Disclaimer: the Charmed Characters are the creation of Aaron Spelling and Constance Burge.. I've just borrowed them for your enjoyment
This had to be one of the worst days ever!

The twelve year old threw herself onto the sofa and let out the tears she had so bravely held back. She froze in horror as she heard the kitchen door open, she had thought the house would be empty; her sisters weren’t due back for at least another hour.

There was no way of escape, Phoebe held her breath and turned her face into the cushion, her back to the room praying that whoever it was would just leave her alone.

“Phoebe?”

It was Phoebe’s oldest sister Prue that was all she needed; this would be the icing on the cake.

“Pheebes?” Prue Halliwell looked at the back of her youngest sister; even from this vantage point she could tell something was wrong.

A small sob escaped as Phoebe lost the battle to stay quiet.

“Phoebe? What’s wrong?” Prue made her way across the room and looked down at her kid sister “Are you crying?”

“No”

Prue took a deep breath trying to decide what to do, Piper, the middle sister, was so much better at handling the youngest than she was, she always seemed to say the wrong thing.

“Phoebe why are you crying?”

“Leave me alone” Phoebes voice was ragged the emotion raw.

“Not a chance in hell” Prue reacted purely on instinct and pulled the little girl up, Phoebes face was swollen the tears falling thick and fast “Tell me what’s happened”

Phoebe felt the lump rising from her stomach and settling in her throat, her whole body shook as she remembered the day’s events.

“Hey! Hey! Come on it’s alright! It’ll be alright! Come on” Prue sat on the sofa and pulled the small body close “You’re alright”

“Nooooo, I’m not” Phoebe was becoming more and more distraught she felt Prue pull her on to her knee and hold her, it was as though a dam had burst, she couldn’t hold anything back the tears refused to stop.

Prue couldn’t remember ever seeing her kid sister in such a state, she gently rocked the youngster and stroked her back, “It’s alright honey let it out…….that’s it…..let it all out”

As impatient as she was to find out what had got her sister so upset she knew she’d get no where until Phoebe calmed down, it seemed to take forever before her little sister was spent. Prue gently brushed the matted hair back from the wet face and landed a soft kiss on her sister’s forehead.

“Are you going to tell me?”

“No…..oh Prue no!”

“I can’t help if you don’t tell what’s wrong….”

“No one can help…no one can help me….” Phoebe’s big brown eyes once again filled with tears.

“Shhhh, come on baby……tell me…….did something happen in school”

Phoebe took a gulp of air and slowly nodded her head.

“Have you had a fight with someone?”

Phoebe slowly shook her head, her arms wound around her big sisters neck as she pushed her face into Prue’s shoulder.

“Trouble with the teachers?”

“Nooooo”

“Come on tell me, it can’t be that bad….you’ve not murdered anyone have you?”

Phoebe gave her sister a weak smile.

“You haven’t have you?” Prue smiled back this was the kid that drove her constantly up the wall; this was also the kid she loved to bits.

“No”

“Then it can’t be that bad, so spill………”

“It was……it was….oh Prue!” Phoebe once again gripped her sister as tight as she could.

“Come on” Prue gently rubbed the twelve year olds back.

“It was Brent”

Prue frowned “What was Brent?”

“He dumped me”

“Oh baby” this was exactly what Prue had feared, when Phoebe had started taking an interest in boys Prue had told her she was too young but Piper had told her she was overreacting.

“In front of everyone…”

The bastard! Prue took a deep breath and tried to stay calm, how dare that jumped up little snot humiliate her sister like that!

“It’s his loss honey…..you deserve to be treated better if that’s the type of boy….”

“No….its worse, Prue he…..” Phoebe’s face flushed as she continued “he said I….he said I let him….you know….”

Prue frowned, that couldn’t be what she meant, “What?”

“I didn’t! Prue I didn’t!”

“Ok! Ok!” Prue felt dazed she’d thought this was the normal process of growing up, now it appeared there was more to it “So what did he say?”

“He said I was easy and begging for it…..and” Phoebe once again felt herself consumed by tears.

“Ok…..ok I get the message, stop crying it’s alright…”

“Its not! Everyone heard him ….and he said he didn’t want a slut for a girlfriend and everyone laughed and then they started calling me Freebie”

Prue closed her eyes as she continued to hold her little sister, she felt sick to her stomach, Phoebe was so hurt and there wasn’t anything she could do about it.

“I wish I’d listened to you Prue, I wish I’d never gone to the dance with him….”

“Well it’s done now…”

“Don’t be mad…please don’t be mad”

“I’m not…..not with you anyway” Prue settled back into the soft cushions of the sofa and pulled Phoebe with her “This was what I wanted to avoid…..this was why…”

“I know! Prue I know and I’m sorry……”

“No….don’t be you’ve done nothing to be sorry for” Prue paused “Have you?”

“No…Prue honest no…..he tried to get under my t-shirt but I stopped him and he got really mad”

This was getting worse; Prue tried her best to stay calm. If Brent had been within arms reach he’d have paid a heavy price for messing with Prue Halliwells baby sister.

“It happened to me….something similar…..That’s why I kicked up such a fuss about you…..I was just trying to look out for you”

“What did you do?”

Prue felt herself blush, she’d never imagined having this type of conversation so early in Phoebes life “Nothing at first, I was to upset……”

“Then what did you do?”

Phoebe let out a giggle as she listened to her big sister “Do you think it would work again?”

Prue raised her eyebrows “Only one way to find out…..”
“I love you Prue”

“Glad to hear it……because I love you so much!” Phoebe squealed as Prue blew a long sloppy raspberry on her neck.

“Ughhhh! Gross!” Phoebe was wiping frantically at her neck her earlier upset almost forgotten.

++++++++++++++++

“So do you think she’ll be alright?”

Prue looked across at the middle Halliwell and smiled “Of course, she always bounces back”

“I know but she was so upset last night and she seemed a bit shaky when I dropped her off at school”

“Piper she’ll be fine, we had quite a chat, she’ll be ok”

“How can you be so sure?”

“Tried and tested little sister….tried and tested”

“Oh no! Oh no! Prue you didn’t?”

“What?” Prue grinned at her sister “I didn’t what?”

“Tell her what you did to Chas Foster”

Prue’s grin got even wider.

Piper groaned “Oh!!! God! I don’t believe you!”

“It worked didn’t it?”

“Yes but….”

“But nothing! Anyone who messes with a Halliwell can expect to come off second best….serves the little runt right……what would you prefer? Phoebe’s reputation in tatters at the grand old age of twelve or that little creep shown up for what he is?”

Piper took a deep breath “When you put it like that….”

“Exactly….”

“It worked! It worked!” Phoebe Halliwell came bouncing into the kitchen “You should have seen his face! He went bright red and all the kids laughed then he started spluttering! It was great!”

Piper gave a disapproving look to the oldest before turning her attention to Phoebe “What exactly did you do?”

“What Prue said”

“Which was?”

Piper watched as her twelve year old sister lifted her right hand and wriggled her little finger.

“Oh god! Oh god! PRUE!” Piper slapped her oldest sister’s arm “She’s twelve! She’s twelve!”

“Nearly thirteen” Phoebe looked indignantly at the middle sister.

“Whatever! Does she even ……”

“Piper chill, I only told her what she needs to know…” Prue’s eyes went wide as she stared meaningfully at the middle sister.

“Well it’s obviously enough!”

“Well it was like really weird, all the boys started laughing at him, and he started saying I was lying that we hadn’t done anything and then they laughed again” Phoebe frowned at her sisters “I didn’t think he’d get that upset, just coz I said he had a small ……..”

“PHOEBE!” Piper couldn’t believe her ears

“Brain ………. Piper what’s wrong with you?” Phoebe frowned at the middle sister she’d been acting odd since she’d come in.

Prue burst out laughing at the look on Pipers face “Pheebes take your stuff upstairs dinners nearly ready ….”

“But I ……”

“Please?”

Piper waited for Phoebe to leave the room before she rounded on her sister “I’ll kill you! You had me thinking ……”

“I know what you were thinking” Prue laughed as she continued “I told you I only told her what she needed to know …..the other kids got the message and our little sister remains sweet and innocent …..”

Piper’s smile spread across her face “Sweet and innocent, not the two words I ever expected to hear you say about our baby sister …………But she’s growing up fast Prue it’s only a matter of time….”

“I know….I know and I am going to sit down and talk to her properly but not for a little while eh? She knows some things, I mean she’s obviously picked up a lot at school but I’d like to keep her a kid for as long as we can…….”

Piper nodded her head “You’re right, she’ll have to deal with this ... soon enough …. Nice save Prue”

Prue enveloped her younger sister in a hug “Just doing my job ……”

“Prue! I forgot to ask ………” The kitchen door banged open causing both sisters to jump “Can I go to the Movies with Liam?”

“NO!” Both big sisters bellowed at once.

“But I …….”

Piper raised an eyebrow at the oldest Halliwell “I think you might have to have that chat sooner than you think …….”

THE END