Disclaimer: Sadly, I don't own Charmed. I wish I did, but I don't.

A/n: This is a story set during the holidays (it begins right before Thanksgiving and goes up to Christmas) and it deals with two families we never learned much about on Charmed. This features Piper, Paige and Phoebe and their respective families, as well as some original characters. I really hope everyone who reads this enjoys the story.

Katie

Setting: November/December 2006

Coming Home

"You can never go home again, but the truth is you can never leave home, so it's all right."

-Maya Angelou

One: The Letter

Paige Matthews was standing in the kitchen of her sister's home, leaning against the island and peeling an orange. She was fairly sure that the pile of peel she was leaving on the counter was annoying her sister, but Piper was too distracted by the double batch of brownies she was preparing to comment.

"Are those for Thanksgiving?" asked Paige, finally freeing the orange and pulling out a slice.

"No," said Piper. "It just felt like a brownie day. I'm making pies for Thanksgiving."

"Oh," said Paige. She stuffed another slice into her mouth and spoke with her mouth full. "Don't most people clean the kitchen out before Thanksgiving instead of filling it up?"

Piper raised an eyebrow, obviously somewhat disgusted, and then shrugged. "I guess I'm not most people." She picked up the orange peels and tossed them into the sink. "What's up, Paige? I don't think you came over just to talk about my cooking."

Paige smiled, happy that Piper knew her so well. Somehow, it made things easier. "I had a letter from my grammy this week," she said.

"Your grammy?" said Piper, a light laugh in her tone. She began to pour the batter into a tray. "I didn't know you had a grammy."

"I don't see her very often," said Paige. "The last time was at my cousin's wedding and that was before I met you. But I write her letters as often as I can and I got one back from her a few days ago."

"Well that's nice," said Piper. She opened the oven and pulled out the first batch of brownies, setting it on the cooling rack on the counter. Paige got the distinct impression that she was only half-listening.

"Anyway," said Paige, "the reason I'm telling you this is because I want to read you part of the letter. Piper? Are you listening?"

"Read me part of the letter," said Piper, putting the second tray of brownies in the oven and fiddling with the timer. "There!" she said. She turned around and leaned against the island, staring at Paige. "You have my undivided attention."

"Good," said Paige. She reached into the pocket of her jeans and pulled out a slightly crinkled letter written on lavender stationary. Unfolding it and trying to press out some of the wrinkles, she cleared her throat. "Okay," she said. "Here it goes. 'Paige, I'm very sorry I couldn't be there for your wedding. My hip is better, but I don't think it will ever be what it once was. That is to say, I don't think it's going to permit me to travel much anymore. You know what they say: once you've broken a bone it's a downhill slide.'"

Piper's mouth dropped open. "That's awful!" she said.

"Shh!" said Paige. "That's just Grammy. She's pragmatic. And that's not the part I wanted you to hear." She cleared her throat and continued. "'That said, I'd like to invite you and your whole family here for the Christmas holidays. I'm dying to meet your husband and you know I've been terribly interested in your sisters since you first mentioned them. You're all welcome for the entire month of December, up through the new year—however long you'd like, dear. Please call and let me know (your uncles still have my number, if you've lost it).'"

That's it," said Paige. "Well obviously that's not it; she wrote a lot more, but that's all I wanted you to hear. What do you think?"

"What do I think about what?" asked Piper. Paige rolled her eyes.

"What do you think about going to my grammy's house for Christmas? It doesn't have to be the whole month. Henry and I discussed it and we were thinking about going up the week before Christmas and staying through the new year. What do you think?"

"I…Well…I don't know, Paige," said Piper.

"Please, Piper," said Paige. "At least think about it. This is the first Christmas I feel like we've really been together as a whole family. I mean, the first Christmas with Henry and Coop and where everyone is safe and happy. I want to spend it with you and Phoebe, but I also really want to see my grammy. I haven't seen her in over five years and I don't know how much longer she's going to live."

"Paige, Paige, Paige," said Piper, holding up a hand in a stop gesture. "Just slow down. I'll think about it, okay? And I'll talk to Leo and see what he thinks."

"Thank you," said Paige.

"Where does your grammy live, anyway?"

"Virginia," said Paige. "It's this big, beautiful farmhouse. Tons of room. Snow!"

Piper smiled. "Did you ever think about a career in sales?"

"Ha ha," said Paige, dryly. Piper shrugged and then tossed one of her oven mitts at Paige, who caught it easily.

"So you'll talk to Leo?" asked Paige.

"Definitely," said Piper.

"Okay. I'm going to go, then. I want to catch Phoebe and talk to her."

"Stop back later," said Piper. "I want to give you some brownies, but they're not cool yet."

"I will," said Paige, walking to Piper and giving her a quick hug. Then she orbed out.

Phoebe, unsurprisingly, was much quicker to convince. For one, when Paige orbed in, she found Phoebe and Coop making out on the couch, so she was able to talk to both of them at once. Also, once she read the letter and explained where Grammy lived, Coop became as excited as a small child, thrilled by the prospect of a white Christmas. With him on board, Phoebe accepted the invitation on the condition that Piper came too.

Paige had no idea whether or not her oldest sister would. Just a year ago she was certain the answer would have been no, but for the past seven months, Piper had been aglow with happiness. Never before had she seen Piper this joyous, and she wanted nothing more in the world than for her happiness to last. So maybe, just maybe, Piper would be open to doing something different for Christmas this year.

When Paige returned to Piper's for the brownies, Piper didn't mention the letter or Christmas, and Paige didn't ask. She knew better that to nag Piper, particularly when it had only been a little over an hour. She arrived home with the brownies to find Henry not home yet, so she sat down in the living room and pulled out the letter again.

She had chosen not to read the section right before the invitation to either Piper or Phoebe, but it was the section she had been dwelling on most. Now she read it again, not quite sure why.

"Tony told me some about your wedding, Paige, but of course I was thrilled to receive the pictures with your last letter. The ceremony looked beautiful and you were positively glowing, dear. Henry looks like quite a catch.

"I was, though, quite distressed to hear that your uncle Tony was the only member of the family able to attend your wedding. I know, of course, that you decided to get married quickly, but that is beside the point. We all feel as though you are pulling away from the family; that you feel that you must choose between your sisters and us. I know that all of us were thrilled when you found your sisters; I always thought it was a shame that you did not grow up with siblings. But I hope that you don't feel that it has to be us or them, because it can be both. I'm sure your sisters feel the same way.

"Perhaps I shouldn't say anything, darling, but I love you—we all love you—and I miss you greatly. Honestly, I only bring this up because I want to remind you that you are still part of this family, not to make you feel guilty or to harangue you into doing something you have no desire to do. I know how it feels to lose your family, and I don't want that to happen to you.

"I suppose I've stuck my nose in where it doesn't belong. Maybe I should go back and simply say: Paige, I'm very sorry I couldn't be there for your wedding. My hip is better, but I don't think it will ever be what it once was. That is to say, I don't think it's going to permit me to travel much anymore. You know what they say: once you've broken a bone it's a downhill slide."

Paige sighed and set the letter down on the coffee table. Grammy may not have intended to upset her, but her words had brought home a truth that had been skirting through Paige's mind for awhile now. She was pulling away from her adopted family, not by choice and not because she wanted to, but because it was almost as though she couldn't have two families.

Being a Halliwell was demanding, not only because of the demons and magic and secrets, but also because her sisters wanted so much of her time. For them, family was sisterhood. They hadn't grown up with aunts and uncles and cousins. Their childhood had been them against the world, and that mindset had continued into adulthood, magic or no magic.

Most of the time, Paige didn't mind this, because she had always wanted sisters. Now she realized, though, that instead of allowing her sisters to become part of her family as she had become part of theirs, she had simply cut out her adopted family because it had been easier. She had thought of it wrong, she realized now. She had thought of it as having two families instead of one, and since two had been too much to handle, she had unintentionally cut one out.

If she was going to correct this, now was the best time. Not just because her grammy was old and had pointed out the truth, but also because she was now married. Eventually, she hoped, she and Henry would have kids. And with a husband and kids, would her life become three families between which to choose? No, she had to work on ending the compartmentalization of her life now, before it came to that.

The door opened and Henry came in, tugging off his coat and throwing it onto a chair near the entrance to their apartment. He sighed, coming into the living room with scarcely a word and collapsing onto the couch next to Paige. He looked as physically exhausted as Paige was mentally.

"Hi," she said.

"Hi," said Henry.

"Long day?"

"Yeah."

"Do you want some dinner?"

"Dinner would be great," said Henry. "What do we have?"

Paige furrowed her brow, thinking for a moment. "We have brownies," she said, gesturing to the Tupperware she had set on the coffee table when she came in.

Henry stared at the brownies for a minute and then nodded. "Cool," he said. "Let's eat."