Disclaimer: We all know they're not mine, right?

Author's Note/ General information: This is set in season 5. Technically, it's a sequel to my story Present's Future, Future's Past, but all you really need to know is that Kyra and Jordyn are Paige's twin daughters from an alternate future.


Prologue

"Paige, snap out of it!"

Paige Matthews shook her head, whipping away her thoughts– not that they were ones she was going to miss– and becoming aware of the hand waving in front of her eyes. She focussed, looking up into the face of her older sister, Phoebe.

"What's up, Pheebs? Demon attack, magical mayhem, or you just don't like the idea of me spending a few minutes thinking for a change?" Paige said, testily. It may not have been entirely like her to be so grumpy, but hey– everyone had their bad days. And no-one liked being dragged back into the world when they were deep in thought.

"What is the matter with you lately, Paige?" Phoebe sighed, "Ever since you saw us in the future, you've been acting odd. What is it about that that's had your mind all twisted up?" Both her and Piper had noticed, and were worried. Paige was the eternal optimist, but that seemed to have gone down the drain once they had switched her back with Kyra. A lot of her time seemed to be spent moping around the house. Phoebe couldn't even remember the last time that her younger sister had been out on a date.

Paige sighed, "Oh, I dunno, it's just that knowing that I'm going to have a family– well, that bit's great. It's the me being dead bit I have problems with…"

She was cut off with an arm slung around her shoulders, "Now we know about that, we're going to do everything we can to stop it. We're not going to lose you honey, not if we can help it."

Paige shook her head violently, "That's not what I'm bothered about. I mean… we're all gonna die someday, and knowing when is, yeah, a little odd. But what worries me is that now we know, we're going to try and stop it. But what if stopping me dying means not meeting Jesse, or ever having the kids? By changing something, we could be changing everything that lead up to that future. And it was a pretty good one, really."

"What was a pretty good one?" a voice from the doorway came. Both the sisters turned, startled slightly, to see their eldest sister leaning against the doorframe, "If Paige has a new man, I want to know too, you know!"

Piper came in to sit on the bed on the other side of Paige, her long dark hair bound back in a ponytail, the unmistakable sight of milky vomit on her top,

"Yes, Wyatt missed the towel again," she sighed in response to the unasked question. "I'm glad I gave up wearing good clothes when feeding the baby." She cocked an eyebrow at her sisters, "Anyway… do tell about 'the pretty good one'. Sounds interesting."

Phoebe laughed, "We weren't talking about a man, we were talking about the future," her eyes twinkled, "Though from what Paige tells us about that future, we must have all met some 'pretty good ones', to account for the number of kiddies!"

"Phoebe!" her two sisters exclaimed as one.

The middle sister shrugged, "Well, it's true. I know I wouldn't be breeding like a rabbit without a pretty good reason! Kids are great and all… but that many in one house? We must have had good reason."

Paige nodded, counting up on her fingers. "Yep, there were a few, huh? Wyatt of course, Kyra, Jordyn, Jamie, Dale, Rinna, Melinda…" she broke off, "And I'm sure I'm still forgetting some of them." She began counting them off on her fingers, "And there was…. Um, Clayre and Riley. And a couple others too. We were – are­… err, will be– busy little bunnies."

Piper shuddered, "That many in 16 years… it seems almost like we were playing tag team pregnancies. The hormones must be wonderful."

Paige and Phoebe, who had experienced their sister's one-and-only-so-far pregnancy could well appreciate what she meant. Morning sickness made people crabby. And cravings might be amusing at first, but the fun fast got old. Especially if the knocked-up person didn't get what they wanted.

"Four each for you and Piper and another three for me, huh?" Phoebe sighed, "Well, Piper's got a head start, Paige. We need to be meetin' those guys fairly soon if we want to get to that future." She levelled a gaze at Paige, "You know, honey, you're never going to meet your dream-boat Jesse if you never leave the house. I know you don't wanna inadvertently change the future, but hey, if you miss out on meeting him, you'll be changing it pretty majorly in my book."

Paige gazed at the calender on the wall of her bedroom, avoiding her sisters' eyes. "Yes, I know that," she sighed, "But it doesn't stop me thinking that maybe if I don't meet him, that's because I'm not meant to, and that just seeing the future made it be changed."

"Paige, that's ridiculous!" Piper objected. Then realising that had come out a little harshly, she softened her tone, "Everything happens for a reason. So your spell went wrong for a reason. Those girls needed the closure that the body-swap gave them. And you needed to see that time, as well. You would have never done that spell, otherwise."

Paige sighed, "I know you're right," she said, "But I just can't help feeling that the way I'm feeling is the backlash from the personal gain aspect of the spell."

"Generally, personal gain bites back a whole lot harder than a little bit of uncertainty about the future," Phoebe laughed, "Paige, it's natural to feel uncertain after what you've seen; but you can't let it rule your life. Holing yourself up in the house in the present won't stop the future from running its own course, whatever that course may be."

"Pacey and Caly," Paige said in an effort to change the subject. Her sisters stared blankly at her, startled by the abrupt announcement which seemed to have no relevance to anything. Let alone the current conversation.

"Huh?"

"The two kids I forgot; Pacey and Caly."

Piper shook her head and levelled a stern gaze at Paige, "Don't try to change the subject, missy. What you saw is affecting you in the here-and-now. That's our business. You're our sister, and we're worried about you, sweetie. You can't let the future rule the present."

Paige still refused to meet her sisters' concerned gazes. Her eyes flickered to the calendar again. "You know what the date is today?" she asked suddenly, "It's–"

"Don't say it!" Phoebe and Piper yelped.

"Every time someone in this house points that out, something happens," Phoebe told her, "The superstitions of the day seem to impact on us a whole lot worse." She stood up, holding out her hand to pull the youngest sister up too, "Okay, this talk can stay for later. Come on up to the attic, and we'll show you what we ended up vanquishing the last time one of us mentioned this particular date."


Author's Note (yes, again): If you took the time to read, please just take a little more to review and tell me what you think ;o) Go on! It won't kill you. And if it does… um… I'll take full responsibility, k?