Disclaimer: I do not own Charmed

A/n: As I have never had a child I don't really know at what developmental stages babies start to kick, and things like that so I'm just kinda guessing my way through this. Just in case you're thinking ok that wouldn't be happening yet.

Vulnerable Child – Chapter 15

TWO MONTHS LATER

Phoebe lay awake in her bed, running her fingers gently across her stomach, along it still wasn't visible to anyone else Phoebe could feel it expanding. She looked towards the clock, the digits read 10:30 am, and she knew that she should be getting up now but couldn't pull herself out of her bed. I have to get up, I really should be getting right about now… why aren't I? It was the date of her first scan, a part of her was looking foreword to it but some of her was dreading it… What if my baby isn't healthy… what if there are complications because I'm so young? A million questions were racing through Phoebe's head. Slowly she got out of her bed and began to get dressed, she tried pulling on a pair of jeans but found them too restricting and so threw them in a heap on the ground.

"Damn!" she cursed, "Those fit me last week," she searched through her closet and eventually found some jogging pants, pulling them on with a T-Shirt she headed down stairs.

"Phoebe, you look quite disorientated today," smiled Grams when she saw her granddaughter's ensemble.

"I just had to get rid of another pair of jeans!" she grumbled, "I hate this, it's not bad enough that I was to throw up all the time but I'm getting fat, those were really great jeans… now I can't wear them ever,"

"Phoebe that's not true. You're not getting fat, your pregnant, it's different. The morning sickness will pass, and you'll be able to wear the jeans again when the baby's born,"

"I'm ugly and gross," Phoebe protested,

"No you're not," sighed Grams walking over to Phoebe and placing her arm around her shoulders, "You have that pregnant lady glow,"

"What do you mean?" asked Phoebe, every time she looked in the mirror all she was her protruding stomach and ill looking face.

"Whenever a woman is pregnant she always has this kind of glow about her, a natural beauty that you can't get at any other time. Everything about a pregnant woman is beautiful, what's happening to her body, how she looks, what's going to come from being pregnant, everything. And everything about you is beautiful," Phoebe sniffled, holding back a happy tear,

"Why are you getting upset?" asked Grams,

"You called me a 'pregnant woman'" she paused, "Not just a silly girl or anything but a 'woman' it's silly but that means something,"

"It's not silly at all," smiled Grams hugging her granddaughter, "Now how about some eggs for breakfast,"

"Eggs?" said Phoebe, as she heard her stomach growling at her,

"Yeah, you love eggs,"

"Not today Grams," she said rushing her hand to her mouth and running from the room.

Casually wandering around the town centre Phoebe's fingers were telling her to go home, her shopping bag handles were digging into her fingers leaving them red and angered. She knew she was only a few blocks from her house but it seemed like forever until she reaches it. Turning a sharp corner her thoughts about her hands were interrupted by a familiar – yet unwelcome – face, Ricks. She stopped and looked up at him, amazed that her legs weren't turning to jelly and her words weren't getting ready to trip her up.

"Rick…" she said quietly after a few moments,

"Phoebe," she smirked, "How's it been going?" Phoebe smiled, trying to act cool,

"Great, never better," she lied, she hoped he didn't know about her baby, and how he'd hurt her,

"Really…"

"Yeh," she lied, "Everything's fine,"

"So you and my baby are doing fine then," he smirked. Fuck… he knows Phoebe took a few seconds,

"What baby?" she asked,

"Don't play games with me Phoebe; I know you're pregnant… I'm just here to tell you I'm not being a dad… not interested."

"You're right… I was pregnant… because you're a fucking rap…" she composed herself before saying any more, "But I'm not anymore…"

"You got rid of it?" he questioned, "I didn't think you had it in you,"

"Neither did I." she shot back,

"Well I guess I don't know you that well,"

"No, you don't," she said as she shifted her position so the bags weren't hurting her hands as much, Rick reached out to take the bags from her but she jerked away, "I got it," she said, and although her hands were red, screaming at her to put the shopping down she marched on. Past him, and refused to look back at him, at his eyes that had once captivated her, the eyes that she had got lost in. She knew that whatever she had felt for him was gone, although she couldn't deny her feelings, she couldn't feel them anymore. She continued her short walk, trying not to think of Rick, but his face, his smirk, his attitude plagued her thoughts… and his baby plagued her womb.