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


Unforeseen
by Freaky Fan

Part 1

Phoebe ran her hand through her hair as she paced by the bed for what seemed like the millionth time. She stopped for a fraction of a second and looked down at the phone before continuing her well worn path. All she had to do was pick the damned thing up, dial the number and plead her case. Something she had done plenty of times in her life. But this time was different. Way different. She wasn’t a teenager anymore. She was a responsible adult who had gone to a party to let her hair down after an intense week of studying. Maybe supposedly responsible adult was a better way to describe her considering she was now three sheets to the wind, had no money for a cab because she had pitched in on the last keg and was hiding in her friend’s room because some horny guy she had flirted with downstairs was roaming the halls of the sorority house looking for her. It all added up to one very interesting story to tell her sister. Which would have been fine if the sister she was calling was Piper. But it wasn’t. It was Prue.

She told herself to calm down as she flopped down on the bed. Maybe Prue would understand. After all, it had been her idea for Piper and Leo to have a romantic weekend alone, making both of them off limits to anyone for at least another twenty-four hours. It was also Prue’s idea for her to get out and have a little fun. But Prue was still super responsible, never did anything wrong, thought she had to play Mom to both of her sister’s, Prue.

She chided herself for being such a baby as she reached for the phone. So she would get one of the well rehearsed Prue speeches on what it meant to be a grown up and a decidedly cold shoulder the whole trip home. Anything was better than staying in Kelly’s room all night worrying that what’s his name would break the door down.

She took a deep breath as she finished dialing the number and held the phone to her ear.


Meanwhile, across town, Prue was practically running to her car, resisting the urge to look over her shoulder as she put her key in the driver’s side door. To say it had been a long day would have been the understatement of the century. First there was the six and a half hour photo shoot in a grungy garage with some unheard of band that screamed their lyrics in what sounded like a foreign language a demon would use. Then she got back to the magazine and her editor asked her to develop some prints for a fellow photographer who was on his way to his third round of rehab after making an ass of himself at a Hollywood party. And just when she thought she was finally done, the new head honcho of music caught up with her and asked if she had a backup copy of the proofs she had given him after her shoot. His short, fat, slobbery poodle had decided to do his business on the first set, which meant another trip to the darkroom for her.

She breathed a sigh of relief as she climbed into the driver’s seat and shut the door. The whole thing made her want to laugh. She had decided to follow her dream and give photography a try to get away from the thirteen hour days she put in at Bucklands. Yet here she was, slipping away just short of fourteen hours and it was only her second week on the job. To some it might have seemed like getting out of the frying pan to find themselves in the fire, but not to her. She was having the time of her life. Sure she would gripe about it to her sisters and say she would never do it again, but deep down inside she was loving every minute of it.

The small flashing light on her cell phone caught her attention as she threw her purse on the passenger seat. Normally she would let whoever had left a message wait until she got home, but she knew it was Piper. And she knew her little sister well enough to know she would be pacing her hotel room instead of enjoying her time with Leo because no one had answered at the Manor. She reached for the phone just as it rang.

“Hey, Pipe. I know, I know. You hate when I turn off my cell, but I was working on something really important for the magazine. And before you ask, yes. I’m just leaving work. But it’s not going to be an everyday kind of thing. I promise.”

On her end Phoebe looked confused. “Prue?”
Prue frowned when she heard the voice on the other end. “Pheebs?”
“Yeah. It’s me.”

Her frown deepened. Phoebe was supposed to be taking it easy with a couple of girls from one of her classes. Something about letting off a little steam after a major psych test. But her sister sounded anything but relaxed.

“Prue?”
“Still here. What’s up, sweetie?”
“I, uh….” Phoebe wound a strand of her hair around her right index finger as she paced the floor. “I was wondering if you could come over to campus and pick me up.” She flinched, expecting an instant response from her sister. When all she got was silence she decided to push ahead. “See, I got a little drunk and uh…. I don’t have money for a cab home. I’d stay here, but, uh…. I flirted a little too much with this guy and I’m afraid he might try something.”

Prue closed her eyes, wanting nothing more than to lay into her sister. But it wouldn’t do any good. It never had when Phoebe was younger. And their relationship had moved past the Phoebe doing something wrong and her yelling at her for it stage. Besides, Phoebe sounded so out of it that she wouldn’t remember anything anyone said anyway.

“All right. Sit tight and I’ll come get you.”

Phoebe’s eyes got big. “What?”
“I said to sit tight. I’m still at the magazine, but it’s late, so traffic shouldn’t be too bad. Give me about fifteen minutes.”
“I….”
“And you had better be waiting out front. I’m tired. I don’t want to have to come looking for you.”
“You won’t.” Phoebe could hardly believe what she was hearing. “Hey Prue.”
Prue, who was about to hang up, put her phone back up to her ear. “Yeah?”
“Thanks. And I love you.”
Prue smiled. “I love you too. Now stay out of trouble until I get there.”
“Yes ma’am.” Phoebe faked a salute as her sister hung up. “Can you believe that?” She looked at the teddy bear on Kelly’s bed as she put the phone down. “She wasn’t even pissed.”

She shook her head as the teddy bear suddenly had a twin. “Hey.” She shook her finger at the stuffed creature. “No procreating on Kelly’s bed!”

She giggled as she got up off the bed, teetering ever so slightly to the left as she walked across the room to get her jacket. As much as she liked Kelly’s room with the pictures of half naked men hanging everywhere, she needed to get some fresh air. She wanted to try and sober up a little bit before Prue got there and the great outdoors had always been a magic cure all when it came to her and having too much to drink.

Her world turned black and white as she put her arm into the jacket. Prue in her car, singing along to some song on the radio. An intersection near campus. Someone running the red light. Prue looking up in time to see the headlights just before the car hit her.

She sucked in a shaky breath as the vision passed. “No.” She closed her eyes, hoping to forget what she had just seen but finding herself in another premonition instead.

An extremely pale and battered Prue laying in a hospital bed, a tube down her throat and machinery all around her. Doctors and nurses running into the room. One of the doctors looking sad as he shook his head and turned off the machinery. Piper climbing into bed with their sister, tears steaming down her cheeks as she gathered Prue in her arms.

“Oh my God.” She reached out for some kind of support as her knees gave way beneath her. She had had a lot of premonitions in her time as a witch, but never anything like that. Never one so powerful. She sank onto Kelly’s desk chair, her heart racing. “I can’t let that happen.” She shook her head, trying to calm herself down. “I have to….” She swallowed hard. “I have to call Prue.” Something caught her eye as she staggered back over to the bed. Keys. The keys to Kelly’s car to be more exact.

A plan came to her in that instant. One that she wouldn’t have dreamed of considering any other time, but in her current state it made perfect sense. She grabbed the keys and the phone before sprinting out of the room.

“Whoa there sexy.” The boy from before caught her as she came barreling out into the hallway.
“Get away from me.” She tried to push away from him.
“Sorry. No can do, sweetie.” He leaned in close. “I believe we have some unfinished business to attend to.”
Phoebe raised her knee, making a solid connection with his crotch. “Now you have something else to think about.” She shoved him aside and ran down the stairs, ignoring everyone’s stares as she pushed past them in her attempt to reach the front door. Once she hit the front porch she took off at top speed for the parking lot. She had to get to the intersection before Prue did. She just had to.


“Cause I was born in the USA!” Prue pointed at some car full of kids she passed as she belted out the song. Traffic had been lighter than she expected, which meant she made even better time than she thought she would. That and the thought of her baby sister trying to avoid some oversexed college guy. It meant she would get to the house before Phoebe made it outside, but that was all right.

“Yeah.” She sighed contentedly as the song gave way to the radio announcer’s voice. “Gotta love the Boss.” She was still nodding her head in time to the music when she saw the last traffic light before campus officially began. “Hold on, Pheebs. I’m almost there.”


Phoebe had the petal to the metal, trying to steer with one hand and dial Prue’s cell with the other. She was beginning to wonder if Kelly’s cordless would work this far away from its base when the phone slipped from her hand.

“Damn it!”

She tried to reach for it without looking, but her hand couldn’t find it. She looked away from the road for a second. Just a tiny little split second so that she could find the phone and hear her sister’s voice. But a split second was all it took for the light ahead of her to change. She looked back up in time to see a car enter the intersection and managed to let out a shocked scream before her world went black.

The ringing of the phone split the silence of the room. Again. And again. And again.

Leo didn‘t look away from the TV show he was watching. “Aren’t you going to get that?”
Piper shook her head as she continued to flip through the pages of the magazine in her hands. “Nope.”
“Why not?”
“Because it’s probably one of them.”
“By ‘them’ do you mean your sisters?”
“I’m sorry.” Piper put the magazine aside. “But I don’t have any sisters. What I have are two young woman who can’t be bothered to answer the phone.” She flared her nostrils, her brown eyes blazing. “I mean, I leave five messages at the house, three more on Prue’s cell and they haven’t called back until now?” She threw her hands in the air. “Let it ring!”
Leo rolled his eyes as he sat up. “You know how they are, Piper. Prue probably worked late and Phoebe was probably out with some of her college friends.”
“I know.” Piper crossed her arms against her chest. “But they also know that I worry about them. And when I’m worried about them, I can’t think of anything else. They ruined our whole night by not calling me back.”
“Well if you answered it now, we could still, you know….” Leo shrugged his shoulders. “Have some fun.”

Piper thought about it. Leo was right, of course. Each of her sisters would have a good excuse for not calling back before now. And hearing from them would put her mind at ease.

“Go on.” Leo patted her on the leg. “Talk to whoever it is.” He got up off the bed, stopping in the doorway to the bathroom. “Maybe you’ll be lucky and it’ll be both of them.”

She grinned as she watched him close the door and reached for the phone. “You better have a damned good excuse for calling this late.”
“Piper?”
Her grin faded. “Darryl?”
“Yeah.” He took a deep breath. “I hate to have to do this, but you need to get home right away. There’s been an accident.”

Piper dropped the phone before he could say anything else. “Leo. Leo!” She ran to the bathroom door. “Get out here! Now!!”


The first thing she noticed was the pounding in her head. The second was the hum of activity around her. “Ugh….” She groaned as she tried to open her eyes.

“Doctor. I think she’s waking up.”

She frowned when she heard the voice. Doctor? Why did she need a doctor? All she had was a hangover thanks to Kelly and her bright idea to go to that damned party. Her heart sank. Maybe she had alcohol poisoning. Wouldn’t that be a kick in the pants? Prue would be frantic and totally pissed off all at the same time.

“Take it easy, Miss Halliwell. You took a pretty nasty bump to the head.”

Her frown deepened at the woman’s words. Bump on the head? What did she do? Pass out and fall down the stairs at the sorority house? She flinched as first one eye and then the other was forced open and a penlight flashed across her vision.

“Pupils are equal and reactive. I think she’s going to be fine.”

Fine? Not when Prue got done with her. Coming to pick her up after a long day at the magazine and they ended up at the hospital. And then there was Piper. That poor girl hardly ever got any time to herself with Leo and when she finally did, something like this had to happen. Once again she was living up to her title as family screw up. She opened her eyes to find herself staring up into the intense face of a middle aged man.

“Miss Halliwell, I’m Doctor Hastings. You’re in the emergency room at Bay General Hospital. You were….”
“Phoebe?”

She shifted her gaze to Darryl, who was suddenly leaning over her.

“Thank God.” Darryl looked at the doctor. “Is she going to be all right?”
Doctor Hastings nodded. “I think so. She’s got a concussion and we’ll want to keep her overnight. But after that you can have her.”

Phoebe frowned again. What was that supposed to mean? ‘You can have her?’ The doctor said it like she was carrying the plague or something.

“Look, do you think I could have a couple of minutes alone with her?”
“Of course.” Doctor Hastings motioned for the nurse to come with him as he left the room without so much as a backward glance.
Darryl waited until they were gone to look down at her again, concern etched on his brow. “Are you really all right?”
She winced as she nodded. “Yeah.” Her voice was little more than a gruff whisper. “I think so.”
“Good.” Darryl ran his hand over his head. “Because you have more than a few questions to answer.”
It felt like the frown was becoming a permanent fixture on her face. “What are you talking about?”

Darryl paced away from the bed. “Please tell me you remember what happened tonight.”
“All right.” She tried to sit up a little but instantly regretted it as her head screamed in protest. She stayed still as she continued. “I remember what happened tonight. I went to a party at a sorority house on campus.”
“And?”
“And I had a little too much to drink. I ended up calling Prue to come and get me.”
“Keep going.”
“What do you mean keep going? I called Prue and somehow hit my head to end up here.”
“This is great.” Darryl shook his head. “You don’t remember.”

She was getting more and more confused by the second.

“And if you don’t remember, we’ll probably never know what happened.”
“All right, Darryl. You’re starting to scare me. Just tell me what happened.”
“I can’t Phoebe, because I don’t know. And even if I did I couldn’t tell you. It might be seen as coercion.”
“Coercion?”
“Yeah, as in I influenced your story by telling you what I think happened.”
“What story, Darryl?! I told you everything I know!”

“Excuse me.” Doctor Hastings was back in the doorway. “But I really need to know if you managed to reach the other sister, Inspector Morris.”
Darryl clinched his jaw. “Yes. I did. Piper should be here within the hour.”
“Within the hour?” The doctor echoed his words as he shook his head. “I’m afraid that may be too late.”

Phoebe swallowed hard. “Too late for what? What’s going on?” She suddenly realized that something was missing from her room. “Darryl, where’s Prue?”
Doctor Hastings shot her a dirty look. “I’ll leave you to tell her.”
Phoebe looked to Darryl for guidance as the doctor once again walked away. “Leave you to tell me what, Darryl?”
Darryl came back to her side and took her hand in his own. “Phoebe, you, uh….” He rolled his eyes. “God, how do I do this.”
“Tell me!!”
“You were in an accident, Phoebe. You were driving a car registered to your friend, Kelly Benson.”

Her heart skipped a beat. Why would she have been driving Kelly’s car? She never borrowed a friend’s car. That’s what her sisters were for. And she knew better than to drink and drive.

“You, uh….” Darryl cleared his throat nervously. “You ran a red light and….” He closed his eyes. “You hit Prue.”

It all came back to her as his words echoed through her mind. The premonition. Taking Kelly’s keys and phone. Trying to call Prue’s cell. Dropping the phone. Looking away from the road to find it.

“No.” She shook her head, not feeling the pain the motion brought with it. “NO!!”
“Phoebe….”
She jerked her hand out of his. “No, Darryl! You’re wrong! I didn’t…. I couldn’t…. Prue’s fine!!!”

“Is everything all right in here?” The nurse from before came back into the room, shooting Darryl a look as she went to check on Phoebe. “Miss Halliwell really shouldn’t get agitated right now, Inspector.”

“Damn it!!”

They all three jumped as noise erupted in the cubicle across from Phoebe’s.

“We’re losing her!”

Phoebe sat up, knowing beyond a shadow of a doubt who they were talking about. She managed to catch a glimpse of her big sister as doctors and nurses hurried into the cubicle.

“PRUE!!!!”

There’s been an accident…. An accident…. An accident….’

The words swirled around in Piper’s mind, bringing fresh tears to her eyes. One of her sisters had been in an accident. Prue or Phoebe could be….

She told herself to stop right there. Why did she always have to assume the worst? Sure Darryl had sounded terrible on the phone and told her to come home because there had been an accident. But he didn’t say what kind of accident. Maybe Phoebe had tried to make a potion and the stock pot they always used blew up. Or maybe Prue had tried to write a spell and it had backfired, turning her into some gnarly beast. Or maybe the two of them had tangled with a demon and got a little beat up. All of those scenarios would freak Darryl out.

But all she had to do was look at Leo to know it was more serious than that. He had taken over as soon as he came out of the bathroom. First by talking to Darryl and then by getting her and all their things to the Jeep so they could get back to San Francisco. And as a former Whitelighter, none of those things would have him clinching his jaw or gripping the steering wheel so hard that his knuckles were turning white. Yet she couldn’t bring herself to ask which sister it was or what had happened. All she knew was it was bad. Really bad.

“Piper?”
She jumped as Leo’s hand fell on her shoulder.
“We’re here.”

Her worst fears were confirmed when she saw that they were in the hospital parking lot. One of her sister’s was in there somewhere. That was all the motivation she needed to jump out of the Jeep and sprint toward the emergency room entrance.


She couldn’t breathe. She couldn’t move. She couldn’t think. All she could do was watch helplessly as doctors and nurses surrounded her sister, the loud droning noise coming from the machinery next to the bed drawing them in like bees to a flower. One of the nurses kicked the doorstop as she hurried by, causing the door to shut, closing them off from the rest of the ER.

“No!”

The sudden lack of sound brought Phoebe out of her frozen state. She started to climb out of her own bed, ignoring the pain that shot through her body as she did so.

“Hey!” The nurse grabbed her arm. “Where do you think you’re going?!”
“That’s my sister!” Phoebe ripped her arm out of the nurse’s grip. “I have to be with her!”
“Ph….”

She completely ignored Darryl as she pulled the IV out of her hand and half limped, half ran toward where she knew her sister was. She pushed the door open and stepped inside just in time to hear a young doctor shout, “Clear!” and touch something to her sister’s chest. Her breath caught in her throat as Prue’s body jerked.

One of the nurses looked at the monitors next to the bed. “Still nothing.”
The doctor shook his head. “Charge the paddles to 200.”

Their words were lost on Phoebe as she looked at her sister. Her Prue. Laying there so pale and still as everyone around her tried to save her. It took three more jolts before an all too slow beeping sound filled the room.

The nurse looking at the monitors smiled. “We got her back.”
“Barely.” The young doctor sounded defeated as he put the paddles back on the machine to his left before looking at one of the doctors whose back was to Phoebe. “We NEED to get her to the OR.”
“I know.”

Phoebe instantly recognized the voice of Doctor Hastings. She couldn’t explain it, but he gave her the creeps.

“Her sister should be here soon.”
“But….”
“This conversation is pointless.” Doctor Hastings cut him off before he could continue. “You know as well as I do that we can’t send her up without the family’s consent. What you need to concentrate on now is keeping her alive until her sister arrives.”

“I‘m already here.” Phoebe swallowed hard as everyone turned to look at her. “You need permission to do something, I’ll give it to you. Just help her.” Her voice quivered as she continued to stare at Prue. “Please.”
“What the hell do you think you’re doing?!”

Phoebe wasn’t the only one to jump at the intensity of Doctor Hastings’ voice as he turned to face her, his face red with anger.

“I….”
“That was a rhetorical question, Miss Halliwell.” He took a step toward her. “Get out!”
“What?” Phoebe looked at him, obviously confused.
“I said to get out! As in leave this room this instant!”
“No.” She shook her head. “I…. I need to be with her.”
“You shouldn’t be allowed anywhere near her after what you’ve done!”

His words were like a slap to Phoebe’s face.

The young doctor took a step toward them. “Doctor Hastings….”
“No!” The older man clinched his jaw. “I refuse to coddle one more drunk who gets behind the wheel and ends up in my ER!” He gripped Phoebe’s shoulder, pulling her closer to the bed. “Look at what you’ve done, Miss Halliwell. You took a beautiful, healthy young woman and you broke her. You left her fighting for her life because you thought it would be fun to get plastered and take a little spin!”

She wanted to look away but couldn’t. Couldn’t take her eyes off of the cuts and bruises covering Prue’s face. Off of the blood trickling from the corner of her sister’s mouth. Off of the tube down her throat or the machines surrounding her. And the whole time one thought kept repeating itself over and over and over again. ‘It’s all your fault.’

“And the fact that she’s your sister makes me sick!”
Someone opened the door behind them. “Doctor Hastings?”
“What?!” He looked at the woman, clearly upset about being interrupted.
“The patient’s other sister is here.”
“Thank God.” Doctor Hastings pushed Phoebe toward an intern. “Take her back to her bed and make sure she stays there until they put her in her own room. Doctor Austin….” He pointed at the young doctor. “You’re with me.”

Phoebe barely noticed as they pushed past her and left the room. Just like she didn’t put up a fight when the intern steered her through the door and back across the hall.

“Phoebe?” Darryl joined them halfway back to her bed. “Are you all right?”

She couldn’t find her voice to answer him, but the answer was no. She wasn’t all right. Nothing would ever be all right again.


Piper paced the tiny space like a caged tiger. This couldn’t be good. She went to the nurse’s desk to ask about her sister and they instantly shoved her into a room barely big enough to serve as a broom closet. It was the kind of thing they did in movies or TV shows when they were going to give you bad news and didn’t want you upsetting everyone else when you broke down.

“Piper?”

She jumped when she heard the voice. She turned to find Leo giving her a sheepish look.

“Sorry. I didn’t mean to scare you. The woman at the desk told me you were in here but I wasn’t sure if you wanted me to wait with you or….”
She cut him off by grabbing his hand and pulling him to her side. “Of course I do. I….” Her voice broke. “I can’t do this alone.”
Leo put his arms around her. “I’m right here.”

“Miss Halliwell?”

They both jumped as two men came into the room.

“I’m Doctor Hastings and this is Doctor Austin.” The older of the two spoke as he shut the door. “We’re treating your sister, Prudence.”

Piper’s heart sank. So it was Prue. “Wh….” Her voice failed her for a moment. “What happened?”
“We’re not sure of all the details, Miss Halliwell. There is a police inspector here who can answer all of your questions.” Doctor Hastings crossed his arms.
The younger doctor nodded. “What we came in here for is your consent to take your sister to surgery. She’s bleeding internally.”
Piper put one shaking hand over her mouth. “Is it….” She sighed. “Is it bad?”
“I don’t mean to sound rude, Miss Halliwell, but your sister is in extremely critical condition. The longer we stand here talking to you, the weaker she gets.”
“Right.” Piper nodded. “Then go. Do the surgery.”
“Thank you.” Doctor Austin gave her shoulder a squeeze as he followed Doctor Hastings out of the room. “We’ll keep you posted.”

“Oh God!” Piper felt Leo’s arms around her again as her legs started to fold under her. “What happened here, Leo?” She turned, burying her head against his chest as she cried. “What happened?”

“I’ll be up as soon as they get you settled.”

Darryl waited for a response from Phoebe but none came. All he could do was watch helplessly as they wheeled the gurney she was on into the elevator. The poor kid hadn’t said a word since leaving Prue. But they were moving her to a private room, which meant there wasn’t a damned thing he could do for her right now. And they had whisked Prue away a few minutes before, which could only mean one thing. Piper had arrived.

Just thinking the middle Halliwell’s name brought a heavy feeling to the pit of his stomach. She was by far the most sensitive of the three. Especially when it came to her sisters. How was he supposed to tell her what had happened? How was he supposed to make her understand when he was having a hard time figuring it out himself?

“Inspector Morris?”

He looked up when he heard his name to find Doctor Hastings walking toward him, Leo following close behind. A puffy eyed Piper was leaning heavily against his side. So much for having a few minutes to figure out what he was going to say to them.

“I thought I would help Miss Halliwell find you.”

Darryl nodded at the doctor’s comment, resisting the urge to deck him. The guy had been trying to tell her what to do all night. And he was more than willing to bet the bastard had said something to upset Phoebe. But now wasn’t the time or the place for that.

“That’s very kind of you.”
Doctor Hastings smiled. “I took the liberty of clearing out the doctor‘s lounge to give you somewhere private to talk.” He gestured toward a door to his right. “I’ll see to it that no one interrupts you.”
“Thanks again.” Darryl held the door for Piper and Leo, forgetting all about Doctor Hastings when he felt the weight of Piper’s stare as he followed them into the lounge.

“Wh….” She licked her lips as tears continued to spill down her cheeks. “What happened, Darryl?”
He took a deep breath and shared a look with Leo before answering. “Prue was driving near campus….”
“Campus? What was she doing there?”
Darryl ignored Piper’s question, knowing he had to get this all out at once. “Someone ran a red light and hit the passenger side of her car. The impact threw her into a lamp post. It took rescue workers almost an hour to cut her out.”
Piper put her hand over her mouth. “Oh God!”
“I was at the scene….” He hesitated, the whole thing playing over again in his mind. “They rushed her into an ambulance before I could see her. But I rode with Phoebe.”

Darryl realized his mistake the minute the words left his mouth, but he couldn’t take them back.

“Phoebe.” Piper closed her eyes. “Oh God, I didn’t even think about her. Where is she?”
“She’s, uh….” Darryl sighed again. “They’re putting her in a private room right now.”
“Private room? Why are they putting her in a room?” Piper pushed herself away from Leo. “What happened to her?!”
“She’s got a concussion and a few bumps and bruises. They want to keep her overnight for observation.”
“A concussion?! Bumps and bruises?!” Realization suddenly hit her and Piper put her head in her hands. “Oh no.” Her voice was little more than a whisper. “She was in the car with Prue, wasn’t she?”
“No. She wasn’t.”

Silence fell over the room. A ‘calm before the storm’ kind of silence.

“What do you mean she wasn’t? How did she get hurt if she wasn’t with Prue?”
“She was, uh….” He looked at Leo again. “She was in the other car.”
“What?!”

Darryl flinched, knowing Piper’s reactions were only going to get worse. He hated what he was about to do, but he knew he had to do it.

“That’s not all.”
“What do you mean ‘that’s not all?!’”
“Phoebe was driving the other car.”
Piper drew in a shocked breath. “What?”
“And, um…. She was…. She was drunk.”

“No.” Piper shook her head as she backed away from both of them. “No, you’re wrong. Phoebe would never…. Could never….” Her hand shook violently as she tucked her hair behind her ear. “We’re sisters.”

Leo went to her, drawing her into a tight embrace. He looked at Darryl over her head. “How did this happen?”
Darryl clinched his jaw as he shrugged his shoulders. “I don’t have all the details yet. I got to the scene when they were working on Prue’s car. There was a major pile up on one of the interstates, so only one crew could respond at first. Phoebe had strong vitals so they decided to concentrate on getting Prue out. By the time the second ambulance got there for Phoebe, they were rushing Prue here and wouldn’t let me ride with her. That’s all I know until I get a chance to talk to Phoebe.”

“I can’t….” Piper’s voice was muffled, her face buried against Leo’s chest. “This can’t be happening.”

Darryl reached out as if to touch her but drew his hand back. “I’ll leave you two alone.” He hurried out of the lounge, tears glistening in his eyes.


“There. Now you just push the call button if you need anything.”

Phoebe heard the nurse’s words but didn’t feel like responding. All she wanted to do was curl up in a little ball and cry. She rolled onto her side so that her back was to the door and closed her eyes as her tears started to fall.

Prue in her car, singing along to some song on the radio. An intersection near campus.

She shivered as she slipped into the premonition again. Why had she had it in the first place if she wasn’t meant to stop it? Wasn’t that how her powers were supposed to work? She saw something, she did whatever it took to stop it from happening, everyone lived happily ever after. What was the point in this one? She tried to push it away but had no control over what was going on in her mind.

A dark car speeding through the red light. Prue looking up in time to see the headlights just before the car hit her.

Phoebe frowned. Something wasn’t right. Something about the car. Her eyes snapped open when she realized what it was. The car in her premonition was dark. As in a dark color like black or blue or red or green. Kelly’s car was a little white piece of crap her parents bought her with the promise of something better if she kept her grades up and finished college. White. Not dark. White.

Fresh tears slid down her cheeks when she realized what that meant. She HAD stopped her premonition. She wasn’t quite sure how or why. Maybe she had driven a little faster than the dark car. Or maybe Prue had driven faster, putting her in the intersection before the other car had a chance to get there. Not that it really mattered. Prue was still in an operating room right now, barely hanging on.

Images of her big sister filled her head, sending another chill down her spine. Prue had looked so small laying in that bed as the doctor did everything he could to get her heart beating again. So pale. So helpless.

“Phoebe?”

She was too caught up in her thoughts to hear the voice coming from the doorway. Too caught up in what she had done to Prue. To her own sister.

“Phoebe?”

She jumped when she felt the hand on her back. “Leave me alone.”
“Ph….”
“I said to leave me alone!” She rolled over to yell at whoever was daring to interrupt her wallowing in self pity. Her breath caught in her throat when she saw her own brown eyes staring down at her. “Piper?” She threw her arms around her sister. “Oh God, Piper!”
“Shh.” Piper stroked her hair. “Calm down, sweetie.”

Phoebe melted into her sister’s arms and really gave in to her emotions. Piper held her close, rocking her ever so gently back and forth until her sobs quieted into sniffles.

“Do you feel better now?”
Phoebe nodded. “Yeah.”
“Good.” Piper held her at arm’s length. “Because I want to know what the hell happened tonight”

“Piper?” Phoebe’s voice was that of a scared little girl as she looked at her sister.
“See.” Piper shrugged as she let go of her and got up from where she had been sitting on the edge of the bed. “The story Darryl just told me doesn’t make a whole lot of sense. So I want to hear it again.” She turned to look at her sister. “Only this time I want to hear it from you.”

Phoebe had heard the steely edged anger in Piper’s voice many times in her life, but it was usually directed at someone her sister would rather not be dealing with. Employees who had screwed up at Quake or P3. Supply companies who couldn’t quite get an order right. Leo when the Elders were being a pain in the ass. But never at her or Prue. Not until now.

“I’m waiting, Phoebe.”

She swallowed hard. Her brain told her to keep her mouth shut but her heart told her she had to the right thing. As much as it was going to hurt, she had to tell Piper the truth. Her sister deserved at least that much.

“I went to a party at my friend Kelly’s sorority house. I only meant to stop in and say hi. I thought Prue and I could grab a late dinner together or something after she got home from work.” She hesitated for a moment as Piper flinched at the mention of Prue’s name. “But it didn’t happen that way. Kelly talked me into having a couple of drinks….”
“You’re a big girl, Phoebe. You could have told her no.”
“I know, but….” Phoebe scrambled for the right words. “But it felt good to kick back and relax a little. Between demon hunting and studying I haven’t had a whole lot of time for that lately.”
“None of us have.”

Phoebe hung her head, knowing her sister was right. How long had it taken her and Prue to talk Piper into going away with Leo? Two weeks? Three? Even then she had made them promise to call her if anything happened. How was it she had put it? ‘If one of you breaks a nail, I want to know about it.’

“Keep going.”
“I, uh….” She couldn’t bring herself to look at Piper. “I got a little carried away. Had a little too much fun flirting with this guy. I ended up in Kelly’s room, calling Prue to see if she could come pick me up.”
“Why? I mean, why Prue? Why didn’t you just call a cab?”
“Because I chipped in on the last keg the girls had delivered. When it was all said and done, I didn’t have enough for a cab.”
Piper nodded. “And everyone else was too wasted to give you a ride?”
“Yeah.” Phoebe sighed. “They were.”
“So you’re hiding from some guy in Kelly’s room with no money for a cab and no sober friends who could take you home and the first person you thought of to help you out was Prue?”
“You weren’t here.”
Piper’s head snapped up. “Don’t blame this on me, Phoebe!”

The venom in her sister’s voice caught her off guard. “I….” She shook her head. “I didn’t mean it that way. I just meant….” Nothing she said was coming out right. “Yes. I thought of Prue and I called her.”
“And she didn’t say a word, did she? Didn’t give you the lecture you were expecting?”
“No, she didn’t. All she said was I better meet her out front because she was tired and didn’t want to have to come looking for me.”
Piper chuckled half heartedly. “That’s our Prue.” She wiped at the tears on her cheeks. “What happened next?”
“I….” Fresh tears blurred Phoebe’s vision. “I had a premonition. Of Prue being hit by another car at an intersection near campus.”
“So you decided to jump in your friend’s car because…?”
“Because it seemed like the right thing to do at the time. Like the only way to stop my premonition from coming true.”
“You had just talked to her, Phoebe. Why didn’t you call her again?”
“I….”
“Why didn’t you just deal her cell and warn her?!”
“I don’t now, all right?!” Phoebe’s shoulders shook with pent up sobs. “I wasn’t thinking straight!”
“Damn right you weren’t!”

Piper’s hands doubled into fists at her sides as she paced around the room.

“Do you realize what you’ve done, Phoebe? Do you have any idea?”

Images of Prue’s battered body jerking as the doctor shocked her filled Phoebe’s mind.

“What the hell possessed you to get behind the wheel of a car?! You know drinking and driving don’t mix. Hell, you’re the one who calls cabs for the drunks at the club!!” Piper clinched her jaw. “But you did it. You got in that car and you drove to that intersection!”
“But I…. I stopped the premonition.”
Piper frowned. “What?!”
“The….” Phoebe chocked. “The car in my premonition was dark. Kelly’s car is…. Is white….”
“Oh, well that makes it all better doesn’t it?!” Piper threw her hands in the air. “You stopped your damned premonition!!” She shook her head in disbelief. “Congratulations, Phoebe! You saved someone else the hassle of nearly killing our sister by hitting her yourself!!” She made a show of clapping her hands. “Bravo! Job well done!! What will you do for an encore?!!!”

“Excuse me…”

They both looked up when they heard Doctor Austin’s voice. He looked at them from the doorway, obviously uncomfortable. Piper instantly started toward him.

“How’s Prue?”
“We….” He stepped into the room, shutting the door behind him. “We managed to stop the worst of the internal bleeding.”
Phoebe’s heart sank. “The worst?”
Piper shot her a warning glare. “What exactly does that mean?”

Doctor Austin hesitated. This was the part of his job he hated.

“Doctor?” Piper looked at him expectantly.
“Your sister is extremely weak right now. We did everything we could for her before her heart started showing signs of strain.”
“So she’ll need more surgery later?”
Doctor Austin nodded. “As soon as we feel her body can withstand it.”
“What….” Piper closed her eyes, trying to keep control of her quivering voice. “What are her injuries?”
The doctor sighed. “Her spleen was ruptured, which was causing the majority of her internal bleeding. We removed it. We also managed to do some work on her liver before we had to close her up. It was severely lacerated by one of her ribs. We’re going to try and control blood loss from it with medication. She also suffered massive damage to her left kidney. We’ll more than likely have to remove it too.”
“Oh God!!” Piper put her hand over her mouth. “I’m….” Her voice was barely audible. “I’m sorry. Please keep going.”
“Are you sure? Maybe I should….”
“No.” Piper looked at him with sad brown eyes. “Keep going.”

He paused, trying to gauge the condition of the women before him. The last thing he needed was one of them passing out. “If you’re sure.”
“Yes…. I am.”
“All right.” He cleared his throat. “She also has a collapsed lung, which we’re hoping to correct with a chest tube. Her left forearm was crushed. Her left leg is broken in two places and her right ankle is fractured.”
“What about….” Piper rolled her eyes, trying to hold in the river of tears falling from them. “Her head?”
“There was no substantial damage caused by the accident. But her heart stopped once on the way here in the ambulance and again while she was in the emergency room. There is no way of telling what effect the lack of oxygen may have on her until she regains consciousness.”

Phoebe felt her world spinning out of control. Poor Prue. Poor, poor Prue.

Piper drew in a ragged breath. “Be honest with me, Doctor Austin. What are her chances?”
Doctor Austin swallowed hard. “At this time, not good. We have her on life support to try and give her body a chance to rest but we can’t wait too long before taking her back into surgery.” He gestured helplessly with his hands. “It’s really up to her right now.”
“Then she’ll pull through.” Piper nodded. “She‘s a fighter.”
“I’m sure she is.”
“Can I….” Piper used her sleeve to wipe at her tears. “Can I see her?”
“We’re putting her in ICU. You’ll only be able to stay with her a couple of minutes.”
“That’s all I need.”
Doctor Austin nodded. “Then I’ll have a nurse come and get you as soon as she’s out of recovery.”
“Thank you. For everything.”
“No thanks needed.” He stopped as he opened the door. “I want you both to know she’s in my prayers.”

His words echoed through Phoebe’s mind. ‘In my prayers….’ Why hadn’t she thought of that? Here she was crying her eyes out like a little baby when she should have been doing something so much more constructive, like praying for her sister. The sound of the door opening again made her look up.

“Piper?”

Piper stopped, her knuckled turning white as she gripped the door. “I…. I can’t be here right now, Phoebe.”
“But….”
“I don’t want to hate you.”

The words were like a knife plunging into Phoebe’s heart as she watched the door shut behind her sister’s retreating form.

“Pheebs?”

She laid completely still, eyes shut. Darryl was like a big brother to her, but he didn’t know her. Not well enough to realize there wasn’t a snowball’s chance in hell that she would actually be asleep right now. How could she even consider it with Prue in ICU and Piper so upset? They were the only ones she wanted to be with. Her sisters. Everyone else could just go away.

“Darryl?”

She was surprised to hear Leo’s voice.

“How is she?”
“Asleep. How’s Piper?”
“I don’t think there’s a word in the English language to describe Piper right now. One minute she’s pacing the waiting room and the next she’s crying her eyes out. She sent me to get her some coffee.”

Darryl must have been holding the door open because it sounded like they were out in the hallway. Not that it really mattered to her right now. They could have been tap dancing on her bed and she wouldn’t have cared.

“Has she seen Prue yet?”
“No. I think it’ll help a little when she does.”
There was an awkward silence between them.
“It’s nice of you to be checking on Phoebe.”
“I’m afraid this wasn’t a social call. I, uh…. I came to warn her that she’s going to be charged with a DUI.”
“What?!”
“There’s no way around it, Leo. She got drunk and drove a car. The fact that she caused an accident isn’t going to help things. And I don’t even want to think about what will happen if Prue….”

Phoebe’s heart skipped a beat.

“Don’t say it, Darryl.”
“It’s not like I want it to happen, Leo. You know I love all three of them like sisters. It’s just…. I can’t do a damned thing for Prue. The least I can do is try to help Phoebe.”

“Excuse me, gentleman, but would you mind taking your conversation somewhere else? Miss Halliwell needs her rest.”

Phoebe thanked the nurse silently. Her thanks quickly turned to curses when she realized Darryl and Leo were gone but the woman was now in her room.

“Are you really asleep, Miss Halliwell?”

Like she was going to answer. She just wanted to be alone!

“They just got done moving your sister to ICU. Doctor Hastings is going to leave a standing order that you’re not to be allowed anywhere near her. But the charge nurse up there owes me a favor. I thought maybe we could sneak you in for a visit.”
Phoebe opened her eyes and stared at the nurse from the emergency room. “Why would you do that for me?”
The nurse shrugged. “I saw how upset you were earlier. And I have sisters. I know you didn’t do this intentionally. So what do you say?”
Tears filled Phoebe’s eyes. “I say thank you.”
The nurse smiled. “Let me grab a wheelchair.”


Piper watched the floor indicator in the elevator. A nurse had come into the waiting room just after Leo left to tell her that she could see Prue. She wanted to wait for him, but she needed to see her sister more. He would figure out where she was.

“Here we are.”

The sound of the nurse’s voice made her jump. She followed her off of the elevator, surprised at how quiet this floor was compared to the rest of the hospital.

“First you have to wash your hands, for sanitary reasons.” The nurse pointed to a sink as they walked through some heavy wooden doors. She waited until Piper was done to speak again. “And then we have to put you in one of these.” She held up a surgical gown.

Piper’s heart beat rapidly in her chest as the nurse tied the gown for her. All this just so she could see her sister.

“This way.”

She didn’t even realize she was holding her breath until they reached Prue’s room. One look at her sister and it came out as a long, shocked gasp. Prue was a mass of cuts and bruises and looked as white as the sheet covering her.

“Don’t be afraid to touch her. She needs to know you’re here.”

Piper barely heard the nurse’s words as she continued to stare at her sister. But she knew the instant the nurse moved away, leaving her alone. It took her a second to work up the nerve to actually go into the room.

“Prue?” She whispered her sister’s name as she took another step toward the bed. “Oh God, Prue.” The dam broke as she touched her sister’s hand. “I….” She shook her head. “I don’t know what to say. I don’t….”

She told herself to calm down. The last thing Prue needed right now was a hysterical wreck blubbering all over her. For once she had to be the strong one.

“Sorry about that.” She wiped at the tears on her cheeks. “It’s just…. Seeing you like this is so hard, Prue. I mean, normally you’re the one taking care of me or….” She couldn’t bring herself to say her sister’s name. “Taking care of one of us. But don’t you worry. I’m going to be here for you every step of the way. All you have to do is concentrate on getting better, all right?”

She ran the back of her fingers down Prue’s cheek. “I love you. I know I say it to you all the time, but I need you to know that it’s true. I’ve loved you for as long as I can remember. And I always will.” She blinked back tears. “I know you’re probably going to call me a sentimental fool when you wake up, but I need to say something else to you. I need to say thank you. For always being there for me. For being my sounding board, my shoulder to cry on….” She paused. “For being my big sister.”

She jumped as a high pitched noise started coming from one of the machines next to the bed. “Prue?” Her blood ran cold as it went from an erratic rhythm to a constant hum. “NO!” She looked at the flat line on one of the monitors.


“Clear!”

The word sailed through the air as the elevator doors slid open. Phoebe felt the nurse tense up behind her and instantly knew what was going on. She pushed herself out of the wheelchair and ran toward the source of all the commotion.

“Nothing.”
“Let’s hit her again. Clear!”

It was like reliving a bad nightmare. Doctor Austin standing over Prue, paddles in hand. Everyone moving away from the bed as he touched them to her sister’s chest. Prue’s body jerking as electricity shot through her. Only this time there was another witness. Piper stood in the corner of the room, her brown eyes wide as she watched what was happening to their sister.

“It’s not working, doctor. More epinephrine?”
Doctor Austin looked at the monitors for a moment before shaking his head. “No. I think she’s been through enough. Time of death….” He consulted the clock on the wall. “6:30.”

Phoebe’s breath caught in her throat. Time of death? Time of death?!!

“I’m sorry.” Doctor Austin looked at Piper as he turned off the machines next to the bed. “We did everything we could. Her injuries were just too much.”

This couldn’t be happening. Prue couldn’t be…. She wasn’t….

“No.” Piper shook her head. “NO!!” She threw herself at the bed. “Don’t do this, Prue! Please….” Sobs wracked her body as she looked down at her sister. “Come back!” She climbed into the bed. “Please, come back….” Her last words were a muffled whisper.

“Oh my God!” Phoebe put her hand over her mouth, realizing that her second premonition had come true. “What have I done?!”
The nurse gripped her shoulder. “I’m so sorry, sweetie. You didn’t even get to say goodbye.”

It was a beautiful day in the city by the bay. Bright sunshine. Not a cloud in the sky. And just a hint of a breeze to keep the temperature perfect.

It was the kind of day where they would wake up to the smell of blueberry pancakes and all sit at the same side of the table so they could be close to each other. But that was never enough for them. They would pack the huge picnic basket Grams had always used when they were kids and go the park or, on really special occasions, the beach. But today was definitely a park kind of day. There would be Frisbee throwing and long walks and heart to heart talks. Maybe even a rousing game of truth or dare.

“You all right?”

A growling response formed in the back of her throat. Not only was he interrupting her thoughts, he was doing it with a stupid question. But then she remembered what he was doing for her and nodded instead.

“Yeah.”

The lie slipped easily from her lips. She must have sounded convincing because he left her alone. Or maybe he realized now wasn’t the time to push the subject. Either way his question had ruined her daydream. Instead of what could have been she was thinking of what was. And she wasn’t all right. Nothing was. It never would be again.

“Pheebs?”

She looked up when she heard the voice, her breath catching in her throat as an all too familiar figure appeared from behind a nearby tree. She was about to speak when another voice interrupted her.

“Prue?”

She looked in the opposite direction to find herself sitting Indian style on the ground. Not the her of now. A younger, fresh from the Big Apple version of her. She realized Prue was younger too as she watched her big sister walk toward her.

“What are you doing here?”
“I could ask you the same thing.”
“I…. I just thought I would….”
“Yeah, me too.”

Tears glistened in her eyes as Prue knelt down next to her younger self, lovingly running her hand along the etched letters on the stone next to them. She remembered the day well. She had been back in San Francisco all of a week. Just long enough to turn everyone’s world upside down by finding the Book of Shadows and reading the spell that unleashed their powers. Tension in the Manor was at the breaking point as they all tried to gain control of their newfound gifts. She had finally left, needing a few minutes to herself. She knew one of her sister would come after her when they realized she was gone, but she had never in her wildest dreams imagined it would be Prue.

“So, what’s a girl like you doing in a place like this?”

Her eyes lingered on her big sister as the lame excuse at an ice breaker hung awkwardly between the two of them. Prue tried again when no response came.

“Piper sent me looking for you.”
“How’d you know where to find me?”
“Like I would forget your favorite hiding place. How many times did you run away from home and end up here when we were kids?”
Younger Phoebe chuckled. “It seemed like every other day.”
Prue smiled. “I think you still hold the record for most police escorts home by a seven year old.”

God she was beautiful. So radiant and full of life. So Prue.

“Look, Pheebs. I need to say something to you.”
“Prue….”
“No, let me say it, all right?” Prue took a deep breath. “I’m sorry. For the way I’ve been treating you. For believing Roger instead of you. For making you feel like you had to go to New York.”

The threatened tears spilled down her cheeks as she listened.

“We’re sisters, Phoebe. Truce?”
“I’ll think about it.”

She watched in disbelief as the younger her climbed to her feet and walked away. Why did she have to be such a hard ass? Why couldn’t she have just admitted how much Prue’s apology meant to her?

“Don’t worry, Mom.” Prue ran her hand over the stone again. “I’ll make things right with her. I promise.”

Why did she have to make Prue work so hard at their relationship? Her heart broke at the thought of how much time she had wasted. She took a step toward her sister, wanting to hug her. To say that she was sorry too. To tell her how much she loved her.

“Phoebe?”

She tried to resist when she felt his hand on her elbow, not wanting to go back. But reality crept up on her as quickly as her memories had pulled her away. Prue disappeared when he turned her to face him.

“Hey, are you really all right?”
“Yeah.” She looked up into Darryl’s concerned brown eyes.
“You sure? You look like you’ve seen a ghost or something.”
“No.” She looked at the spot where her sister had been just moments before, knelling next to their mother’s gravestone. “Not a ghost exactly.”
Darryl frowned but decided not to pursue what she meant. “Come on. They’re getting ready to start.”
“No.” Phoebe pulled her arm out of his grasp. “I….” She looked at the people gathered around them. “I don’t belong with them.”
“Phoebe….”
“You can go if you want to, Darryl. I promise I won’t run away or jump bail or whatever you call it. I just…. I wouldn’t feel comfortable up there.”
“All right.” Darryl sighed. “I’ll stay with you.”

Phoebe was grateful for his presence as Brendan Rowe started to speak. It seemed fitting for him to be the one to oversee the graveside ceremony. After all, if it weren’t for Prue, he would have been a powerful demon instead of a man of the cloth. And the two of them had clicked in a way few people did with Prue.

She felt the weight of someone’s stare and looked up to find a pale, obviously exhausted Piper looking back at her. The glance only lasted a moment before her sister turned back around, but that was all she needed to see the storm of emotions in her eyes. Sorrow. Love. Confusion. Anger. All the things she was feeling only on a different level. After all, Piper was an innocent caught up in this whole thing. She, on the other hand, was the one to blame. The guilty party. The one who had robbed the world of someone extraordinary.

Brendan finished, bringing an eerie silence to the scene. One Phoebe couldn’t handle. She stepped forward, knowing everyone was staring at her but not caring. This was one thing she had to do no matter what.

“Prue?” Her knees nearly buckled as she approached the cherry oak casket. “I…. I hope you can hear me. Wherever you are. Because I have a few things I need to say to you.”

She let her tears fall, her voice little more than a whisper. “I am SO sorry. What I did was stupid and irresponsible and….” She shook her head. “I still can’t believe that you’re…. That I’ll never see you again.” She drew in a deep breath. “Don’t worry about Piper. I, uh…. I know we‘ll each get one of your powers. I wrote a spell so that she‘ll have all of them. At least until I…. Until I can help her again. If she wants my help.”

She looked down at the red rose she was gripping in her right hand. “I love you, Prue. More than I ever thought it was possible to love someone else.” Her hand shook as she laid the flower on top of the casket. “And I hope you can find it in your heart to forgive me someday.”

With that she turned and walked back to Darryl, head held high as she passed everyone by. “Let’s go. I did what I came to do.”
Darryl looked at her sadly. “Okay.”
“Hey Darryl….”
He fell into step next to her. “Yeah?”
“Thanks for bringing me. I know you had to pull some major strings to do it. I figure the state of California takes jail terms pretty seriously, otherwise you’d be out of a job.”
“Yes, they do. But they’ll have you for far too long as it is.”
Phoebe linked arms with him. “I got what I deserved, Darryl.”
“That’s not how I see it.” He suddenly stopped. “Are you sure about this Phoebe? I mean, we could stay a little longer. I can say we got a flat or something on.”
“That’s sweet, Darryl. It really is. But it’s time to go.”
“You’re sure?”
“Yeah.” She looked over her shoulder, first at Piper and then at the casket, saying a silent goodbye. “I’m sure.”




How Could This Happen to Me       click on the appropriate vid to see thei very heart touching video.