Chapter 16 - The Amazing Power Of Guilt

"I killed him." I whispered, looking at his pale face, his blood stained shirt. "I killed him."

"It wasn't you, it was -" Phoebe started.

"It was me!" I yelled, then burst into tears.

"I'll call Andy." Prue muttered.

"Am I going to prison?" I asked, terrified.

"No, no, of course not. " Paige soothed. "Actually, what are supposed to say? That he turned up here and callapsed?"

"Yes." Phoebe sighed. "We'll have to. Besides, he wasn't stabbed, or shot ... how exactly did he die?"

"We'll find out when they do a post-mortem." Prue told us, dialling the phone.

"Or when they arrest us for murder!" I cried.

"Shh!" Prue commanded, pressing the phone to her ear and turning away.

"I killed him, Leo." I hissed. "I killed him."

"Shh. It's OK. It's OK."

"OK, Andy's on his way over. Try to pull it together." Prue commanded, hanging up.

"Pull it together!" I cried. "Pull it together! I killed him, Prue!"

"Shh." Better add that to the list of words I hate.

"Piper, come on, after what he did to you -"

"He deserved for me to kill him?" I finished. "No, he didn't!"

"Piper, we need to get the story straight." Phoebe said.

"The story?"

"OK, he turned up here, started shouting, then he just callapsed." Paige said. "OK?"

"Callapsed?" I questioned. "No, no, I killed him!" I stood up, agrily. "I murdered hi - arrghh." Clutching my stomach, I sat back down."

"Are you OK?" Suddenly everyone was flocking around me.

"I'm fine. Just ... stood up too fast." I replied, as Andy walked in, with Darryl, two other inspectors and a couple of forensic people.

"Are you OK?" Was the first thing Andy said to us, and he pulled me into a hug. "Maybe you should go rest or something. Both of you." He said with a look at Prue, who shook her head.

"OK, tell us what happened." Darryl said.

"Well, you know it was really weird." Prue said pointeedly. Darryl sighed.

"Of course. When is it ever normal with you girls." He muttered. "OK, tell me the story."

"He walked in, through the front door, started shouting -"

"We couldn't hear what he was saying properaly." Phoebe cut in.

"And then he just ... fell down. Callapsed. And didn't move. Leo checked for a pulse, then Prue called you." Paige finished.

Annoyed, I froze them all.

"I can't do this." I told my sisters. "I killed him!"

"Mum?" Patty was still here. I'd forgotten all about her. "What's going on?" She asked me.

"Nothing, sweetie. Don't worry. Just ... go check on your brothers for me OK? Go on, big girl, look after them -" She skipped back up the stairs.

"Piper, you can't tell them that. First of all how can you explain this?" Prue asked me.

"Second, you have a family here. Patty, and Wyatt, and Chris. You can't put them through that." Phoebe said.

"Come on, Piper, I know you know they are more important than him." Paige said to me.

With a sigh I unfroze the room.

"He just callapsed?" One of the other inspectors repeated. "Well, we'll take him off for a postmortem -"

I stopped listening at that point, I just stared at his body, which was being zipped up as we spoke.

He hit me so hard I flew over the coffee table, landed in a terrified heap on the floor.

"What out, bitch." He'd snarled, then stormed into the bedroom, leaving me in a sobbing mess. Why had he done that? Was it my fault, really?

He slapped me, hard across the face, then kneeded me in the stomach.

"Dan please, the baby -"

"I don't care about the baby you stupid -"

"Dan please." I begged, as he raised his fist again. "Patty – what if she wakes up? You don't want to scare her, do you?"

"I don't care about her!" He yelled. "She's not even mine!"

"I wish she weren't!" I screamed

oooOooo

"Where have you been?" Dan says, narrowing his eyes as I walk in.

"My sisters'. I told you this morning."

"No you didn't."

"I did. Why are you even home?"

"You didn't tell me." He said slowly, stepping forward. "And it's none of your business why I'm home."

"I'm sorry." I say desperately, but it does nothing. He steps forward and grabs my hair.

"How dare you talk to me like that."

"I'm -"

"Liar!" He bellows, throwing me across the room. I hit my head on the wall and things go fuzzy.

"Dan, please -"

He kicked my in the stomach, a feeling I'm used to, but it still knocks the breath out of me.

Patty starts screaming, and with on last kick, he steps aside.

I know the drill. Get the baby, get out of his sight.

oooOooo

"Who was he?"

"W-who?" I asked.

"You know who." He was still sat down. Maybe I had time to run for the door.

"I really d-don't." I lied, taking a step backwards.

"You're not going anywhere until you tell me who he was."

"He's – no one."

"So why did you get into his car?"

He was watching me?

"I – I was scared and upset." I said bitterly. "He was just being a friend. Being nice. See, unlike you, hes nice. He's human, you see." I spat. Probably not my brightest idea, but I couldn't help it.

"Don't talk to me like that!" He yelled.

"What so you like it when I sound scared and pathetic? You like knowing how terrified I am of you? Give you kicks does it?" I snapped.

What is wrong with me?

"Don't talk to me like that!" He yelled again.

Oops.

He's up now, and suddenly I'm sent flying, and Patty rolls from my arms.

"No!" I crawled towards her, my head pounding, stars sting in front of my eyes. "Patty." I gasped.

She was screaming, but she was OK.

"Look what you DID!" I screamed.

He knelt down next to me, grabbed my hair and ragged my head back.

"I'm going to make you wish you were never born." He said quietly.

"I already do." I spat.

oooOooo

"Pathetic." He muttered.

"You're pathetic!" I screamed at him. I couldn't help it, I'm done playing the weak little housewife.

He lunged at me, and I ducked out of the way.

He changed direction, grabbed my hair again, then began kneeing me in the back, again, and again.

"Dan, no!" I screamed as he through me on the floor.

"Heeeeeeeellllllllllllllllllllllpppppppppppppppp!" I screamed.

"Shut up!" He hit me again, and again.

oooOooo

"They heard you and called the police. Why were you screaming!"

"Because you were beating me up!" I cried. "Like you do every night!"

"You -"

"You've kept me locked up in that room for three days because I spoke to another man! That's not normal Dan, it's wrong!"

He looked at me for ages, then ...

"Dan – put the knife down!" I screamed.

oooOooo

A bang echoed through the house and I felt a sharp pain in my stomach.

A window in the conservatory had shattered, and through it I could see Dan.

"Surprise bitch." He mouthed. Something shiny glinted in the sun.

I looked down, sudden realisation.

Blood, blood is on my shirt.

My hands are shaking.

"Piper?" I fall into Prue's arms, shaking, pain, shock, whatever.

"Piper!"

"P-Prue?" I gasp. "I - I've been shot."

I shuddered. They were right. He wasn't innocent - he was barely human.

"OK, we'll be in touch." Darryl said. "Andy are you -"

"I think I should stay here."

"OK. Like I said, I'll be in touch."

"Are you OK?" Prue asked me again. I nodded.

"I'm fine. Really."

I just hope it's finally over. For good.