Author's note: This fic is three stories combined. The first story is Actions, followed by Consequences, and then Silver Linings. Consequences was written first and was my very first attempt at Charmed Fan Fiction. It was followed by the writing of its prequel, Actions and it's sequel, Silver Linings.

Disclaimer: I do not own any rights to the characters seen in the television show CHARMED. They are the property of Spelling Television. I am simply using them for non-monetary entertainment purposes. Anything recognizable from the show is not owned by me.

WARNINGS: This story contains scenes of rape and violence, If this were the movies it would be deemed R-rated so please read at your own risk.

I heard another door slamming upstairs. It had been like this for three weeks solid. Prue and Phoebe were okay with each other the day of Grams’ funeral, but then, the morning after, all hell broke lose. Prue was dating Roger, an older man she worked with at the museum. Roger had gone to the funeral with Prue. It’s funny; he seemed like such a nice guy. That night as he and Prue sat on the porch, I could hear them through the kitchen window. He told Prue that Phoebe had come on to him and practically attacked him in Prue’s room. Prue actually apologized to that son of a bitch for Phoebe’s alleged actions. Now, I can say that I think I know the most about both of my sisters, at least more than they know about each other, and I can tell you now that although Phoebe may at times think one of our boyfriends is hot, she’d never really attack one. I saw Phoebe that night and she was really shaken up about it. When I asked her what was wrong she simply said that Roger was an extreme bastard and she hoped Prue would dump him.

Prue did eventually dump him. I think she was confused after she heard Phoebe’s side of the story. Phoebe told Prue that she had been walking from the bathroom to her own room when Roger came out of Prue’s room and pulled her in. She said that Roger had thrown her on the bed and had been trying to kiss her and grab at her. I could tell Prue didn’t want to believe Phoebe. She couldn’t believe her fiancée would do something like that to her little sister, so she automatically assumed Phoebe was lying. I thought Phoebe was telling the truth. She said she managed to get away from Roger by telling him that Prue would hate him for it. Phoebe even had the bruises on her wrists to prove there was a struggle but Roger had already beaten Phoebe to the punch by telling Prue that he had to hold her by the arms pretty tightly to keep her off of him.

Prue has always had a knack of jumping to conclusions to quickly. She and Phoebe have always had a rough time finding common ground. Even using me as their buffer didn’t always work. By not believing Phoebe, and telling her so, Prue destroyed the one thing Phoebe believed in, that Prue would always be her protector. No matter how hard they fought or how different they were, Prue always took up for Phoebe when it counted, and Phoebe needed that. We both did.

I heard another door slam upstairs. I really didn’t know how it was going to end. By that time it was out of my hands. I sat by the window in the living room. Phoebe came in, tears in her eyes for the third time that day. I moved to the couch where she sat head in hands trying her best not to cry. I took one of her hands in mine. You know, it’s funny when you get older and you take someone’s hand the comfort it brings. But it also reminded me how small Phoebe was. How her bones were small and when she was worried the way she was, she lost weight and it made her look as vulnerable as I’m sure she felt. So I held her hand.

“Phoebe, honey, Prue is just confused. This is a man she trusted and you’re telling her that he was going to attack you in her own room. It’s got to be hard on her too.”

“I know that Piper. But why can’t se trust me. Can’t she see that this whole thing is hurting me as much as it is her?”

“Maybe not, Pheebs. You know as well as I do that Prue has a way of seeing what she wants to see. When she’s ready, she’ll come to her senses and she’ll drop that bastard so fast you won’t have time to blink.”

“One can hope huh?”

I had been so busy concentrating on the hurt in my baby sister’s eyes that I didn’t hear Prue sneak in behind us. She spoke and I knew she was angry.

“What are you doing Piper? You’re going to take Phoebe’s side once again, aren’t you? That’s fine, I can’t blame you. She just has you blinded with her manipulative self-centered woe is me act.”

“Okay Prue, you need to calm down and the three of us can talk about this calmly.”

“No, Piper, that’s okay, let Prue say her piece, she always does anyway. Go ahead Prue tell me what’s on your mind.”

I simply backed away from them and sat by the window to watch the fallout from the third world war. I could see Phoebe was angry. Phoebe doesn’t get angry. But Prue had pushed her to the edge, and Prue, well, when she’s angry Satan has nothing on her.

“Okay, Phoebe. I will tell you what I’m thinking. I think you’re a lying, skank. I think you are so jealous of what I have with Roger that you saw him in my room while I was at the store and you took full advantage of the situation. I basically think you’re a tramp.”

Oh, if someone else could have been in the room with me it would have been so much easier to take the hurt that poured out of Phoebe’s eyes. I think Phoebe can take just about anything, but her own sister, the sister that she admires and looks up to the most calling her a tramp, it literally broke her heart. The next thing out of Phoebe’s mouth changed all our lives forever. It’s funny to think that something so altering, so earth shattering could come in such a pained, soft whisper. It was a whisper that hurt my ears, hurt my heart.

“Okay Prue, you win. You hate me so much? You think I seduced your boyfriend? That’s fine, you’re going to believe what you want. So be it. I’m out of your life. My bags are already packed. I’m leaving for New York in an hour. Just remember when you discover the truth about Roger that I tried to warn you. Remember that I told you the truth. Remember that I showed you the bruises on my wrist and all you could do was bruise my heart. You remember those things Prue. I’m going upstairs now to gather my things. Don’t bother to say goodbye Prue.”

She looked at me. Her eyes were filled with sorrow. I knew she didn’t really want to go. I knew that she wanted to stay for my sake. I also knew that Prue would never feel the pain of losing a sister unless Phoebe left. Phoebe was so damn independent. She needed time away. She needed to find her way in life. She walked out of the room and I could hear her trudge slowly up the stairs. Than I looked at Prue, who had by that time sat on the couch in utter shock. I could tell looking at Prue that she was going to miss Phoebe, but would never allow herself to admit it.

An hour later, a cab pulled up to the house and Phoebe stood on the curb. The goodbye between her and Prue had been silent. As a matter of fact, Prue sat at the kitchen table when Phoebe walked downstairs and stood before Prue in the Kitchen.

“So, Prue, I’ll see you.”

Prue had just nodded. She said nothing. My heart was torn. It took all I had not to cry. And it wasn’t until I hugged Phoebe at the curb and turned away from the departing cab that the tears poured down my face. I couldn’t bear to return to the kitchen of the manor and face Prue. I was afraid I would say the wrong things to her, blame her for something that just had to happen. So instead, I walked to our tree in the back yard and I sat next to the trunk. I stared at the carving in the tree. We were teenagers when we did that. Prue was 18, getting ready to go to college, I was 16 and the biggest nerd, so afraid of everything, and Phoebe was our little spirit, she was 14 and so sad that Prue would be leaving for college. Prue had made a promise in that tree that day. And her words were carved still almost ten years later in the trunk.

“No matter where I am or what I do, you two are my sisters. I am not whole without you. I want you both to know that I will always believe in you, I will always fight for you no matter what. Together we are the most powerful team. Nothing and no one will ever come between us. Okay?”

She gave her speech as she carved the promise in our tree. ‘A bond stronger than this tree, we have in we sisters three, I believe in you as you do in me.’ I couldn’t help but cry, thinking about it. Prue had broken her promise. She must have been watching me from the window because she joined me next to the tree. I could tell by the look on her face that I was about to be heart broken yet again. I really hated loving them so much, every time they hurt I hurt. But it was a love I’d never want to be rid of.

“Piper, I’m sorry about everything. Especially that Phoebe hurt you like this. I can’t stand to be in this house any more. I need to move out. I’ve already secured an apartment closer to work. I’m moving my things in the morning. I’m sorry.”

I couldn’t take anymore. I didn’t say a word to Prue. Phoebe hadn’t hurt me; it was the combination of them fighting, the death of Grams and that single broken promise carved into that tree. When I reached the house, I couldn’t help but look out the window to see what Prue was doing. She was hurting as much as I was. I saw her trace the words on the tree and then she lay on the ground and cried. She knew she had broken a promise.

I watched her lay there for a while and then I could watch no more. It was the beginning of Hell that day was, and I held myself accountable for my actions in the months that followed that day.

I had been living alone in the manor for two weeks when I got a call from a girl I worked with at the restaurant. She and several of my co-workers were going to Hellion, a really wild club downtown. I said no at first, and then I took a second to think about it. I knew Phoebe and Prue weren’t home. There was no one there any more to hold me accountable for anything, no one there for me to hold accountable, so I decided to go that night to Hellion. Jamie, the girl from work, picked me up. I was dressed differently than I ever had. Picture me in black leather pants and silver sequined tank top. Like I said, differently.

I just wanted to be different for a night. Not worry about whether or not Prue was too busy at work, or if Phoebe was safe in the Big Apple. For once I worried about how much beer I would drink and how much fun I would have.

The club was unlike anything I had been in. There were red, blue, green, purple and neon lights everywhere. There were drinks to match the lights. Jamie called them electric martinis. I had several of them that night. Before I knew it I was out on the dance floor, putting the Lambada to shame. I was so aware of everything I was doing yet I just didn’t care. Prue wasn’t going to yell at me for drinking, Phoebe wasn’t going to tell me how to act with a guy. That night I was in full control of my fun. I decided to pick a guy out from the crowd and dance with just him. Just dance, I didn’t want to talk. So I found this really cute guy standing in the corner. He had blonde hair and the greenest eyes. I pulled him close to me and I teased him with my every move. I knew he wanted me and just when things were getting really hot on the dance floor, I left him. I know why I did it, he didn’t. I wanted to leave him stranded. I think somewhere in the back of my mind I wanted to just be mean, to hurt someone, the way I was hurting. And by the look on his face, it worked.

I went back to the club night after night. I began to drink every night trying to push away that lonely void that was creeping slowly into my life. I called Prue maybe once a week, she stopped by on Sunday mornings. I usually did a good job of hiding the hangovers. Not that she would have said anything anyway; she remembers how rebellious she was in high school. Phoebe called every other day. I know how much Phoebe missed both of us. But Prue wasn’t budging. She wasn’t going to apologize to Phoebe. And Phoebe wasn’t coming home until she did. And I was still stuck in the middle no matter how much I partied or left men standing alone on the dance floor. I actually liked it when they called me to bitch about each other. At least then they talked to me. They took a second to actually talk to me.

I had been partying for three weeks, going out every night, and teasing a different guy each time. I was Hellion’s favorite customer. I felt like I had so much power. Don’t think I was a tramp, please. I never went home with any of these men. I would never do that. I would only sleep with someone if I were in love with him. It was five weeks from the night that Phoebe left that I found trouble. Looking back, it’s possible that trouble found me.

I was at Hellions again. The music was slow and thick. Really sexy music. There was cigarette smoke every where. It was my personal cloud. I was just not me when I walked with that cloud. I was not Piper at all. I was the sum of my sisters. I was the best parts of them. I had Phoebe’s sexiness and Prue’s cool. I was the combination of them. I was no part of me. And I was so good at it.

I saw him across the dance floor and I knew who I would tease that night. He had black hair, a lot like Prue’s. His eyes were an evil, unimaginable blue. He met me in the middle of the dance floor and with the rhythm of that thick music we danced slowly, body to body. We danced like that for almost an hour. We stopped to drink a few Electric Martinis and then hand in hand walked back to the dance floor. He never said a word, never asked me my name, just danced so close to me I thought I was going to pass out from the heat. I knew he wanted me. I could read it in his eyes. I could feel it in the way his hands ran over my body. And I teased him. I touched him where I knew he wanted to be touched and right when he was about to speak. I poured the nearest drink I could find over his head. He never saw it coming. I laughed and walked away listening to the people on the dance floor laughing as well. I cried on my way home in the cab. I hated myself for being such an awful person, for losing myself so completely. I hated not having my sisters around and I hated not being able to fix the mess they were in. I hated everything by the time I opened the front door. I was feeling pretty sloshed from the Electrics. My head was pounding from the self-hate and all I wanted to do was crawl in bed and sleep.

I climbed the stairs to the second floor. Phoebe’s door was opened I never shut it. I always had some hope that I would come home and find her there. I stood in her doorway for the longest time looking at her things. I couldn’t stop myself and felt my feet walking toward her bed. I crawled under her covers and held her stuffed bear tightly. God I missed her so much. Her laughter always made me feel such pride that I could possible be related to such an incredible soul. And then I looked on her nightstand. There was a picture of Prue. I missed her too although I did get to see her every now and then. I held the bear and the picture close to my heart and cried myself to sleep.

I woke up not long after I fell asleep, and that’s when I heard the thump, thump, thump of footsteps coming up the stairs.


My heart was pounding so hard I thought I was dying. There was someone climbing up the stairs and I knew the sounds of footsteps were too heavy to be either Prue or Phoebe. I was shaking all over by the time I reached the door. It wasn’t dark upstairs because I hadn’t bothered to turn any lights out before I fell asleep. I didn’t immediately see anyone, but I could feel that someone was there. I thought about calling out to whoever it was, but I was so scared I couldn’t breathe much less speak. I took one small step into the hallway and that's when I felt his hands grab my arm. He pulled me to the ground in a second. At first I was too disoriented to think, and then I saw his face. It was the man from Hellions. The man I had ridiculed in front of a crowd of laughing people. He had followed me home and now he was going to make me pay for being the bitch that I had been.

He stared at me for what seemed like forever as he held me on the hallway floor. I hadn’t changed clothes and he leered at the tight button-up shirt and leather skirt I still had on. He was wearing khakis and I could feel that he was ready beneath his pants. I tried my best to think of a way out. I kicked and I tried to hit, but the grip he had on my arms was unbearable. I couldn’t move.

“That’s right bitch, you had no idea what you started out there on that dance floor did you? You humiliated me, and now I’m going to humiliate you.”

And he did. That was one of the worst nights in my life. He tore me to pieces with his degrading mind games and tore my soul when he raped me. Yeah, I said raped. I couldn’t believe it myself when it was happening, but when he was through and I heard him leave the manor, I could do nothing but curl into a ball on the hallway floor and cry. When I did find the strength to move, I crawled into the shower. I tried my best to wash it all away, and as I watched the slightly bloody water circle the drain I felt as though that was my life slipping away. I felt so alone. So lost. I wanted to scream out for Phoebe and Prue to save me. To hold my hand and get me through the night. But they weren’t there anymore. I decided then and there that I wouldn’t tell them about what had happened. I would simply hide it and forget about it.

Somehow, I managed to crawl into Prue’s room and actually fell asleep surrounded by the things of the one person who could always make me feel safe and protected. I was so afraid that he would come back. That horrible monster, the man I made a monster that I woke every ten minutes. And when I didn’t wake from fear I woke from shear terror, the terror of my nightmares.

My legs and arms were bruised the next morning as I made my way into the kitchen for coffee. I was still trying to forget about what happened when I was overwhelmed with the urge to call Prue. I wanted to just hear her voice. I wanted to pretend that she was in the room with me holding me like she did when I had a bad day in high school. I wanted her here loving and not judging me. Even as the phone ring I knew I shouldn’t have called.

“Prue Halliwell speaking.”

“Prue, It’s Piper.”

“Well I certainly didn’t think it was Phoebe. What’s going on Pipe? I’m extremely busy here, you wouldn’t believe the hell my life is.”

I couldn’t help but cry from that comment. How little my oldest sister knew. It was sad really. I couldn’t tell Prue, so I just said I had called to chat and I could talk to her Sunday.

“Okay, Piper. Are you okay? You sound funny. Let me call you back this afternoon and we can talk”

I said that would be fine and hung the phone back on the receiver. I had made her worry. I hated that. Suddenly I wanted so badly for things to be the way they had been before Phoebe had left. I wanted the fighting and the turmoil. At least then I wasn’t going through it by myself. I spent the rest of the day sitting on the couch just staring at the picture of Phoebe, Prue and myself that sat on the mantle. I kept putting the night before in the back of my mind, praying for the day when they’d come home again, all would be forgiven and all would be forgotten, especially forgotten.

The phone rang and rang that night as Prue tried to call. The caller ID told me she was still at the museum. I didn’t want her to know. I wasn’t going to reach out her. I was going to wait it out, wait for the storm to blow over and have my sisters home with me. They would eventually be back. I would see to it that somehow they would come home. I had to. If I had to stay in the house alone I wouldn’t make it.

The phone rang early the next morning and I didn’t have a chance to think about it before my hand was picking up the receiver.

“Hello?”

“Piper? You sound awful. Are you sick?”

Again I didn’t have the heart to tell her. Phoebe would never come home if she knew how horrible I had been

“Yeah, just a little cold is all.”

“Well, I was on my way to class and I got this really sudden urge. I felt like I needed to call you. Are you sure you’re okay?”

“Phoebe, I’m fine. You aren’t psychic sweetie.”

“I know but this feeling Piper it was so strong. It was like you were calling for my help and I couldn’t find you. Like you were suffocating or drowning or something. I don’t know. Just weird.”

“I’ll say.”

I was glad she couldn’t hear the gasp I had let out when she explained to me what she felt. She wasn’t psychic how did she know. How little I knew huh? I managed to get her off the phone by promising I’d call her that night. Maybe if she heard the pain in my voice I’d never have to tell her what had happened and she’d just come home on her own. I was wishing anyway.

Prue was due for a visit and the bruises hadn’t really faded. I covered them with long sleeves and jeans. And I sat on the porch and I waited for her. I didn’t know when she arrived that it would be Prue who moved the plan to bring her and Phoebe back to the manor and back to me forward, and I honestly don’t know if Prue knew she had set the wheels in motion.

I could feel her looking at me as she walked up the sidewalk to the porch. Prue was never really selfish, just tired. She basically raised Phoebe and myself. She was always looking out for us. I think when all that happened with Roger she felt like she had let Phoebe down by not being there for her, but Prue did have a problem admitting when she was wrong. She sat next tom me on the steps of the porch.
“Hey little sis. Listen, I know what’s wrong.”

It couldn’t possibly be. Two psychic sister incidents in one day.

“What do you mean Prue?”

“You’re upset still about Phoebe leaving. I can completely understand that. What happened with Phoebe and I was supposed to happen. She needed to spread her wings and fly out of here. And if she comes back…”

“When she comes back.” I had to make sure Prue knew that Phoebe would be back sooner or later.

“Okay, WHEN she comes back I will apologize. I will somehow make up for hurting her and you in the process.”

I wanted to just crawl in Prue’s arms and cry myself to sleep. Was I hearing a different Prue? Did she finally see the truth about Roger? I didn’t care what she saw the truth about as long as it had nothing to do with what happened to me.

“Piper are you listening?”

“Of course I am Prue. Will you come and stay in the manor with me?”

I couldn’t tell her that I was scared. I couldn’t tell her that the man who attacked me in our own home could return any night and do it again. I wouldn’t tell her. She’d be so disappointed in me. She would know it was my fault. She would know I had been teasing him and then that I made fun of him, she’d know that I provoked it, that I was wearing sexy clothes. No, Prue wouldn’t have that. She would tell me what I was so afraid of hearing. That it was my fault.

“I don’t know about moving back in Piper. I’ll have to think about it. Hey. Look me in the eyes.”

It took all I had to do it but I managed to stare straight into her questioning eyes.

“Piper, did something happen that you need to talk about?”

I didn’t know how to cover. So I pulled the first thing I could think of and in the process I hurt her. I hurt her deeply.

“Yes, something happened. You broke a promise to me, and to Phoebe. You said you’d believe in us and yet you walked away, turned your back and now I’m in hell because of it.”

“I’m sorry Piper, but I…”

I watched as she looked toward the back yard. She was thinking about that day, thinking about our tree. She knew I was right about the promise but she had no idea what Hell I was talking about.

“Just go Prue, please, we can talk later.”

I felt horrible pushing her away like that when I needed her so badly and she needed so badly to be there for me, but I did what needed to be done. I knew that if Prue and Phoebe were to ever make up and love each other unconditionally they’d have to do it without using me as an excuse. I was glad that Prue had reached out because I knew then that it was time to get Phoebe home somehow. I would have to lie a little, make her feel that Prue was getting over it. That Roger was gone. I had to convince Phoebe that Prue needed her here. And by getting them back home, I would be able to heal. At least that’s how I hoped it worked.

It was almost one month later when I had the chance to set my plan into motion. Phoebe called. I had been having a nightmare and had been scared awake at the same time the phone was ringing. I answered immediately having a feeling it was Phoebe.

“Oh my god, Piper I was sleeping and I had the worst dream. You were in it and so was Prue. One of you were in trouble but I couldn’t tell which.”

The idea landed in my head firmly.

“Really Pheebs?”

I tried to make my voice sound casual and not as shaky as I felt from the dream.

“Yeah, it was so weird Piper.”

“It must be Prue, Phoebe. She’s been working so hard trying not to think about the way she hurt you. I think she’s been harder on herself the last few months than she was on you the day you left.”

“Is that possible?”

I heard the sarcasm in her voice. I could tell being called a tramp was still stinging her pretty good.

“Okay, I probably shouldn’t tell you all of this but I think you need to know. The day you left I saw Prue sitting by our tree…”

“The one she carved our promise on?”

“That’s the one. She was crying Pheebs, our Prue was actually crying and she was tracing those words with her finger. She knows she let you down. I can tell you she feels it in her soul how much she hurt you and in the process, she hurt you.”

“Piper, I don’t know. Are you sure it’s not you who’s having any problems?”

“I’m just missing my two sisters being here with me. But I honestly think Prue’s in trouble, and I think you are the only one who can help her. She even told me that she would apologize to you when you came home.”

“Really? Prue said that? My oldest sister said she would apologize to me?”

“That’s what I said Phoebe, and it was definitely Prue sitting next to me on that front porch saying it.”

I could almost hear Phoebe thinking. I could tell she wanted to come home. I was so glad my plan was working.

“Okay, Piper. I wasn’t having a whole lot of fun here anyway. So do me a favor and tell Prue I’ll be home soon.”

“I will Phoebe. I’ll call her and tell he. So, when will you be here?”

“I’m flying in next week?”

“Wait, next week, so you were already…”

“Planning to come home? Yeah, I missed you Piper and I missed Prue. I feel like something is wrong or something really terrible has happened and I can’t put my finger on it you know?”

I nodded my head, knowing she couldn’t see.

“Yeah, Phoebe I know. So, call me again before your plane leaves. I will let Prue know.”

Phoebe was due at the manor in about two hours and I still hadn’t told Prue that she was coming in. Prue had moved back into the manor four days earlier. She had told me she had this strong need to be near me. She said it was as something was really wrong but she couldn’t put her finger on it. And I wasn’t going to help her figure it out either. With my sisters coming home I had been able to push the rape to the back of my head.

I had even started dating a guy, Jeremy. I was dating him just to make sure no one could see the fear in me. Does that make sense to anyone but me? At least Prue hadn’t noticed anything. And I was interviewed for a job that day. I was set to do an audition recipe the next day. I had gone to China Town after my interview to get the ingredients for the recipe. I was so nervous but I was so ready to pick back up with my life.

When I got home from the interview Prue was trying to fix the chandelier, just one more thing on our long list of things that needed to be fixed. I saw that Jeremy had sent me roses and a package. He was a very nice man, or so I thought. There was a bottle of Port in the package. It was the special ingredient for my audition recipe. That’s when I noticed our old spirit board on the table. I instantly remembered that I hadn’t told Prue about Phoebe. She suggested that we send the board to Phoebe because ‘the girl was always in the dark.’ Prue had returned to using harsh statements against Phoebe. I tried my best to stand up for her and then Prue completely dashed my hopes of a peaceful reunion.

I said, “I really think Phoebe's coming around.”

“Well, as long as she doesn't come around here I guess that's good news.”

Hopes, dashed.

When Phoebe did show up at the door the reunion was tense, but not earth shattering. Prue still had resentment against Phoebe about the Roger ordeal and Phoebe was still hurting from the harsh words of Prue. And I was hurting silently from a loss I couldn’t explain to them. Then the weirdest things happened. We became witches. We became closer than ever. Prue and Phoebe did eventually work out the whole Roger thing and I…well, I tried to not think about what had happened to me during my bad phase. I tried not to think about who I might be hurting by hiding my secret. But I had my sisters and my secret would never hurt them, right?