A/N: It's been two an a half months. I kept sitting down to write but couldn't manage to get anything out. I wasn't as picky with the editing as I usually am. I just wanted to get this posted. So, yeah. And to everyone who's reviewed so far, thank you so, so, so much. You're all superfabulous. And to anyone who's reading it and not reviewing, please review. I wanna hear what you think.

Chapter Nine: Confrontations

•••••

"Leo!" Piper called from the attic for the fifth time. "Leo! Would you please get your ass down here? We've got a situation!" She added with a touch of anger in her voice. Familiar blue orbs appeared in front of her and were quickly replaced by her boyfriend.

"Bout time." She said giving Leo a stern look.

"What's the matter?"

"Prue is missing." Piper said as she began pacing.

"What? Why didn't you call me sooner?" He asked, panic rising in his voice.

"Well, I tried. But somebody didn't answer." She quipped and shot him another harsh look.

"What happened?"

"She ran off." Leo looked at Piper questioningly. "Phoebe and her are having problems, sisterly ones. And now I can't get a hold of her. She's not answering her cell phone and I'm worried."

"When did she leave?"

"Last night. And she was angry and upset. And something bad could've happened to her. Leo, can you orb me to her?" She asked, worried that her sister could be lying dead somewhere.

"Yeah, just give me a second to sense her first." Piper nodded and waited patiently as her husband searched for Prue. "Okay, I've got her." He said as his eyes opened. He took Piper in his arms and orbed them to Prue.

Piper pulled away from Leo and took in her surroundings. She was startled by the appearance of the room. She saw the bottle of whiskey and was surprised by the amount that had been drunk.

"Piper," Leo whispered as his eyes fell on the bed.

Piper spun around to see what Leo wanted her attention for. She saw a human form lying in the bed. Piper walked over to the side of the bed and pulled the blankets off of Prue's face. She was sound asleep but had tear stains on her cheeks. Piper knelt down on the floor beside the bed and started stroking Prue's hair.

"Prue, honey, it's time to wake up." After all, it is three in the afternoon, Piper thought.

Prue's eyes flickered open and she winced at the sunlight in the room. She had a slight hangover from last night's drinking and the sun wasn't helping any. Her eyes focused on the person in front of her. She registered the person as Piper and pulled away from her.

"Go away." Prue said and rolled over on her other side so that her back was to Piper. Piper looked up at Leo, worry evident on her face. He shrugged at her. She stood up and grabbed Prue's purse off the nightstand.

"Orb us home." She whispered to Leo. He put one hand on Prue's arm and held Piper's hand in the other. Within seconds, they were in Prue's bedroom. Prue sat straight up on the bed and looked angrily at Leo.

"Take me back."

"Nope." Piper said and dropped the purse onto a nearby chair.

"Piper, I'm a grown woman, you can't make me do things that I don't want to do. Now orb me back there. My car's there."

"There's not a chance in hell I'm letting you stay in that dump. This is your home. You belong here."

"But what about Phoebe?"

"She'll get over it."

"Not today. Not tomorrow. Not for a while."

"That doesn't matter. We need you here. You know, the whole power of three thing? If a demon attacks, we need you here. Phoebe knows that." Prue looked angrily at Piper. "I need you here, Prue." Piper said and started for the door, Leo followed. Prue stared after them and finally collapsed back onto her bed.

•••••

Phoebe came home that afternoon to find both Piper's and Prue's cars gone. She opened the front door, dropped her stuff on the ground and started to go upstairs when she noticed Leo sitting in the living room reading a book.

"Hey Leo." He looked up from his book and smiled at her.

"Hey." He quickly turned his attention back to his book as she headed towards the stairs. There was a knock at the door and they both looked at it and then at each other. "I'll get it." He said and stood up and walked into the foyer. She continued up the stairs.

Leo opened the front door to find Gavin standing nervously on the front porch. He offered up a smile and Leo quickly returned it.

"Can I help you?"

"Um. Yeah. I'm looking for Phoebe. Is she here?"

"Yeah. Come on in." Leo said and opened the door wider for him to enter. "Phoebe!" Leo called up to Phoebe who had just reached the second floor landing. A few seconds later, Phoebe appeared and leaned over the banister at the floor below. A scowl formed on her face when she saw her visitor. She walked down into the foyer and over to the waiting men.

"Thanks, Leo." She said with a smile. She turned towards Gavin and looked angrily at him. Leo caught her scowl as he turned to leave the foyer. "What the hell are you doing here? I know what happened."

"I don't know what you're talking about."

"Like hell you don't."

"What have I done?"

"My sister." Phoebe winced at her choice of words. Leo heard this exchange and decided he should keep an ear open just in case.

"I'm so sorry Phoebe. She seduced me. Afterwards, she told me she had planned the whole thing out." He said with a look of innocence.

"No she didn't. She's not the slimeball. You are. I know she'd never intentionally do something to hurt me."

"But she slept with me. It's all her fault."

"But she didn't mean to hurt me. You did." She paused and shot him another dirty look. "We are so beyond over. Get out."

"But it was all Prue's fault. She came on to me. I never stood a chance."

"Get out." Phoebe said again firmly. Leo appeared in the doorway between the living room and the conservatory when he heard Phoebe tell Gavin to leave.

"Bitch. We could've been so good together."

"Nothing associated with you is good." She never had a chance to duck before his fist connected with her left eye. She heard heavy footsteps run up behind her and looked up at Gavin to see him pinned to the door by Leo.

"You bastard." Leo said through clenched teeth. Gavin held up his hands in an attempt to surrender. Without thinking, Leo raised up his fist and began to swing at him when he felt a hand on his arm.

"Let him go. He's not worth it."

Leo put his hand down and released Gavin's shirt from his other hand. He slowly backed away, but stayed directly in between Gavin and Phoebe. "Get out." He said, his husky voice threatening. Afraid of Leo, Gavin quickly opened the door and left.

"What happened?" Leo asked as he turned towards Phoebe. She was gently touching the area around her eye and wincing after each touch. The bastard, he thought. If I ever see him again, I'll-

"I broke up with him."

"So he hits you?"

"Well, he's obviously not the greatest guy in the world." She said with a slight smile.

"Has he ever done that before?" He was instinctively protective of the Halliwell sisters and now it showed more than it ever had before.

"No. But he probably would've eventually. I guess Prue did some good when she made me realize what shit he is." She winced again.

"Do you want me to heal that for you?"

"No, I'll be fine." She smiled and started to go upstairs. She stopped on the stairs and turned towards Leo. "Leo?"

"Yeah?" He turned to look up at her.

"Thanks." Phoebe smiled at him and continued going up the stairs. Leo watched her go and went back to the living room.

"Bastard." He muttered to himself.

•••••

A few hours later, Prue was sitting on her bed reading a book when there was a knock on her door.

"Come in." Piper opened the door and sat down on the bed in front of Prue.

"What ya reading?" Piper asked just as Phoebe walked past the door. The sight of both her sisters caught her eye and she marched in, obviously angry.

"What the hell are you doing here?" Phoebe asked. The area around her eye that Gavin had punched had now turned a dark shade of purple-blue. At the sight of her bruise, both sisters jumped off the bed and rushed over to her.

"Phoebe, what happened?" Prue asked, going into what Piper and Phoebe referred to as her "mother mode".

"That bitch of an ex-boyfriend hit me. Now why are you here?"

"He hit you?"

"Yes. I broke up with him and he hit me."

"Are you okay?" Phoebe could see the concern in Prue's eyes and she was grateful for it. But it didn't fix her anger.

"I'm fine. Now why are you here?"

"She's here because we need the power of three under one roof."

"Stay out of this, Piper. This is between me and Prue." Phoebe said, her eyes never leaving Prue's.

"I'm in this. I made her come here."

"Then make her leave." Phoebe broke her gaze at Prue and glared harshly at Piper.

"Phoebe, she's your sister."

"Sisters don't sleep with each other's boyfriends."

"Phoebe, I'm sorry." Prue said.

"Sorry isn't good enough, Prue."

"I know. But I am."

That was all it took to set Phoebe off.

"Frankly, I don't give a shit how you're feeling. Did you ever once think about how I would feel when you were screwing my boyfriend? He wasn't even just a boyfriend. I was actually picturing a future with that man. I was in love with him. But love doesn't matter in Prue's world, does it? You're above everyone else, so it doesn't matter whose world you shatter just as long as you can get what you want."

Prue stood there and took her youngest sister's attack, never once attempting to stick up for herself. Instead, she let the tears fall. Piper attempted to interject many times, but each was cut off by another venomous attack on Prue.

"Well, you know what Prue? You shattered my world now. But does it matter to you? No. And that's what sickens me." Phoebe turned on her heel and walked out of the room, leaving both Piper and Prue stunned by her outburst.

"You know she doesn't mean any of that." Piper quickly turned towards Prue and tried to pull her into a hug. Prue pulled away and looked down at the floor.

"She should. It's true."

"No, it isn't." She said with concern obvious in her tone and her eyes. "It's not true at all." The tears kept rolling down Prue's cheeks. "Are you okay?"

"I'm fine." Prue said as she wiped her cheeks dry. "I just want to be alone for a little while."

"Are you sure?" Prue nodded. "Alright. If you need anything, I'll be downstairs." Prue nodded again and watched Piper leave. She grabbed her purse off the bed and went into the bathroom. She locked the door and the tears started streaming down her cheeks again.