Part Thirteen.
On the day of their deaths.
Piper blinked quickly, waiting for the mist to rise from her eyes. As the world came back into focus, she saw herself staring into the face of her son. He was looking at her with a concerned expression on his face, and had his hand on her forehead.
"Wyatt."
She felt a sharp stab of pain just below her heart, and almost cried out as it grew worse endlessly. His expression of concern faded into one of triumph, and she gasped for breath, feeling her own life being sucked out of her. The pain was almost unbearable, so much so that she couldn't make a sound. She could hear one of her sisters - she wasn't sure who - yelling frantically next to her, and wondered vaguely why her sister wasn't doing anything to stop her son.
"What are you doing?" The words came out in a rush, and she almost vomited from the sheer pressure of just trying to talk. Black clouds formed in front of her eyes as she felt herself fading back into unconsciousness, but she wrenched her lids back open, knowing that tears were streaming down her face. She wanted to scream badly, but the moment where she had been able to talk had passed, and she was paralyzed again. Wyatt gave a sharp, high giggle, and pressed his hand harder into her forehead, knocking her head against concrete.
Oh God, make it stop, make it stop, please, don't.
Piper begged silently, scrabbling at Wyatt's hands, trying to tear him away from her. She could feel herself growing weaker and weaker, and she knew that she was fading away. She had had the feeling of death before, but nothing like this. It was for real this time. She was going to die.
Piper blinked again, and all of a sudden, she was on her feet. Bewildered, she glanced around, and saw Wyatt kneeling at her feet. "Wyatt?" She asked hesitantly. He didn't answer. Spinning around, fully recovered, Piper saw Paige crouched down, sobbing, yet not moving a muscle. Phoebe was lying next to Paige, completely still - completely lifeless. "Oh God." Piper gasped. "Phoebe!" She fell to her knees and tried to shake her sister, then stared in confusion as her hands seemed to pass right through. "Phoebe? Paige? What's going on?"
"Piper." Phoebe said softly. Piper stared at her sister's body. "Over here, Piper."
Piper looked up, and saw her sister's spirit standing just above her. "Phoebe - oh, Phoebe, he killed you."
Phoebe pushed a strand of dark hair behind her ears. "Piper." The eldest sister looked over at Wyatt, and saw herself, lying there, completely still, her face grey. "Oh no." She burst into tears again. "No, he didn't. He can't have."
"Piper, honey." Phoebe longed to put her arms around her sister, but she knew that she couldn't. She felt exactly the same as Piper, but she had learnt long ago to hide her emotions.
"What are we going to do?" Piper was wrenched to her feet by an invisible force.
"Do? There's nothing we can do."
"Paige - we can't leave Paige alone, Phoebe." Piper looked down at the sobbing figure below her. "He'll kill her. Or - I don't know. But she's got no one now! Oh, God."
"Piper, we have to go." A soft voice said. She turned, and saw Leo, his aura shining, yet his face full of sadness.
"Leo - what has our son done?"
"He's not our son anymore." Leo took his wife's hand. "We have to leave now."
"No!" Phoebe suddenly blurted, realization dawning. "Piper's right. We can't leave Paige. We have to help her."
"There's nothing we can do, Phoebe. We just have to wait."
"For what? For him to kill her? No, I don't want her to go through the pain that I went through. Do you know what it feels like, to have the life sucked out of you? Do you?" Piper demanded angrily. "It is excruciating. I wanted to scream, but I couldn't. I was paralyzed - I was."
"Helpless." Phoebe intervened quietly. Piper turned slowly.
"Yes, I was. Completely and utterly helpless, to my own son."
On the day of their deaths.
Piper blinked quickly, waiting for the mist to rise from her eyes. As the world came back into focus, she saw herself staring into the face of her son. He was looking at her with a concerned expression on his face, and had his hand on her forehead.
"Wyatt."
She felt a sharp stab of pain just below her heart, and almost cried out as it grew worse endlessly. His expression of concern faded into one of triumph, and she gasped for breath, feeling her own life being sucked out of her. The pain was almost unbearable, so much so that she couldn't make a sound. She could hear one of her sisters - she wasn't sure who - yelling frantically next to her, and wondered vaguely why her sister wasn't doing anything to stop her son.
"What are you doing?" The words came out in a rush, and she almost vomited from the sheer pressure of just trying to talk. Black clouds formed in front of her eyes as she felt herself fading back into unconsciousness, but she wrenched her lids back open, knowing that tears were streaming down her face. She wanted to scream badly, but the moment where she had been able to talk had passed, and she was paralyzed again. Wyatt gave a sharp, high giggle, and pressed his hand harder into her forehead, knocking her head against concrete.
Oh God, make it stop, make it stop, please, don't.
Piper begged silently, scrabbling at Wyatt's hands, trying to tear him away from her. She could feel herself growing weaker and weaker, and she knew that she was fading away. She had had the feeling of death before, but nothing like this. It was for real this time. She was going to die.
Piper blinked again, and all of a sudden, she was on her feet. Bewildered, she glanced around, and saw Wyatt kneeling at her feet. "Wyatt?" She asked hesitantly. He didn't answer. Spinning around, fully recovered, Piper saw Paige crouched down, sobbing, yet not moving a muscle. Phoebe was lying next to Paige, completely still - completely lifeless. "Oh God." Piper gasped. "Phoebe!" She fell to her knees and tried to shake her sister, then stared in confusion as her hands seemed to pass right through. "Phoebe? Paige? What's going on?"
"Piper." Phoebe said softly. Piper stared at her sister's body. "Over here, Piper."
Piper looked up, and saw her sister's spirit standing just above her. "Phoebe - oh, Phoebe, he killed you."
Phoebe pushed a strand of dark hair behind her ears. "Piper." The eldest sister looked over at Wyatt, and saw herself, lying there, completely still, her face grey. "Oh no." She burst into tears again. "No, he didn't. He can't have."
"Piper, honey." Phoebe longed to put her arms around her sister, but she knew that she couldn't. She felt exactly the same as Piper, but she had learnt long ago to hide her emotions.
"What are we going to do?" Piper was wrenched to her feet by an invisible force.
"Do? There's nothing we can do."
"Paige - we can't leave Paige alone, Phoebe." Piper looked down at the sobbing figure below her. "He'll kill her. Or - I don't know. But she's got no one now! Oh, God."
"Piper, we have to go." A soft voice said. She turned, and saw Leo, his aura shining, yet his face full of sadness.
"Leo - what has our son done?"
"He's not our son anymore." Leo took his wife's hand. "We have to leave now."
"No!" Phoebe suddenly blurted, realization dawning. "Piper's right. We can't leave Paige. We have to help her."
"There's nothing we can do, Phoebe. We just have to wait."
"For what? For him to kill her? No, I don't want her to go through the pain that I went through. Do you know what it feels like, to have the life sucked out of you? Do you?" Piper demanded angrily. "It is excruciating. I wanted to scream, but I couldn't. I was paralyzed - I was."
"Helpless." Phoebe intervened quietly. Piper turned slowly.
"Yes, I was. Completely and utterly helpless, to my own son."