"I made veggie omelets." She said softly. Piper had spent all morning in the kitchen. Cooking, baking, cleaning. It was how she cleared her mind. Normally, anyhow. It wasn't working so well this time. Phoebe was in the kitchen, silently reading the paper and drinking coffee.

"Do you want any?" She asked. Phoebe hadn't so much as looked up.

"Want what?" Leo asked, cheerily walking into the kitchen. "Oooh! Omelets!" He busied himself, filling two plates with the scrumptious meal, completely oblivious to the animosity in the kitchen. Well, acting oblivious anyhow. Leo didn't know what was going on but he knew it wasn't good. He was trying to soften things up.

"Thanks sweetie." He said, smiling and kissed Piper tenderly. Piper forced a smile back and continued to busy herself.

"Here." He said, smiling at Phoebe as he plopped a delicious smelling, piping hot plate in front of her. Piper looked up slightly to catch Phoebe's reaction. Phoebe simply responded with a crisp "thanks" and reluctantly took a bite of the food. Piper was ever-so-slightly relieved. She must have let out a sigh because Phoebe looked up at her. Their eyes caught momentarily. Piper immediately, lowered them again and turned around to wipe the counters for the third time that morning.

Leo attempted to make some small talk with Phoebe regarding some tax evasion scandal in the newspaper but she was too distracted. Much to her chagrin, she couldn't help but sneak glances at Piper as she stirred, chopped and whipped more food. Her hair was pulled back but stray, wispy locks curled around her face. She was flushed and perspiring slightly from the heat of the oven and from working so hard. From the front, Phoebe could hardly tell she was pregnant. It was only from her profile that Phoebe saw the protruding tell-tale sign that she was expecting. As Piper stirred a steaming pot of some delicious smelling food, she absently rubbed her swollen belly. Phoebe cursed at her sister mentally. She should be the pregnant one. Not her. She was supposed to have Cole's baby. She was supposed to be happily married with a baby on the way, married to a drop-dead gorgeous super successful attorney. What did he see her? What did Piper have that she didn't? Phoebe was the beautiful one. The big breasted, voluptuous, sexy one. She and Cole matched perfectly. Piper wasn't his type. She was plain and reserved and mousy. Phoebe caught herself staring at her sister. As she stood there, intently chopping up vegetables and absently wiping her brow with the back of her sleeve, Phoebe began to question herself. Piper had always been the self-proclaimed plain Jane of the family. Prue, with her confidence and striking blue eyes. Phoebe, the gregarious flirt. Paige, the curvy vixen. It wasn't hard to see how it would be hard for Piper to compare to those three. It wasn't like Piper was ugly. Phoebe wouldn't go so far as to say that. She just wasn't the stunning beauty that her three sisters were. Even when they were little girls. Prue had charmed everyone with her cherubic round face and big blue eyes. And Phoebe, the baby. Women had always ooohd and aaahhhd over how beautiful she was. Piper had been the "cute" one. The women loved to use that word for her. Phoebe remembered one time when she was about ten. The three of them were at the grocery store with Grams and they had bumped into one of Grams' old friends. Prue, at 14 was turning into a beautiful nymph. And Phoebe, still possessed the little girl plumpness that just charmed the women. With her big toothy smile and dark hair. The lady had just adored them.

"Penny! Look at this girl! You're going to have to lock her away pretty soon to keep those boys at bay!" She said, referring to Prue. "She's absolutely beautiful! And Phoebe! Look at you! Las time I saw you, you were this big!" She lowered her hand, indicating a very small height. "But look at how you've grown up! She's just darling Penny. Truly." And then came Piper's turn. Little skinny Piper. Because that's what she had been then. Phoebe had a good 10 lbs on her at that point. "Piper!" The woman had exclaimed, faltering slightly. "How cute!"

Cute. That's what Piper had been. Cute and sweet. Sweet and nice.

Cute and sweet and nice were definitely not Cole's type. What was it? She continued gazing intently. Willing her mind to see what Cole saw. And suddenly she did. All too vividly really.

"You okay?" Leo asked her as she gasped for breath.

"Yeah, yeah. I'm fine." She muttered too quickly. "Just inhaled too much juice."

Leo looked at her suspiciously and Phoebe looked up to see Piper staring at her intently, a slightly concerned look on her face. Phoebe looked away nervously, but a few minutes later she snuck another look at Piper. Was she really that beautiful? She examined her figure. Other than the fetus in her front it was great. She had slim legs and thighs, small breasts. She was very well proportioned. Phoebe analyzed her face. The cheekbones, the smile, the eyes. All this time. She had seen, but not seen. Piper wasn't a Brazilian supermodel by any means but she wasn't as plain as Phoebe had given her credit for. In fact, underneath the simple persona was a beautiful girl. She had an understated, subtle beauty that Phoebe had often mistaken for plainness but now as she stared harder at her sister, she was beginning to worry. She had kept herself sane the past two days by assuring herself that Cole was doing this simply to get back at her. To make her jealous. It was a cruel joke. She hadn't let herself believe that he could actually have feelings for her sister. That he could really be attracted to her. Piper for Christ sake. Paige, maybe she could have understood but Piper? But this newfound realization that Piper was lacking in ugliness made Phoebe cringe. Where had plain Jane Piper gone? Where was the shy, mousy sister that she once knew? In her place stood a beautiful Madonna who was threatening everything Phoebe knew and expected. They had their roles. Well-defined ones at that, carefully sculpted for them since they were infants. Piper was stepping outside of hers. Betraying her responsibility.


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