Problem's With The Past!
Phoebe tossed and turned, trying to escape the terrors of her dream world, but to no avail. Suddenly, she sat straight up straight, covering her mouth with her hand to prevent the scream from escaping her mouth. She sat there, covered in perspiration, trying to calm down but still reliving her nightmare that was only too real.
The next day, she sat in the alcove of P3, listening to her sisters chat, but not paying any real attention to their conversation. She was lost in thought about the flowers that she got the other night and the message that came with them, making her nightmare rear its ugly head once again. She didn't notice that Prue and Piper had stopped talking and where staring at her.
"Phoebe!" Prue shouted finally gaining the youngest one's attention. "What's wrong with you? You've been in a daze for the last few days. Have you been sleeping okay?" Prue asked with concern.
"Fine." Phoebe said snapping out of her thoughts.
"You sure?" Piper questioned her little sister, not quite believing her. "Because you haven't been eating lately."
"I said I'm fine!" Phoebe snapped becoming agitated. "I'm just tired. I think I'll just go home and go to bed." Without waiting for more questioning from her sisters, Phoebe swiftly stood and left P3.
Prue and Piper looked on long after their sister had left, each worried about her. Finally, Prue broke the silence. "I know that something's wrong with her and I intend to find out what!" Prue said with determination.
"I know, but we need to let her come to us first. You know that if we push her, she'll just retreat into her shell and refuse to talk to us." Piper calmly replied, though she to was extremely concerned for the youngest member of the family. "We'll talk to her in the morning, okay?"
"Alright." Prue said in defeat, but her thoughts remained on her sister throughout the remainder of the night.
As the two sisters walked in through the door, a piercing scream made their hearts stop. Quickly coming out of their terror, they ran up the stairs two at a time to the source of the scream. Bursting through the door, the sight that met them broke their hearts. Lying huddled in her bed in fetus position, her eyes were gazing about franticly while tears coursed their way down her face. The two rushed to her side and comforted her.
It took them nearly a half an hour to calm her down, but when they finally did, they made their way into the living room and sat on the couch while Piper quickly made some tea.
Coming back in with a pot of tea and three mugs, Piper saw Prue holding Phoebe in her lap, trying to keep her calm. Sitting down next to them, Piper dared to ask the question both herself and Prue wanted an answer to. "What's been going on Phoebe? Please, talk to us!"
After a while, Phoebe had calmed down considerably, and looked up at her older sisters. Chocolate brown eye's meeting hazel brown ones and then chocolate brown eye's meeting piercing baby blue ones. "Alright." Phoebe sighed in defeat. "I'll tell you guys everything."
Looking up into his eyes, she saw no emotion, but, by the looks of his sinister smile, she knew what he had in mind. He grabbed a hold of her arm and she froze. As he tried to drag her back into the alley, she regained her senses and remembered what her older sisters had always told her to do in this type of situation. Regaining control of her senses, she kicked him in the sensitive part between his legs, causing him to release his hold on her and putting his hand in the perfect position. She quickly bit him and took off in a dead run down the street. As she ran, she heard him yell, "I'll find you Phoebe Halliwell and make you pay if it's the last thing I do!" This scared her but she just kept on running.
"Why didn't you ever tell us about that?" Prue asked scared that her baby sister had been so close to…she couldn't even bare the thought.
"What was I supposed to say? 'Hi, I'm back from volleyball practice and some guy tried to kidnap me. So, what's for dinner?' Give me a break!" Phoebe returned, her defenses coming up.
"Well, no. But still, I agree with Prue, you should have said something about it!" Piper replied calmly, trying to defuse the impending argument she knew was coming.
"Look, I'm sorry, but I'm telling you now." Phoebe said in her baby voice.
Prue and Piper looked at each other before turning back to their baby sister with looks of concern. "Why are you telling us now?" Prue asked worry etched on face.
Phoebe let her gaze drop down to her hands before grabbing a folded piece of paper out of her pocket and showing her older sisters, her face becoming serious once again. "Because, a few days ago, I got this…" Phoebe said as her voice trailed off and her gaze returned to her hands, unable to look at her sister's as they read the note.
Looking down at the note, Piper and Prue took sharp intakes of breaths as the read the contents of the note.
I'm back Phoebe! And I'm going to make you pay for what you did all those years ago in that alley! Also for what happened last time! Watch your back because I'm coming for you!
"How does he know where you live?" Prue asked pulling her baby sister in to a protective hold, knowing what would happen if this crazed man ever got a hold of her baby girl.
"I don't know, but…"
"But? But what Phoebe?" Piper asked feeling that this was about to become a lot worse than it already was.
"Well, when I went to New York, I met up with Clay the first few days I was there and he took me in. Well, after a few months, I had two jobs to help pay for the rent as Clay lived in a really nice flat. Anyways, I had a job as a waitress at a really nice restaurant in the richer parts of town during the day and then I worked as a bartender in a bar in the lower parts of town at night. Around that time, there had been several girls rapped and murdered in the area by the bar and so Clay always came and picked me up after work to keep me safe." Phoebe paused, trying to control the emotions that were starting to boil to the surface. Try as so might, a lone tear slowly made its way down her cheek. This scared Prue and Piper as they both sat there, listening to her story and trying their best to comfort her in any way possible.
"It's okay Pheebs, you don't have to continue right now if you don't want to." Piper said soothingly. "We can wait til later if you want."
"No, it's okay." Phoebe said, getting her emotions back in check. "I need to tell you guys. I might not work up the courage again otherwise."
"Alright, but take your time sweetie." Prue replied, gently taking her into her arms.
"Ummm…anyways, one night, we were supposed to go out after I got off of work at the bar. When I got home to change after my first job. There was a message on the machine." Phoebe said her mind drifting back to the memories of what had happened.
FLASHBACK:
"Clay, I'm home!" Phoebe looked around the living room, hearing no response from her boyfriend. That's when she noticed that the answer machine was blinking. Going over to it, she hit the play button.
"Hey baby! Sorry, but I'm going to have to cancel our date tonight. They switched the schedules on me and now I have to work until 2 this morning. Trust me, it's not by choice as I would much rather spend the night with you. Catch a cab home so you're safe and then I'll see you later tonight. Love you!"
Phoebe let a sigh escape her mouth as she erased the message. Walking into the bathroom, she took a quick shower, got dressed, and caught a cab to downtown, to the bar.
Cleaning up while the bar was closing, Phoebe kept glancing at a shaggy man in the corner that had been watching her all night. She got a weird feeling from him, but thought nothing of it. The next time she glanced to where he had been sitting for the past few hours, he was nowhere in sight. After that, he slipped her mind as she continued cleaning up the remainder of the bar.
"Night Mike! I'll see you tomorrow!" Phoebe called out to her boss as she put her coat on, preparing to head home.
"Night Pheebs! Good job tonight!" Mike said, walking up to her.
"Thanks!" She said smiling up at him. Mike was about 6'5" with dusty blonde hair and baby blue eyes that reminded her strongly of Prue's eyes. Trying to take her mind off of her oldest sister who lived back in California, she started to talk with Mike again. "We had a really good crowd tonight. It kept us all busy, even though we had an extra person or two. If this keeps up, we'll all be rich!"
"Yah, one could only wish." He replied letting out a deep chuckle. "Well, I'm going to finish up her and then I'll be heading off. Be careful going home tonight Phoebe. I don't want anything to happen to you."
"I will Mike, scout's honor!" Phoebe said with a laugh as she walked out the door of the bar. However, neither Mike nor Phoebe could have guessed what was to happen that dreadful night.
Walking to the end of the block, Phoebe wrapped her coat around her to try and block out the cold wind. Looking into the alley behind her, she sighed in relief when she saw nothing. Turning back around to wait for the cab she had called, she suddenly felt a cold hand cover her mouth as an arm wrapped around her waist at the same time, pinning her arms to her side. Phoebe let out a scream out of instinct as the unknown stranger picked her up like she was a rag doll and carried her into the alley. Phoebe fought him with all her might but was quickly over-powered by him as he was a lot stronger than her.
He quickly reached into his pocket and produced a rag and gagged her. He then loosened his grip on her arms and she managed to get one loose. Quickly pushing him off of her with all of her might as well as kicking him, she took off, back towards the street. Luck, however, was not on Phoebe's side as he caught her in seconds and punched her in the stomach, causing her to double over in severe pain.
"You could've made this a lot easier on yourself by going along, but now I have a different idea." His whispered into her ear. Phoebe could smell the alcohol on his breath as he continued. "Now, I'm gonna beat you first and then have some fun."
It was then that Phoebe got a good look at her capture and she gasped in horror as she noticed that it was the man from the bar that had been staring at her all night. Carrying her back down the alley, he dropped her roughly to the ground and began to kick her repeatedly. Phoebe tried as hard as she could to defend her self and block his nonstop blows to her body, but it was no use and she curled up, trying to block out the pain. Soon, when he had beaten her so bad that she was barely conscious, he landed a kick to her head, sending her into complete darkness.
He soon noticed this and he smiled to himself as he stared at her for a few moments, knowing that he was soon going to get what he had came for. As he thought about it, he still couldn't believe how easy it had been and how she had not noticed him staring at her the entire evening. Coming out of his thoughts, he stared at her body a few more seconds and noticed some of the bruises already starting to show. He kicked her once more and then he kneeled down and started to remove her shirt.
Mike closed the door to the bar behind him and locked it up for the night. Walking down the street that Phoebe had taken just 5 minutes ago, he heard a commotion coming from the alley at the end of the street. Going down it to investigate, what he saw made him want to be sick right then and there, but he had to help, or he knew that Phoebe might be lost forever. Quickly coming out of his daze, he ran up to the man who was slowly taking Phoebe's clothes off, yelling, "Hey! Get the hell away from her you bastard!" He reached the man right as he stood up and punched him hard across the face.
Mike grabbed a nearby piece of wood and smacked the guy across the head a few times until he was sure that he was knocked out.
Rushing over to Phoebe's side, he gasped in horror as he saw just a few of her injuries. Checking for a pulse, he found one. However, it was really weak and getting fainter by the second. With lightning speed, he pulled out his cell phone and dialed 911.
The ambulance and police arrived at the same time with the paramedics rushing to Phoebe's aid and the cops quickly arresting the unconscious assailant. Mike rode in the ambulance with Phoebe on the way to the hospital as the paramedics did all that they could to save her. However, upon reaching the hospital, he was forced to wait in the waiting room as Phoebe was rushed into the ER.
Setting down in a chair, he dialed up Clay's cell number.
"Hello?" Clay asked as he picked up his phone.
"Clay? This is Mike, Phoebe's boss." He paused not sure how to tell Clay that Phoebe had been severely beaten and nearly raped. "I-I have some…really bad news."
Clay, who had been falling asleep at work, woke up immediately, knowing that something terrible had happened to Phoebe. "What! What happened to Phoebe!" He yelled into the phone.
"Clay, just get to the hospital as fast as you can and I'll explain everything when you get here." Mike said not able to tell Clay what had happened over the phone.
Clay instantly hung up the phone and ran out to his car, giving a quick explanation to his boss who was more than understanding. He reached the hospital in 10 minutes and spotted Mike at once.
"Mike! What the hell happened to Phoebe!" He yelled.
Mike pulled him aside as he quietly explained everything to him. When he had finished, he noticed that Clay was in shock. Soon, the guilt started to set in. "I should have picked her up! I always pick her up! This is all my fault!"
Clay was pissed! They had been sitting in the waiting room for over three hours and no one had told them anything yet! He looked up when a doctor came through the doors of the ER.
"Family of Phoebe Halliwell?" He asked.
"Right here!" Clay said as he stood up and walked over to the doctor, starting to interrogate him. "How is Phoebe? Is she going to be alright?"
"My name is Dr. Smith and who are you?" The doctor asked, giving Clay a questioning look.
"I'm her boyfriend, but all of her family lives back in California. Mike here is her boss, he's the one who found her." Clay replied quickly becoming impatient with the doctor. "Now, what's wrong with Phoebe?"
"Alright, please come with me." Dr. Smith said as he led them down a hall until the three of them were standing outside a room. "Now, I've got to warn you…she's pretty bad. She has major internal bleeding, 4 broken ribs, 2 cracked ribs, a large gash just above her left temple, and severe bruising all along her upper body." He paused letting them absorb the information. "Her head injury is what has us concerned the most. If she does not slip into a coma in the next 24 hours, she should be fine. We will just be monitoring her closely for the rest of the night. If you have any questions, just have the nurse page me." With that, he left the two men standing outside of Phoebe's room.
Slowly walking forward, Clay quietly pushed open the door, but was stopped dead in his tracks at the sight of her. He felt Mike by his side and could tell he was just as shocked. Finally coming out of his daze, Clay pulled up a chair beside Phoebe's bed and took her hand.
Clay had lost track of how long he had been sitting there. Mike had left a few hours ago and Phoebe still remained motionless. He soon fell asleep with his head resting on her bed.
A few hours later, Clay woke up when he thought he felt a slight squeeze on his hand. Looking up, he found himself looking in to Phoebe's big, brown eyes. With tears threatening to fall, he leaned forward and gently gave her a hug while whispering in her ear, "I love you Phoebe." He now knew that everything was going to be alright.
With tears streaming down her face, she looked over to Prue and Piper and saw that they two a tears of their own flowing freely down their cheeks. "I was in the hospital for over a week. I was finally able to get over it for the most part and came back here about a month after it happened. They never found the guy who did it though." That was all she could get out as she completely broke down.
Prue and Piper quickly pulled her into a comforting hug, still stunned with what had happened to their baby girl while she was in New York. What scared them more was that they had heard about it on the news, but the news reporter had never revealed the victims name.
When Phoebe had finally fallen asleep, about an hour later, Prue and Piper had time to talk. "This is all my fault." Prue said racked with guilt.
"Prue-" Piper tried to confort her guilt-stricken sister, but she would have non of it.
"No Piper! I was the one who didn't believe her! I was the one who pushed her into moving to New York! Don't try and tell me that this is not in any way my fault!" Piper could see that Prue was breaking down, and there was nothing she could do to stop it, so she just held her and whispered comforting words in her ear.
The next few days went by without anyone saying much to one another. Prue was always down in the basement working on her photos though she didn't get much done as she was to busy blaming herself for what had happened to Phoebe. Piper was always in the kitchen, but she never cooked anything, just fiddled around with stuff and thought about Prue and Phoebe. And Phoebe spent her time either at the park, or in her room. She hardly ate anymore, and it was never with Prue and Piper. However, both Prue and Piper were so wrapped up in there own lives and thoughts, that they never even noticed. And it's that very thing that could prove to be fatal. For, little did they know, someone was watching one of them, waiting for their chance to strike.
He watched as the last of the lights went out. He waited for a few more minutes and saw the darkened outline of someone walking around the corner. He continued to watch as they made their way up the steps and reached for their key. He saw his chance as they opened the door. He jumped out of the bush and wrapped his arm around their waist, locking their arms to their side, and placed a cloth over their mouth. He waited for a few seconds as he felt their panic grip their body and, when he felt them go limp in his arms, he picked them up and threw them into the back of his car. He then drove off, not even bothering to close the door to the manor.
Piper slowly rolled out of bed, as her mind screamed at her to wake up. However, as she became more awake, her subconscious was telling her that something was terribly wrong. Quickly, yet quietly, she walked down the hall and opened up a room, where she found her sister sleeping peacefully. She then crept to her other sister's room, but was met with nothing. She could tell that the bed hadn't been slept in that night and she began to feel the panic grow inside her.
She headed up to the attic deciding to check the house from top to bottom before waking her other sister from her slumber. When she opened to door to the attic, she saw the Book of Shadows sitting, un-opened, on the podium, in the middle of the room, but no trace of her missing sister.
She slowly made her way through the rest of the house, and noticed that it got steadily colder the closer she got to the first floor. Checking every room and, coming to the front foyer, she saw the front door wide open. She rushed to the door when something caught her eye. Kneeling down, she picked up her sister's keys. Realizing what must have happened, Piper yelled for her other sister as she sank to the floor and hot tears started to slowly make their way down her cheeks.
Jumping out of bed, she ran down the stairs to the source of the scream. She quickly caught sight of Piper and felt her heart break instantly. Coming up behind her, she wrapped her arms around her and just sat there, trying to comfort her, but confused as to why she was like this. As she sat there, she was wondering why their other sister had not come downstairs at Piper's cry, but it soon left her mind as she once again, turned her focused onto Piper.
"Sweetie, what's wrong?" She asked as she looked down on her distraught sister.
"Th-the d-door was…o-opened and I-I…f-f-found these in the…d-do-doorway!" Piper managed to say between sobs as she showed her their sister's keys.
Her eye's fell upon her other sister's keys and her mind started to put together the pieces. Suddenly, she let out a horrified gasp as realization hit her. Her sister was gone. She had been taken. Quickly standing up, she went over to the phone and called Darryl. She filled him in on what happened and he sent out an APB and filed a missing person's report. Returning to her sister who has yet to move, she noticed that she had calmed down somewhat.
Getting Piper over to the couch, she listened as Piper started to speak, almost to herself. "We didn't help her. She finally told us what had happened and we totally ignored her. She hasn't eaten, she was never home, and we didn't even notice." Piper just sat there and continued to ramble. "She was in trouble, she was hurting, and what did we do? We wrapped ourselves in our own lives and shut her out when she needs us the most. She never slept either. And now look what's happened. She was taken because of our mistakes and selfishness." Piper fell silent and just sat there in a daze with a lost look on her face.
Pulling her close, she held her sister for a few more minutes before coming to a decision. "Piper, Darryl will be here any minute. He's going to help us find her. I promise!" She said as she emphasized her last word.
Just then, the doorbell rang throughout the manor. Quickly getting up, she left Piper, who had gotten her emotions back in check, and went and let Darryl in. "How are you guy's holding up?" He asked looking from one sister to the other, though know what their answer would be.
Piper looked up to him with tears still in her eyes. "Not so good Darryl. Can you find her?"
"I'll do my best! But I assure you, we won't give up." Darryl said. He then went on to tell them what he had planned so far to find the missing Halliwell sister. He also explained to them what they would need to do. "You guy's can not, I repeat, can not give up hope! You have to keep looking for her. Otherwise…" He paused, not sure if he dared to finish his own sentence.
"What Darryl? Otherwise what?" She asked while she held Piper tight in her grasp, afraid of losing her to.
Darryl sighed as he looked at the lost, confused, scared looks of the two Halliwell sisters that sat before him. "Otherwise, she's as good as dead." He let what he had just said sink in.
"So…so you're saying that she has a high chance of dieing? That we could lose our sister?" She asked, starting to become angry as Darryl wasn't producing any answers for them.
"Look, I'll do everything I can, but I just don't want you guys to stop looking or to give up hope." Suddenly, Darryl's beeper started to go off. "I'm sorry, but I have to go. Call me if you guy's need anything."
"We will. And thanks again Darryl." Piper said as she showed him out the door. Turning back around, she started up the stairs with a confused sister trailing behind her. Piper went into her missing sister's room and grabbed her favorite bracelet that she always wore and, not giving a single thought as to why she was not wearing it right now, she quickly made her way up to the attic. Once in the attic, she pulled out a map while her sister got out their scrying crystal, finally figuring out Piper's idea.
They stood over the map for over a half an hour with nothing. "Okay, I give up!" Piper said exasperated. "We need to just go take our cars and turn the city upside down!"
As they walked outside, they saw a small, white cloth on the bottom step. Picking it up, Piper felt something damp on it and lifted it up to her nose, smelling it. She quickly dropped it, as she told her sister that whoever had taken their sister had knocked her out first.
They quickly got into their own, separate cars and started in opposite directions with only one thing on their minds. Phoebe.
Phoebe started to stir slightly. As she shook off the darkness that had consumed her earlier, she felt around her, but all she felt was cold, icy cold stone. Peeling her eyes open, she was only met with more darkness. Then she heard it. At first it was soft, but it slowly got louder as the footsteps echoed against the walls.