A/N: Another chapter; thanks for the reviews. I actually didn't intend for Tyler's name to coincide with the boy's name from "Lost and Bound", so yeah I guess its just a coincidence. Also, the way I see Phoebe and Tyler's relationship—Phoebe relies heavily on her family and after so many years of leaning on them for support, it would make sense for her to turn to the only ones she can. Also...damnit, can't say anything else, I hope the next chapter sheds some more light.
Twice Cursed
Chapter Two
In the quiet, suburban neighborhood in which the Halliwell Manor was tucked into, the birds twittered softly in the night air as a young couple strolled hand-in-hand along Prescott Street, talking softly to each other. A night jogger ran at her own pace on the other side of the street, jogging to the beat of the music coming from her headphones.
Suddenly, a car's squealing tires as it skidded around the corner onto Prescott cause a group of sparrows to take flight; the jogger paused, and the couple looked behind them to see what was going on. The silver Chrysler screeched into the Halliwell driveway and Phoebe stumbled out, black mascara stains on her cheeks visible to all the people on the street, even in the dim light of streetlamps. She ran up the steps to the house where her sisters lived as the car door slammed behind her. After the Manor door closed, the street remained silent for a second, then slowly began its activities once more.
Phoebe spun around in the empty Manor. "Piper? Paige? Leo?" she called, her voice becoming smaller with each name she uttered. She glanced at the calendar on the wall. The Killers, wrote Piper's firm, even writing underneath the space for November 20rd.
The middle sister nodded to herself. She remembered Piper mentioning something about them a few weeks ago—Piper was especially excited about this music group performing at P3, since they were fresh talent on the scene and immensely popular. Phoebe would have joined them, but—she had gotten into a fight, again, with Tyler.
Just the thought of him had her eyes threatening to leave fresh trails of makeup on her face. It was barely two days from when she ran back to the Manor last and she was already back, crying. Why does she even bother to put on makeup, if it's just going to get ruined? Hell, why does she even go back, knowing that he'll just make her cry again?
Phoebe sank to her feet and sobbed, barely making it to the edge of the sofa. She was, in all actuality, thankful that her sisters and brother-in-law were out; the serenity and emptiness of the house gave her as much freedom as she liked to bawl and truly express herself without being found out. She clung to the armrest with her knees digging into the carpet, grabbing a tissue from her purse so as to not soil the light-colored couch.
"Oh God," she muttered to herself, sitting back on her heels with a thump. "How pathetic am I?"
The answer—very—caused her to fall onto her back, as she laid sprawled on the oriental rug. Pathetic, pathetic, pathetic, she rebuked herself, each word feeling like a giant knife pressed against her body. Why could she never, ever, get anything right?
When she had met Tyler, they had hit it off immediately, flirting and teasing each other. Their relationship was rather hot and heavy, sexual passion rampant throughout—so when he had proposed to her, she had gone with the moment and said yes.
And it was such a perfect proposal too, Phoebe thought as tears rimmed her eyes. Candlelight dinner, expensive champagne, Tyler down on one knee—and the wedding! It was held in a church with friends from both sides of the family. It was a normal wedding with a seven story cake and they had a nice, undisturbed honeymoon in Hawaii.
Without delay, however, their relationship had started falling apart almost as soon as the honeymoon was over. They really didn't know each other at all—he didn't even know about the most important aspect of her life, magic. And Phoebe was glad he didn't; would it be Jason all over again?
No, most likely he wouldn't give a damn, Phoebe thought bitterly. Tyler was so apathetic, he didn't care what she did, and when she tried to find out what he did during the time when she was away, he went all defensive on her. This was the basis for many of their fights; and far from them resolving it, the arguments had run deeper and deeper each time.
God—they simply just didn't click, Phoebe would've had a better husband in Leslie simply because they fit together better. Phoebe knew, in the depths of her heart, that Tyler was supposed to be just another guy in her string of boyfriends—but she was tired, so tired, and Tyler seemed so perfect at the time. Now, Phoebe knew, it was just her amped up sexual drive. Even that department was starting to lack; he had a good stamina, but was probably the least creative guy on the planet. And really; how could she thoroughly enjoy sex with her husband when one major thing was lacking?
Phoebe had gained more strength, both physically and emotionally, and had drawn on this newly acquired energy to get up and trudge to her bedroom. Now what in the name of God was she going to do? It was all just a mistake, she was always making mistakes, God, her whole fucking life was a mistake!
She was inside her bedroom; and with a burst of frustration, she ripped her wedding ring from her hand and threw it furiously on the ground. It hit her bed, then bounced onto the floor.
Phoebe sighed and put her face in her hands before starting to look for it. She shouldn't have done that; it was juvenile and just plain stupid of her. After a general search of the floor, in which she didn't find the sparkling diamond, Phoebe decided to search the bed—maybe it never left it.
And so she ran her hand across her darkly multi-colored bedspread, as her hand hit upon a ring. There we go. She gripped it in her hand and was about to put it on when she stopped. Something was wrong...she looked at the ring in her hand and immediately knew what it was.
She sat, her legs tucked underneath her, staring at the ring, then closed her fist tightly around it and brought her hand to her heart, tears streaming like a waterfall. Cole...as if she needed another reminder of how her marriages famously crash and burn.
But marriage to Cole wasn't supposed to crash and burn. It was supposed to thrive, they were supposed to have a family—oh, how she had loved him, loved him to absolutely no end. Phoebe fell fully onto the bed as her whole body shook with racking sobs, cries that were no comparison to the tears that she had cried over Tyler.
Oh, Cole, Phoebe thought as she cradled herself in fetal position. After all this time, you're still the one who makes me cry the most. Her hand was actually shaking now, from the strength in which Phoebe clutched the ring, fingernails digging into her palm.
She opened her palm slowly, her whole face a mask of tears, to look at the ring. In the back of her mind, she wondered what the ring was doing on her bed. She had tossed the ring down the drain of the bathtub...and with that, a whole new flood of memories of Cole came to her as she began crying again.
"And as to Gram's notion of marriage...we can watch that go down the drain," Phoebe had announced so long ago before she dumped the ring.
"Well, Grams, guess what, you're ring obviously didn't teach me the lesson the first time around," Phoebe said aloud to herself. "To gain another, to lose oneself?" She stifled a sob before composing herself to talk. "Lose the one I gained, lose myself—I don't care anymore," she cried out, her world a torrent of tears. "Just end this pain, anyone, just—" her voice became chocked and she couldn't speak anymore. As she drowned in a whirlpool of sorrow, she took the ring and jammed it on her fourth finger.
In the attic, the Book of Shadows suddenly came to life. The pages flipped as a voice could be heard; a familiar voice.
To be cursed once let the lesson be learned
Yet to be cursed twice calls
For different measures;
May the one that is needed
Come;
And lead the path that was astray.
On Phoebe's hand, even as she was crying herself to sleep, the ring glowed brilliantly for a second and then seemed to fade directly into her finger...
A/N(2): Yeah, I know I made her cry a lot. Hope it didn't get too...much. Also, for those who follow Love's Intervention...it might take some time before I post another chapter, I have a severe case of writer's block. But then again, it might not; inspiration can strike at any time usually, in the dead of the night, unfortunately for me. Please review, it means a lot!