Disclaimer: The Charmed Characters are the property of Aaron Spelling and Constance Burge. I just borrow them for your enjoyment and my writing addiction.

Prue walked out of school with Andy walking next to her. He led her to his car and they drove off towards home.

“Andy, let’s just drive for a while,” Prue said, leaning back in the seat and extending her arm out of the open window.

“Isn’t your Grams expecting you home?” Andy asked.

“I don’t care,” Prue said, her voice quiet and distant.

“Does this have anything to do with the grade on your science test that you won’t tell me?” Andy asked, trying to coax the information out of her. Prue said nothing. “Come on, Prue. What’d you get? Did you fail it or something?”

“I don’t wanna talk about it,” Prue said sharply.

“It can’t be any worse than my grade,” Andy said with a smile, his feeble attempt to lighten the mood and get her to talk.

Prue smiled, but continued to stare out the window, moving her hand up and down in the wind.

“So, where do you wanna go?” Andy asked, giving up on the subject of her test.

“Golden Gate Park,” Prue said.

“Okay,” Andy said with a smile. There was only one reason they ever went to Golden Gate Park, and unless Prue was creating a new reason, he was more than willing to drive there.
* * *
“Prudence, where on earth have you been?” Grams asked in her usual accusatory tone. Prue had just come in the door and was headed up the stairs when she was intercepted.

“I was out with Andy,” Prue said. She started to head up the stairs again, but Grams told her to stop.

“Prudence, you know very well that I needed you to come home directly after school,” she said.

“Well, sorry. I forgot,” Prue said.

“You’re becoming very forgetful lately,” Grams said sarcastically. “Monday you forgot to pick Phoebe up from detention. Wednesday you forgot to be here to take Piper to get her glasses fixed. Yesterday you forgot to be here to meet the plumber while I took your sisters to the dentist. I’m not going to continue to let this slide young lady.” Prue said nothing and walked up the stairs. “I don’t care how important you think going out with Andy is, Prudence. Family first!”

Prue walked into her room and slammed the door behind her, throwing her book bag on her bed. She flopped down on it and closed her eyes. Grams expected her to be so responsible. She just wanted to totally rebel. She was sick of being responsible. She always had to take care of her sisters, and when she turned sixteen it was like she was a full time mom going to school. She always had to take Phoebe or Piper somewhere. Practices, shopping, detention, friends houses, games. Prue was their personal chauffeur, role model, scapegoat. She was sick of it. She would be so happy to go to the Duran Duran concert tomorrow. She and Andy were going together.

Andy. That was a totally different problem. She was starting to feel pressure from him too. That whole interrogation about the science test annoyed Prue immensely. She had told him to drive to Golden Gate Park, knowing full well he would expect them to make out. That’s all they ever did there. But she wouldn’t let him do anything. She was messing with him and it really pissed him off. When they left the park, they rode in silence, and they didn’t even kiss each other goodbye. Prue felt her relationship with Andy changing. They were slipping apart, and deep down Prue knew it was her fault. But the stress of having to be so responsible was taking its toll on her and she really didn’t care about anything at this point. She stood and approached her closet, looking for something sexy to wear to the concert.
* * *
The next morning Piper answered the door and found Andy there.

“A little early for the concert, Andy?” she asked with a smirk.

“I wanted to talk to you about something,” he said.

“Me?” Piper asked, her smile fading and replaced with confusion. Then she caught on. “This is about Prue, isn’t it?” she asked. Andy nodded his head. Piper looked at her watch. “Well, she’ll probably be asleep for another couple hours, but just to be safe let’s go up to my room.”

Piper sat on her bed and Andy shut the door. He pulled her desk chair closer to the bed and sat on it backwards, his arms resting on the back of the chair.

“What’s up with Prue lately?” he asked.

“What do you mean exactly?” Piper inquired.

“She’s been acting so different lately,” Andy said. “At school she’s been hanging around with different girls than she usually hangs around with. She doesn’t hang around with the cheerleaders anymore, and I can tell it’s hurting the team. Instead she’s been hanging around with burners and low lifes.”

“I hadn’t noticed that,” Piper said, lying a little. She had noticed it. She and Prue had the same lunch hour and Piper didn’t even have to look at Prue to know what was going on. One look at the cheerleading squad table and she knew something was up. For one, Prue wasn’t sitting there, and they were all staring across the cafeteria toward the burners’ table. Prue was acting very strangely lately and it concerned Piper.

“Yeah, and yesterday when I was giving her a ride home she was really quiet and stuff, and then she wanted to go to the park, which is where we usually, well, you know,” Andy said awkwardly.

“Yeah, I got it,” Piper said, urging him to move on.

“But she kept acting like she didn’t wanna do anything. She kept brushing me off. And it was almost like a game,” Andy explained. “I think she was enjoying doing that. It really pissed me off. So, I brought her home and we haven’t talked to each other since then.”

“Is there anything else weird going on with her?” Piper asked, making sure she was getting the full story.

“Yeah, when I asked her about her science test she got all pissed at me and said she didn’t want to talk about it,” he answered. “My only guess is that her grades are slipping and that’s what pissed her off yesterday.”

“Nah,” Piper said. “Prue’s never really been one to get worked up about her grades.”

“So, do you have any idea what it is?” Andy asked.

“I don’t know,” Piper said. “I mean, Prue usually talks to me about stuff, but she hasn’t been doing that much lately. I don’t know what’s going on with her.”

“I wish she would talk to me,” Andy said.

“Yeah, me too,” Piper said. She looked at the floor, trying to think of a reason for Prue’s behavior. “Grams has been putting a lot of pressure on Prue lately about her grades. You guys’ graduation is coming up and she wants to make sure Prue gets a scholarship. That might have something to do with it, but I don’t know if it’s the whole problem.”

Andy sighed and looked at the floor. “I don’t know. I guess I’ll just have to try to get her to talk,” he said. He stood. “Thanks for the talk, Piper.”

Piper stood and opened her door. “Anytime, Andy,” she said. Andy walked out into the hall and Piper followed. But they stopped short when they saw Prue there.

“What’s going on?” Prue asked suspiciously.

“Oh, nothing. I was just, uh, asking Piper about a project I have in English,” Andy said.

“English? You’re here on a Saturday morning to ask her about an English project?” Prue asked.

“Yeah, you know I suck at it,” Andy replied. “You were asleep, so I figured I could ask Piper. She’s good at that kind of stuff.”

“Cut the bull...,” Prue said sharply.

“Give it up, Andy,” Piper said. “She caught us.”

“She did?” Andy asked, having no clue where Piper was going with this.

“We can’t really lie about it now. There’s no good explanation,” Piper said.

“What are you talking about?” Prue asked.

“We were talking about your birthday present,” Piper said.

“My birthday is in October. That’s six months from now,” Prue said.

“That’s because I wanted to get you something really great. Something spectacular,” Andy said. “I figured I should start early in the planning.”

“You two suck at lying. Now, what the hell is going on?” Prue asked. Piper and Andy just looked at each other. Prue grunted and turned on her heel and started to walk away, muttering not totally to herself. “My sister and my boyfriend lying to me. That makes me feel so great!”

“Prue,” Andy said, following her. He was ready to confront her, even if Piper wasn’t. “Okay, so it had nothing to do with your birthday.”

“Really? I had no idea,” Prue said sarcastically.

“I’m concerned about you, Prue, and so is Piper,” he said. “You’ve been acting weird lately. You’ve been really argumentative and you’ve been hanging around with different people. I’m not even going to start on yesterday.”

“So, I’m changing,” Prue said. “People change. They change friends. They change attitudes.”

“This isn’t like you,” Andy said. “You’re not the same girl I started going out with, the girl that I grew up with.”

“So what? Do you expect me to stay the same for as long as I know you? I’m sick of being this cookie cutter perfect person that everyone expects me to be,” Prue said in one quick outburst. “Grams expects me to be one person. You want me to be another. The squad wants me to be another. Piper wants me to be another. Phoebe wants me to be another. That’s five different personalities that everyone wants me to have. I’ve been trying to be five different people my whole life and I’m sick of it. I just wanna be me.”

“Prue, what are you talking about?” Piper asked, trying to understand where Prue was coming from.

“I’m talking about responsiblities and being sick of them. I do what everyone else wants me to do, and I don’t care what anyone thinks any more.”

“So, that means you have to hang out with the burners and brush me off?” Andy asked.

“Maybe,” Prue said.

“Are you saying you’re going to keep brushing me off?”

“Maybe.”

“Well, forget that. I’m not going to hang around while you self destruct. If I can’t make you realize what you’re doing, then there’s no point in me trying anymore,” Andy said. He started to walk toward the stairs, but then he turned back, pulling his wallet out of his pocket. He pulled two tickets out and tossed them at Prue. “Here. Take one of your burner friends to the concert. There’s no point in me going now.”

Prue bent down and picked up the tickets. By the time she stood again, Andy had slammed the front door behind him. Prue looked at Piper, who was staring at her. “What’s your problem?” Prue asked in an agitated tone.

“Funny. I was going to ask you the same thing,” Piper said. Prue shook her head, turned and went back to her room to change. She sat on her bed and stared at the tickets. Andy was right. Prue didn’t know what she was doing anymore. She didn’t know why she was hanging around with the burners and brushing off her responsibilities. It wasn’t her. Maybe that was why. Prue wasn’t sure. She had a small attack of guilt and wanted to go catch Andy and beg him to still go to the concert with her. But her pride kicked in and she decided not to do that. But she wasn’t sure who she would go with. She didn’t want to take any of the people she had been hanging out with lately, and she had been brushing off the cheerleading squad too much to ask one of them. Who else was there?
* * *
It took Prue an hour to convince Piper to go to the concert with her and another hour to convince Grams to let her take the car. She lied and said Andy was meeting them at the concert, and that got Grams to relinquish control of the car keys. As for Piper, she liked Duran Duran just as much as Prue, but she wasn’t going to go to the concert and act like nothing had happened that morning. She was determined at some point to get Prue to really let out what was bothering her lately.

“When will the concert be over?” Grams asked.

“We’ll probably be back after midnight,” Prue said. She knew Grams wanted a more definite time, but she decided she wasn’t going to get one.

“Don’t be too late,” Grams said. “And stick together. I hold you responsible for your sister tonight, Prudence.”

“What else is new?” Prue said under her breath. “Yeah, I got it.”

Finally, Prue and Piper got into Grams’ car and headed out for the concert. It was a half hour drive, and Piper was grateful for the time to try to break through Prue’s walls.

“So, what’s really been going on with you lately?” Piper asked, turning down the radio a little so she wouldn’t have to shout.

“You already know,” Prue said, not taking her eyes off the road for a second.

“Do I?” Piper asked. “That speech you made today didn’t sound as impromptu as you might think. Were you prepared for something like this to happen, for you and Andy to have a fight?”

“I don’t know what you’re talking about, Piper,” Prue said, becoming more agitated.

“You know, Andy is probably the best thing that’s happened to you. He knows you, and he knows that you haven’t been yourself lately,” Piper said. “He’s willing to figure out what your deal is, but you’re not giving him a chance.”

“What’s your point?” Prue asked.

“My point is, you’re pushing away the one person who knows you as well as I do,” Piper replied. “I don’t think you wanna do that.” Prue said nothing. She just stared at the road and ignored Piper. “We’re worried about you, Prue.”

Prue’s response wasn’t exactly what Piper wanted. Prue turned the volume on the radio up, “Hungry Like The Wolf” suddenly blaring from the speakers. Piper sighed and leaned back, giving up on Prue for the time being and deciding to try to make the best of the night and a concert ticket that she didn’t have to pay for.
* * *
Prue and Piper managed to not think about the conversation they had in the car, and they enjoyed the concert. But Piper noticed Prue making eyes at the guy next to her. ‘She and Andy aren’t even broken up. What the hell is wrong with her?’ Piper wondered. She tried to ignore the situation as best she could. Her favorite song “Ordinary World” came on and she managed to ignore Prue and the guy completely for the rest of the concert. But when everything was over, the situation reared its ugly head. Prue didn’t seem even near ready to go as she started a conversation with the guy. Piper tried to get Prue’s attention in subtle ways, but it didn’t work. So, she gave up on subtlety.

“Prue, we’ve gotta go now,” Piper said, slightly annoyed. Prue took the keys out of her jacket pocket and absently handed them over to Piper, not even making eye contact with her younger sister.

“I’ll find a way home. Go ahead and go,” Prue said. Then she tried to return to her previous conversation.

“I don’t think that’s a good idea,” Piper said, now nervous about this guy Prue seemed so interested in.

“Well, I do,” Prue said, her tone sharp and demanding. “Go home.”

“No,” Piper said, trying not to lose her resolve. With Prue, that was always an amazing feat for Piper to accomplish.

“Piper, beat it. You’re not going to get me to leave,” Prue said, now finally turning to face Piper. She had a look of anger and determination in her eyes. Piper wanted to protest, but she knew Prue was right. She would never be able to get her to leave. Piper glared at Prue and then turned.

“Grams is going to be pissed,” Piper mumbled as she walked to the car.
* * *
Piper arrived home to find that Grams and Phoebe were both asleep already. She was thankful for that as she headed up the stairs. Piper changed out of her clothes into her bathrobe and headed for the shower. Once she got out she headed back to her room, hoping to get some sleep but knowing full well that she wouldn’t be able to until she knew Prue was home safe.

She sat in bed for two hours, her hair completely dry by the time Prue came home. At the sound of the front door closing, Piper rose and stood in her doorway, waiting for Prue to come upstairs. But Prue didn’t come upstairs. Piper could hear noises in the kitchen and decided to go downstairs to talk to her.

Prue was looking in the freezer for something when Piper arrived in the kitchen. So, Piper couldn’t see Prue’s face because it was hidden behind the door of the freezer.

“Did you have fun with that guy?” Piper asked, irritation evident in her voice.

“No, he turned out to be a total asshole,” Prue said. Piper could hear a slight waiver in Prue’s voice but she dismissed it.

“So, what was the asshole’s name?” Piper asked. She decided to take a cheap shot, a risky move on her part. “Or did you just sleep with him and call a cab?”

Prue slammed the freezer door shut and glared at Piper. “Jesus, Piper! How much of a whore do you think I am?” Piper didn’t respond. She was too shocked by Prue’s appearance. Her left forearm was scraped up, bruised and bleeding a little. She had a black eye and fat lip, and her hair was messed up. Piper had also noticed that Prue had winced and her voice had cracked when she spun to face her. She was holding an ice pack in her left hand. After a minute, when Piper didn’t respond, Prue realized that she had blown any chance of hiding what had happened.

“What did he do to you?” Piper asked once she finally found her voice, which was shaking from her sudden concern.

“I’m okay,” Prue said, avoiding the question. She held the ice pack to her lip.

“You don’t look okay,” Piper said. “What happened?”

“Don’t worry about it,” Prue said. She walked past Piper and up to her room, but she wasn’t getting rid of her sister that easily.

“Prue, I’m not leaving you alone until you tell me what happened,” Piper said. “I’ll follow you into the bathroom if I have to.”

Prue turned to face Piper, wincing a little from the pain in her abodmen. “I said I’m okay. Just drop it.”

“No,” Piper said. There was no way Prue was going to get her to back down this time. “I gave in last time, and I’m not doing that again. If I had stayed, this wouldn’t have happened. So, tell me what ‘this’ is.”

Prue noticed the worry in Piper’s eyes. “It’s not your fault. It’s mine. But I swear to you, I’m okay.”

“I don’t believe you,” Piper said. “You look like you’re in a lot of pain every time you move. What did he do to you?”

Prue couldn’t believe she was actually going to give in to Piper, the sister that never won a fight and was very timid when it came to confrontation. “I’m so stupid.”

“No, you’re not,” Piper said. “You got careless, but that doesn’t make you stupid.”

“You on the other hand,” Prue said, ignoring Piper’s comment. “You’re the smart one. Do you realize that Grams has never yelled at you. Never.”

“That doesn’t matter,” Piper said, catching on to Prue’s technique of changing the subject.

“But it does. Have you ever done anything bad in your life? Anything at all?” Prue asked. She sat down on her bed carefully.

“Probably,” Piper said, trying to think of something bad she had done.

“Name one thing that you’ve done that was even the slightest bit bad,” Prue challenged.

“Remember last year when Grams went with Aunt Gail to some convention or something out of town and she was gone for the weekend?”

“Sure,” Prue said, wondering what Piper was getting at.

“You were supposed to stay home with Phoebe because I was going to go over to a friend’s house and spend the night,” Piper said. “But you took off to go to a party. Andy drove, and Grams’ car was just sitting there in the driveway.” Prue was still confused. “I left Phoebe alone in the house that night and drove Grams’ car to my friend’s place.”

“What? What were you thinking? You didn’t even have a license!” Prue exclaimed, shocked that Piper would do such a thing. “And if someone had come over to the house looking for Grams or one of us, Grams could have been arrested or something for negligence.”

“I know. I felt really guilty about it. I still do,” Piper said. “But there’s no way I’m telling Grams about it. That’s just way too bad for me to tell her about now.”

“Piper, you shouldn’t have done that,” Prue said.

“Starting to feel responsible again?” Piper asked. Prue looked down at her hands, realizing what Piper had gotten her to do. “You’re not the only person that does bad things or breaks the rules. Everyone does it every once in a while. So, what did this guy do to you?”

Prue was still looking at her hands. “We went to this all night restaurant and got some coffee. We were just talking. He seemed nice enough. So, I told him that I should probably get going and call a cab. He said he’d give me a ride home. We got in his car and drove a while, but then I realized after a while that we’d gone past home. We were getting closer to the park.” Prue paused, realizing how vulnerable she was at this moment. She never let anyone in this much. Piper was even starting to head into unfamiliar territory now.

“Prue, he didn’t…did he…” Piper began, trying to spit out what she was too scared to say. Prue understood and quickly shook her head.

“No, he didn’t do that,” Prue replied. “I kicked him in the balls and ran before he could get that far. All he managed to do was smack me around a lot and kick me in the side a few times.”

“Do you think maybe you should see a doctor?” Piper asked.

“No, I’ll be okay,” Prue said quickly. She stood and went to get her pajamas out of her dresser. “And the doctor will make me talk to the police.”

“That sounds like a pretty good idea,” Piper said. “And you don’t look okay, Prue. Every time you move it looks like someone’s twisting a knife in your side or something.”

“I can’t talk to the police, Piper,” Prue said adamantly.

“Why not? Why can’t you talk to the police?”

“Because I’m scared,” Prue said, her voice shaky. She had her back turned to Piper.

“But they could put him away and you don’t have to be scared,” Piper said. She had never known Prue to be afraid of anything, aside from water.

“You don’t understand,” Prue said. She could feel her throat closing up. She was one step away from tears. “He has money. He can afford lawyers that will get him set free. He has status.”

“Prue, who is he?” Piper asked. She approached Prue and tried to look her in the face.

“He’s the mayor’s son,” Prue replied. Piper was noticably shocked. Prue was right. A guy like that, a guy with money and a powerful father was one that could easily get away with something like this. Even if he had been able to go all the way, he still had that possibility of being let go.

“You still need to see a doctor,” Piper said.

“But they’ll make me talk to the police,” Prue said again.

“We’ll lie to them,” Piper said. Prue looked surprised. “We’ll tell them that you didn’t see who attacked you. We’ll say that you were mugged and the guy was wearing a mask.” Prue looked at Piper and decided that was the best idea. She nodded her head and Piper started to leave. “I’m going to wake Grams up. Okay?” Prue nodded her head again and Piper went to wake Grams.
* * *
The girls had to get their stories straight while Grams changed out of her pajamas to take Prue to the hospital. Prue had left the concert with Andy, allowing Piper to drive herself home. Prue and Andy got in a fight, and separated. That left Prue stranded, having to walk home. She was only a block away from the house when the guy jumped her, beat her up, and tried to rape her. He was wearing a mask, keeping her from seeing his face. She managed to get away before he got too far.

They both decided it sounded good, and that was exactly what they were going to tell everyone. No one would know the truth except for Prue and Piper, not even Phoebe. Piper didn¡¦t want to keep the secret from Phoebe, but Prue insisted. She believed Phoebe would slip and tell someone, or she would crack jokes and say it was Prue¡¦s fault that the guy from the concert tried to rape her. Piper didn¡¦t think Phoebe would do that, but she knew it would be best to honor Prue¡¦s wishes. So, she stayed quiet.

Piper had to wait at the Manor while Grams took Prue to the hospital. The wait was nerve racking. She wondered if Prue had managed to keep quiet about the mayor¡¦s son. She wondered if maybe he had gotten farther than Prue let on. Piper was worried that Prue hadn¡¦t even told her the whole truth. Prue always felt like she had to be perfect and strong and not show any emotions. She always felt so pressured. And the people that pressured her didn¡¦t realize they were doing it.

When Prue and Grams returned, Prue immediately went to her room and slammed the door shut. Grams never came upstairs. Piper heard a commotion on Prue¡¦s room and quickly went to investigate. She knocked on the door and said Prue¡¦s name, but got no answer. She knocked again, but there was no answer. Finally, Piper opened the door to see the contents from the top of Prue¡¦s desk had been swept onto the floor. Prue was kneeling beside the mess of papers, pens and pencils crying. Piper slowly approached Prue and knelt next to her.

¡§Prue, what happened? What did they do at the hospital?¡¨ Piper asked, deeply concerned.

Prue just stared down at the floor for a moment. ¡§Grams figured it out. Andy¡¦s dad was one of the cops that came to talk to me. He told Grams that Andy had been home all night.¡¨

¡§So, she knows you lied about Andy, but she doesn¡¦t know that you know who did this. Right?¡¨

¡§I broke,¡¨ Prue said between sobs. ¡§They kept saying stuff like I¡¦d be obstructing justice or whatever. I told them I knew who it was. But I wouldn¡¦t tell them who.¡¨

¡§What did they say to that?¡¨

¡§They tried to get me to tell, but I wouldn¡¦t,¡¨ Prue continued. ¡§Grams is furious. She doesn¡¦t understand. She won¡¦t understand.¡¨

¡§Prue, are you sure you told me everything that happened?¡¨ Piper asked suddenly.

¡§What are you talking about?¡¨ Prue asked, looking very shocked that Piper would ask such a question.

¡§I get this feeling that he didn¡¦t just beat you up,¡¨ Piper said, venturing into dangerous waters.

¡§That¡¦s all he did,¡¨ Prue said sharply. She started cleaning up the mess she made and replacing the items on the desk.

¡§Prue, please tell me. If he did more, you need to tell someone. You can¡¦t hide it inside,¡¨ Piper said. ¡§It¡¦ll only do more damage if you hold it in.¡¨

Prue stood there clutching a bundle of pens in her hand. She was gripping them so tight that her knuckles were turning white. She shook her head and threw the pens on her desk.

¡§We still don¡¦t have to tell anyone who did this to you,¡¨ Piper said. ¡§You don¡¦t have to tell anyone but me what really happened. But you should talk about it. Please talk to me, Prue.¡¨

She turned and sat on her bed, just staring down at her hands in her lap. She didn¡¦t want to tell Piper. It hurt too much just to think about it, just to think about his hands all over her body. She didn¡¦t want to pass that hurt on to Piper. And she thought about what he said, that he knew how to find her. He knew her name and he could come back and do it again. The hurt deepened when she remembered the last thing he had said before he left her lying in the middle of that field.

¡§I might even come for your sister, that one that was at the concert with you.¡¨

Prue couldn¡¦t allow that. She could never let him hurt Piper. She had to protect Piper. She had to protect Phoebe. It was her duty as the oldest. But who was going to protect her? Prue shook her head and tried to stop the tears that were streaming down her face. ¡§I can¡¦t.¡¨

¡§Why, Prue? Why can¡¦t you tell me about it? I won¡¦t say a word. I promise,¡¨ Piper said. She sat next to Prue and put her arm around her shoulders. Prue winced and stood, walking over to her bedroom window.

¡§I can¡¦t.¡¨

Piper stared at Prue for quite a while, just trying to figure out a way to get through the walls. If he did go all the way with Prue, Piper knew that she had to get Prue to admit it. In reality, Piper wanted Prue to tell the police who did it to her. But if Prue took a shower before she admitted what had really happened there would be no point to her telling the police anything. Piper was about to take another shot when Prue turned toward her.

¡§I¡¦m really tired, Piper,¡¨ she said. ¡§I just want to go to bed.¡¨

¡§Prue¡K¡¨

¡§Goodnight, Piper,¡¨ Prue said. She grabbed Piper¡¦s arm and led her out of the room. After she got Piper out in the hall, she shut the door.

Piper hung her head down in disappointment and headed back to her room. She just wished Prue would let down her walls.
* * *
Piper couldn¡¦t sleep that night. She was too worried about Prue. She was lying on her side, her back to the door, when the light spilled in across her bed. She knew Prue was standing there, but Piper didn¡¦t move. She wasn¡¦t going to push Prue. If Prue wanted to talk she had to be the one to start it.

But Prue didn¡¦t move. She just stood in the doorway staring at Piper¡¦s still form under the covers. Prue wanted to talk to someone about what had really happened, and she knew Piper was probably the only person she could talk to. But she kept thinking of what he had said about coming after Piper if Prue told anyone. Prue couldn¡¦t let that happen. She would let this eat her alive before she put Piper in that kind of danger. Prue turned and slowly shut Piper¡¦s door.

Piper rolled onto her back and exhaled in frustration. ¡§Talk to me, Prue,¡¨ she said into the dark.
* * *
The next day Prue seemed to be her usual self. She left early in the morning, saying that she had to go study. Grams shook her head as she watched Prue leave and then she turned to Phoebe.

¡§Phoebe dear, have you cleaned your room yet?¡¨ Grams asked.

Phoebe lifted her gaze from the Sunday comics and said through a mouthful of cereal, ¡§Yeah.¡¨

¡§Well, perhaps you should try again. It didn¡¦t look clean to me when I went in there this morning,¡¨ Grams said.

Phoebe set her spoon down and picked up her bowl. She headed for the living room, taking the comics with her. She said as she left, ¡§If you want me out of the room Grams, just say it.¡¨

Piper started to leave, too, but Grams stopped her. ¡§Piper, sit down. I would like to talk to you about last night.¡¨

Piper sat reluctantly. She didn¡¦t want to lie to Grams, but she couldn¡¦t break her promise to Prue. ¡§What about it?¡¨

¡§Why didn¡¦t you stop your sister from going with that man?¡¨

¡§You know I can¡¦t stop Prue from doing something she wants to do,¡¨ Piper replied. ¡§Believe me, I tried.¡¨

¡§So, she did go willingly? She wanted to be with him?¡¨

¡§At first, yeah, but she said she didn¡¦t want to be around him after a while,¡¨ Piper explained.

¡§Who is it? Did she tell you his name or who he is?¡¨

Piper hesitated, immediately giving herself away when she said, ¡§No.¡¨

¡§Piper, this is serious. The police need to know who did this to your sister to keep him from doing it again,¡¨ Grams said adamantly.

¡§She doesn¡¦t want anyone to know. She¡¦s afraid he won¡¦t get put in jail and he¡¦ll come back,¡¨ Piper explained.

¡§She has to tell the police who he is, Piper,¡¨ Grams said. ¡§If she doesn¡¦t tell the police he will come back. Who did this?¡¨

¡§I¡¦m sorry, Grams,¡¨ Piper said. ¡§I promised Prue I wouldn¡¦t say.¡¨ With that Piper stood and left the room, leaving Grams alone in the kitchen.
„h * *

The next few days were pretty much the same. Piper trying to convince Prue to talk to somebody about what happened. But all it did was get her sister more angry.
¡§Piper I¡¦ve told you a thousand times, nothing more happened. Just let it go.¡¨
¡§Prue why do you keep lying to me. I can always tell when you are.¡¨
¡§Let it go Piper. Please.¡¨ The last part was more like quiet beg from Prue then anything. Piper knew from the tone that she wold not get any further with her big sister.
¡§Ok Prue. You win this one. But if you ever. And I mean ever, want to talk about it. I don¡¦t care if it¡¦s 10 or 15 years from now. You know where to find me. I¡¦m always here for you Prue and I love you no matter what.¡¨ With that said Piper walked out of her sisters room.

Piper passed Phoebe on the way to her room.
¡§What¡¦s wrong with Prue Piper?¡¨
Piper looked down at her baby sister, ¡§Nothing that she apparently can¡¦t handle Pheebs.¡¨ She replied. ¡§So you wanna get soda down at Mac¡¦s?¡¨
¡§No, thank you though.¡¨ Phoebe may have been three years younger than her sister, but she knew something was up with her big sister, and that Piper was just trying to take her mind off things.
¡§Ok, your loss sister.¡¨ She said as she walked away.

Phoebe cautiously looked at her big sisters door. She knew it was out of bounds but her curiosity got the better of her as she headed towards the door. She carefully opened it and called Prues name. Getting no answer she entered the room a little further.
¡§Prue?¡¨ she asked quietly.
¡§Go away Phoebe.¡¨
Phoebe was deciding then if she was being brave or stupid as she entered her big sisters room and approached her on the bed. Pulling herself up on to the bed she at first didn¡¦t say anything or move. As long as Prue didn¡¦t say anything Phoebe figured that she was safe.

After a few minutes of silence and neither sister saying anything Phoebe was getting edgy. She knew that she was pushing it just being in Prues room, but so far her big sister had not yelled at her to get out. But she was getting the feeling that something may happen soon so she figured she should cut her loses. She turned quickly to Prue and wrapped her tiny arms around her big sisters neck and gave her a quick kiss on the cheek.
¡§I love you big sis. Please don¡¦t ever forget that.¡¨ Phoebe jumped off her sisters¡¦ bed and headed for the door. She almost made it out when she heard her sister. She stopped in her tracks
¡§Same here Pheebs, and I won¡¦t ever forget.¡¨
Her voice was barely above a whisper but Phoebe had heard her. She turned and caught her big sisters eye. Phoebe smiled slightly and walked out the door.

Ten years later:

The three sisters were sitting on the couch after there latest vanqui... would appear that there is higher evil at work here then they thought. An evil Triad had sent a genie after them to give them their most desired wish. Only it had seriously backfired. Leo had told them that Genies had catches to their wishes. The sisters had opted not to wish at all, yet he had tricked them into it.

They sat there thinking about their last encounter. Prue especially. Been a teenager again brought back some memories that she didn¡¦t care to remember. She remembered back to a time just over ten years ago. She had been going through a rough time in her life. She felt that everyone one was pulling her in different directions and all of them wanting her to be perfect. She couldn¡¦t deal with it so she did the only thing she knew how ¡Kshe rebelled.

In the end it was here baby sisters words that had snapped her out of her downward spiral. It¡¦s amazing what a hug, a kiss and a few words of love can do to a person. She knew that Phoebe meant what she said that day. In fact it was still true today. No matter what happened, Phoebe was always there with a hug for anyone who would take it.

Piper sat beside here big sister and watched her. She was thinking about something important Piper could tell. Then she to was brought back to the past. A time where her big sisters was on a self-destruct course. Then just as suddenly she stopped. I wonder what happened? Piper thought.

Phoebe just cuddled to her big sister. After having her die and then return, Phoebe wasn¡¦t willing to let her big sister out of her site any time soon. Seeing Prue as a teenager brought back memories for Phoebe. A memory of a sister that was heading down the wrong path. She recalled the day that she had gone to her big sisters room because she was worried about her. How they had sat in silence before Phoebe started to get edgy, then her giving Prue a hug, a kiss, and a few words of love. Phoebe also remembered that after that her big sister seemed to get back to normal. She leaned over and wrapped her arms around Prue’s neck just as she had done many years before. Giving her a quick kiss on the cheek, “I Love you big sis.”

That was enough for Prue. As her memories of that night after the concert came crashing around her. How she had push Piper into lying to Grams and then thanked her by pushing her away. A tear rolled down her cheek followed soon after by several more.
“You were right Piper.” She said quietly
Piper just looked at her big sister, tears now flowing freely. “About what sweetie?” she asked as she tucked Prue hair behind her ear.
At first Prue couldn’t say it, she never could. She took in a deep breath, “He raped me.”
Piper and Phoebe just looked at each other not knowing at first what Prue was talking about. Then it came back to Piper as to what she meant. Phoebe of course didn’t have a clue.
“Oh sweetie come her.” Piper pulled Prue into her arms giving her the love and support that she knew her big sister needed. “Let it out Prue I got you know.”
Prue just stayed in her sisters’ embrace. Letting go of years of emotions that she had been holding in for all that time.
Phoebe just sat back and watched the scene play out in front of her. She knew that something had happened to Prue but she still didn’t have clue as to what or when. She was still shocked that somebody at sometime had raped her big sister.

They sat there for several minutes before Prue pulled away from Piper. She turned to Phoebe and pulled her into a hug. Surprise rained across Phoebes face, but she returned the hug with just as much love. Prue pulled Phoebe on to her lap and began her story. She held Phoebe close needing to hang on to her innocents. The innocents of a baby sister who had pulled her out of her downward spin.

By the time she was done, all three girls had tears flowing freely.
“Prue why didn’t you tell someone?” Phoebe asked
“I was scared Pheebs. I mean he was the Mayors son. Who would they believe? Him or me.”
“It’s not right Prue.”
“I know Pheebs. Unfortunately that’s just how it is sometimes.” She said, “Besides I was young and I didn’t know that the police could help me. He told me that if I ever told anybody that he would come after Piper. I couldn’t take that. I was there to protect you two. And that was the only way I knew how. Not say anything.”
“Prue you should have told me.”
Grabbing Pipers hand and squeezing it gently, “I know that now Pipe.”

They sat on the couch for about an hour before Piper got up to make them some tea.
“Prue?” Phoebe asked quietly
“Yeah baby girl?”
“Did I really help you?” Phoebe couldn’t believe that it was her kiss and a few words that had made her sister realize what she was doing. It was a time in their lives that Prue wanted nothing to do with her baby sister.
Pulling Phoebe tighter. “Yes Pheebs it was. And I never thanked you properly. Thank you my sweet girl. For everything. I love you.”
“Love you too Pwue.” Phoebe answered with a chuckle.

Piper came back with tea and handed each of her sisters their cup.
“So what now?” She asked as she sat down
“Well the two of you are doing it now. Just being here for me now. In some ways maybe we can thank the Triad.”
Phoebe looked up at her sister confused.
“Think about it Phoebe. If they hadn’t sent in Dragon breath as you called him and the Genie then I may have never told you guys what happened. It would have eventually torn me apart.”
“Hmm. Good point sis. But know you have to make us a promise.” Piper stated
Prue raised her eyebrow in curiosity.
“The next time that you are hurt whether it’s physically or emotionally you have to tell us. You can’t keep this stuff in side you Prue. We’re your sisters’ and we love you. We want to be able to help you, as you would want to help us. Got it?”
Prue looked at each sister, “Got it.”

They got up and saw the genie to the door. They had made their last two wishes, one making him mortal, and the other for Dan to move on with his life. Piper and Leo stood at the door as he was called. She insisted on going with him, to see where it was that he went whenever he orbed out. Wrapping his arm around her they left Prue and Phoebe behind a little stunned.

Phoebe wrapped her arms around Prue from behind, as they walked back through the house.
“You know we love you right big sis?”
Holding onto Phoebes arms and leaning back against her sister, “I do now sweetie, I do now.”