Part Five

"Are you sure about this?" Piper asked her sister while she stood in the open doorway to the hall.  Maybe this guy wasn't Cole but she still worried about her sister.  They'd all been hurt by Cole, Phoebe especially, and she had been fighting her feelings for so long, Piper didn't know how much longer she could stand it.  "Will you be okay?"

Phoebe still felt the shame of her mistake and looked down.  "He probably already thinks I'm crazy but I have to help him."

Piper reached out for her sister and hugged Phoebe tightly in her arms.  "I love you, sweetie.  I'm just going back to check on Wyatt and then Chris will orb me back here."  She felt Phoebe's head shake and pulled back, "Do you promise to call me as soon as you've told him?"

Phoebe nodded and kissed her older sister's cheek, "Thank you, Piper, for believing me, for protecting me."

Piper caressed her sister's cheek and promised, "You and me, sister-day, this week, no excuses."

Phoebe smiled shyly and agreed, "I'd like that.  I've missed that."

Piper grinned, "Me too, Pheebs.  We'll eat out and shop and talk.  Really talk.  Now go on, sit down, so I can unfreeze him."  She waited for Phoebe to retrieve the bucket of ice and sit in the chair before Christian.  She glanced back at Chris who waited patiently behind her in the hallway.  "Call me and we'll come and get you," Piper reminded her sister as she used her power, unfroze Christian, and quickly and quietly closed the door.

Despite her readiness, Phoebe was still startled when Christian suddenly continued speaking and she knocked the bucket off her lap.

"Are you okay?" Christian asked in concern as he quickly gathered the ice cubes back in the bucket.  He gently placed her hand back in the ice.

"Do you believe in magic?" She suddenly felt uncomfortably guilty under his tender touch.

"What, like magical love," he wondered in surprise, "or the whole witches-flying-on-broomsticks thing?"

Phoebe shook her head.  She saw the disbelief in his eyes and knew the conversation would only go downhill from there.  "Never mind."  She made a move to get up but he held her in place.  "Look, I've already caused you enough trouble," she apologized, "I really should go."

"But you're hurt," he commented and mentally kicked himself for sounding like an idiot.

"And it was my fault," she acknowledged as she stood.  "You should get back to the breakfast.  The lecture starts in," she checked her watch, "about a half-hour."

"Forget the lecture," he recommended.  "I've heard Martini speak," he assured her with a groan, "and it's not even close to my bedtime."

Phoebe couldn't help but chuckle, "Is he that bad?"

Christian grinned, "I heard he once cured a test group of insomniacs within ten minutes."

Phoebe smiled but immediately remembered where she was and reached for her bag.  "I'm really sorry about all of this."

"Wait," Christian reached her before she got to the door.  Her brown eyes looked back at him with what seemed to be a mix of fear, expectation, and something else he couldn't quite put his finger on.  "You need to have your hand x-rayed.  Let me at least take you to the hospital."

Phoebe shook her head.  "I've already inconvenienced you enough.  I've got my car.  I can manage.  If not, I can call my sister."

He couldn't figure her out but he still wanted her and Christian shook his head in frustration at his own inconsistency.  "I can take you," he insisted.  "I feel partially to blame.  I obviously pushed you too far when you were upset."  She was about to protest so he quickly added, "Besides, you have to tell me why you asked about magic and, somehow, I think that's going to be very interesting to hear."

Phoebe knew she didn't have much of a choice.  She had gotten that premonition for a reason and had no right to ignore it.  With a sigh, she fished her cell phone from her bag with one hand and called Piper.  To her surprise, she got the answering machine.  Piper was probably busy checking on Wyatt.  "Piper, it's me.  I hurt my hand and am going to the hospital for x-rays.  Dr. Christian Troy from the convention is taking me so you don't have to worry.  I'll call you later.  Love you."

"Everything okay?" he wondered.

"Got the machine," Phoebe murmured.  Just then her phone rang and she answered it, "Hello?"

"What do you mean he's taking you to the hospital?" Piper's voice shouted through the phone.

Phoebe grimaced and held the phone slightly away from her ear and tried not to notice Christian's amused grin.  "It's okay, Piper.  I'm okay."  She heard Piper's deep cleansing breaths and assured her sister again, "I'll be okay."

"Did you tell him?" Piper calmly asked.

"Not yet," Phoebe answered with a glance towards Christian.  "It wasn't the right time."

"Find it, Phoebe," her sister's tense voice ordered, "and get away from him.  I don't want him dredging up all the bad memories for you."

"He won't," Phoebe replied less confidently.  "I need this, Piper, I can't explain it."

"Sister-day or not, we're going to talk," Piper gently insisted.  "You need to talk."

"I know," Phoebe whispered.  "But so do you," she added and quickly disconnected the call before Piper could respond.  "C'mon," she told Christian, "I'm ready."

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