Please Be Careful With My Heart

Disclaimer: 'Charmed' is not mine. I just love it so much so I did this. So, please don't sue me.

Thanks for the comments and suggestions everyone! I really appreciate every word you say. I'm really grateful!

anonymous (first one) - thank u sooo much for telling me. I already changed the content of the last chapter so there. thanks for telling me what bothers you. that was a big help, really. I'll keep that in mind. I appreciate it. ('',) well, enjoy this one!

hollylover - a million thanks for reviewing every single chapter. that was really great! thank u so much!

Charmed-100 - that would've been a great but i already uploaded the chapter. too bad. i hope i didn't disappoint you with my scene. Well, hope you like this one.

Note: The 'He', 'Him' or 'His' in the middle of the sentences refers to God. This chapter focuses more on Prue and Piper.

Chapter 16

That afternoon, Phoebe was by her locker arranging her stuffs when Missy and Ashley arrived.

"Hey, girl!" Missy greeted with a smile. Then in an instant, her face became serious. "I heard about what you did this morning. Are you nuts?" Missy exclaimed. "You're the last person I expect to do that."

"Missy, it doesn't mean anything. It doesn't change anything. Alright! I just handed Paige her pills, what's the big deal?" Phoebe argued.

"The 'big deal' is that you actually 'help' her." Ashley replied. "And everyone saw you."

"So what?" Phoebe was getting irritated with her friend. Even she was confused why she did that, she didn't need another two ganging up on her about it. "Look. I still hate her. Nothing has changed. Satisfied?"

"Hmm." Missy said. "Well, since you missed out on all the fun this morning. I want to give you this." Missy handed Phoebe the tape. "You are going to be thrilled! And honey, I'm giving you a bonus. Added in that tape was the reaction of Piper and Leo. My boyfriend got all of it on tape, too. Just watch." Missy was keeping herself from laughing, she still remembered how Piper's smile turned into shock.

"What's in this?" Phoebe was confused. She didn't know about Missy's plan. "Just watch it, ok? Oh wait! How about we watch it together? In our house. That would be great!" Missy offered, and Ashley was smiling.

"Ok, good." Phoebe answered. Phoebe was getting curious as to what the tape was.

"Tonight is good!" Missy beamed. "But too bad, you didn't actually see everything live. Everyone's face was funny. I wish you were there."

"Mm-hmm. Their reactions were amusing, especially Piper's. Oh and Leo's. The best! And you've got to thank Missy here for pulling that off." Ashley remarked. They started walking together as Phoebe listened to her friends' report. Suddenly she couldn't wait to watch that video. Then maybe she could get her friends to help her with her plans.

-0-

That night a car stopped in front of the manor. Prue was curious as to who could it be and was surprised to see Paige and Piper got out of the car.

"Thanks, TJ. I got her." Paige thanked the guy in the driver's seat. Apparently, he was a classmate, she asked him if he could help her bring Piper home and he was quick to assist.

Basically, all Paige did was comfort Piper the whole afternoon. Piper explained to her what really happened, what was the story behind that intriguing video. Paige concluded that Leo was an official jerk for doubting Piper and believing in that video. 'How could he be so narrow-minded? I cannot believe he actually trust other people's scheme instead of trusting his own girlfriend.' Paige thought.

-0-

Prue saw Paige accompanying Piper out of the car and up to the front porch. She could see through the window that Piper was not in good condition so she immediately opened the door and help Paige in escorting Piper to the house.

As they entered the manor, Prue got a good look at Piper and saw her puffy eyes, she instantly knew she had been crying. Also, Piper couldn't seem to look at her straight.

"What happened, honey?" Prue asked softly. But Paige quickly gave her a 'Not now.' look. So Prue let go of it, for the mean time. And they both guided Piper to her bedroom. On the way there, they saw Grams. In her face, worry could be seen, obviously caused by Piper's state. But before she could even interrogate her granddaughter. Both Prue and Paige gave her the 'This is not the time.' look. So Grams just let them be and just waited outside Piper's room.

Paige and Prue helped Piper change and freshen up to rest. She was still exhausted from the attack earlier.

When Paige and Prue came out of Piper's room and were out of Piper's earshot, Grams bombarded them with questions. "What happened? Why was she like that? How is she?"

"Grams, hold it. About your third question, she's resting. Maybe Paige here can fill us in about the other two. Downstairs?" Prue looked at Paige expectantly.

They all went downstairs and Paige told them what Piper told her.

"I'm guessing Missy and her friends pulled some strings to frame Piper up. I don't know. The worst part was Leo broke up with her because of that video." Paige said. "Also, I swear the moment I see Seth? I'm gonna kick his balls to oblivion!" Then she suddenly remembered that Grams was in the room. "Oops. Sorry." she apologised.

"No, dear. I understand." Grams said. "You just want to defend my granddaughter, and I thank you for that." Grams smiled as she reached for Paige's hand.

'Missy and her friends? That means Phoebe's involve. I should have known.' Prue thought with anger towards her youngest sister. "Uhm… I better go upstairs and check on Piper." Prue excused.

"Oh and tell her I'm always here for her. If ever she wants to talk…" Paige offered.

"Yeah. Thank you. Piper is so blessed to have a friend like you." Prue waved to Paige and then went upstairs.

"Well, I better go, it's getting late." Paige said with a sigh. "Mrs. Halliwell."

"Thank you dear. Let me walk you to the door." Grams offered and they talked more.

-0-

Upstairs, "Piper?" Prue quietly opened Piper's door, thinking her sister might be sleeping. But the moment she opened just an inch of the door, she heard the quiet soft sobs coming from the form on the bed. Piper was on her side facing the window, her pillow getting wet because of the tears she had shed ever since she got home.

Prue walked to the bed and sat behind Piper. She stroked Piper's hair, and rubbed her arms in a soothing way. The moment Piper noticed her sister behind her, she cried harder. It's as if Prue pushed the button to her tears. She could cry without anyone judging her, it's like Prue was the only one who could open her up without her feeling ashamed of herself.

"Piper, sweetie." Prue called again softly. Piper turned around to face Prue with so much sorrow in her face than ever. Prue tried to keep herself from crying. 'I thought the last one was the worst state I saw her in, but I was wrong. This is more stinging than the fear I felt from her the last time. Now the fear has come true to haunt her. Losing Leo. God, how am I suppose to help her?' Prue hated to see her sister that way.

Piper leaned forward to be enveloped in Prue's caring arms, the arms that seems to give her strength every time she needed it. But that night, it seemed incomplete, she still felt weakness, as if her life has been ripped out of her. Actually, it has, Leo was her life, but now he's gone. And not because of her sickness. It was because of something she could have controlled. It was because Leo walked out on her. Leo made the decision, not someone else. And it was more painful.

"Prue he believed them." Piper whispered.

"Shh…" Prue soothed as she ran her hands through Piper's long hair.

"I tried to explain but he didn't listen. I - he-" Piper couldn't continue so she just cried again. Prue pulled her closer and kissed her head.

"Prue, am I a bad person?" Piper asked in a small voice. "What did I ever do to them?"

Prue shook her head. "You are the most amazing person ever. And you didn't do anything wrong. Ok? You are good. You have the biggest heart." Prue lifted Piper's face to look at her in the eyes.

"Why do they always want to hurt me? To destroy me? There must be a reason, right?" Piper let go of Prue and sat on her bed in an indian style facing Prue, but her eyes fixated on the pattern of her bed sheet.

Prue didn't know what to reply to that question, 'Reason? Even I have been asking for one and hadn't got any. I don't know the reason.' Prue was lost for words with Piper's question.

"There must be… because even God seems to be having fun seeing me suffer." Piper's voice was filled with sarcasm but her features showed misery, while she tried to busy herself tracing the patterns on the bed with her fingers.

All Prue could do was shake her head and say "That's not true. You don't believe that."

"Don't I?" Piper cut Prue off as she finally faced her older sister with tears threatening to fall from her eyes. "He gave me this damn SICKNESS!" Prue gasped loudly when Piper pounded her chest, just above her heart, the same time she said the word 'sickness'. "Then He let everyone pick on me, EVERYONE including my younger sister. Now tell me again that it's not true!" That was it, Piper broke down in front of Prue. Prue was still surprise by Piper's action but when she saw her little sister broke down in front of her. Immediately, she pulled her sister close, held on to her, rubbed Piper's back. "He gave me Leo. But then He snatched him away from me right away." Piper whispered from Prue's embrace. The moment Prue closed her eyes, tears started streaming down her face. They were crying together… again. Prue was wondering if there would come a time where she and her sister will laugh for one whole day together.

Then Prue suddenly remembered the doctor's reminder, too much depression and stress were bad for Piper. So, as much as she wanted to let her sister cry and just get it all out, she couldn't. "Piper? Sweetie, you need to rest. Come on." Prue guided Piper to lay down on her back. Piper didn't have the strength to argue, she's had enough of that for the day. So while still trying to stop herself from crying, she laid down as Prue advised. Prue lay down beside Piper and hugged her. She soothingly stroke Piper's hair until the younger fell asleep. Prue watched as her sister's chest rise and fall normally as she breathes. She couldn't imagine the time when it wouldn't be that way anymore. Prue contemplated more until after several minutes, fell asleep herself.

In the middle of the night, Grams peaked in to check on her granddaughters, just Prue and Piper, Phoebe asked her for permission to sleep over in her friend's house for a group study.

Grams walked quietly towards the bed and kissed Prue in the forehead. Then she went to the other side and lovingly stroke Piper's cheek and whispered "You're too young to face this heartache. Be strong, sweetie. Be strong." Then she kissed Piper's forehead, too. Then left the room quietly.

-0-

In the morning, both were already awake but no one dared to get up. Piper was eerily quiet, she was staring at the window. Prue didn't know if that was a good thing or not. "Piper?" Prue called softly.

Piper didn't answer for a few minutes, but when she finally did, Prue was surprised by her revelation, she was not even sure if she heard it right. "I will let them do the surgery." Piper whispered with a voice devoid of emotion.

Prue lifted herself up to looked at Piper's face to see if she heard her right. "What did you say?"

"I'm ready for the surgery." Piper said more clearly.

Prue sat up on the bed. "Piper, you're not." she declared.

Piper sat up too to face Prue and dared her "How would you know whether or not I am ready?"

"Because I can see it. I know you." Prue answered as she stood up beside the bed.

"I've made up my mind. I'm going to undergo the surgery and there's nothing you can do about it." Piper was getting irritated by Prue's hard-headedness.

"Yes, there is. I will convince you not to do it. Not now." Prue was puzzled why Piper suddenly came up with that idea. "You're not ready. You cannot put your life on balance just like that. I won't let you."

"My life is already on balance ever since I was born." Piper counterattacked.

"Yeah, whatever. You are not going to do it just because Leo broke up with you and it seems like you don't have any reason to live." Prue said sternly. Her patience is coming to an end with Piper's stubbornness.

Piper was surprised that Prue knew what was exactly on her mind. 'Prue was right. I made this decision because Leo and I are through. So what, if I don't make it? Maybe brain damage is a lot better than this hell I so called life.' Piper thought, but she won't let Prue win. "This has nothing to do Leo. This is my body. My life!"

"And you're my sister! I love you but I'm starting to realize how selfish you are." Prue burst out shaking her head.

Piper's face turned into confusion. 'What was she talking about?'

"Did it ever occur to you what I would feel if I ever lost you?" Tears started to form in Prue's eyes. "You're so… selfish. When you told me that Leo made you want to live and hold on…" Prue tried to smile to make fun of the situation but failed miserably. "I thought of how it would feel if you talk about ME that way. To hear from your own words that you actually consider me as a reason for you to live." Now the table has turned, Prue was the one opening up to Piper. Prue's voice was shaking with emotion. Piper on the other hand, started crying too. 'I've been so busy with my own life. That I never even noticed that I'm taking my big sister for granted. She was always there for me, but I've never been there for her. I am a horrible person. Now I know why God is punishing me.' Piper looked at the distressed Prue in front of her. 'I can't believe I did this to her.'

Prue was crying in front of Piper, but she was hiding her face with her hands. Piper stood up from the bed and gently pulled Prue's hands away from her face, she gently wiped off the tears from her big sister's cheeks. Then she hugged her, tightly, silently wishing that that hug could make up for every mistake she did to her sister. "I'm sorry. I'm so sorry, Prue. I love you so much." Piper was sobbing now.

In response, Prue pulled her sister tighter, "I love you, too." Now she's relieved to let that one thing that's bothering her go away. 'I have to take care of you. I will never accept the fact that I might lose you sooner or later.' Prue thought with determination as she hugged her sister tighter.

-0-

At the school, Piper walked as if nothing happened the day before, as if it didn't faze her. She felt people's cold stares, she could hear all their conversations about her, all she wanted to do was to cry right there in the middle of the school grounds but no! She would not let them win, 'I didn't do it! I am not gonna feel guilty about something I didn't do.' she told herself sternly over and over again. But she still couldn't get the idea out of her head, 'Maybe if I should have fought harder. If I just got out of there the moment I sensed something wrong from him, it wouldn't have come to this.' These thoughts ran through Piper's mind as she walked to the school building with confidence. As much as she wanted to keep her composure, her eyes were not working with her, with her head up high, her eyes started to water. Right then, she knew she would crumble. Suddenly, the confident walk turned into a run of shame, with her head down, she ran as fast as she could to the girl's room, tears running down her face uncontrollably.

In the bathroom, she occupied a cubicle, inside she just cried her heart out, cried bitterly. After a few minutes, she stopped. 'I have to go on. I was ok then, back when I haven't met him yet. I am gonna be ok now. I have to be.' She told herself. She was about to open the door of the cubicle when she heard voices.

Missy and Ashley entered the girl's room chatting.

"I wonder where the freak is, right about now." Missy said while re-applying her lipstick.

"Crying, for sure." Ashley said with a smile. "Or better, committing suicide."

"Ash, that's morbid! You're so mean!" Missy said, but in her face, she's obviously with Ashley.

"By the way, I never knew Seth has a hidden talent when it comes to acting. That was superb!" Ashley beamed while brushing her hair.

"Well, that's my boyfriend." Missy said proudly. "You should have seen him when he tried to make up story about how his girlfriend -" Missy pointed to herself. "- broke up with him and went away with another guy."

Inside the cubicle, Piper was shocked by what she was hearing, 'Seth and Missy? What the hell?'

"At least, my modus operandi worked, and now Phoebe can get her way with Leo." Missy continued.

"So you did this for her?" Ashley asked.

"Yeah. And of course to provide happiness to mankind and by 'mankind', I mean ME." Missy babbled.

"You're funny!" Ashley laughed. "But yeah, I agree with you, I mean did you see Phoebe's face when she first saw Leo? She was glowing! Literally."

"Mm-hmm. I think she really likes Leo. It's just her crazy sister beat her to the punch. Now, I'm giving her a chance to snatch Leo. Wait, not 'snatch', since he's available again. Her 'turn'." Missy corrected herself.

"Yeah, she's head over heels when it comes to Leo. Correct me if I'm wrong. I think she's fallen in love with him. Or should I say fallen in lust?" Ashley joked. And they laughed together.

After more retouches, the two bitches left the room. Piper was alone again, she got out of the cubicle and looked at the mirror.

'Phoebe loves Leo.' This statement was repeating like a broken record across Piper's mind.

-0-

At Leo's house, he was cleaning her Dad's car outside. He never went to school that day, the people in school annoys him. 'I just need time.'

Then someone's voice startled him.

"Can we talk?" The voice said.

Leo turned around to see Prue standing a few feet from him.

Leo stood up to acknowledge her. "How did you know my house?" he asked.

"I do have ways." Prue said.

"If you want to talk about your sister, forget it. It's between me and her. It's none of your business." Leo turned around to continue cleaning the car.

"The fact that you hurt my sister makes it my business." Prue said with anger.

Leo did not reply for a moment, then he dried his hands with a towel, then sat on a side of the road, and he looked up at Prue. "I'm listening."

Prue followed and sat down beside him.

"I know you're hurting. You both are." Prue said, now softening. "But what you did was not fair."

Leo looked away. "What do you expect me to do? Laugh out loud? Congratulate Seth for making it to a homerun with my girlfriend?" he said bitterly.

Prue wanted to slap Leo for that remark but she stopped herself, she understood that the wound was still fresh. "I expect you to listen, to understand." Prue stopped to see if Leo's paying attention. She continued"I heard what you said on the radio… and it really touched me."

Leo looked at Prue.

"I know how much you love her. I know more about how much she loves you." Prue said looking afar. Then she looked at Leo straight in the eyes. "But love works wonders when it is united with trust, with belief."

"If you trust someone, you don't need justification. You just know." Prue continued.

Prue sighed deeply then smiled"Piper will kill me if she found out about this." She could see that Leo's ready to listen with his ears and his heart.

"I'll tell you everything you need to know about that video. It's up to you if you want my sister back or not." She explained. "If you ask me, I'd rather you not come back together again. That's better than seeing her cry all night. But watching how you make her happy… I could consider it."

Then Prue told Leo the whole story, to her, it seemed that Leo was starting to realize how stupid he was for letting go of Piper that easily. She just hoped that what she did could help mend the couple's broken hearts.

-0-

In the next chapter, you will be shocked by Piper's action.

But for now, leave a review. Thanks!