Work Text:
She was with Piper the night that Rachel died. She was with Piper, they were running through their Brandon James information for the umpteenth time. Piper had specifically asked her to be there, claiming she’d found a new lead. She never left Audrey’s sight, never touched her phone; they were engrossed in their work. The two had struck up a friendship via letter, email, phone call.
So how can she be standing there, in the doorway of Brooke’s outside bathroom, a hunting knife clasped in her gloved hand and a deranged grin spread underneath that evil look in her eye? How can she have pulled that Brandon James mask off her face and winked conspiratorially at Audrey like this was all a joke? How can Piper be the killer?
(How can Audrey have been so stupid?)
Piper just grins, scraping the knife against the doorway as Audrey closes her eyes and grits her teeth. She’s ready to be with Rachel. She’s ready to die.
“Come on, then, just get it over with.”
“Oh, Audrey,” Piper pouts, swiping the very tip of the knife gently down Audrey’s cheek, “did you really think it’d be that easy? No, dear, you get to live with what you’ve done. At least, for now.” She cocks her head as Audrey opens her eyes, smiling with a raised eyebrow at the look of panic and confusion she finds there.
“What?”
“Well, silly, all of this blood is on your hands you know?” Piper shows her teeth as Audrey’s eyes narrow in anger and she quickly slashes at the arm that stretches out to try and hit her. Piper clicks her tongue at Audrey, tutting gently and pressing a forearm against her windpipe to hold her still. Not enough to hurt, they are team mates after all. Buddies. Maybe they were even friends, once.
“This is what you wanted, Audrey, you wanted Emma to pay. We were together on this, you and me. Before that Rachel girl...intervened. She had to be gotten rid of, you see that don’t you Audrey? You had to be moulded, directed, she was taking up too much of your time and she was ruining your lovely, beautiful hatred for the Duvalls.” Piper whispers quickly, beginning to sound more and more deranged as she begins to flick the knife in an agitated motion in front of Audrey’s face.
“I was with you the night Rachel was killed. What, didn’t have the balls to do that one yourself?.” She manages to gasp out, prodding and poking to see what Piper would tell her. Piper doesn’t even have the decency to look offended at the jibe, just chuckles and pulls an imaginary zip closed over her mouth. She kisses Audrey’s cheek with a grin and then whispers in her ear.
“Well, that would be telling wouldn’t it?”
Audrey shudders and fights feebly, hoping against hope that this is all some cruel joke and the hold against her neck will loosen. Tears prick at the corner of her eyes. Anger boils in the pit of her stomach, the rejection of another friend hurting her almost too much to bear. Her heart aches.
“Why are you doing this, I thought we were friends????”
Piper smiles sweetly, trailing a soft finger down Audrey’s face.
“Of course we’re friends, dear,” She flashes those teeth again and Audrey thinks that maybe Piper is joking after all. Maybe this is just some sick and twisted game to lure the killer out or something. “That’s why what I’m gonna do next is gonna hurt so much.” The sound of her laughter makes Audrey feel ill.
(How had she let this happen?)
“Now, I hate to love you and leave you, pal, but there’s just so much to do until the grand finalé and poor little Emma is on the way so I don’t have much time.” She presses the blade of the knife to Audrey’s throat and all but hisses in her ear.
“Not one word of any of this to Emma or anybody else, okay? Just be a good little girl and nobody has to know about your involvement in any of this. I do love you, after all. Just don’t make me take you down. Got it?” Her eyes bore into Audrey’s, who can do nothing but nod, and then she’s the same old bubbly and caring Piper that Audrey had come to know and care for.
“Thanks, buddy! Now, don’t worry,” she says, gripping the handle of the murder weapon tightly as she brings it over her head, “this is only going to hurt a lot.”
Audrey feels the sharp pain of the handle against her skull and then everything goes black.