A STRANGE FEELING
Jason was back and wasted no time in claiming his woman. It had been a whole month since Phoebe had seen Jason and that was a crazy time for her. She'd just received her latest power and wasn't sure she was ready to become an empath. So many emotions assaulting her all at once. It was too much to take without also having to deal with Jason's needs thrown into the mix. It sure was tough dating a mortal, but at least she never had to worry about any hidden dangers with him.
Over a candlelit meal, Phoebe felt more in control than she had in the last month. She'd gained some semblance of empathic control, found she could tune out nearly everybody's emotions and was even doing a good job with Jason's. Sitting across the table from him at their favorite Italian restaurant, all Phoebe felt was the energy of a pleasant evening.
"You seem different than last time, Phoebe, calmer," Jason remarked. "I was gonna tell Elyse she should give you some time off, but now I can see you don't need it."
"No, I'm completely fine now. It was a..."
"I know, Jason, interrupted, 'a family emergency, right?"
"Yeah, Phoebe," sighed, "I seem to have a lot of those, don't I?"
"Just a few more than most families. Care to explain this one?"
Phoebe looked into Jason's eyes, gauging, not for the first time, whether or not she could actually confide her deep dark secret, but as always, there was that feeling again, that she couldn't. Phoebe wished she knew what it was that prevented her from taking that next step in their relationship. The physical part was there, and though it wasn't exactly skyrockets, it was good, he was attentive and more than capable. And though he was always a bit too preoccupied with work, she could see Jason making a real effort to not bring up the subject tonight. Maybe it was time to trust him with everything. Maybe she could later tonight.
The waiter came over with the dessert menu. Phoebe politely waved him away.
"Not hungry for dessert, Phoebe?"
Phoebe answered him with a wicked smile.
"My place?" he asked.
"No, I think it's about time you saw my room, Jason."
"All you had to do was ask," he smiled back and quickly paid the check.
By the time they arrived home, It was late, Piper was already asleep in her empty room and had taken to going to bed at ten o'clock now a days, finding her only joy in the dreams her subconscious weaved . And Paige was fast asleep on the couch watching a late night video. Phoebe stopped to cover Paige with a blanket, turned off the tv, and grabbed Jason's hand leading him to the bedroom.
As they disrobed, Phoebe was excited, not so much by their making love but by the prospect of telling Jason everything when they were done. To have that burden off her shoulders would be the launching point of what would kick their relationship into high gear.
As they embraced and tumbled onto her bed, Phoebe was suddenly hit with a wave of panic like she'd never felt before in her life and bolted up right.
"Phoebe, what is it?"
"Ah....bathroom. I have to go to the bathroom. I'll be right back. Hold my place." Phoebe saw the look of surprise on Jason's face, as she grabbed for her robe, felt his frustration on top of her panic and ran out of the room, shutting the door behind her. She took a deep breath, leaned on the door, but that did nothing to allay this feeling that she was in mortal danger.
Phoebe ran into Piper's room, crawled into her bed and threw the covers over her head.
"Phoebe, what are you doing? Is everything all right?" Piper asked.
"No, everything is not all right. I feel like I'm about to die."
Piper knew there was nothing else to be done but to crawl under the covers and try and talk reason into her sister.
"Now listen to me, and listen to me good, Phoebe. You're not dying. This is just your powers talking. You must be picking up on the panic that somebody's feeling. Close your eyes and use your blocking technique that Leo taught you, okay?"
"I'm trying, Piper, but it's not working. It's so strong and feels so personal, like it's actually me feeling this Piper. I'm about to die."
"Are you saying, it's a premonition?"
"No, it's not that. It's feelings."
"Okay, then tell me exactly what you're feeling."
"Something's after me and I have to hide from it, or it's gonna destroy me."
"What is it that's after you, Phoebe?"
"I don't know, I can't see it, I can only feel it. Oh God! I gotta run, I gotta..." Phoebe was just about to jump out of Piper's bed when a feeling of calm suddenly replaced the fear and she let out a deep breath she was holding. "Pheeeew, I'm safe now."
"It's gone?"
"Yeah, just like that."
"Do you think the person you were feeling is gone, destroyed by whatever it was?"
"No, just safe. Well I'm glad that's over with. I gotta get back to Jason now, " Phoebe stated with her usual perky energy. In the almost six years since they'd first gotten their powers, Phoebe had to face so many emergencies that it was easy to turn off the adrenalin when the emergency had ended and shift back into normal gear. Piper had done the same thing many times herself and was not at all taken aback by her sister's sudden change in demeanor.
"You mean Jason's here now?"
"Yeah, he's in my room."
"Pretty big step, sis. "
"I know. I was even thinking about telling him everything tonight, but now I think I'll just wait a little bit till I know I've got a handle on this empathic stuff. You know, I could have sworn I had this under control except when it came to people I really care about. But since you and Paige are not in any mortal danger at the moment from what I can see, I must have temporarily lost my control of tuning out strangers.
"Well don't worry, Pheebs, you'll get the hang of it. You've really come a long way from the wreck you were a month ago."
"Yeah, I have. And so have you."
The two sisters hugged and Phoebe returned to Jason.
Two weeks later...
Phoebe bounded down the stairs and out the door as Paige and Piper watched their sister running for her life -- yet again.
"We've really got to get to the bottom of this. The neighbors are starting to think she's crazy," Paige said matter of factly. This had become a daily ritual, sometimes twice daily for the last two weeks.
"Well at least she doesn't have to go to the gym now and actually I think her running time is improving," Piper quipped.
"It's those new Nike's she bought last week."
"When she gets back, which should be in about 30 seconds, Piper said looking at her watch, I'd say it's time to hit the Book of Shadows on this."
Exactly 30 seconds later, Phoebe walked in, tired and out of breath. "I think I beat my time from yesterday."
"Nope, two minutes, thirty seconds. Ya tied it," Piper replied.
"Guys, I just don't think I'm getting a handle on this thing. And I'm so exhausted, I don't think I can run anymore," Phoebe said collapsing onto the couch.
"Agreed. Whoever it is whose on the run has really got some kind of strong, emotional hold on you, and we've got to find out who it is or you'll never be free of him or her," Piper said.
"Could be an innocent, we need to save," Paige added.
"That's exactly what I was thinking," Phoebe agreed.
"All righty then," Piper said, "let's go find a spell that will help save this innocent."
Jason was back and wasted no time in claiming his woman. It had been a whole month since Phoebe had seen Jason and that was a crazy time for her. She'd just received her latest power and wasn't sure she was ready to become an empath. So many emotions assaulting her all at once. It was too much to take without also having to deal with Jason's needs thrown into the mix. It sure was tough dating a mortal, but at least she never had to worry about any hidden dangers with him.
Over a candlelit meal, Phoebe felt more in control than she had in the last month. She'd gained some semblance of empathic control, found she could tune out nearly everybody's emotions and was even doing a good job with Jason's. Sitting across the table from him at their favorite Italian restaurant, all Phoebe felt was the energy of a pleasant evening.
"You seem different than last time, Phoebe, calmer," Jason remarked. "I was gonna tell Elyse she should give you some time off, but now I can see you don't need it."
"No, I'm completely fine now. It was a..."
"I know, Jason, interrupted, 'a family emergency, right?"
"Yeah, Phoebe," sighed, "I seem to have a lot of those, don't I?"
"Just a few more than most families. Care to explain this one?"
Phoebe looked into Jason's eyes, gauging, not for the first time, whether or not she could actually confide her deep dark secret, but as always, there was that feeling again, that she couldn't. Phoebe wished she knew what it was that prevented her from taking that next step in their relationship. The physical part was there, and though it wasn't exactly skyrockets, it was good, he was attentive and more than capable. And though he was always a bit too preoccupied with work, she could see Jason making a real effort to not bring up the subject tonight. Maybe it was time to trust him with everything. Maybe she could later tonight.
The waiter came over with the dessert menu. Phoebe politely waved him away.
"Not hungry for dessert, Phoebe?"
Phoebe answered him with a wicked smile.
"My place?" he asked.
"No, I think it's about time you saw my room, Jason."
"All you had to do was ask," he smiled back and quickly paid the check.
By the time they arrived home, It was late, Piper was already asleep in her empty room and had taken to going to bed at ten o'clock now a days, finding her only joy in the dreams her subconscious weaved . And Paige was fast asleep on the couch watching a late night video. Phoebe stopped to cover Paige with a blanket, turned off the tv, and grabbed Jason's hand leading him to the bedroom.
As they disrobed, Phoebe was excited, not so much by their making love but by the prospect of telling Jason everything when they were done. To have that burden off her shoulders would be the launching point of what would kick their relationship into high gear.
As they embraced and tumbled onto her bed, Phoebe was suddenly hit with a wave of panic like she'd never felt before in her life and bolted up right.
"Phoebe, what is it?"
"Ah....bathroom. I have to go to the bathroom. I'll be right back. Hold my place." Phoebe saw the look of surprise on Jason's face, as she grabbed for her robe, felt his frustration on top of her panic and ran out of the room, shutting the door behind her. She took a deep breath, leaned on the door, but that did nothing to allay this feeling that she was in mortal danger.
Phoebe ran into Piper's room, crawled into her bed and threw the covers over her head.
"Phoebe, what are you doing? Is everything all right?" Piper asked.
"No, everything is not all right. I feel like I'm about to die."
Piper knew there was nothing else to be done but to crawl under the covers and try and talk reason into her sister.
"Now listen to me, and listen to me good, Phoebe. You're not dying. This is just your powers talking. You must be picking up on the panic that somebody's feeling. Close your eyes and use your blocking technique that Leo taught you, okay?"
"I'm trying, Piper, but it's not working. It's so strong and feels so personal, like it's actually me feeling this Piper. I'm about to die."
"Are you saying, it's a premonition?"
"No, it's not that. It's feelings."
"Okay, then tell me exactly what you're feeling."
"Something's after me and I have to hide from it, or it's gonna destroy me."
"What is it that's after you, Phoebe?"
"I don't know, I can't see it, I can only feel it. Oh God! I gotta run, I gotta..." Phoebe was just about to jump out of Piper's bed when a feeling of calm suddenly replaced the fear and she let out a deep breath she was holding. "Pheeeew, I'm safe now."
"It's gone?"
"Yeah, just like that."
"Do you think the person you were feeling is gone, destroyed by whatever it was?"
"No, just safe. Well I'm glad that's over with. I gotta get back to Jason now, " Phoebe stated with her usual perky energy. In the almost six years since they'd first gotten their powers, Phoebe had to face so many emergencies that it was easy to turn off the adrenalin when the emergency had ended and shift back into normal gear. Piper had done the same thing many times herself and was not at all taken aback by her sister's sudden change in demeanor.
"You mean Jason's here now?"
"Yeah, he's in my room."
"Pretty big step, sis. "
"I know. I was even thinking about telling him everything tonight, but now I think I'll just wait a little bit till I know I've got a handle on this empathic stuff. You know, I could have sworn I had this under control except when it came to people I really care about. But since you and Paige are not in any mortal danger at the moment from what I can see, I must have temporarily lost my control of tuning out strangers.
"Well don't worry, Pheebs, you'll get the hang of it. You've really come a long way from the wreck you were a month ago."
"Yeah, I have. And so have you."
The two sisters hugged and Phoebe returned to Jason.
Two weeks later...
Phoebe bounded down the stairs and out the door as Paige and Piper watched their sister running for her life -- yet again.
"We've really got to get to the bottom of this. The neighbors are starting to think she's crazy," Paige said matter of factly. This had become a daily ritual, sometimes twice daily for the last two weeks.
"Well at least she doesn't have to go to the gym now and actually I think her running time is improving," Piper quipped.
"It's those new Nike's she bought last week."
"When she gets back, which should be in about 30 seconds, Piper said looking at her watch, I'd say it's time to hit the Book of Shadows on this."
Exactly 30 seconds later, Phoebe walked in, tired and out of breath. "I think I beat my time from yesterday."
"Nope, two minutes, thirty seconds. Ya tied it," Piper replied.
"Guys, I just don't think I'm getting a handle on this thing. And I'm so exhausted, I don't think I can run anymore," Phoebe said collapsing onto the couch.
"Agreed. Whoever it is whose on the run has really got some kind of strong, emotional hold on you, and we've got to find out who it is or you'll never be free of him or her," Piper said.
"Could be an innocent, we need to save," Paige added.
"That's exactly what I was thinking," Phoebe agreed.
"All righty then," Piper said, "let's go find a spell that will help save this innocent."