As Phoebe shoulder healed she looked up at Prue. Their eyes met for a second but to Phoebe it seemed like an eternity. She closed them as the pain in her shoulder was gradually easing.
"Good as new Phoebe." Leo told her
"Thanx Leo. Why does it still hurt though?"
"Well sometime there is a residual pain left from the injury depending on the strength of the demons powers. You guys took on quite a powerful demon so it may actually be sore for a few days." He told her.
"Oh is that all." She said as she tried to sit up. "Owey."
"Hey easy there Pheebs. Are you ok?" Prue asked her with concern.
Phoebe looked again at her big sister. She was still mad at her for what she had over heard at the Manor. The root of their problems when they were kids, Prue never trusted me, and she always thought the worst. Even when I wasn't doing anything, she thought. "I'll live." She finally said to her, only it came out harsher then she had hoped. She got up and headed down to her room. She just wanted to be alone. Not saying anything to anyone she exited the attic.
Piper watched the whole scene but didn't say anything. She knew that this was something that her sisters would have to work out on their own.
Leo also watched Phoebe leave the attic and saw the look in Prues eyes; a look of sadness. He can only recall that look on her face a few other times. One being, just the other day when their mother had to leave. The other at the hospital, when he spotted her in the chapel, when Phoebe finally awoke from her coma. She had been saddened by what happened to her sister, and guilty that she was the cause. He had spoken to her that day. Just a stranger that was also there grieving. At least that was what he had told her. He had been watching them then. Destined to be their Whitelighter only at that time he didn't know it. He was just helping out his friend Tim.
"Leo honey can we postpone that trip for a few days. As much as I would love to go away with you we have some sister things that need to be worked out right now."
"Sure Piper I understand. I gotta go anyway. Love you."
"Love you too." She replied as she kissed him passionately and then he was gone.
Piper looked over at Prue who was still looking at the attic door that their baby sister had gone through.
"Come on Prue lets just give her some time. Then we'll sort this out."
"No Pipe I think I need to do this now. Come on there is something that I need to tell you two." She pulled Piper by the hand and made her way down the stairs to Phoebes room.
Phoebe had gone down to her room and was lying on her bed clutching her bear. The words that Prue said to younger Piper in the hall that day still stung. On top of that there was the breaking of her heart from her mother leaving her yet again. She remembered back to her days in the hospital, waking up crying for her Mommy. She was in so much pain that she knew that it was only the love of her mother that would take it all away. What she also wanted was her big sister. She had this magic touch whenever she was hurt or upset, it would just make everything seem ok. But it wasn't there; she never came. Once again Phoebe Halliwell cried herself to sleep with memories that she didn't want. Because they were all of sad and unhappy times for her, of the people that she loved but were never there.
Prue and Piper entered Phoebes room with slight apprehension. They didn't know what Phoebe would say as they slowly opened the door.
"Phoebs sweetie, can I talk to you a minute?" Prue asked quietly
No answer. She turned to Piper who just shrugged her shoulders. They made their way closer to the bed and flicked on her little nightstand. Smiling they looked down as they could see her fast asleep holding her bear. They stood there a few minutes before turning off the light and leaving her room, closing the door quietly behind them.
The two older P's sat on the couch with Piper leaning up against Prue, neither one saying a word.
"Crazy couple of days hey Pipe." Prue finally said.
"Yeah." Piper answered her.
Again silence.
"Prue?"
"Yeah?"
"What did you wanna talk about? You sounded all serious up in the attic."
"I'd rather I tell you together Piper. If that's ok?"
"Sure."
They sat there for another hour or so before Piper got up and started for the kitchen. She was getting hungry and she knew that Phoebe would be starving when she woke up. Leaving Prue to think about what she was going to tell her sisters, especially Phoebe.
Phoebe tossed a few times in her sleep. She was dreaming of a day when she was younger. It was right before she came out of her coma. Over the three days that she was out she could faintly hear people talking to her. Telling her how much they wanted her back. But she always knew that one voice was missing. Or was it? She sat up straight suddenly. Prue? She knew that it couldn't have been Prue, there was no way that her big sister would say those things to her. Yet it was her voice she was sure. She always had been. She never asked Prue about it. She was always afraid of the answer. She got up slowly and changed into her sweats, and headed downstairs. She didn't want to face Prue yet but she was starving. Yet deep down inside she need an answer.
Prue had been sitting in the couch as she thought about what and how she was going to tell Piper and Phoebe that she had gone to visit Phoebe at the hospital. About what she had said, and most importantly why she had gone. She turned suddenly when she heard the creek of the stairs. She knew it was Phoebe. Over the years she had come to recognize the footfalls of each sister. She saw Phoebe head around the corner and head to the kitchen. Now is as good as time as any she thought. Getting off the couch she sighed and headed for the kitchen herself. When she got there however there was no Phoebe.
"Hey Piper where did Phoebe go?"
"Uh. I didn't see her. Why?"
"Well I just saw her come down the stairs and head this way."
"Well can't help you there I never saw her."
Both sisters looked puzzled. "She couldn't just disappear" Prue said with a little bit of worry in her voice.
"Wait a second." Piper said as she walked up to Prue and pulled her behind her. "I think I know where she may be."
Piper led her older sister outside to the backyard. They made there way to the far corner of the yard where Piper spotted thier baby sister. She remembered finding her out there years ago when they were younger. Only then she had managed to make her way further into the bushes that were there. She recalled that Phoebe had had a fight with Prue and ran out of the house crying. She had gone looking for her and had heard her crying in the bush. She crawled in after her sister to comfort her. As she remembered it now, she remembered that it was just weeks before the accident. There was no way now that Phoebe could find her way back to that same spot, so she just sat on the lawn right in front of the small hole in the bush. She wanted to go back there but she was now too big.
Phoebe sat on the grass just thinking. She wasn't crying, but she was thinking of everything that had happened in the past few days. She always came to her safe place when she was confused and upset. Only now she couldn't fit through the bush. The opening had grown over and she herself had grown. She looked up when she thought she heard something heading her way, only to meet the gaze of her big sisters. So now we have the talk, she thought. At least now I can ask Prue. Funny she thought. I don't recall anything about us being there. "Grams" she said, only she didn't realize that she had said it aloud
"Phoebe are you ok?" Piper asked. Piper had thought she heard Phoebe call out Grams
"Yeah I will be."
"What's this about Grams?" Prue asked her
"I was just wondering why we never remembered that the three of us were there at the time of the accident. Then I realized that Grams must have cast a spell or something."
"Funny I was thinking the same thing when I was making dinner."
"Yeah well she probably did. So there would be no memory for our younger selves about the demon. After all you two came out of the freeze right at the end. How much did they see before we vanquished him."
"Good point Prue." Piper added. As she looked down at Phoebe who had her arms wrapped around her legs that were pulled tight against her chest. "Pheebs are you sure your ok?"
"Yeah Piper I'll be fine."
Prue looked down at Phoebe as well and could see why Piper was concerned, her little sister seemed to be shaking. She wasn't sure if it was from the cool October evening, or the fact that she had gotten soaked not that many days ago from a SF down pour, or if it was just the situation they were in now: Facing the truth.
"Hey, why don't we move this party inside to more comfortable surroundings. I have something that I need to tell you two and I don't wanna do it out here." Prue suggested hoping to get Phoebe inside, near a fire if need be.
Phoebe started to stand when a slice of pain ripped through her shoulder. Sitting back down she just clutched her whole arm close to her. "Oww."
"Phoebs." Prue knelt down to her sister. "Here let me help you." She said as she wrapped her arms around Phoebes waist, and gently pulling her up. "That better?"
"Yeah, thanx."
The three returned to the warmth of the Manor and headed to the living room. Phoebe plunked herself on the couch and grabbed the quilt that was lying across the top. Pulling it around her to get warm again.
Piper sat down next to her wrapping an arm protectively around her. "Phoebs you want us to light the fire?"
"No it's ok."
"You sure Phoebs its no trouble." Prue added as she sat down on the table in front of her sisters.
"Yeah it's fine." She looked up and caught the look in Prue's eyes. It was her 'I need to tell you something' look. Almost guilty but not quite.
There was silence at first until Prue reached over and held on to Phoebes hands. "Phoebe there is something that I need to tell you two but mostly this goes to you."
Phoebe looked somewhat confused, but she didn't say anything. She knew that whatever Prue had to say that she would in her own time.
"When we were back in the past I went and saw you in the hospital."
"Yeah I know that, I was there." Phoebe said.
"No. There was one time that I went that no one knew about. It was right after you had come back from your walk. And I had blown up at you." She turned to Piper. "Remember I had said I was going to be with Phoebe when I left the Manor?"
"Yeha I figured that you had."
"Well I did." Turning back to Phoebe, "When I first saw you in that hospital bed all those same emotions that I felt the first time came crashing back. How I had never gone to see you. I couldn't. I felt that it was my fault somehow."
"Prue."
"No, Phoebe please. Let me finish. I had gone there that night and I must have sat there for an two hours or more. I had your hand in mine. It was so tiny. I told you then all the things that I should have told you as the younger me. How much I loved you. How much we all needed you especially me. How proud and happy I was the day that you were born, that I couldn't wait to get to school to tell everyone that I had a new baby sister. I was feeling all those things as the teenage Prue but I couldn't bring myself to go there and tell you. I knew that the accident was not my fault, but it was buried so deep inside I didn't know how to get it out. So when we went back in time what better way to tell you." She looked at Phoebe for a reaction. She was not getting anything. Her baby sister just sat there and stared over at her. Then just as suddenly she reacted. She pulled herself off the couch and threw her arms around Prues neck.
"I've known. I've always known. It was you. Oh I love you Prue."
This was not the reaction that Prue was expecting from her little sister. But she responded in the only way she knew, by returning the hug.
After a few minutes Piper finally had them break their embrace. "Phoebe. How did you know?"
"Ever since I came out of my coma I've had this feeling and re-occurring dream that Prue had actually come to me and told me all those things that you just mentioned." She looked at Prue. "At first I didn't believe it, or couldn't believe it. I thought that there was no way that you would have said those things to me. Especially not then. But as I grew older I just got more confused. But now it all makes sense to me. It was you, the here and now that had said those things."
"So I guess Grams spell backfired in some strange way." Piper added
"I guess. I mean if she had said that we will have no memory of the physical us then, that would not cover the dream or voices that I heard. Or it could just be because of my power. Sure our powers were bound but who's to say on some cosmic level they worked in mysterious ways."
"I guess it's possible." Piper said. "Ok so who here is hungry? Don't get me wrong here I love our sister moments but this sister is hungry."
"Count me in Pipe." Prue said
Phoebe didn't say anything and both her sisters turned to her with worry. Knowing full well that Phoebe was never one to turn down one of Pipers dinner no matter what it was.
"Phoebs?" Piper asked looking to her sister, who had returned to the couch after hugging Prue and was now curled up wrapped in the quilt.
"I'll pass Pipe. I'm not that hungry."
Prue and Piper exchanged a look. Prue placed the back of her hand on Phoebe forehead. "Piper you get the thermometer and I'll go get the Tylenol and a glass of water."
Piper was confused at first but then understood what Prue was talking about. Phoebe was getting sick as she had suspected out in the yard. She got up and headed upstairs to the bathroom.
Prue quickly went to the kitchen where they kept a spare bottle of Tylenol, and returned to her sister on the couch. "Her Phoebs take these it will help." As she helped Phoebe sit up and take the pills. "You know I love you and always have right honey?"
"Yeah Prue. That was what I had told the younger me that night when you over heard us."
"Oh?"
"I told me that no matter what you said you were only doing it because you loved me."
"And what was your response?"
Laughing quietly, "Actually I said I knew. And that I loved you too."
"Funny that."
"What?" Phoebe asked as she snuggled more into the quilt and couch.
"That it took us almost 9 years to figure that out. That we loved each other so much it caused us to butt heads."
"Yeah I guess it did. Not to mention that we had to go back in time to find out."
"I love you Phoebe. Don't ever forget that." Prue told her as she bent down and kissed her baby sister on the forehead.
"I love you too Prue, my big sis. Always and forever."
Phoebe closed her eyes and was soon sleeping. With her big sister looking down on her.
Piper came down the stairs holding the thermometer in her hand. "One temp. gage in hand." She stopped when she saw the look on Prue's face. "Prue?"
"Ssshhh. She's sleeping. Let's start the fire to help get her warm."
"Ok. But one question first."
"Sure shoot."
"Are you two ok now?"
Pulling Piper into a hug, "Never better Piper. Never better. Now lets get some heat in her so she can kick this cold.
--- ----
So all was well in the Manor on Prescott St.. Until the next demon came along, to try and tear them apart. Only the demon may be surprised. As there was no stronger bound then that of sisterhood.