone with half a brain would have seen that too and realized what she was doing. But you still managed to get the facts out."
Phoebe smiled weakly at her older sister, "I guess so."
"So we just have to just the justice system to come out with the right outcome."
"That's just peachy then."
"I trust they'll get it right." Piper said fairly confidently. "I guess we just need to have a little faith."
"Okay."
Piper got to her feet, "Come on then let go back in."
Phoebe followed her older sister and got to her feet but paused as she noticed a familiar woman with dark hair running towards them. Phoebe smiled at Eva who seemed slightly out breath.
"Where's Paige?" Eva gasped as she fanned herself with some leaflets.
"In there now." Piper told her. "Can you stick around?"
"Sorry, no." Eva apologized to them as she glanced down her watch. "I've got a shift starting in five minutes and I'm running late but I promised Paige I'd get these to her. Can you give them her?"
"Sure," Phoebe replied as she took the leaflet's off Eva.
"Thanks," Eva said with a small smile. "Tell Paige I'll call her later tonight. Bye and thanks again."
"Bye," The two elder Charmed Ones echoed.
Phoebe watched Eva disappear back down at the leaflets. Her mouth opened slightly as she read and reread the title on the top of the leaflet.
"That was strange," Piper commented as she looked away from Eva and back to Phoebe. "Come on lets go in."
"Piper," Phoebe gasped as she nudged her older sister giving her the leaflets.
Piper eyes drew to the leaflets as she saw the word 'Abortion' on the top of it and slowly dropped back down to the bench.
Phoebe watched as the prosecutor sat back down behind her desk. She gave herself a mental pat on the back; it had all gone okay. She had put her points across well and had even caught a glint of a smile in the prosecutor's eye, like she had with Cole. She felt her heart jump as she thought back two and a half year to the first time she had meet Cole. Saw his face in his mind as she saw Cole smile flash at her in her mind.
Phoebe was jolted out of her daydream as she heard the defensive lawyer's voice say, "Ms. Halliwell."
"Yes."
"Lets deal with the somewhat controversial point at hand first, the matter of your sister and the defendant." The lawyer said as Phoebe offered her a small sharp nod to show that she had understood. "Is it or is it not correct that your sister had spent most of the early part of the evening of 23 March with the defendant?"
"Yes, but."
"A simple one word answer will do Ms. Halliwell. And was it not you're sister that approached my client?"
"Yes I think so," Phoebe said as her voice fluttered. "But."
"And is it true that Miss Matthews exchanged phone numbers with Michael Parlour?"
"Yes, but."
The defense lawyer smiled as she pressed her advantage, "So you're sister appeared to be enjoying herself with my client and feel that it would be worth carried up her interest in him." The smile on her face grew slightly more, "Unless of course you're sister normally exchanges her phone number with men that she has just met."
"No of course she doesn't." Phoebe said forcefully. "But everyone can make mistakes."
"Yes they can, yes they can." The lawyer's evil grin had grown further. "Isn't it true that you sister is a recovery alcoholic? And was in need in an Alcoholic Anonymous meeting as recently as yesterday."
"Objection."
The lawyer turned straight away to the judge, spinning around so quickly Phoebe felt slightly dizzy. "Your honor, since Miss Matthews has brought these claims against the defiant, I feel that it is important for the jury to know both Miss Matthews and Mr. Parlour's personal histories in order to gain a full understanding on their possible motives."
"Objection over ruled."
Phoebe looked to the ceiling and shrugged helplessly. This was going worst than she could ever have imaged. She tried to catch the prosecutor's eye to see if she had done enough while he had been cross-examining her.
* * *
Paige dialed in Eva number on her cell phone and waited for a couple of minutes while the phone was answered. Yet those minutes seemed to drag and seem like as hours as it gave Paige time to look around the room. She was completely alone.
Phoebe and Piper had both been taken away as she was not allowed to talk to either of her sister's before she entered the courtroom herself. But the enforced separation had seem to help as she no longer had her two older sister's running around her and in this state of tension, she was not sure how long she could keep her secret.
"Hello?" Eva soft voice came down her cell phone.
"Eva it's me."
"Hey," Eva said with the tone of her voice slightly tensing. "Have you thought anymore about what we talked about?"
"Yeah I have." Paige told her firmly. "Can you bring those abortion leaflets over I want to get this over with as soon as possible."
"What did Piper and Phoebe say?"
Paige bit her lip slightly, "They support whatever decision I choose."
"Okay, I drop them off on my way to my shift at the hospital." Eva said reluctantly. "But if you ever need anyone else to talk to this about."
"I know where you are." Paige finished her friend's sentence. "Thanks Eva."
* * *
Phoebe came out of the courtroom and fell onto the nearest bench as she looked down to the floor. She had just helped the defense lawyer discredit her sister and been unable to do anything about it. Now it was basically Paige word against that git's and the git was currently looking in a much better position, thanks to her.
The middle Charmed One felt a shudder run through her back, what if he got off on that charge. She felt worst now that those dreadful moments that the realization had hit her that her baby sister had been raped. She's let her down once again.
Phoebe felt a soft hand on her shoulder and turned her head upwards to look at her older sister.
"Don't blame yourself here. I thought you did okay."
"I'm sorry," Phoebe stuttered. "Were you in the same room as me, because I just royally screwed up in there."
"I saw the lawyer twisting it." Piper told her, "And anyone with half a brain would have seen that too and realized what she was doing. But you still managed to get the facts out."
Phoebe smiled weakly at her older sister, "I guess so."
"So we just have to just the justice system to come out with the right outcome."
"That's just peachy then."
"I trust they'll get it right." Piper said fairly confidently. "I guess we just need to have a little faith."
"Okay."
Piper got to her feet, "Come on then let go back in."
Phoebe followed her older sister and got to her feet but paused as she noticed a familiar woman with dark hair running towards them. Phoebe smiled at Eva who seemed slightly out breath.
"Where's Paige?" Eva gasped as she fanned herself with some leaflets.
"In there now." Piper told her. "Can you stick around?"
"Sorry, no." Eva apologized to them as she glanced down her watch. "I've got a shift starting in five minutes and I'm running late but I promised Paige I'd get these to her. Can you give them her?"
"Sure," Phoebe replied as she took the leaflet's off Eva.
"Thanks," Eva said with a small smile. "Tell Paige I'll call her later tonight. Bye and thanks again."
"Bye," The two elder Charmed Ones echoed.
Phoebe watched Eva disappear back down at the leaflets. Her mouth opened slightly as she read and reread the title on the top of the leaflet.
"That was strange," Piper commented as she looked away from Eva and back to Phoebe. "Come on lets go in."
"Piper," Phoebe gasped as she nudged her older sister giving her the leaflets.
Piper eyes drew to the leaflets as she saw the word 'Abortion' on the top of it and slowly dropped back down to the bench.