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.

All I can say is I'm really, really sorry. Please forgive me. I know I said I'd update soon, but suddenly, we got a family financial crisis. Everything turned upside down, I have to work my butt off or else we'll starve. My job took all my time. I'm really, really, really sorry. Please…. :( Don't think I abandoned this story. Because I'll never be at peace until this is finished.

Anyway, thank you so much to all those who reviewed and read this fic. I owe you so much. I'll mention all of you in the next chapter. Thank you from the bottom of my heart.

Chapter 25

Intuitions

5:30 PM - Halliwell Manor

Prue was in the living room, munching on cookies while reading 'A Walk to Remember' by Nicholas Sparks. She was startled when she felt someone suddenly hugged her from behind.

"I love you so much, Prue!" Piper hugged Prue tightly.

"Ookay." Prue was a bit confused.

"I'll just go out for awhile, I already said goodbye to Grams." Piper said with a smile.

"I'll just go and do something I should have done a long time ago." Then Piper showed Prue an envelope, hiding her face with it she said, "I'm gonna meet with Leo."

"And…?" Prue asked. Piper was still hiding her face behind the envelope.

"I'm going to tell him that I love him so much and I will give our relationship a chance." Then she put down the envelope and looked at Prue. "I can't just let him go, Prue."

"Oh!" Prue smiled and put her arm around Piper. "I know you'll do the right thing. Trust me, you will be happy with him."

Piper smiled and hugged Prue. "Thank you so much, Prue. For everything." Piper whispered.

Prue suddenly felt something different. She cupped Piper's cheek.

"I love you." Piper said and then kissed Prue's cheek. Then she stood up and walked to the door. Then she looked back at Prue with a contented smile, "Goodbye."

Prue watched as her sister walks out of the manor and she could not help feeling something, at the pit of her stomach. There's something about Piper's words, her 'I love you', and her 'Goodbye.'

Fear and worry clouded Prue's mind and heart.

- 000 -

5:30 PM - Leo's house

"Ahhh!"

"Phoebe! Oh shit!" Leo cursed as he saw blood coming from Phoebe's forearm, 'Thank God not her wrist'. He quickly looked for a towel.

"Leo." Phoebe whispered weakly. She could not take the sight of her own blood.

"Oh, I think you're gonna need stitches for that." Leo was panicking, there was so much blood. "Oh what am I saying? I should take you to the hospital, come on. You're ok. It's just a scratch." He said as he guided Phoebe.

"Leo don't leave me." Phoebe pleaded as she clung to Leo.

"I won't. I promise." Leo assured her. What Leo didn't know is how that promise could affect everything… the wrong way.

- 000 -

6:00 PM has passed

6:30 PM - 7 Eleven

Piper was waiting inside for Leo. She kept on checking her watch. 'Where is he? Maybe, he changed his mind…' She was getting anxious. 'Oh, what if something happened to him?…. No, no, don't think that way, Piper! But where could he be?' She decided to wait until 7 pm and then go home if Leo still doesn't show up.

Unknown to Piper, someone was watching her every move, and has a good view of her inside the store.

"You are really hot, Piper. So cute. I can't wait to touch you." He said lusting for her, then he reached for another bottle of beer from the backseat of the car.

6:40 PM - Car

Leo was in the driver's seat, he was holding on to Phoebe and giving her soothing words. "Phoebe, we're almost there. Just hang on."

All Phoebe could do was moan. She was so cold.

'Damn, traffic jam.' Truthfully, he was getting worried, the wound was huge, and he was getting worried about Phoebe losing so much blood. The towel covering her wound was soaking in blood and she was really pale.

7 PM - 7 Eleven

Piper walked out of the store and started to walk home. She convinced herself that maybe something came up and that there was a solid reason why Leo couldn't come. Maybe she'll just talk to him the next day. Her good news to him could wait or maybe she could call him when she gets home. Her train of thought was interrupted when a black car stopped beside her, the driver's window opened.

"Piper, thank God I found you." Cole said in a haggard way. He looked so tired and worried. "You have to come with me."

"No." Piper's answer was firm.

"Please, Piper. It's about Phoebe." Cole begged.

Hearing her sister's name made Piper pay more attention to Cole. "Why, what happened to her? Is she okay?"

"Get into the car, I'll take you to her." Cole said. He sensed that Piper was having second thoughts about going with him so he said, "Come on, we don't have much time. It's your sister." That did it, the desperation in Cole's voice. Piper immediately got into the car with Cole, scared for her little sister.

Inside the car, Piper asked, "What really happened to her Cole?"

Cole wasn't answering her, he just kept driving, all eyes in front, as if he never heard her.

"Cole, answer me!" Piper was sensing something wrong. She could really feel it. Cole was still quiet.

"Don't worry, she's there." Cole said in a low voice.

"Where? And why aren't you telling me anything about what really happened to her?" Piper was starting to lose her composure, she was starting to panic. Cole is drunk, and he was driving. If she gets him mad with her incessant questions, who knows what might happen. She knew all about what he could do when he loses his temper and she didn't want to be on the receiving end of it.

"At my place, she's there. We'll get there in no time." Cole answered. "Why don't you make yourself at home? There's beer at the back, you wanna smoke- here." And he threw a pack of cigarette to her. "You like music, there are lots of CDs here. Help yourself. Do whatever you like and before you know it, we're already there. Just sit tight and relax." Cole looked at her from head to toe then smiled. This made Piper squirm uncomfortably, made her want to get out of there.

But she thought of Phoebe, if it was true that Phoebe's at Cole's, she wondered how her sister's doing. 'Oh my god, is she ok? I know Cole is an abusive boyfriend. What if he did something to her, she cannot be alone with him. I have to be there for her.' Piper said to herself.

- 000 -

I'm sorry if it's short, but that's all I can make with my stolen free time. I'm really sorry. I'll try to write more next time.