Phoebe was curled up in her hard bed. There was no clock in her cell, but she could hear an incessant 'ticking' noise in her head, as if her mind was counting the seconds until her execution. A crumpled note lay on the mattress beside her, addressed to Prue and Piper. She had written a lengthy letter to tell her sisters how much she loved them, and that she was sorry for everything. For the first time in six months, Phoebe Halliwell had given up hope.
Flashback. Six months previously:
Phoebe slammed the door to the manor shut.
'Piper?' she called, dumping her bags unceremoniously onto the floor.
'In here!' Piper's voice came from the kitchen. She was sitting at the table, a cup of steaming coffee held in her hand.
'I made you some too,' she told Phoebe. She looked curiously at her younger sister. 'Did you buy half the mall, or something?'
Phoebe made a face.
'Five bad dates in a row! I'm cursed, Piper, I really am!' she said dramatically. 'I'm going to die an old maid!'
'So you went shopping to make yourself feel better?' Piper surmised. Phoebe nodded.
'At least I'm trying,' she frowned at Piper. 'Honey, you haven't been on a date since…'
Just then, Melinda entered the room.
'Mommy, I'm gonna be late for school,' she said, waving her colouring pencils in the air. Piper smiled.
'Alright sweetie, I'm just coming.'
Piper stood up, and gave Phoebe a peck on the cheek.
'And don't worry about me. I like being single.'
Piper left the manor with Melinda. Phoebe sat at the table for a few minutes, and then decided to gawp over her new clothes. She grabbed all of her bags, and heaved them up to her room. She had just made a mountainous pile of clothing on her bed when there was a loud bang.
'Sounds as if it came from the attic…' she muttered. She padded up the stairs quietly, and peered around the door. The Book of Shadows lay on the floor. A demon was sprawled on the ground a few metres away.
'Stupid book,' the demon groaned, reaching for it again.
'Hey!' Phoebe yelled. The demon looked up in surprise.
'Stay away from our book!' Phoebe told him in a menacing voice, which made the demon laugh.
'I came here for the book, but if I can get a Charmed One as well…' He drew an ornately decorated vial out of his pocket and began to chant in a weird language. Phoebe stepped into the room, and was about to kick the demon into oblivion when she felt a pain inside her.
'Ah!' she cried, dropping to her knees. The demon chuckled.
'It isn't nice to have your soul ripped out, it is?' he purred. Phoebe tried to stand up again, but the pain was too great.
'I'm gonna vanquish your sorry a…' she muttered, but then groaned. The last thing she remembered before she slumped to the floor in a faint was the face of the grinning demon.
Phoebe's nails had made red marks on the palm of her hand as she clenched her fists. Without her, there was no Power of Three, and evil won.
'Not yet, you won't,' she whispered, sitting upright.
Across town, Piper was thinking the exact same thing as Phoebe. Piper was driving her own car, having left Prue's annoying assistants with the limo. While Prue sat beside Piper, her mind elsewhere, Piper herself was remembering that day six months ago.
Flashback. 'Phoebe?' Piper called as she let herself back into the manor. 'Pheebs, I'm back from dropping Melinda off. Are you still here?'
There was no answer. Piper shrugged, assuming Phoebe had gone out again. She climbed the stairs to her room, wanting to relax for a while. On her way, she passed Phoebe's room. Phoebe's handbag lay on the bed beside a pile of clothes.
'Pheebs, are you home?' Piper called, confused. Phoebe never went anywhere without her handbag. There was still no reply, however, so Piper continued to her room.
A few minutes later, Piper decided to do some cooking. Cooking relaxed her, and right now, she needed to relax.
'What shall I make?' she asked herself. 'How about a useful potion?'
She went to the attic to retrieve the Book of Shadows. Pulling open the door, she gasped in shock at the sight she saw. Phoebe was lying spread-eagle on the floor, not moving.
'Phoebe!' Piper called, as she hurried towards her sister. She dropped down on the floor, and shook Phoebe's arm. 'Phoebe, can you hear me?'
She couldn't feel a pulse. Hot tears welled up in her eyes as she hugged her sister's still body.
'Please, Phoebe…'
Phoebe gasped, and rolled over.
'Phoebe! Phoebe, are you alright?' Piper said quickly, a smile on her face. Phoebe groaned, and sat up.
'Ow,' she frowned. 'What are you doing here?'
Piper looked at Phoebe in surprise.
'I live here, Pheebs. Look, are you alright? What happened?'
Phoebe clambered to her feet, inspecting her body with obvious delight. Piper looked on, suspicious.
'Oh, it was just a bad spell,' Phoebe replied airily. 'I have to go out for a while.'
Piper watched Phoebe leave with growing concern. Finally, she pulled out her mobile, and dialled a number.
'Prue Halliwell,' a brisk voice answered.
'Prue, it's Piper.'
'Pipes, I'm really busy right now. Can't you call back later?'
Piper had seen her sisters acting strangely too many times before.
'Prue, it's Phoebe. I think she's possessed.'
Piper tapped the steering wheel in frustration. They had to race off to save their sister, and now was the time for the traffic lights to go red? Typical. Prue turned in her seat.
'I think it's time to forget the personal gain crap,' she told Piper with a smile. She surreptitiously waved her hand, and the traffic lights blinked to green. Piper screeched off as they headed towards Hobart State Penitentiary. They only had a few hours left, and the clocks were ticking…
Just to explain, if any of you are confused, I am beginning to explain why Phoebe is in the state she's in (in prison, to be exact!). I will explain more, so if you are confused about what is happening in these flashbacks don't worry, because all will soon be revealed!
And by the way, I'm not forgetting Paige! These last two chapters just had to be about the others.
Thanks for all the reviews for the last chapter! I'm glad you guys seemed to like it!
Big thanks to: hinormajean, Shawn-n-Bell, Afw, Hotcutii and Charmedfan90 for the reviews!