Title: Thou Shalt Not Suffer a Witch to Live
Author: Angelina
Email: angelina2006@hotmail.com

Part 2


Meanwhile, not so very far away, chaos reigned in Halliwell Manor. Prue and Phoebe were trying to get ready for a business dinner and a date respectively while Piper was attempting to unblock the kitchen sink with a plunger...and not having a great deal of success. She threw away the useless tool in disgust.

“Phoebe” Piper yelled over the noise of MTV and a hairdryer. “Pheebs could you come in here a second?”

The hairdryer was switched off and Phoebe wandered into the kitchen still brushing her hair and singing along to the latest Blink 182 song that was blasting out of the TV.

“Yeah, what is it?” she asked

“Could you hold the flashlight for me while I look underneath the sink to see if I can clear this blockage somehow?”

Normally it was Phoebe who did these little odd jobs around the house, she was quite the little handywoman, but Piper didn’t like to ask her when she was all dressed up for her date. Phoebe lifted up the flashlight and then looked at Piper, concerned.

“Are you sure you know what you’re doing?”

In truth Piper had no idea, but she’d seen people on TV banging on pipes with a wrench to clear them so she figured that was her best course of action.

“Of course I do, it’s not exactly rocket science is it? Now are you gonna help me or what?”

“Sure, Brandon won’t be here for another 20 minutes and there’s no way I could improve upon this image of perfection.” Phoebe twirled to show herself off. Piper whistled appreciatively.

“Yep, you’re gonna knock him dead.”

“Not before he pays for dinner I hope!”

Piper laughed and then noticed something about Phoebe’s apparel. “My goodness, we are organised tonight aren’t we? Usually you’d make the poor guy wait half an hour while you simultaneously shave your legs, paint your nails and get dressed.” She raised her eyebrows questioningly. “This new-found punctuality wouldn’t have anything to do with the fact that you don’t want Prue to see that you’re wearing her new dress now would it?”

Phoebe looked at Piper with wide-eyed innocence. “No......well, maybe a little” she relented, scrunching her face up at Piper who just shook her head. Phoebe switched the flashlight on and positioned herself so that Piper could see under the sink. Piper took the wrench and whacked the pipe with it a few times, a gurgling noise could be heard faintly.

“Anything happening up there?” she asked

Phoebe took her attention away from checking her nails - with all this physical labour Piper was making her do she could easily have chipped one - and glanced at the taps. “Nothing” she replied.

Piper sighed. She decided to give it one last go. She brought the wrench down with more force than she had intended. Inevitably, the pipe burst, spewing water all over Piper. Phoebe screamed and jumped out of the way as a few drops splashed her legs. Piper was left in the dark, coughing and spluttering and fumbling for the shut off valve. Just then, a blood-curdling shriek came from the direction of the bathroom. Piper located the valve and managed to turn it off. She struggled to her feet, soaking wet, just as an irate Prue, wrapped in a towel and with soap in her hair, descended the stairs.

“What on earth are you two doing down here?” she asked in a scarily calm voice. Her sisters recognised that voice, it meant that an explosion wasn’t far off.

“Me? I didn’t do anything” said Phoebe, relieved not to be on the receiving end of Prue’s fury for a change.

“Well that’s a first” said Prue, surveying the puddles of water on the floor and her sister who resembled a drowned rat.

“Oh now wait a minute, time out. Piper makes your shower run cold...”

“Try freezing” Prue interrupted with a murderous glance at Piper.

“Whatever, she does that and you use is as an opportunity to take yet another pop at me?” Phoebe was not amused.

“Well Phoebe, you make it so easy for me.” Prue turned her attention to Piper “What the Hell did you do?”

Piper stared at Prue in disbelief. “Well Prue I just thought to myself ‘Hey, I know, I’ll go and whack that pipe until it breaks so I can totally soak myself and freeze Prue’s ass off in the process’ because you know that’s my idea of a good night’s entertainment!!” Piper glared defiantly back at Prue.

Phoebe looked back and forth between the two of them and suddenly saw the funny side of the whole thing. Her sisters, who rarely argued, were standing staring each other out, both dripping wet - Piper’s clothes were clinging to her and the soap had started to dry and leave white patches in Prue’s hair. Phoebe tried really hard to contain her laughter but it bubbled up and erupted out of her mouth before she could do anything to stop it. Her sisters both turned to look at her, incredulous.

“And what, pray tell, do you find so funny missy?” Piper demanded.

Phoebe was about to explain the humour in the situation when she noticed that Prue was looking at her strangely. In much the same way as a lioness would look at a wildebeest she imagined. Prue looked Phoebe up and down slowly before meeting her gaze. Prue’s eyes were pure ice.

“Please tell me that you’re not standing there laughing at my predicament while wearing my brand new Donna Karen dress which, as far as I knew, still had the tags on it.”

Phoebe’s laughter had completely dissolved by now. “Ummm, I could tell you that.....i.i.if you want me to.” She tried her best doe-eyed expression, it had no effect whatsoever on Prue. Phoebe continued. “And it does still have the tags on it, see? I just tucked them inside”

Prue shook her head. “Well this is just great. I wanted a chance to wear that before you had crammed your chest into it and stretched it.”

Phoebe’s eyebrows shot up, “Jealous much?”

Prue just gave her a look that was colder than the shower she’d just had. Phoebe glanced at Piper who looked quite amused by this turn of events, she shook her head as if to say ‘I’m staying well out of this one.’ Phoebe looked back at Prue worried that her anger might unconsciously trigger her power - things could start flying through the air at her at any moment.

“I’m waiting for an explanation Phoebe.”

“Prue, I had nothing to wear and I wanted to look nice for Brandon and...” Phoebe had run out of excuses and she realised the ones she had given were feeble at best. Prue started walking towards her and she started backing up. Piper decided that now was the time to get involved. Prue might do something to Phoebe that they’d all regret later so she quickly got herself between her sisters facing Prue.

“OK Prue, I’m sorry about the water and Phoebe’s sorry about the dress, now you’re gonna be late for dinner if you don’t start getting ready now. I’m sure we have a six pack of Evian in the fridge. I’ll help you rinse your hair and then..”

Phoebe had backed into the table when all of a sudden she was hit by a premonition. Piper turned to face her and both sisters waited until she had opened her eyes.

“What was it?” asked Piper

“Let me guess, it was me killing you right?” Prue put in, sarcastically.

Phoebe shook her head slowly but said nothing. Prue and Piper realised that it must have been something bad.

“Honey what is it?” asked Piper, putting a hand on Phoebe’s shoulder. Phoebe looked at both her sisters and then sat down at the table.

“I’m not sure exactly what was going on but whatever it was it was happening in this kitchen. There was a girl lying on the table and some other people I didn’t recognise. We were standing, chanting I think and then there was a kind of explosion and black smoke filled the room. And then it ended.” Phoebe was shaken by this, as she always was when her visions involved her sisters. Piper took Phoebe’s hand and looked at Prue.

“It’s not really much to go on...” Prue began

“Oh, I’m sorry, next time I’ll request a more detailed vision” said Phoebe.

“I wasn’t getting at you. I just meant that we don’t really know where to start looking in the book,” Prue explained.

Piper nodded.“Chanting and black smoke aren’t exactly specific. Are you sure you didn’t recognise anyone in the vision?”

Phoebe closed her eyes, trying to picture the people again. “No, they don’t look familiar. There was the girl on the table....another girl - a blonde...and two guys, one of them a bit older.” She opened her eyes. “That’s all I can remember.”

“Would you recognise them if you saw them again?” asked Prue. Phoebe nodded. “Then I guess you’ll just have to keep your eyes peeled.” The doorbell rang.

“Oh my God, that’ll be Brandon, I completely forgot. Maybe I shouldn’t go out.”

“No, I think you should, you’ll have more chance of seeing these people if you’re out and about” said Piper.

“I suppose, “ replied Phoebe, a smile crept onto her lips “And it would be a shame to deprive people of seeing me looking this stunning.”

“Phoebe!” said Piper, warningly. She didn’t want the whole dress topic to come up again.

“I’m going, I’m going!” said Phoebe grabbing her jacket and running out the door.

Prue was looking thoughtful. “I hate these premonitions we can’t act on”

“Yeah, I know, me too. But there’s nothing we can do now. And you should really be getting ready.” Prue grabbed Piper’s wrist to check her watch.

“Oh no, Claire’s gonna kill me! I’m never gonna make it on time!”

“Yes you will, I’ll help you rinse your hair and then you can get dressed and I’ll fix your hair while you do your make-up.” Piper reassured her while ushering her to the stairs, which Prue took two at a time.

Piper returned to the kitchen and stood with her hands on her hips looking at the mess. She sighed. It was a pity that she was no longer in the dark about Leo’s Whitelighter status. She’d feel guilty now about calling him away from his healing and teaching duties just to fix a pipe in her kitchen. What a shame, she loved watching him fix things, especially from behind. She sighed again, for a different reason.

“Piper, are you coming?” Prue’s voice interrupted her reverie. Piper headed to the fridge to get the Evian. She debated whether or not she should heat it in the microwave first.

“PIPER!! What are you waiting for, an engraved invitation?”

Piper arched an eyebrow in an attempt at an evil expression. Nah, chilled would definitely be much more fun. And with a smile on her face she started up the stairs.




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