Author's note: I hope everyone enjoys this, and that you'll all review telling me what you liked, what you didn't feel fit the story or the show. By the way, this story is written as an alternate universe, where Andy was not killed after the first season and the sisters find Paige before Prue's death. For clarification, because this is the prologue I didn't go in depth about everything but rather tried to take snatches of past charmed events and mold them to fit the new story line. For everything I do or do not mention, the events had similar outcomes it just occurred with the addition of Paige. So Prue was still killed the same way and Andy died to protect her.

Disclaimer: I do not own Charmed or its characters except for the ones by my own

creation and imagination. Separate

Prologue- The Prophecy

1692 Salem, Massachusetts

Melinda Warren was going to burn. She had been turned into the council by her lover, Matthew Tate; a warlock with the ability to copy a witch's power. He had already cloned Melinda's powers of premonition, telekinesis and the ability to stop time. With all three powers Matthew would surely be unstoppable. Melinda would only have one chance. She gave thanks that she had been prepared for her arrest. When Matthew, in all his arrogance, had visited Melinda in her jail cell, she had been ready with the curse. Imprisoning Matthew into a locket he had given her, Melinda stripped Matthew of the powers he had stolen from her.

Awaiting her fate, knowing she would never see her daughter into adulthood, Melinda mourned the life that was ending. She wished she could undo what had occurred, or steal away with her daughter. But Melinda knew she couldn't escape what was meant to be. If she tried to prolong her life, her daughter Prudence would surely suffer. They might have some time together, but eventually the past would catch up with them. And Prudence, along with Melinda, would suffer the same fate.

Thinking of Prudence, Melinda feared for her daughter and for all magic. Melinda's own birth had been prophesized to take place on all Hallows eve. Her own mother had suffered misfortune, kidnapped by an evil sorceress who wanted to raise Melinda evil.

Remembering the story of her birth and the three witches that had come from the future to ensure that Melinda would be a source of good magic, she thought of her daughter and the future of all Warren witches. Without Melinda to raise Prudence and share her knowledge, the future generations would be in grave danger. Thinking again of her mother's story of Melinda's birth, she remembered how the powerful witches—sisters, she had been told—had saved Charlotte and Melinda.

I promise my daughter will know of you. Of the three powerful witches who came to bring her into this world. And we'll always be grateful, won't we Melinda?

Melinda? The one named Piper asked.

Yes, Melinda. Melinda Warren.

Oh, exclaimed the sister called Phoebe.

What is it?

I uh... I think we're related, Phoebe announced.

It had been Melinda's own knowledge of her birth and the three sisters that had led her to name her daughter Prudence. When she gave birth to her daughter, Melinda felt that she had come full circle. Once having been the babe, now she was the mother. It was in honor of the witches that saved her life that she had given her daughter a P name.

I uh…I think we're related, Phoebe had said.

It suddenly occurred to Melinda that the three witches might be descendents. Tapping into her power, the power that had given her birth on the most magical of days where everyone could tap into the power of all Hallows Eve, Melinda ensured that her magic would go on. It would become stronger with each generation, protecting them and future innocents. "The Warren line will grow stronger with each generation, culminating in the arrival of three sisters. They will be the most powerful force of good the world will ever know. They will be known as the charmed ones."

Andy and Prue met at Golden Gate Park, where they used to sneak off to when they were teenagers to rendezvous. It seemed as though all the important details of their relationship had been shared and discussed at this swing. It was where Andy had first told Prue that he loved her, and where Prue – many years later—had declared that she still loved him, even though they had broken up.

Prue and her sisters had only been witches for a year at the time, and were about to face a demon who could very well kill them, and break the charmed circle. Phoebe had seen a horrible vision of Andy's death, and Prue wasn't going to let it happen. In an attempt to save her first and only love, Prue cast a spell on Andy and prevented him from remembering the events of that day. Without his memory, Andy had gone home and spent another night regretting his decision to break up with Prue. But at the time he didn't know how he would handle the things Prue had to see everyday, when Andy already saw evil in his work as a homicide Inspector for the SFPD.

Without the distraction of Andy and being able to anticipate Rodriguez's next move, the girls had vanquished the demon and Prue had saved her love. The next morning Andy woke up, and remembering the previous day, drove to Prue's office to confront her. That had been all he needed to know to realize that he was incomplete without his girl next door, childhood sweetheart. That she knew he was willing to risk his life for her, and he knew that she had done the same for him had convinced Andy that he couldn't fight destiny. This swing had played an important role in their shared lives. Andy had proposed to Prue here, and it was the place they came to when they wanted to get away from the hectic complications of their lives. He wondered why Prue had summoned him here.

Husband and wife shared a long kiss and Andy took his place next to Prue on the swing. "So," Andy began, "what did you want to talk about?" He took her hand in his, and bringing it to his lips, kissed it in a honorable and gentleman way. At 29 years old, the duo had finally gotten their lives in a harmonious and tranquil state.

Prue's face turned down toward her chest and a smile lit up her face. The past year had meant so much to her. Once, she had thought that she would never have the life she wanted. After her disastrous relationship with Roger, Prue began to think that she would never marry or have children. When Andy had been reintroduced into her life, Prue had been given a glimmer of hope. She didn't believe it was a coincidence that he had come into her life at the same time as magic. Looking back at her husband of two months, Prue looked into Andy's eyes. "I had a premonition today."

"But you don't have that power," Andy said, still unaware of what this meant.

"I know," Prue said. Her smile became even bigger. "I saw us at the manor with my sisters, cooing over our new born daughter."

It took Andy a moment to take in what Prue had just told him. After a minute, recognition dawned on his face. "We're going to have a baby," he asked. Tears started to form in his eyes, and he pulled his wife into a tight embrace. "We're gonna have a baby," he repeated in wonder and fierce pride.

Almost two years later, Prue bounced her one year old daughter on her knee. She was in the conservatory, and her heart was filled with pride for her beautiful, blue eyed daughter. "Mama," Melinda giggled in pure joy, her dark curls bouncing and her eyes smiling. Just then, Andy walked through the door of the manor. "Hey honey," he said as he bent to kiss Prue's forehead and then Melinda's. Prue stood, and walking to the play pen, laid her daughter down to nap.

"Did you find anything out?"

"Yeah, I did Prue. Her name is Paige Matthews and she's 24 years old. She works at Social Services as an assistant," Andy said. "Are you sure you want to do this," he asked.

"I have to, Andy. She's our sister. Another charmed one. I have to meet her. And I need for Piper and Phoebe to meet her. There's a reason why we had to fight the water demon that killed mom last year, why we found the love notes between her and Sam. I don't know why I waited this long to tell them about the baby, I guess I wanted to be sure it was real."

"Why did you wait so long to tell us," asked Piper. "If you had the premonition a year ago how come you didn't come to us?"

"I know I should have told the both of you, but it was unreal for me to think that mom had another child, especially giving her away. I wanted to locate her before I came to you guys. Andy began to look for her but we had no leads. It wasn't until recently that we came up with a lead. The night before last I astral projected while I was dreaming. I asked Leo about it. He told me my power was growing, that I somehow had projected myself into a vision. I didn't tell him the whole story. I told Andy about the church I saw and from there we were able to track Paige down."

"Imagine, another P name, huh," exclaimed Phoebe. The idea that she was no longer the youngest came as such a huge shock. She didn't understand how their magic had worked this way. A year ago when they had come across their mother's love letters, Phoebe had created a journal in remembrance to their mother. How come she hadn't discovered another sister then, when she had been touching the letters over and over again? Just then, Piper voiced what Phoebe had just been questioning.

"I guess because I was pregnant with Melinda, my connection with Mom was stronger, considering mom's situation. I had Melinda a week later. If we were ever going to find out about Paige I guess it was the right moment."

"But how come you kept it from us? I understand the reasoning, Prue, but reason doesn't trump our bond as sisters," Phoebe said. It was hard for her. She needed that bond to be strong and unbreakable. Three years ago the sisters had been torn apart by differences, and when their Grams had passed away they had come together and rebuilt their family. Phoebe couldn't let herself think that the foundation of their relationship, their bond as sisters, wasn't as strong as she believed.

"I don't know, Phoebs. I guess I was just concerned with keeping everything the same until it was absolutely necessary to tell you guys. What we have is so important to me. I guess I didn't want to rip it at the seams until I knew it could be repaired. That we were strong enough to handle this."

"When can we go meet her," asked Piper.

Two days later, the sisters were in the parking lot of the South Bay Social Services building. "Are we ready for this," asked Phoebe.

"We need to do this. Maybe mom had her reasons, but Prue had that premonition for a reason. Paige belongs with us," said Piper. "Let's go." The three sisters got out of the car, walking towards their sister. Piper was more concerned than she let on. The sisters had with held the information of a sister from Leo, and as far as they knew, the elders weren't privy to this information. Piper was worried. The prophecy stated that the charmed ones were three sisters. With the addition of Paige, Piper wondered if they were really the charmed ones. She wondered what a fourth sister meant.

The Halliwell sisters entered the building, and within ten seconds Prue had spotted Paige. She was a young woman who shared the sisters dark hair and coloring, and their high cheek bones. Prue watched her on the phone, and when she saw it get put back into its cradle, she led the way for her sisters to follow.

Paige sensed something familiar, and looking up saw three faces that reminded her of the one she saw in the mirror everyday. "Prue," she whispered. Paige wasn't prepared for this. Yes, she had tried to find her birth family after her parents had passed away and had found herself sitting across the street from the Halliwell manor half a dozen times. She knew that the other two women were Piper and Phoebe. But Paige had dismissed the notion that she could ever be related to them.

"Wait," said Piper, "you know about us?"

"No, I just…I can't explain," she said, and skittishly turned her head away. This was a shock. How did they know her, had she been right to believe that these women were her older sisters? And why would they ambush her at work?

"You know, don't you," inquired Prue. "I'm sorry that we didn't give you any warning, but you already knew that you were…our sister?"

Paige looked up at Prue. They resembled each other most. Granted, they all looked so alike, but they had the same dark hair and wore similar facial expressions. "I went searching for my biological parents after my parents passed away," Paige began. "I was led back to your family, but I dismissed it. I didn't think your mother would give me up when she already had three children."

The sisters shared glances. It was confirmed. Granted, the facts had already been known but it took meeting this young woman to finally let their hearts believe that this was real. Phoebe shifted her stance. "Do you get a lunch break?"

Paige had already taken her lunch break so she asked if it would be alright to meet later on in the evening. The sisters had agreed, allowing everyone some time to mull over the situation before discussing it. When Prue, Piper and Phoebe got home, Prue had asked for them to go up to the attic. "Don't worry," she said. "I'm going to check in on Melinda and meet you guys up there in a minute."

Walking into her bedroom, Prue saw Andy sitting on the floor with Melinda, playing. He turned towards her. "How'd it go?"

"Paige already knew about us. Apparently, she came looking for us when her birth parents died. I can't believe that all of this is real. How could I not know that mom was pregnant? How could mom and Grams keep this from us?" Prue picked up Melinda, tickling her daughter who laughed in a jolly manner. It brought tears to her eyes. How could anyone give up such a precious gift? Andy must have read her mind, because within moments he was there embracing her.

"I don't know, maybe you should ask, so you can have the whole story."

Prue nodded, looking into his eyes. "I know. We're going to do that now. I just don't think that there is anything that can be said to make us feel…as if we haven't been betrayed." She hugged her daughter and husband tighter before pulling away. "I'm going to go to the attic. Are you coming?"

"Of course."

The two climbed the stairs to the attic. Mind readers. The whole family were mind readers because as soon as Prue entered the attic with Andy and Melinda, she saw the candles arranged in a circle and lit. She walked to the book of shadow after handing Melinda off to Andy. "Hear these words, hear my cry, spirit from the other side. Come to me, I summon thee, cross now the great divide."

In a flurry of lights their Grandmother appeared. "Hello girls. I wondered when you were going to use this spell." Grams, not knowing why she had been summoned, didn't know that her good nature would upset the delicate balance the sisters were maintaining. "Oh, and who is this little beauty? That can't be my great grand daughter Melinda, right?" Grams cross the barrier and plucked Melinda away from Andy. "So pretty. Oh, she looks just like you Prue. No offense, Andy."

"None taken."

"Grams, we know."

"Know what?"

"About Paige," said Phoebe. "We know about our sister. What, were you never going to tell us about her? What about mom, how could she not tell us?"

"Dear, I understand perfectly why you're upset. But at the time there was nothing we could do. We feared that the elders would prevent you from receiving your birthright if they knew that there were four in the charmed circle."

"So that's why you gave her away," argued Piper. "What about dad, what did he have to say about this?"

"You're father didn't know about Paige. Girls, Victor isn't Paige's father."

"Then who's her father," cried Prue, who up until now had remained silent.

"My whitelighter Sam," said an unknown voice. Within seconds the girls' mother had appeared in white light.

"Mom?" Phoebe stood there shocked to see her mother. She had passed away when Phoebe was only two. Every time she had made a wish, she had wished for time with her mom. When the sisters first found out about their powers Phoebe's wish had come true. Now it was again, only Phoebe wished it wasn't.

"Girls, your father and I had been having problems for a while. When I found out that I was pregnant with Phoebe we decided to put everything behind us, but a little before your first birthday we decided to divorce and I began my affair with Sam."

"She's part whitelighter," asked Piper. "How does a whitelighter even get someone knocked up?"

"Yes, Paige is half witch and part whitelighter…how, if you mind me asking did you girls find out about Paige?"

"I had a premonition that led us to her. We met her earlier today. She'll be over in a few hours." Prue glanced from her mother to her Grams. How? How could this happen, and how could the prophecy be so wrong?

The sisters sat at their kitchen table, where they were eating a fabulous dinner prepared by Piper. They had already discussed Paige's adopted family and the course of her life. It was surprising how much she had in common with the sisters. Like Prue, she was an artist, only she sketched and painted rather than taking photographs. Like Phoebe she had been rebellious and somewhat more…free to experience life. Like Piper, Paige was a nurturer and insightful. If only they could have grown up together. If only. Now it was time to discuss their inheritance, their legacy. This was going to be hard.

It turned out that it wasn't that hard. Paige had already begun to relate to these women, her sisters. Her whole life she had felt aware of something bigger than the world at large. Not so much a spiritual something, something more mystical. Learning about why she had been given away had somewhat eased the childhood pain she had felt, and let her feel grateful for the opportunity she had been given. Not only to have a normal childhood, but to have the wonderful parents she had. "What's my power?"

The sisters looked around at each other. "I don't know. If I had to guess, I think you would have my power," said Prue. "The prophecy stated one would be able to move things with her mind, another the ability to stop time and the third would see the future. It's full circle I guess. Why don't you try to move something," she suggested. "Try concentrating on an object and then wave your arm at it."

Paige looked around the room. Looking at the candles that were arranged in a circle she tried to move one and couldn't. She looked at Prue.

"Uh, try squinting. I use to squint a lot."

"Sorry, it's a no-go," she said after trying to move the candle. "Maybe I'm not one of you if I can't even make that candle…" Just then, the candle appeared in Paige's held out hand in a swirl of white lights. Phoebe grabbed it.

"So maybe the whitelighter in you makes it work differently," Phoebe pondered.

"Half-breed," Piper sneered.

"A whitelighter. That's what you said my biological father was right? Some kind of an angel?"

"Yeah," answered Phoebe. "They watch over witches and help protect us so that we can fight evil."

"How does an angel, no offense, get someone knocked up if they're dead," asked Paige.

"That's what I want to know," exclaimed Piper. "Where's Leo, I haven't seen him all day. LEO!"

Leo appeared in orbs. "What's going on?"

"Where have you been all day," asked Piper.

"Staff meeting. Who's this," he asked looking at Piper. "An innocent?"

"No, Leo. This is Paige. Another sister." She waited to see the shocked look on his face. If Piper had to go through it so did he. Besides, they were going to be married soon. For better or for worse, right?

"What! How is this possible?"

"That's funny," Phoebe said. "That's what we were going to ask you."

"How did you guys find out you had another sister, how come no one told me," he asked, glancing between the sisters and then up at the ceiling. "Uh,oh."

"What uh-oh," asked Prue.

"I have to go. The elders want me. They must know." Leo took off in a swirl of blue orbs.

A month later, Paige, Phoebe and Prue were getting dressed for their sister's wedding. When the elders had found out about Paige's existence, they were wary. They did an extensive amount of research into her background to make sure that she was indeed the daughter that Patty had given up for adoption. When they were able to confirm the story, they had become even more distraught by the prophecy. If there were four sisters, were they still charmed?

No. That was their answer. The four sisters together could not be charmed. They explained that the three older sisters had been able to tap into the charmed power because of their bond as sisters. Paige, while growing on the family and becoming close to them, hadn't yet become a true sister. They accepted her, they were teaching her, and her powers were becoming stronger. But right now, they were friends. Maybe that was the only way to start.

At first, Leo and Piper feared that the elders would no longer allow them to be bound to each other in holy matrimony. They had tried. But Leo, unbeknownst to Piper, had told his bosses that if they didn't allow them to be married, Leo would clip his wings to be with her. The elders hadn't taken the chance of losing Leo and losing the support of the charmed ones. So today was the big day. They had been dressed, the house decorated for a coronation sized celebration and all that Prue, Phoebe and Paige had to do was make sure Piper didn't freak out, especially when Cole shimmered in.

It was over. The charmed ones were no more. Not the way it was meant to be. Prue and Andy were gone, and no magic could bring them back. Piper had tried. She didn't understand. Why had the elders allowed this to happen? Why had she been spared, and Prue and Andy hadn't been? What about their little girl? Why do Warren witches always lose their mothers? "Prue," Piper whispered and glanced up at the voice that had called to her. "Oh, Phoebe."

"Sweetie, it's four o'clock in the morning. What are you doing? You're bleeding."

"I don't understand why magic can't fix this…"