Note: A little bit from Prea's POV.

Cousin Prea

Prea smiled as she pulled the letter out of her mailbox, recognising the handwriting immediately. It was a letter from her cousin Phoebe. Obviously she had moved back home as she had been intending because Prea could see that the postmark read San Francisco. Humming as she walked, Prea climbed the stairs to her apartment and sat down to read the letter. Even if she hadn't been expecting to see it, Prea would have known that Phoebe was keeping something back in her letter. You can't con a con and after living a lie since she was 12yrs old and her mother died, Prea knew when she was being lied to.

The truth that Phoebe was keeping back in her letter was easy enough for Prea to figure out. It was as much in what her cousin said as what she didn't say. Prea had always maintained thatthe best way to lie was with the truth, just enough truth. And it appeared that Phoebe had taken her advice. In her letter she said that she and her sisters were 'closer than ever'. That they had found 'the perfect balance' living together. Prea smiled. She had been expecting this ever since she had gotten the news that Aunt Penny had died. She had been sad to hear about her Aunt, she was her father's sister after all. But that had been followed swiftly by the hope that maybe now everything could be out in the open. If the Charmed ones really were finally aware of their destiny maybe Prea wouldn't have to hide who she was anymore, at least not from her own family. She had been doing enough of that already.

Prea tried not to panic when Aunt Penny sent Phoebe outside to play. She hadn't done anything wrong. Not that Aunt Pen would see it that way. Prea knew that even though Penny was her father's sister, she didn't actually trust her because of who her mother was, what she was. That and the fact that the one rule that Aunt Penny insisted on was that under no circumstances were her cousins to find out about magic. That meant that not only could Prea not practice magic while she was there, but she couldn't let her cousins see her using the other talents she had inherited from her mother either. She smiled encouragingly at Phoebe when the younger girl turned back for a moment before heading out of the door. Then she turned to Aunt Penny and waited for the inevitable implosion.

"What was all that about Prea?"

Penny asked standing with her arms crossed looking down at the twelve year old sat on the sofa with a sketch book beside her.

"Phoebe came into my room last night."

A single raised eyebrow was the only reaction that she got from the elder witch, so Prea kept talking.

"I was out, just stretching my wings a little in the dark, but I didn't realise that she was there until I was coming back in. It was dark and she thinks she imagined it."

Aunt Penny sighed heavily as she sat down beside her niece.

"I know you are trying Prea. But it is difficult to pretend to be someone that you aren't, and it's not just the fact that you are a witch that youhave to keep from them. Have you thout anymore about what we talked about, about going away for school. I know a coven, just ojtside of LA. It's small, but you could at least practice magic there. I've explained the situation to them and they would be happy to take you in. Even with your complications.

Prea folded the letter and put it back into the envelope with a sigh. She had moved to LA not long after that and she had stayed away from her only family to keep the secret from them. She had stayed with the coven until she was 18 and she had learned how to keep her darker side hidden whilst living as much of a normal life as possible. She had found that her artwork sold enough to keep her going, and sold even better once she started manipulating the rumours that started over her pale skin, her sensitivity to the light and her nocturnal habits. She found that with just enough truth she could create this image to sell more of her work and yet hide the truth. By telling the world that she was a demonic creature that lived in the shadows, no one believed it. Instead they assumed that it was all a gimic, a facade to sell her work, and they embraced it.

Now though, maybe now she could go back home to her only living family. If she was right and her cousins had come into their powers then not only could she finally admit to them who she really was, but they would need all of the help that they could get. Evil would be out in force now and determined to bring down the charmed ones. But Prea could help so that that wouldn't happen, and she could help her cousins come to terms with the powers that they had been protected from until now.

As she set the letter aside, Prea glanced at the calendar on her fridge. Prue had a birthday coming up. That could be the perfect excuse for a visit. And if she planned it all carefully enough there would be enough time for her to find somewhere and move back to San Francisco by then. She would be perfectly placed then to help them without overwhelming them or forcing them to take her in. Perfect. Decision made, Prea wrote a quick reply to Phoebe hinting that she was debating moving back home. Smiling she set it aside to deal with later. It was getting lighter outside and she could do with some rest. Locking tbe door Prea made sure that noone could get in before she leapt into the shadowy rafters of her ceiling and curled up to sleep suspended in her other form.