To Be Charmed
Chapter One
Birth and Death
Disclaimer: Don't own.
~August 22, 1977~
With a newborn in her arms, Patty Halliwell looked exhausted.
She glanced down to her other three daughters and said, "Girls, this is your new sister."
Phoebe, just a few months shy of two years old, gave a toothy grin and reached up to be held. Patty bit her lip; if she moved the baby to her other arm and reached over…. Her oldest, Prue, picked up Phoebe and placed her at the foot of the hospital bed. Phoebe crawled up to Patty and wiggled her way between the bed rail and Patty's free arm. Piper, the middle child, climbed aboard and leaned against her mother's knees. Prue took the space left over and laid on her back. Patty and her girls remained in their places until Penny, Patty's mother, entered.
"Patty, Sam is waiting." Patty groaned. She had signed her hospital release form a little over thirty minutes ago, but she wanted all of her girls in one spot.
"I'll be right out, Mother. Take the girls."
"No, Mommy! We want to stay!" Prue objected. Penny grabbed Phoebe and gently set her on her feet. "Prue, Piper, your mommy will see you soon. Now, hold hands." Penny held onto Phoebe's small hand as Prue and Piper joined hands and walked out the hospital and to the parking lot.
Patty took her time getting dressed. She wasn't ready for what was to happen, but if it didn't happen, the consequences could be great. Sam, her Whitelighter, strolled in. "Not to alarm you, but we've got to get moving." He picked his tiny daughter up and reached for Patty's hand. Once they held hands, Sam orbed them out.
Meanwhile, Penny had her hands full with the older three sisters.
"Why can't the baby come home with us?" Piper asked. Penny closed her eyes. The sooner Patty came home, the sooner she could rest.
"Girls, the baby can't stay with us. Your mom and I will tell you when you're older."
~TBC Chapter One~
It had been seventeen years since that day. Now that Patty was gone, Penny took care of the girls and asked that Sam keep an eye on her youngest granddaughter. He reported every month. September of '94, however, was different.
Weeks after the fatal car crash that left the adoptive parents of Paige Matthews dead, social services finally found the girl's birth mother. However, she had died a few months after Paige was born. The father had not been listed, but the hospital did pull out two more files on Patty Halliwell. "She had two other children born here, plus a third born at her residence. Prudence, Piper, and Phoebe. Father is listed as Victor Bennett," the nurse said. The social worker nodded.
"And is he the custodial parent?"
"No. Says here custody was given to Penelope Halliwell, the grandmother." With no clue as to whom Paige's father is, the social worker wrote down the address of Penny Halliwell.
~TBC Chapter One~
"You are certain you have all of your things? Clothes, books, sentimental items?" Paige nodded and looked around her childhood bedroom. The furniture would be taken out soon and the house would be put up for sale. She tried not to cry.
"Well, then. Let's get to it." The social worker led her to the car parked in the drive way. The two suitcases and three full garbage bags fit easily in the truck of the small car. Once on the road, the two stopped for a late morning breakfast at a nearby restaurant. Eating quickly, they were back on the road in a hour.
"Now, Penny Halliwell is your grandmother, maternal. Prue is your oldest sister, Piper is the middle child, and Phoebe is the youngest, but she is older than you. Prue is twenty three, Piper is twenty one, and Phoebe is eighteen. I'm sure you'll fit right in, being so close in age and all that." Paige nodded. Her head hurt from all the thoughts going on inside. Would her new family like her? Would they look like her? Would they even know her name?
All too soon, the car pulled up and parked in front of the house. Paige looked astounded. The house was a red Victorian with white trimmings. It was at least two stories high, if not three.
"Well, come on!" The social worker was already half way to the door. Paige followed, breaking into a little jog when she rang the door bell. The door opened to reveal a woman whom Paige thought looked good for her age.
"Yes?" The woman asked.
The social cleared her throat.
"Mrs. Halliwell? I'm with social services. May we come in?" Mrs. Halliwell gave a look and opened the door wider to allow them in.
"Social services?"
She led them to a room on the right side and bade them to sit. Paige took a seat directly across from Mrs. Halliwell.
"Yes. This is Paige Matthews. A few weeks ago, her parents died in a terrible car accident." Paige looked down and twisted her fingers nervously. "Protocol would be to send her to the closest family she has left. The closest family she has lives in Los Angeles and, as it turns out, she was adopted. A nun at a church says she found Paige and gave her to the Matthews, a couple that worshipped there."
Mrs. Hallliwell's face did not portray anything. She sat there, looking between the social worker and Paige.
"Doing some digging, we managed to find the hospital Paige was born at. The name on the birth certificate was 'Girl Halliwell'. The mother was listed as Patricia Halliwell." Paige looked up at the sound of a gasp and saw Mrs. Halliwell wiping a tear from her face.
"It can't be. Are you sure? Is this…my granddaughter?"
~TBC Chapter One~
Penny looked at the girl with intrigue. She did look a great deal like Prue. She even had braces. She listened as the social worker went on about her gaining custody and Paige's history. The visit was short lived, however, when a pager went off.
"I'm so sorry. That is my boss," the social worker said, "Paige, come get your things."
Penny walked the two to the door and waited in the doorway for Paige to come back, carrying two suitcases and three white garbage bags. She reached for the suitcases.
"Here, I'll carry these." She walked to the second floor, Paige trailing behind her. Walking past her room, the bathroom, and Phoebe's, she stop at the door at the end of the hall. "This'll be your room. It already has furniture in it, as it used to be Piper's room, but feel free to redecorate."
Paige looked around the room. It looked to be a good size.
"Where is the bathroom?"
"There is one downstairs and one between Phoebe's and my room. That door further down next to mine is my sewing room"
"Thanks, Mrs. Halliwell," she said, turning to face the woman.
"Grams, dear. I'm Grams."
~TBC Chapter One~
Paige's first night at the Halliwell home went well. After Grams had shown her to her new room, her new older sister Phoebe walked in through the front door.
"Grams!"
Paige followed Grams downstairs.
"Yes, Phoebe?"
Phoebe had her back to Grams and Paige as she was hooking her coat onto the coat rack. "I need to write a paper on the 1960s. You were there, weren't you?" She turned to face Paige and Grams. "I- Who is this?"
Paige stared at her older sister. She had light brown hair that was long and stringy. She even had bangs like her and sparkling brown eyes. Her skin wasn't as pale as Paige's, it was a bit tan. As Paige stared, Phoebe did the same.
The girl looked almost like Prue, except she had brown eyes instead of blue. Phoebe looked to Grams with a 'do tell' expression.
"So?" she prompted.
"Phoebe, remember what I've told you and your sisters growing up?" Phoebe shook her head horizontally.
"No," she said, "I don't, but I'm sure Prue and Piper do." Grams sighed.
"Well, basically, this is Paige, your baby sister."
Phoebe's mouth dropped open.
"Baby sister?! Oh, now I remember! You told us that we have another sister, one who couldn't live with us because Mom was scared of what Dad would do to her!" Grams nodded.
"Yes."
Phoebe immediately went to Paige and squeezed her into a hug. Paige stood stiff, hands beside her body, until Phoebe let go.
"Wait, Grams. Why is she here?"
Grams sighed, she was happy that Paige had come to live with them, but the circumstances were terrible.
"I'm sure Paige will tell you when she's ready, Phoebe."
Phoebe looked let down. She could tell that whatever had happened was terrible, and she wanted to know, but not at the expense of Paige.
"Right," Phoebe said, "Did Grams show you the entire house? No? Let's get to it, then!"
With that, she led Paige by the hand around the Victorian.
After the tour, the two spent the afternoon summarizing Phoebe's 1960s essay. Grams would pop in and offer them a snack or two, advice, and memories of her thirties. "Patty was about ten or so. Allen, your grandfather, and I would hold house parties and she would get excited, but we dropped her off at a friend's house or your Great Aunt Janice's. She was too young for the parties, if you know what I mean."
Paige shook her head 'no', deciding that her new family didn't need to know her past with alcohol and drugs. Phoebe snorted, she had plenty of encounters with alcohol and she enjoyed every minute of it, until the cops picked her up and drove her home.
It was around six in the evening when Paige met her two older sisters on the phone. Grams was napping and Phoebe had gone out for a jog when the phone rang. After the third shrill ring, Paige picked up the receiver.
"Hello?" she answered.
"Hello. Who is this?" the other end replied.
"I'm Paige. If you want to speak with Phoebe, she went out and Mrs. Halliwell is sleeping." The girl on the other end huffed.
"Piper! Grams is sleeping and Phoebe went out. I guess we'll tell them when we visit."
Paige pursed her lips. So far, she didn't like Prue, if the girl on the other end was Prue. She sounded too bossy for Paige's taste. Paige didn't want to be a downer, but she felt like Prue was the stereotypical older sibling: bossy, perfect, and a total witch!
"They know you're coming over, right?" Paige asked.
"Yes, why do you want to know? You know what? Why are you even there is Phoebe is out? I'm assuming you're one of Freebe's friends."
"I'm sure Phoebe and Mrs. Halliwell will explain it to you when you visit. Goodbye." Paige hung up before Prue had a chance to retaliate. At that moment, Phoebe walked in the door.
"Who was that?" she asked.
"That was one of your- our sisters. I think it was Prue," Paige said. Phoebe rolled her eyes.
"What did she want?" Paige looked confused. Why did Phoebe roll her eyes? Was it because Prue was an overprotective older sister and Phoebe assumed that she was checking in on her baby sister and grandmother?
"She didn't say, but they're coming over tomorrow. I have a question. Is Prue bossy?" Phoebe laughed. "Is Prue bossy? Bossy is an understatement! Prue is the most controlling freak ever! I don't know where she gets it from, though. Must be a complex you get when you're the oldest sibling."
Paige laughed out loud, Phoebe would definitely be her favorite sister if Piper is anything like Prue!
"What's Piper like?" she asked, curious. Phoebe straightened her face.
"Piper? Typical middle child. Always breaking up arguments between Prue and me. Other than that, she is a bit of a neat freak."
Paige could deal with that. Clearly, Piper was the type of person that has trouble saying 'No'. The two spent the rest of their evening talking about Prue and Piper until Grams woke up from her slumber and started dinner.
"So, girls. What did you talk about while I was asleep?" Grams asked, taking a sip of her water. Paige looked at Phoebe.
"Uh, nothing really. School stuff," Phoebe said.
"Speaking of school, am I still going to my school or do I have to go to Baker? What day do I start, if I do have to transfer?" Paige asked.
It wasn't like her to be curios about anything school related, but since her parents' deaths, she wanted to make them proud.
"You can either stay at Riverrun High or you can transfer, Paige. Just tell me tomorrow so we can get your papers and make arrangements," Grams said.
Paige didn't need time to think.
"I would like to stay at Riverrun. I can call some friends, they'll pick me up and take me home."
Grams closed her eyes before answering. "Alright. But you better be sure your friends are reliable. If, for some reason, they can't or won't take you, I'm sure I'll be able to." Paige nodded.
"Thanks."
The conversation quickly turned into one about the next day and Prue and Piper's impending visit.
"And Phoebe. Please don't start with Prue again! I want a nice, clean dinner, please. That is all I ask for," Grams said, glaring at Phoebe.
"Me?! I start nothing! It's always Prue, Grams!" Phoebe argued.
"Phoebe! It doesn't matter who start it! Just don't respond if she says anything negative, got it?" "Yes, Grams."
"Good." Dinner was finished in silence.
The next day dawned bright and early for Paige. Grabbing her toiletries, she made it to the hall bathroom and began to shower. She tried resisting the urge to try Phoebe's nice smelling shampoo bar or the fruity body wash, using only her tried-and-true tea tree oil shampoo and conditioner. Once out, she dried off as much as possible, put her hair up in a towel turban, and began dressing for the day. She wanted to give Prue and Piper a nice first impression, well, at least a nice visual first impression. Most of her clothes were of the 'grungy' style, but she had a few nice dresses she had worn to church when her parents begged her to go. The dress she put on was a nice cream color and had three- quarter sleeves. It was mid-length, so she only bothered shaving the lower half of her legs. Paige decided to pin her bangs back for the day, they were quickly growing out and annoying to deal with. After brushing her teeth, she sighed and left the room. She could hear the shower from the downstairs bathroom running and figured that Phoebe was using that one since she could smell breakfast downstairs. Grinning from ear to ear, Paige promised herself that today would be a good day.
~TBC Chapter One~
~October 1991~
"She's gone, Carl! What are we supposed to do?"
"Calm down and contact your mother and Rachel? See if they could help."
"I haven't spoken to them in years, Carl. I can't just contact them now, out of the blue."
"I know, but try. For Christy."
"For Christy."
The two never noticed a small blonde girl hiding in the hallway, fear in her eyes.
~TBC Chapter One~
~November 1, 1993~
The labor and delivery ward at Sharpe Memorial Hospital was bustling with activity. Newborns were being wheeled around and new mothers were catching their breaths. In Room 213, Tyler and Regina Barker fawned over their second daughter. The newborn had kinky curls of burnt cinnamon and copper brown eyes.
"Your eyes," Regina commented.
"I should hope so!" Tyler chuckled.
"Did you call Gran and Dad yet? Did you tell her to bring Ryleigh?"
"Yes, dear, they're on their way, but we are not having the Wiccaning here," Tyler said.
Regina switched the newly christened Rhiannon to her other arm.
"Of course not, silly! She was just born! We have to wait."
"Until she comes into her powers. Have any idea?"
"Well, sister witches tend to have complimenting powers Also, family magic repeats abilities." Regina informed.
Tyler smiled lovingly at his daughter. Whatever her power, he knew she would be a great witch.
"Isn't there a story about sister witches? Something about there being four? Five?" His wife looked at him in surprise.
"Three," Regina breathed, "Three sister witches, destined to become the most powerful of all."
"Whoa, slow down honey, you just gave birth. Let's hold number three off for at least a year or two, alright?" Tyler laughed.