A/N: I've been trying to find a time to update this for days... sorry for the wait. I've just had so many projectsto do, plus yesterday wasMay 19... Woo! Star Wars! I'm such a nerd… This is a filler chapter, but I have the next one written already, so expect a quick update :)

Lucy Knight: Yeah, Pam forgives Phoebe pretty quickly. I was just demonstrating that even if Phoebe wants to be the "cool mom" all the time, she still needs to take some responsibility, especially if she's going to have another daughter soon.

reader: Thanks for your input! I intend to!

CHAPTER SEVEN

"Come in," Piper said as she heard a knock on her bedroom door. Phoebe came in. Piper was sitting on her bed, watching TV and changing the channels by putting a pencil in her mouth and pushing the button with it.

"I know this looks stupid…" Piper began.

"Don't worry about it, Piper, I understand," Phoebe replied. "It might help though if you took that physical therapy offer…"

"I am not going to waste my time there!" Piper said defiantly. "And I am definitely not going to humiliate myself in front of a bunch of strangers while I try to eat cereal. No way."

"Y'know, sometimes the comparison between you and an old woman who refuses to stop driving is just uncanny…" Phoebe joked.

"Couldn't you just say between me and Grams?"

"Her too."

"So, what brings you into my bedroom anyway?"

"Oh, right," Phoebe began. "Well if you haven't noticed, I'm in my third trimester now, so I need larger maternity clothes. I was wondering if you still have any somewhere around here that I could use."

"Uh, I think there's some boxes in the back of my closet…" Piper replied. "You're probably better off asking Paige, hers are probably more stylish than mine, considering that I haven't had a kid in thirteen years."

"Yeah, well, she's at work and she re-hid the spare key to her house. I can't find it," Phoebe said. She was already on her knees, digging through one of the boxes in the closet.

"Why don't you just go buy some new ones?" Piper suggested.

"Well, y'know, pinch every penny…"

"Because you anticipate high medical bills from me."

"Piper…"

"No, it's okay, I don't mind. I'm glad you're willing to help us out if we need it."

"Of course, Piper. You know I'll always help you when you need me," Phoebe said, poking her head out of the closet.

There was an awkward moment of silence in the room, the only noise coming from the TV. Phoebe fidgeted with a shirt that she was holding.

"While you're looking in there you might as well see what other clothes of mine you like. You can have them soon enough."

"Piper, please stop being so pessimistic! You are not critically ill as of yet. There is still hope. Lots of hope. So no clothes for me."

Piper sighed. "We've tried every spell. Every potion. The doctors have tried every treatment. I'm taking like, ten pills a day by now. And still nothing is working. And it's all because the damn Elders seem to want me to die!"

"What happened to the 'don't give up hope' Piper?"

"She's on vacation."

"Well she better return soon, because if you don't want to fight anymore, the rest of us won't want to fight anymore," Phoebe said. She sat down on Piper's bed and hugged her sister. "Especially me. Negative energy has a really bad effect on Empaths."

Piper smiled. "Fine, whatever you say…"

"Agree like you mean it!" Phoebe ordered, standing up and taking something from the pile of clothes she had extracted from the closet. Piper sighed. "Chin up, missy. Don't be a pessimist. I will always be here if you need to talk. And I am stealing these tops because I like them a lot."

Piper tried to look happy as her sister left the room. But inside, she was feeling more and more frightened about death every second. How could she open up to her sister if Phoebe had only a cursory knowledge of what she was going through?

A/N: I can't resist doing this… here's a cryptic preview for the next chapter: Piper's questions and worries are making her feel quite insecure… and there's no one alive who can help her.