OK i entered a second chapter and its not showing up on this site...I took all the steps and still, no second chapter. So until someone tells me what to do, there can't be updates.

This is directly after the Avatars, a little over a month later, with everything about the storyline intact. Oh, except, for my creative purposes, Kyle either isn't or hasn't told Paige that he is, a Whitelighter, and I'll decide which as the story progresses. You'll see why…

Oh, yeah, in my story don't hate Piper. She's going to be grief-stricken and a little rude in the beginning, but then she'll become the Piper we all know and love.

Disclaimer: Some people have the need for stating the obvious, so here it goes. I don't own Charmed, or anything that you recognize. If I did, I wouldn't be writing about on a website, I would be out producing the show. And I would have made a few changes…like saving the lives of a few Charmed hunks…

TEASER

The Manor-Kitchen-Morning

Piper was sitting at the kitchen table, feeding Chris his breakfast and trying to help Wyatt eat his at the same time, both of her hands occupied while her lower lip twitched and her eyes watered. The babies were not cooperating, and Piper seemed to be on the edge of tears. Wyatt threw his banana on the ground and exclaimed,

"Dada!" in his baby voice, looking up towards the attic. In a second, Piper's entire face melted over. All of her worry and her tears seemed to slide away and she began to run upstairs. Leo…she missed him so much. After the Avatars, they both had known that trouble was in store for him, and sooner than they had liked. The Elders called Leo 'Up There' for a chat over three weeks ago, and Piper hadn't seen hide nor hair of him yet. Wyatt seemed to be intune to his Daddy, so maybe he had sensed Leo returning home? With that thought running through her head, Piper thrust open the attic door, Leo's name on her lips, hope in her heart.

Her entire world plummeted when all she saw was Paige, fast asleep, with her head on the Book of Shadows, totally surrounded by ingredients for hundreds of spells. Paige had been trying effortlessly to bring Brody back, and Piper and Phoebe had decided to let her try. This way, at least, she would know that she had done everything she could and move on. At least, as much as she ever could. Piper felt a tiny twinge of sympathy for Paige, who obviously wasn't coping well, but that feeling was soon droned out with her own feelings of remorse.

Piper decided to let her youngest sister sleep peacefully as long as she could; her room was close to Paige's and she knew that Paige was as restless at night as she was, suffering from the same nightmares she was. Except Paige already knew that her love was dead; Piper could only anticipate it, only imagine what Leo was going through, only dream up things a million times worse than the Elders could ever dream of putting a person through. Paige and Kyle had been spared that, she already knew how he died, not to mention how much the Elders owed Piper and Leo by trying to ruin their relationship all those times. Sending Leo back would call it even. Piper wanted, desperately, to say that to the Elders but without Leo she had no way of reaching them and was afraid to make things worse for her husband. And saying that would acknowledge her feelings, and she had to stay strong for her family, most importantly for her sons. She was a single parent now, she was all they had, and if she broke down they would be virtually orphans.

Piper heard the door slam downstairs and knew that Phoebe had returned home and would be worried about her. Lately, Phoebe was always worried about her, and Paige, seeing how there was so much grief in this house. At least Paige knew what had happened to Kyle, Piper had no idea what was going on with Leo…

Piper shook her distressed thoughts out of her head as she rushed downstairs to, once again, lie to her sister about just how well she was coping with everything. Piper plastered a happy grin on her face and cooed as she picked up Wyatt, who had toddled over to the stairs to wait for his Mamma. She looked over at Phoebe and smiled when she saw her sister spooning peas in her youngest son's mouth. She felt a pang of jealousy and anger for Phoebe; she hadn't lost anything with this Avatar battle. Paige lost Kyle, Piper lost the love of her life, but Phoebe didn't lose anyone. Piper felt like kicking herself. How dare she judge the amounts of pain people receive?

"Hey, there. Where's Paige? I called earlier and talked to her. She sounded awful, and I came home…and she's gone." Phoebe's voice startled Piper out of her guilty thoughts and she once again pulled out her fake smile card.

"Fell asleep on the Book of Shadows. But not before raiding our potion cupboard and cleaning us out of everything from harpy claws to leprechaun's gold." Piper laughed as she said it, she couldn't help herself. Paige's perseverance was slightly annoying, but also admirable. Phoebe grinned and tilted her head to the side, looking Piper directly in the eye, speaking with her 'Ask Phoebe' voice.

"Well, at least she's coping, fighting. Its much better that moping around all the time, not admitting your true feelings." Piper knew that comment was aimed at her, and it stung. So she was moping and hard against the world, but she had earned the ability to rest and wallow in pain. She was tired of having to fight for the lives of the ones she loved, for Prue and now for Leo. She doesn't want to fight anymore.

Before Piper could respond, an ear piercing scream emanated from the attic, filling the sister's hearts with fear.

"Paige." Piper said, in one breathless syllable. Phoebe began running towards the attic, while Piper placed Chris in Wyatt's arms. "Danger, Wyatt, danger." Satisfied that Wyatt's forcefield would protect her children, her last pieces of Leo, Piper sped off in the direction of her sisters. Paige….Zankou must have returned for her, like he did last week, and with her being so out of it lately he could accomplish anything.

Phoebe flung open the door of the attic ready for battle with Piper on her heels. What she saw instead was a terrified and frenzied sister, tears streaming down her cheeks as she desperately tossed ingredient after ingredient in the potion pot. Piper ran a hand through her hair and felt a bubble of anger almost overlap the bubble of empathy she felt towards her sister.

"Another nightmare." Piper said, tonelessly. She was tired of Paige's nightmares. She wanted her to move on with her life, like everyone had expected Piper to move on after Prue died. Like Piper was moving on after Leo…left.

Phoebe walked towards Paige and enveloped her in a hug. Paige tried to fight it, but eventually broke down and cried even harder.

"I should have saved him. I should have listened to him. If I had listened, about the Avatars, he'd still be alive. It's all my fault. I killed him. I killed him." Phoebe rocked Paige back and forth and she cried, and with every word Paige uttered Piper's anger grew and grew. Paige hadn't lost her husband, the father of her children, the love of her life.

Paige cooled down and began to create more potions, and Phoebe tried desperately to stop her, not noticing her rapidly reddening face of her elder sister.

"Paige, he's gone. I'm sorry, honey, I'm sorry but you can't do this. It's not going to work, and we need to be worried about Zankou." Paige shook her head, secretly knowing that Phoebe was right. Kyle was gone, her family needed her to help cope with the loss of Leo, and she needed to deal with everything and move on so she could fight Zankou. But she couldn't, not without a fight to save Kyle. He fought so hard to save the world from the Avatars; she owed him a fight for his life.

"I have to try. I can't, I won't, lose him." Paige choked on her tears and pushed Phoebe aside. She was going to bring him back, at least to talk to him, like the sisters talk with Grams all of the time. Paige tried to say the spell for calling a spirit, but her throat was closed off with tears and her brain was swimming in pain. Phoebe shot Piper a helpless glance, and noticed in alarm that her elder sister looked furious.

"Piper…what's wrong?" Piper brushed off her sister's concern and marched over to Paige, looking her straight in the eyes, channeling all of the anger that she felt for the Elders in to this moment, the battle.

"You think you are the only one who lost someone? I lost someone more important than Kyle! I lost our Whitelighter, my husband, the father of my children! I, however, am still out fighting to save the world from Zankou. You are too wrapped up in your mistakes to worry about anyone else. You lost him, you blew it, get over it!" Piper snapped angrily. Phoebe's face widened in shock and watched in horror as Paige's face glazed over, like stone. There was pain in her eyes, immense pain, but her face was a mask. Phoebe knew that, like Prue and Piper, Paige had the habit of suppressing her emotions to the point of a nuclear reaction. Her 'mask' let her sisters know just how far under she was, and Paige looked like she was close to the simmering point.

Paige managed to get a word in, which was remarkable because Piper was ranting with all the anger she felt towards the entire world. Piper seemed to halt surprisingly when Paige spoke, almost reluctant to stop talking, to stop yelling.

"I know, Piper, I know. But I can't lose anyone else. I can't! I killed him…at least your hands aren't filthy with the stain of murder." Paige's voice was shaking and her mask looked like it was about to fall apart. Piper seemed oblivious to how much she was affecting her family, and she pressed on. Phoebe watched, helpless, as tears spilled out of Piper's eyes and her anger began to overwhelm her presence.

"You can't lose anyone else? You didn't lose anyone! Kyle is not worth your grief, you hardly knew him and he meant nothing to the world! Leo was with this family, in my heart, for seven years. He should be mourned; I should be the one in tears. But I can't cry, I can't break down, because I am too busy trying to help you survive everyday, to help you mourn. You let him die, so you have no right to mourn!" Paige reeled back as if she had been slapped, her face red and splotchy and almost glazed over with tears and pain and shock. Phoebe shouted out her Piper's name and grabbed a hold of her elbow, shaking her slightly to get her off of her rocker. She looked a t Paige, took in her panicked eyes and rapidly moving gaze, and began to feel her chest tighten in fear. This wasn't good, wasn't good at all.

"Piper didn't mean it, Paige, she's just upset about Leo. We all are." Paige shook her head, throwing tears in every direction, her voice so choked with emotion it was hardly recognizable.

"She was right. I killed him, I did, and now I'm affecting the way you are allowed to mourn. I'm in everyone's way…I've got to get out…" Paige orbed out, despite Phoebes grab for her ankle as the orbs hit the ceiling. Phoebe turned to her sister, ready to scream, but she saw fear and love and guilt in Piper's eyes. All of Phoebe's anger began to die down. She saw in Piper's eyes just how sorry she was, and she knew that her sister wasn't really all that mad at Paige, Piper was mad at the Elders and the Avatars and she took it out on Paige because she was nearby.

"What have I done? I didn't mean to say those things, I don't even feel them! I'm just so angry at the world. With Prue, I could cry my eyes out for days but now, I don't know if I should mourn because I don't even know if he's alive. And I have two children to take care of, plus a half-collapsed sister and I was so set on staying strong I didn't notice just how much I needed to cry. We are so good, in this family, with hiding our grief, with Andy, and Cole, and Prue, and the millions of times that we ourselves have died in some way, so when Paige openly showed her emotions I didn't know what to do. I envy her, being able to mourn normally." Piper felt her eyes begin to fill with even more tears. Because she had been unable to control her emotions, Piper might have lost her sister on top of her husband.

This entire chapter was basically about Piper, which was necessary to set the foundation for the storyline. In the future, I will branch out and show more of each character, equally.