Disclaimer : My name’s not Aaron Spelling, so I don’t own them. But I really, really, really like to write about them.

Exacting Revenge
by Freaky Fan

Part 1

Phoebe looked down the street for what seemed like the millionth time and sighed. This was just great. The one time she needed her freakishly punctual sister to be on time, she was late. A flutter of worry ran through her. What if something had happened? What if Rion was out there right now in desperate need of help and no one knew it? She had thought it herself…. Her sister was NEVER late.

She told herself to stop being ridiculous. There was a first time for everything. Rion would come roaring around the corner any second now with some lame excuse about why she was late. She would give her an earful about being so irresponsible and the two of them would go back to spending as little time together as possible. It was a system that seemed to work for them.

An all too familiar feeling of guilt settled over her, making her wrap her arms around herself to ward off the chill it brought with it. The fact that she had effectively cut one of her sisters out of her life ate at her constantly. But then images of Cole dying would remind her of why she had done it in the first place and the part of her that was still grieving would tell her she was doing the right thing. And as long as Rion was willing to go along with the arrangement and Piper and Prue were none the wiser, who was she to say anything?

The sound of a revving engine brought her out of her thoughts. She looked up just in time to see Rion turn onto Prescott. All signs of worry disappeared as she watched her sister zoom into the driveway next door on her newest toy. She barely waited for her to come to a stop before storming across the lawn.

“Where the hell have you been?!”

“What do you mean where have I been?” Rion’s muffled voice became clearer as she pulled her helmet off.

“You’re late!” Phoebe pointed at the non-existent watch on her wrist.
“What?” Rion looked at her own watch. “Five minutes? You’re giving me shit for five minutes?” She shook her head. “You need a hobby.”
“Not if it involves becoming a Hell’s Angel like you.”
“I’m not a Hell’s Angel! I….” Rion sighed. “Know what? I’m not going to argue with you.”
Phoebe looked smug. “Because you know I’m right.”
“No, because Prue is watching us.”

Phoebe started to look toward the Manor but Rion stopped her by growling.

“Don’t look! If we want a snowball’s chance in hell of her and Piper actually leaving the girls with us for the weekend we need to make this as convincing as possible. So smile….” Rion took her own advice. “And let’s get this over with.”

Phoebe followed Rion toward the Manor, barely catching a glimpse of Prue as she hurried away from the window. Rion was right. She needed to calm down if they were going to pull this off.

At first she had thought Rion was crazy when she told her her plan. After all, how were they supposed to convince their big sisters they needed a couples weekend alone with Seth and Leo? She had every intention of writing it off as a lost cause until she saw how much work Rion was putting into it. Talking to the Elders to make sure Leo got the time off. Finding other doctors to cover Seth’s shifts at the hospital and clinic. Getting another photographer to take Prue’s assignments. Lining up a reliable work schedule at P3. Henpecking Andy about being around in case anything happened. And still it wasn’t until she really paid attention to what was happening around the Manor that she realized just what Rion was seeing. Tricia was hitting her terrible twos a couple of months early. Melinda still wasn’t sleeping through the night. Her sisters saw her brothers-in-law for sporadic moments here and there. It all added up to her agreeing that the four of them needed some time alone.

“Here we go.”

She let Rion lead the way into the Manor.

“Ant Ion!” Tricia came tearing up to them as soon as they opened the front door. “Hi!!”
“Hey yourself, Little P.” Rion scooped her up. “Have you been a good little midget today?”

Phoebe walked past them into the living room. Tricia loved everyone she met, but she seemed to love her aunt Rion a little more. Not that she could complain. She had the same thing with Melinda.

“Hi, baby.” Her heart melted when her niece looked up at her from her bassinet. Melinda’s tiny green eyes lit up as she grinned. “Yes.” Phoebe picked her up. “There’s Aunt Phoebe’s little angel.”

“The gang’s finally all here.” Piper looked up at them from her position next to Prue on the couch.
“Yep.” Rion grinned. “Which means you can finally blow this Popsicle stand.”
“Unless the pow wow on the front lawn is something we should be worried about.” Prue spoke up.
“Of course it wasn’t.” Rion made a face at Tricia. “That was just some last minute little sister scheming, wasn’t it Little P?”

She was smooth, Phoebe had to give her that.

“Oh, is that all?” Piper’s voice dripped with sarcasm but her expression was serious as she looked back and forth between them. “All kidding aside. Things are good between you two?”
“Couldn’t be better.” Phoebe decided to join in.
“So you two are ready to be mommies for the weekend?” Prue eyed them too.
“Most definitely.” Rion smiled as Tricia nodded with her.

“All right.” Piper sighed as she stood. “Come on, Prue. Let’s get our men and our luggage and get out of here.”
“Hey, aren’t our men the same thing as our luggage?”
Piper smacked Prue on the arm. “Very funny!”

Phoebe waited until their voices has disappeared upstairs to turn to Rion.

“Are we really ready for this?”
“I am.”
“So the plan still stands?”
Rion nodded again. “I keep the girls tonight. You keep them tomorrow. We’re both here on Sunday when everyone gets back and no one knows we didn’t actually spend any time bonding.”

Phoebe sighed again as Rion turned away to play with Tricia. She hated deceiving her Prue and Piper like this, but it was the only way to get them to go. She just hoped the uneasy feeling she had didn’t mean trouble was brewing.

*************

She watched as they said their goodbyes. Hugging and kissing and whispering things in each others ears. It was enough to make her want to puke all over the nice white rug at her feet. But then she remembered that not having all of them around would make what she intended to do that much easier.

She let the curtain fall from her hand as the vehicle pulled out of the driveway. She had no idea who the fourth one was, but it didn’t really matter. No one was going to stand in her way when it came to getting her revenge.

She ventured further into the house, telling herself now wasn’t the time. Things would keep until tomorrow. She would know when the time came to strike.

And when it did, the women across the street wouldn’t know what hit them.

“Are you sure you won’t need any help?”

Phoebe rolled her eyes. “Yes, Rion. For the third time, I’m sure I don’t need your help.”
“OK.” Rion raised her hands in a ‘don’t shoot’ gesture. “There was no ulterior motive involved, you know. I was just trying to be nice.”
“And I appreciate it, but I think I can handle taking the girls to the park by myself.” Phoebe tightened her grip on Melinda’s car seat with one hand and reached for Tricia with the other. “Come on, sweetie.”

The trip across the lawn wasn’t as easy as she hoped she would make it look. Tricia was doing her new favorite thing, watching her feet as her little legs went up and down. The furrows on her tiny brow were adorable, but she was too busy watching how she was walking to actually pay attention to where she was going. Then there was the car seat. It kept swinging away from her body and coming back, smacking her in the leg. Melinda was as happy as a kid on a roller coaster but she was going to have a killer bruise by the time they actually got to the car.

“Ant Feebe?”

She looked down into her niece’s blue, blue eyes. “Yes, sweetie?”
“Midder Gummy?”

To anyone else it would have sounded like gibberish, but to anyone who knew Tricia it was clear as a bell. Like any toddler, she had a favorite toy. A bright blue bear with a floppy body and a mischievous grin stitched on his face that her daddy had given her a couple of days after she was born. For the longest time he was plain old bear, but then Tricia got addicted to reruns of the Gummy Bears on Disney. No matter where she was or what she was doing, she would take off running as soon as she heard the theme song playing. Hence the new name for her bear, Mister Gummy.

“He’s right here in the….” Phoebe frowned.
“Looking for this?”

She turned when she heard Rion’s voice. Her sister was standing a few feet behind her, one eyebrow cocked as she held up the diaper bag like a the prize catch of the day.

“You might want to remember this.”
“Ya think?”

Rion jogged to catch up with them. “Look, why don’t you at least let me help you load them in the Jeep? I mean, four hands are way better than two when you’re dealing with these squirmers.”
Phoebe rolled her eyes again. “Fine.”
“Sweet.”

Rion grabbed the car seat from her and started toward the Jeep. Tricia let out a gruff “Hey” and pulled away from Phoebe to run after them. Phoebe tried to feel annoyed, but the lopsided grin Rion flashed as she pretended to run from Tricia made her shake her head in amusement instead. She didn’t want to give in so easily, but Rion really was just trying to help. And truth be known, she was starting to wonder if maybe she shouldn’t take her sister up on her offer to go with them. Taking a toddler and a newborn to the park by herself was good in theory but looking more and more improbable by the second.

That and the thought of spending some time with Rion didn’t seem so horrible for some reason today. Maybe it was the not talking to her. Or the having no idea what was going on in her sister’s life. Or the fact that Rion would keep an easily distracted Tricia busy. Her stubborn side told her to go with the last one if she actually decided to ask her sister to go. She couldn’t let go of everything they had been through all at once, could she?

“Oh come on you stupid piece of….” Rion cut herself off and looked at Tricia as her niece giggled. “Laugh it up munchkin.” She looked down at Melinda, who was gurgling out her won version of a giggle. “Not you too Mighty Mouse.”

“Having problems?”
Rion gave Phoebe a sidelong glance. “You could say that. I can’t this thing to….”

Phoebe nudged her sister out of the way, taking control of the carrier and turning it around as she did, quickly snapping it into place in the base of the car seat.

“Hmmm.” Rion looked bemused. “So that’s how that darned thing works. Guess you just have to be smarter than the contraption.”
Phoebe gave her a sly look. “You said it, not me.”

An uneasy silence fell between them.

“Well….” Rion raised her eyebrows. “I guess I should get back to the house. Have a couple of stinky diapers to get rid of courtesy of Ms. Indy here.”
“Indy?”
“Yeah.” Rion ran her hand over the baby’s head. “Seems to fit somehow. We already have a Little P and now we have an Indy.” She swallowed hard as she backed out of the Jeep. “You three have fun. I’ll see you tomorrow.”

Phoebe watched her shut Tricia’s door and start back toward her house. She stood there, her stubborn side battling her sisterly side. She finally opened her mouth, convinced a “Yeah, see you tomorrow” would come out.

“Hey Rion.” She was shocked at the sound of her own voice.

Rion turned, obviously surprised too. “Yeah?”

“Why don’t you come with us?” Phoebe shrugged. “Like you said before…. I could use some help with the squirmers.”
Rion narrowed her eyes. “Are you pulling my leg in the hopes that I’ll say yes and you can tell me to get lost and then laugh about it?”
“No.” Phoebe grinned. “I think it would be nice to spend some time alone. We can hang with the girls. Maybe talk a little.”
Rion returned her grin. “Sounds good to me.” She looked toward her house. “But I have to lock up first.” She started running backward across the lawn. “I’ll be right back.” She stumbled over her own feet, somehow keeping her balance to avoid falling. “Don’t leave without me!!”
“Wouldn’t dream of it.”

Phoebe shook her head again as she started around the Jeep. If there had been any double left in her head about asking Rion to come along they just flew out the window. Maybe it was time to….

“Hello, Phoebe.”

She froze when she heard the voice. Her eyes got big as its owner made herself apparent.

“Don’t look so shocked. You couldn’t possibly have thought I wouldn’t be back some day.”

“I….” Phoebe was almost too shocked to speak. “What do you want?”

“Oh, nothing much.” The woman shrugged as she walked toward Phoebe. “Just a little revenge.”

Phoebe jumped as the woman lunged at her, a stunned gasp escaping her as something slid into the flesh of her stomach. She felt rather than saw the woman twist her hand as pain screamed through her body.

“Oops.” The woman stepped back, looking at the now bloody knife in her hand. “Did I do that?”

Phoebe’s leg gave way, spilling her to the ungiving surface of the driveway. The keys to the Jeep sliding from her nearly numb fingers as her hands instinctively went to her wound.

“Now how did you know I was looking for these?” The woman smiled as she picked up the keys, hesitating for a moment as she leaned over Phoebe. “I would say I was sorry things had to be this way, but I wouldn’t mean it. You and your sisters…. You gave me no choice.” She whirled the key ring on her finger as she stood up. “No choice at all.”

Phoebe tried to get up but her body wouldn’t cooperate. All she could do was watch as the woman climbed into the Jeep and started the engine.
Rion was all smiles as she hurried through the front door of the house. She grabbed her keys off the hallway table and started to head back out when she noticed the light at the top of the stairs was on. She wanted nothing more than to forget about it and leave, but she couldn’t.

She growled as she thundered up the stairs and flipped the switch into the off position. Damn her senseless conversations with Piper anyway. Just the other night they had both commented on how TV families always left every light on in the house when they were going out. So of course now it was her mission in life to end senseless energy waste by turning of every unused light she came across.

She clinched her jaw as she made her way back downstairs. She couldn’t keep Phoebe waiting. A trip to the park might not have seemed like much to someone else, but to her it was like being given the goose who laid the golden egg. It was the perfect opportunity for the two of them to finally start to reconnect.

The annoying voice of her conscience started belittling her again, telling her she should be kicking herself for letting things get so out of control to begin with. Her baby sister had experienced a pain she knew all too well and she wasn’t there for her. Didn’t hold her when she cried. Didn’t spend long, sleepless nights just being with her in front of the TV. But she knew Phoebe too well. Especially angry Phoebe. She had calmed her down enough to know the best way to get back in her good graces was to give her time to cool off. She just hoped she hadn’t given her too long.

She looked up sharply when she heard the Jeep’s engine come to life. Great, a quick trip into the house to lock up had taken so long Phoebe was getting impatient. She clutched the keys in her hand a little tighter as she hurried out the front door, pulling it closed behind her and giving it a an experimental tap with her hip to make sure it was locked. Once she was sure she had achieved what she originally intended to do, she practically sprinted down the porch stairs.

She was halfway across the yard when the Jeep barreled out of the driveway, the tires squealing as it lurched into gear and sped away. Her heart sank as she watched it go. How could she have been stupid enough to think Phoebe would just forget about everything and let her back in? It was never that simple when you put someone through hell.

“Rion….”

She was so lost in her own thoughts that she didn’t hear the voice as she turned and started back toward her house. When was she ever going to learn to stop setting herself up like that? Nothing in life was ever simple.

“Rion!”

She frowned when she heard her name and turned around. At first she thought she was seeing things. After all, how could Phoebe be laying in the driveway and driving the Jeep at the same time? Then she saw the blood covering the front of her sister’s shirt and the pained expression on her face.

“Oh my God! Phoebe!!” She ran to her sister’s side. “What….”

“There’s no time for that.” Phoebe winced. “She took the girls.”
Rion frowned. “Who took the girls?” She started to put her hand over her sister’s wound.
“I said there’s no time for that!” Phoebe knocked her sister’s hand away.
“What?” Rion’s frown deepened.
“I said you have to go after them!”
“But….”
“We don’t have time for this, Rion! She’s getting away! Now get your ass on that Harley and go save our nieces!!”

Rion started to say something but was silenced by her sister’s determined gaze.

“It’s not that bad. Really.” Phoebe gave her sister’s arm what she hoped was a reassuring squeeze. “You can heal me when you get back with the girls.”

Rion shook her head. She couldn’t make this kind of decision. Leave her sister bleeding in the driveway and save her nieces or heal her sister and run the risk of never seeing the girls again.

“Rion, go! Get moving!!”

The sound of Phoebe’s voice spurred her into action. She climbed to her feet and ran toward the Harley, sparing her sister a yelled, “I love you” before kicking the beast to life and taking off.

*************

“I love you too.”

Phoebe closed her eyes, knowing her response was lost on her sister as she started the motorcycle and took off like a bat out of hell. Not that her voice was exactly the strongest right now anyway.

She lifted her hand from her wound, clinching her jaw at the sight of all the blood covering it. Lying to Rion probably wasn’t the smartest thing she could have done. A couple of minutes and she would have been good as new and able to hop on the Harley with her sister. But two minutes could be the difference between Rion getting the girls back and losing them.

She gave in to the pain and laid on her side as darkness closed in around her. If it took sacrificing herself to save her nieces, she was more than willing to do it.

*************

Rion’s knuckles were white as she gripped the handlebars, the machine beneath her screaming along a road parallel to Prescott. She had spotted the Jeep and was going to try and intercept it. She wasn’t quite sure what she would do once she did, but she would cross that bridge when she came to it.

She tried to keep her mind on the task at hand, but her eyes kept wondering to the bloody handprint Phoebe had left on her arm. How could she have left her like that? Phoebe was hardly in any shape to stop her. All she had to do was heal her and then go after the girls. Instead she had let Phoebe intimidate her again. If anything happened to her sister….

She shoved the thought away. Nothing was going to happen to Phoebe. It couldn’t. Letting your brother-in-law down was one thing. Letting your sister down was a whole different ball game. She couldn’t image what Prue and Piper would think of her if something happened to Phoebe.

A strange sensation fell over her, making her swerve dangerously close to a parked car on the side of the road. She managed to keep the bike upright, but the feeling didn’t go away. If anything it intensified. It felt like someone had punched her in the gut, making it hard to breath.

A familiar presence joined the sensation, making her realize what was going on. She was connected to Phoebe. The pain she was feeling was her sister’s. She gripped the handlebars even tighter, if that was possible. Phoebe had lied to her. The wound was far from nothing. It was fatal.

The thought made her breath catch in her throat. Even if she turned around now she would be too late. Phoebe was already slipping away. And all because she hadn’t listened to her instincts and healed her before she left!

She gasped as an icy chill swept over her. At first she thought it was Phoebe crossing over, but her sister’s presence was still there. The new awareness mixed with her sister’s pain, making her break out in a cold sweat. She shook her head, trying to clear her senses. That’s when she noticed the soft blue glow coming from under her hands. She had no idea what was going on, but it was making it harder and harder for her to keep the motorcycle under control.

That’s why she didn’t even see the car coming. She looked up when she heard the horn and cursed under her breath as she braced herself for impact.

It was an odd feeling. Almost like floating. Only she knew this wasn’t a good thing. The light as a feather sensation meant she was losing the battle. Pretty soon she wouldn’t feel anything at all.

At least that’s how it usually worked. Not that she was an expert at the whole dying thing. She had come close on more occasions than she cared to admit, but there was always someone there to pull her back from the brink. Leo with his healing powers. Her sisters with their loving words. Not this time. No, this time she was destined to be alone when she crossed over. The most she could hope for was that her mother or Grams would be waiting for her on the other side.

She shivered as a strange sensation washed over her. One that told her she wasn’t alone anymore.

Rion. She could practically feel her sister’s anxiety as her welcomed presence wrapped around her. It wasn’t until she felt the pain in her stomach start to ease that her better senses returned and she realized what was going on. Instead of finding the girls, her sister had come back to heal her.

“Damn it, Rion.” She tried to sound stern but her voice was still gruff with agony. “I thought….”

She trailed off as she opened her eyes and found no one leaning over her. She flinched as she looked around, confusion clouding her thoughts when she saw she was still alone. Her hands went to her wound again, the blood flow decreasing slowly but surely.

She pushed herself into a semi sitting position, hissing as the movement sent a twinge of pain through her. Nothing compared to what she should have been feeling. What the hell was going on? One second she was preparing herself to go to that big Manor in the sky and the next she was halfway healed.

“Rion? Phoebe?”

She jumped when she heard the annoyed voice, shooting a glare in Leo’s direction as he orbed in a few feet away, his back to her.

“This had better be good. Piper and I are trying for a little brother or sister for Melinda you….” The sight of his sister-in-law made his voice die in his throat as he turned around. “What happened?!”

Phoebe winced. “You scared the crap out of me, that’s what happened!”
“Phoebe….” Leo gave her a look of his own. “That’s not what I meant and you know it. I had to sneak into the bathroom to keep Piper from realizing the Elders were calling. Now what the hell is going on?!” He moved the hand holding her wound and replaced it with his own.

“That won’t do any good.” Phoebe sighed. “It wasn’t a demon.”
Leo frowned. “It wasn’t?”
Phoebe shook her head. “No, it was Abbey.”
“Abbey?” Leo’s frown deepened. “Why does that name sound so familiar?”
“Long story short, she was the freak of the week that stalked Prue a few years ago. Almost killed her in the kitchen. Ringing any bells?”
“Yes. But she’s locked up.”
“Not anymore apparently. She showed up here out of the blue, skewered me with her meat cleaver and….”

Phoebe swallowed hard, wondering how Leo would react to what she was about to tell him.

Leo raised his eyebrows. “And what?” He suddenly looked around. “Where are Rion and the girls?”
“Abbey, uh…. She took the girls Leo.”
“What do you mean she took the girls?”
“Just what I said. I had the girls loaded in the Jeep for a trip to the park when she stabbed me and took the keys. Rion is chasing them right now.”

“OK.” Leo ran his hand through his hair, obviously trying not to panic too badly. “Some woman has my daughter and niece and my sister-in-law is going after them on a motorcycle?” He closed his eyes. “At least she healed you before she went.”
“That’s just it, Leo. She didn’t.” Phoebe continued before he could say anything. “I wouldn’t let her. I knew if she didn’t go after the girls Abbey would disappear with them.”
“Then how….”

Phoebe looked down at her still healing stomach. “I’m not….”

The world tilted on its axis as a fresh wave of pain washed over her. It took her a moment to realize it wasn’t her own. She was still connected to her sister.

“Leo….”
“I feel it.” Leo gripped one of her hands in his own and orbed.

*************

Abbey looked nervously in the rearview mirror, glad to see there was no one following her. Now if she could only get the little one to stop wailing all would be right with the world. At least her own little slice of paradise anyway.

Her eyes stuck on the older child, who was glaring at her with the same intense blue eyes of her tormentor. No…. She shook her head. Not her tormentor, the object of her affection. The one she had fallen in love with the moment she saw her. The one she still so desperately w