You light up my life – literally!
Sorry for the wait guys, a litle fight with that muse of mine lead to her going on strike but we went to the table of reason and she helped create this part. We are still in negotiations about all the other fics. Sorry bout that but for now enjoy...thanks for reading totem
C.C. - DUDE again i thank you for the review and hay maybe you should sort my muse out for me. She don't listen to my word of compromise and reason. LOL. Well at least i managed to get this chap out of her. Hope you like.
ANd thanks to all who have reviewed this they do mean a lot to me each on holds somthing special...thanks.
Part 3 – as real as ever
A week, a whole week and things were still as real as ever, in her head, in her sleep that was. Night after night she had woken up with the image of the young child in her mind, and now was no different. Violently she shot up gasping in her bed, she pushed back the covers and attempted to get out of the bed until she felt the arms around her waist.
"Hay...hay there Come on honey your okay" He reassured her, sitting forward so he was as close as he could possibly be to her he rubbed his hand on her back and had the other wrapped around her waist. "Take deep breaths your fine honey." Phoebe fell into him, "That's it calm down" he instructed her. Like he did every other time she woke up like this if he was not physically there next to her then he was on the phone.
A few comfort filled minuets Phoebe finally spoke, "Sorry..."
"You have nothing at all to be sorry for, you know that, and I do." He soothed, "Lie down honey" He spoke softly as he guided Phoebe back onto the bed. "I'll go get you a drink okay?" he asked
Phoebe just nodded as she looked into the darkness still very much in her mind. Phoebe let across and took his hand in hers. "Darryl I love you" she spoke softly.
He smiled and lent forward, "I love you too Pheebs" he kissed her softly and the pulled back, "I'll just get you that drink"
"K" She answered.
Darryl walked from the room in her apartment and through to the kitchen. Tonight he was able to walk around freely as Piper was at the manor babysitting and staying the night. He felt so sorry for Phoebe, since the incident a week ago she had not been the same, things between them had got a lot stronger, she needed comfort and he was there to provide it. Always would be, he loved her so much that nothing would tear them apart. Well at least he wished for things to turn out like that.
Walking back into the room he turned on the light and Phoebe sat up, he handed her the glass and took a seat, she took the drink and gulped it down in a few swigs then turned to him passing the glass over. HE placed it on the side and then turned of the lamp. Getting back into the bed her moved over to her and put an arm around her waist and the holding her hand. "You okay baby?" He asked,
"Yeah...thanks" She sighed, as she snuggled close to him. He made her feel so safe and he knew this. "I feel like I would die if I didn't have you by my side" She explained as she looked into his eyes that were highlighted from the moon.
"Well honey I'm not going anywhere, never! I love you and I'll keep you safe." He explained looking into her eyes, "Phoebe I really do love you I'm not just saying that"
"How sad am I...I have to be held like a baby because of some damn nightmare. You sure you don't mind looking under the bed and in the closet. You know the monster man might be there" Phoebe mocked herself. It's what she did when she felt like an idiot. She mocked herself.
"Phoebe, come on honey you know it's not like that"
"Isn't it. I ring you up crying, or panicking or hyperventilating. And when you are here you have to hold me down to stop me from going psychotic. It shouldn't be like this Darryl. It should be so...hard."
"You'll get over it Phoebe. It will just take time"
"And meanwhile it's like your going to bed with a scared child. I just...I'm sorry"
Darryl pulled her close, "Hay honey stop it. Stop apologizing...just stop...lay down you need to calm down" He said holing her against him protectively. "try and rest Phoebe..."
"I went to the funeral Darryl" She spoke as if reliving some traumatic experience
"What? You never told me that. You never said that to me...I would have been there with you"
"I needed to do this alone" she dismissed, "I felt like, when I saw the families crying and everything that I had let them down."
"Phoebe don't put yourself through this. You know you did everything in your power"
"Power, No I have no power...I just do what I have to...the person who holds all the damn power is up there, that Is one messed up god. He took my mother away, my mom, grams...now this little kid. A baby. He took the life of a baby...why?" Phoebe was getting angry now, really angry.
Darryl kisses her forehead, "Phoebe I do not have the answer ... but you need to rest. This isn't doing you any good"
Phoebe just turned into his chest and let him comfort her, night after night this how it went. Nightmare first...then after they got the whole shock period, after a drink of water and on occasions something stronger she went to guilt, guilt of putting Darryl through this and then the guilt for not saving the baby in that fire, after guilt came anger at the god who had the power to stop this. And then lastly was the comfort period, where her talk her down over the phone or hold her tight as she drifted of into a sleep. He soon followed as they lay close.
------
The sun had rose on the city, Piper was standing in the doorway to the garden of the manor looking out over it. The sun was flooding through the manor and ever so gently waking up its occupants one by one. Already it had claimed its first two victims, Piper and her nephew Matthew who was sat in the play pen set up in the sun room.
"hay sis" Piper swung around
"A victim number 3" She called over
Prue cocked an eyebrow, "Okay, you have had your cup of coffee. I haven't more you know pretty sun ugly rain kind of stuff. No riddle philosophical stuff"
"Sorry Prue, I'm on about the sun. You're the third it's gotten up in the manor"
"No actually" Prue informed as she poured herself coffee, "Andy claimed me, and he's getting ready for work."
"Oh, well it got your sun at about seven thirty I think" Piper smiled looking over at the infant in the pen.
Prue placed her coffee on the side and made her way over, "Oh baby" She spoke leaning down and picking him up, "How's mommy's soldier boy? Hay? Were you good for aunty Piper?" She placed him on her hip and walked back over to the counter. Matthew was giggling away as he looked at his mother. In between pulling faces Prue turned to Piper, "How was he last night?"
"Great actually, he got a bit fussy around seven but soon dropped off to sleep" Piper explained, "So how was your night?"
"Well, great actually. I mean...we really got to spend time together with out that bloody beeper going off and I got a convocation finished and a meal and hell even a little romancing after..."
Piper smiled, "I'm happy for you and if you ever need to spend some time together again. I can take this little dude off you for a night...hell even a weekend"
"Well I may just take you up on that" Prue laughed, "Thanks and I owe you for last night" She then walked over to the table and Put Matthew in his high chair.
"Do you think he notices? You know that Phoebe hasn't been around a whole lot lately?" Piper asked absently.
"Yeah...actually I think he does. She was always the kid...she's act just like him. He misses that. I think its just a bit too soon for her to be around him, you know...the whole age thing and the whole...how is she?"
"Holding up, putting on a brave face. I know she cries at night, I hear her. She talks to someone on the phone, I think she's, no I know she has got a boyfriend and she turns to him for comfort. She comes in late with him and he's out early. Who ever it is, he's looking out for her" Piper explained, "So for the moment I'm leaving her deal but, soon I'm going to have to intervene. It pulls me apart to hear her at night."
"Give he time. She'll get over it."
"She's starting back soon. She told me..."
"Is she ready for that?" Prue asked, her motherly instincts showing
"Well she'll have to be proved fit for work by the stations psychologist person then she's ready to go"
"Sure hope she's holding up. I couldn't imagine that Piper...I mean if it was Mat...in the fire. How would I feel. I mean Phoebe held the kid, she saw it...she felt responsible. I could not imagine what she went through."
I think that's why she finds it hard to, you know...be around Mat...she thinks about the what ifs as well"
"Morning Ladies" Andy's usual perky voice cut through the somber mood that had fell upon them.
Piper looked at him, "Hay there, good morning"
"Why wouldn't it be? The house has my beautiful wife, my lovely sister, and my son." With this he kissed Prue on the lips, "Morning babe"
"Morning honey...so what time you working to?" Prue asked
"Not sure..." Then Andy knelt infront of his giggling son, "Hay there slugger how you holding up? Pressure from the women? I know how you feel"
"cute. Not!" Prue spoke, then she turned back to her sister, "You staying for anything to eat?"
"No I got to get to the club, then home to check on our youngest sister. I'll try and get her over here later...you know out the house."
"Yeah, that'll be great. We can spend some time together" Prue agreed
-----
She pushed the key into the lock and turned it pushing open the door with her free hand. As she made her way into the apartment she threw the keys on the side and called out, "Pheebs? You in?" Receiving no answer Piper made her way into the kitchen, put the shopping bag down and walked back out in search of the youngest.
Knocking lightly on the door she called, "Pheebs, you awake?"
"Hmm" Phoebe mumbled,
"Can I come in?"
"Yeah" Came the absent reply. Piper pushed open the door to find her sister still lay on the bed. It was obvious someone had been there with her but there was now no sign of that person.
"Hay how you doing?" Piper asked,
"I'm okay" Phoebe answered still lay on the bed.
"Join me for lunch? We can get out of here for a few hours" Piper asked,
"I don't feel up to it Pipe. Sorry"
"Okay then, you know I'm a chef...we can eat in" Piper reasoned,
"Sure" Phoebe accepted that, "What time is it?" she then asked
"Half one" Piper answered, "You slept in"
"Never slept much...just thinking"
"Care to share?" The older sister asked
"Nothing much to it...thinking about life really"
"Anything good come up?"
"Not at all, just death..." Piper saw her sister needed a hug so venturd over to the bed and lay next to her, wrapping her arms around her.
There was a few moments of silence until Piper broke it, "Phoebe, since when do you wear men's aftershave?"
Phoebe let out a small laugh, "Oh, I was just getting in touch with my masclin side"
"Yeah and I'm sure he was getting in touch back" Piper joked, "You go catch a shower and then well eat in. Okay?"
"Sounds good"