A/N: So I'm back with the sequel. I tackled season six of Charmed and it's story arc of Wyatt turning evil. I would go to season seven but that was more like a filler. Since I already introduced Billy I thought I'd keep with that. I thought it might be cool to see how Billy might influence the still unfinished prophecy that caused this whole fiasco. Please read and review. I had some problems getting the ball rolling with an idea so I just started writing and this is what came. I hope by the end of this that it was worth waiting for.
Bella sat in a beach chair, her pale skin loving the feel of the warm sunlight on her skin. Eyes closed, she listened to the crashing waves. This place was freedom—freedom from the ties that bound her so strongly they were choking the life out of her.
This was the longest Bella had been able to evade her family. At first, when she wasn't as well versed in her powers, they had caught up to her within hours. As time went on it had taken them days, weeks, and now months to find her. Her knowledge over magic had increased exponentially as she had traveled from place to place, learning new methods from different high priestesses and such.
She had stayed close to home at first. Bella had mastered gypsy magic which had proven useful in helping her stay steps ahead of her mother and aunts. Then she had stayed in New Orleans, living in the French quarter. Spain and Italy had come and gone; her stay in France fleeting. Romania had been titillating; the Scandinavian countries quite useful. Now she was on a beach in Montauk soaking up the summer sun. Bella usually would have preferred listening to music and reading a book, but she was missing phoenix and her mother would know to look there.
A waiter came by with her non-alcoholic daiquiri. "Here you go, Miss Charlotte," the young man said.
"Thanks," she replied and tipped him. Bella was taking a sip when Montauk disappeared around her and she found herself in the attic of the manor, landing on her ass with a thump. Looking up, her mother, aunts, Billy, Jasper, Alice and Edward were standing around her in a circle.
Pushing herself up into a stand, Bella dusted off her knee and a black crew neck t-shirt and blue jeans suddenly appeared on her. "Well, I knew my good luck was going to run out soon. How'd you find me?"
Prue's eyes narrowed at her only child. "You are in so much trouble young lady!"
"No, I'm not," she replied. "I made it home just in time to enroll in school for the year. Besides, as far as anyone else knows I just took a lovely summer trip through Europe as a birthday gift from my loving parents. It's not as if you reported me missing or anything," Bella said being a smart ass. "No one even knows I was gone."
Andy stepped forward. "You owe everyone an apology, Bella."
"It's Charlotte, now. Seeing as how it is my legal name and you have so kindly relinquished your use of it as your alias, I've decided to reclaim it."
"Bella—" Edward was cut off before he could say anymore.
"Save it. There is no Bella anymore." She stormed out of the attic and made her way downstairs.
"She's gonna be a joy around the house," Billy said and received murderous looks from just about everybody.
Bella entered Baker high and glanced around to get the lay of the land. Making her way to her locker she tugged on the lock without bothering to enter the combination. It sprung open with a little help from her telekinesis and she started loading it with books she had no intention of ever using.
In the past three months that she had been running from her family she had changed even more drastically than when she had first discovered her powers. Edward's reappearance had made sure of that. Still, Bella shouldn't have been surprised when she turned around and saw all of the younger looking Cullens in the halls of Baker high.
Shaking her head in disbelief, she just walked right past them. Still, when she entered her twelfth grade calc class Emmet and Rosalie were already there. Sliding behind a desk, Bella ignored their calls and was relieved when the bell rang.
"Now class, open your books to page…"
"You know, you save a girl from becoming evil and bring back the love of her life and you would think she'd be a little more grateful," Billy said adding an ingredient to the potion.
Paige gave her an eye roll. "First of all, she didn't want the love of her life back and secondly we pulled her away from a life of paradise with no adult supervision. Would you really be grateful? This is the last place she wanted to be."
"Whatever," Billy said. "I didn't actually do anything, you know? I didn't kill undead supermodel so why do I keep trying to make up for something that was a non event?"
"I don't know, Billy. You tell me. You're right; everything that was going to put things in motion was stopped so why do you still feel a sense of guilt over something that didn't happen?"
For the past three months Paige had been guiding her charge and teaching her everything from self defense to spell casting and everything else a witch ever needed to know. They had become close during that time, but Paige was becoming frustrated with Billy's inability to let the past go.
Billy sat down, and cast a glance down at her nails. "I could have potentially caused not only your deaths, but the deaths of hundreds of innocents because of something I did."
"But you didn't," Paige said forcefully.
"But I could have. You guys have been my family since then which is so wonderful because I really don't have any contact with my family, and I couldn't help it if I hurt even one more member of my family."
Billy was close to tears and Paige was confused. "What do you mean another?"
Billy sniffled and wiped tears from her eyes. "I had an older sister, named Christie. We used to do everything together, and one night she just disappeared. I wouldn't stop going on about the monster who had taken her and eventually my parents just stopped listening; paying attention. Ever since she's been gone we haven't really been a family and I just can't help but feel like I'm responsible."
"Billy," Paige said reaching over to grab the girl's hand, "you were a little girl. Neither incident was your fault. Now, you helped us save Bella. Why don't you let us help you?"
The day was over and Bella hadn't had a single class without one or more Cullens in it. Rushing to her car, which Leo had kindly fixed up for her while she was gone, Bella sped to get to the house that her mother had only a block from the manor.
Prue was waiting at the table for her with a cup of coffee in her hands. "Bella, honey, we need to talk," she said calmly even though she couldn't look her daughter in the eyes.
"I already told you, it's Charlotte now."
"Well then, Charlotte, I have some news we need to discuss."
For an instant it was as if the old Bella was there. The mask may have hidden the way she felt, but Bella would always love her family. "Are you okay?" She sat down and looked at Prue.
"I'm fine. More than fine," she answered. A smile crept onto her face and she turned to her daughter. "You know that your father and I have been seeing each other again, and even though I'm getting up there—"
"Oh, please mom, you're not old!"
"Well, apparently you're right, because I'm still young enough to have another child."
"You're pregnant," Bella asked in a whisper.
"About three months along," Prue said. "I need you to be here for this, okay? Not some stranger who sleeps in my house and eats my food and ignores her family. Be with Edward, don't be with Edward, that's your choice. But please don't stop being the daughter I raised. Okay?"
"Okay," Bella said.