72 Hours

By: Piper Chris Melinda Halliwell

Chapter 1: Breaking the Rules

She looked down at the cars zooming by as a gentle breeze swirled her auburn hair about her face as she paced. So many years had passed since the actual event had occurred, but only two had gone by since she'd been forced to live through it again.

Sighing, Paige walked to the point she had formed there and sat, swinging her legs over the edge. She jumped, upon hearing a noise. It was just barely enough to startle her, yet not nearly enough to make her fall.

Groaning, she rubbed her temples. "I want to be left alone, Chris. Go home."

He walked over to stand beside her. "I-I know, but I was looking for you." He told her as he sat beside her. "You looked upset this morning. I wondered if there was anything I could do to help."

"No!" she snapped. "Go home!"

Sighing, he rested his hand on her shoulder. "Aunt Paige, I know how you feel, but—"

"NO! No you don't know how I fucking feel, Chris! Leave me the hell alone!" she yelled Orbing away.

She Orbed to the park where she and her parents used to picnic when she was a child. It was late at night so she didn't have to worry about being spotted. She walked over and climbed up the steps of the slide and just sat there. Upon looking down at the damp grass her tears started to flow.

"Why?" she asked as her tears flowed. "Why did I have to survive twice? I could've stopped it!" she yelled, banging her hand on the hard metal which resounded with a loud clang. "Why didn't somebody let me!" With that, she stood up, her shoes were damp and she slid down, taking a flying stance, jumping off the end.

Satisfied, she sat on the swings, swinging as high as she could, closing her eyes…

The sun was shining on her face as if her smile called it forth. "Higher Daddy, higher!" she laughed, her hair being blown around.

"Alright, hang on tight!" he laughed pushing her hard to go high.

"Look Mommy, look!"

Her mother smiled walking over. "Lunch is almost ready Paige. You can swing later."

She nodded, letting her feet drag on the ground until she stopped. She stood up, grabbing their hands, and walked over to lunch.

"Paige?" Chris said, sitting in the next swing.

Her feet drug, eventually slowing her to a stop. She sighed. "Are you ever going to get the hint, Chris? I. Want. To. Be. Left. Alone!"

"I know why, but I also think I have a plan to change it."

She wiped her eyes. "What do you know about me, Chris? You know I'm your long-lost aunt and the only reason I'm even that is of an affair from which she was forced to give me up."

Chris looked ahead to the deserted equipment. "The only reason you even know about that is because Aunt Prue died and they needed your help."

"To complete the Power of Three, I know. Why are you telling me this?"

He sighed. "Actually, I did know all of that. In my time—before everything went haywire—Aunt Phoebe told me everything about you. She understood how hurt you still were after all these years by what happened. And so do I."

She looked at him, stunned. "I-I never told you any of that?"

He shook his head. "You weren't as level-headed as you are here. You always blamed magic for causing the accident and never truly embraced being a witch."

"What makes you think I'm different now?"

He shrugged. "You're actually happy being a witch is one of the main things and you love them enough to do what you have to without being asked."

"So in your future we're not close?"

He sighed. "You and Phoebe we-were closer than close, but—"

"My relationship with Piper was never good?"

"Like fire and ice. She thought you were trying to take Prue's place, which you clearly weren't. But it didn't help the fact that you never really opened up to them about the accident."

She looked down at her hands in her lap. "Well, it's not exactly the easiest thing to talk about," she responded softly. "I can't believe I blamed magic for that. I-I survived for a reason, but—"

"—but it doesn't change the fact that you wish you could change it," he finished, wrapping his hand around hers. "But I think I've found a way to change it."

She scoffed. "It's a nice thought kid, really, but it's not possible."

"What makes you so sure? You'll still be you. We're not going to change your past, per say. This is impossible."

"Then what are we doing?"

He hesitated. This information he truly did know by accident and there would be no 'future consequences' attached. "Before I tell you though, you can't tell anyone. Not Piper. Not Phoebe. Not Leo. No one. Essentially what we're doing has nothing to do with them. If they know, this won't work."

She sighed. "All right."

"As you know by now, there are multiple timelines. You guys are here and healthy in this one while you aren't in mine." She nodded in interest. "In the timeline we're going to your bad habits as a teen are multiplied by 100. I know you skipped so many classes you were lucky you had passing grades, that your boyfriends were general cool jerks because you thought that was how your life was supposed to be…"

She held her hand up. "Okay, okay, I remember. You don't need to remind me," she answered with a tinge of pain. "I was a disrespectful brat with no attention to authority," she bit her lip, "or my parents for that matter. Drugs were a normal part of my 'good times' with my boyfriends. Not to mention drinking…"

He nodded, silently listening. He wasn't completely shocked, but the fact she's used drugs was a new piece of information.

She looked over at him, partly wishing she hadn't revealed so much.

He sighed. "So do you want to know where we're going exactly?"

She ran a hand through her hair. "Sure, what do we have to do?"

"Your 'alter-self' is much more reckless as I've mentioned."

"Yes, yes, we've already established that," she said in annoyance. "What about saving my parents?"

"Well, I never actually said—" he started before he found himself on the cold, wet ground.

"YOU SAID IT WOULD BE DIFFERENT!"she yelled.

He stood up and she grabbed him by the shirt color. "It will be different, but that was always meant to happen. If it didn't, where would I be?" With those words, she threw him to the ground before dropping beside him and punching the ground. Chris saw so much pain and anger in her eyes before that he hated to look into them again – much less give her another chance to kick his ass for lying to her.

Slowly, he sat up. "I'm sorry, but look at it as another chance to tell them how much you care."

"I've already told them."

"But did you tell them because you wanted to or because you owed it to them? The Paige we're going to meet isn't even 1/3rd as decent as you were. Maybe you can help her."

"How? Won't the 'future consequences' come into play?"

"Paige, what bad could come of this? You'll help her realize how much she loves them. She can know who you are."

"But they can't."

Chris rested a hand on her shoulder. "Tell them anyway. She needs your help. She hides a painful secret, even before the accident. And you know yourself back then. You barely told your parents anything. Even if you can't save them, isn't it worth it to save her?"

She blinked. "Save her? What exactly does she need to be saved from, Chris?"

Again, he hesitated. But wait, didn't she used to be a social worker? Still though…

"Chris!" she said, shaking him. "Tell me!"

"She has too much ridicule from classmates, pressure from teachers and her parents to be a good student. She's rebellious though, like you were. But reckless behavior isn't enough, Paige. She wants out. Claims no one understands her."

"She's a…a…"

Chris nodded. "And she needs your help."

"Are you going to be there too?"

"For guidance reasons, but nothing more. I can't be seen around anyone but you."

She nodded. "So how do we get there?"

Chris dug into his pocket and pulled out a vial with red liquid. Then he threw it on the ground. A swirling portal opened up.

"But there's a catch."

"There always is."

"We only have a week."

"A week? Why?"

"Three days before, three days after and the day it happens."

Paige thought a moment. "So 72 hours between?"

He nodded. "Come on." He grabbed her hand and they entered the portal with Paige desperately hoping that some way she could save her younger self before it was too late…

. . .

. . .

Author's Notes: Hey, this is my newest story. It'll probably be one of my 'write/update when I can' ones. I'm working on "Heaven's Mistaken Gift" a lot. That's become my main story, so if you read this, please don't bombard be with reviews that say "Please update soon!" I'll update it as quickly as I can. Like I said, others are priority. I just hate having a fully good, completed chapter sitting around not being posted. It drives me nuts!

Anyway, please read and review to tell me what you think!

Piper Chris Melinda Halliwell