Kindred Sisters

Kinship. Love. Trust. Magic. Paige learns that some bonds can transcend anything. Can someone who she has never known show her? And will she accept the help she needs in return? All four sisters.

A/N: Thank you for the kind comments on the last chapter…and I hope you enjoy this one too!

Disclaimer: Don't own Charmed, never have, never will...

Chapter 2: Turning a Paige back to the Past.


Present

AS MUCH AS Piper disagreed with her youngest sister's opinion of her new brother-in-law and however mad she might have been originally, she wanted to let her little sister know that she was here for her. After all, it was her job. She wanted to talk to Paige, listen to her reservations, maybe talk her around and she prayed and hoped that she'd be able to prevent the wedge that threatened to drive itself right through her family. She wanted a happy family, not only for all of their sanities sake but because of all the magical craziness that invaded their lives on a regular basis. Piper knew that being divided would almost certainly cause a fall. She wasn't about to let that happen if she could help it. Not again.

Her mind whirling with all of this, Piper trotted through the hallway peeking into every room hoping to spot the head of wild dark hair that would reveal her baby sister.

"Paige?" Piper called entering the kitchen. The sound of the radio had floated down the hall and Piper had expected to find her baby sister pottering around in the kitchen but no. It was empty except for Paige's purse and car keys which were scattered on the countertop amongst reams of screwed up paper and a notebook. Piper stopped and smiled for a moment at her sister's incurable untidiness, it drove her crazy, but Piper understood that it was just another one of her little sister's quirks, and if she thought about it, each Halliwell had their very own: Phoebe was to all who met her intelligent woman but often, her scatty dizziness was astounding. Piper knew her own neurotic need for order, tidiness and logic was a little crazy, and she often missed Prue's annoying habits, her pig-headed stubborn ways and her fierce obsessive drive. Piper even missed the arguments that she used to have with her older sister, along with the long list of everything else about her. Oh how she wished that her big sister was here, right now, she'd probably be doing a better job.

Piper didn't think she'd ever be good enough to fill her big sister's shoes and she didn't want to. She'd much rather see her big sister walk through the front door like a whirlwind. She was often afraid to admit that on the bad days she still expected her big sister to come home in the early hours of the morning after doing a night-shoot, or using the dark room at the office. On the bad days Piper still waited up for her, counting the hours only to have her hopes dashed when the light of the morning poured through the windows, shunting her back to the painful reality she denied.

Piper took a deep shuddering breath and shook off the ache that began to grow painfully in her chest. Paige didn't seem to be around anywhere and her brow folded in confusion.

"Phoebe!" No answer. "Phoebe!" Nothing. "Phoebe! Get your butt down here right now!"

"What?" Phoebe cried bursting into the kitchen, with a spring in her toes and her lithe limbs in a combative stance that made it obvious that she was in demon-fighting mode. Her face became a mask of confusion upon seeing Piper alone in the kitchen, she sighed dramatically "God Piper, with all that hollering I thought there was a demon or something…" She moaned rolling her eyes and letting out a dramatic huff.

"Pheebs, I know you're upset but can you give up the attitude already" Piper had had enough of this sister fighting and even though she was now the eldest sister, her inner peacemaker was hard to resist now she could combine it with the authority of being the big sister.

"But Piper, she…" Phoebe argued.

"Look, I'm not condoning or agreeing with what Paige said, but have you stopped to think why she might have said it?" Piper looked at Phoebe carefully, watching the cogs turning in her head. She slapped her thighs in frustration as her little sister apparently drew a blank as she stubbornly shrugged her shoulders.

"Well, here's a hit-you-over-the-head hint - It's because she loves you, you ninny…"

"Oh…" She sighed, her brown eyes brightening as if a dawn of realisation was breaking across her face.

"…she just doesn't want you to get hurt, she's your sister Miss Phoebe and as a spokesperson for that particular species. I'd say we all feel that way too and I know you know that, Pheebs."

Phoebe chewed her lip anxiously and her whole body cringed at the overreaction she knew that she was guilty of. She had been hurt when her baby sister had revealed her distrust for Cole. It had knocked her off of the happily-ever-after pedestal she had been so high upon ever since her wedding day (and it had been the best day of her life, despite the magical chaos). Paige's doubts about her new husband felt like it had shattered her joy, after all it was the opinion of her family that mattered the most in the world to her, but Phoebe hadn't realised that Paige's frank admission wasn't out of malicious intention or green-eyed envy, it had been created from the love and concern that they shared as sisters. She understood now, and the clearness of it erased her grudge dissolving all the anger with it as it drained away but it left the nasty sting of regret behind.

"Oh, Piper, I… " She gasped through her thoughts, "Where is she?"

A small smile tugged at Piper's cheeks, as she inwardly congratulated her small victory, but then her expression grew serious, "I don't know Pheebs, that was what I was going to ask you"

"You think I know? What? You think I was gonna talk to her after she said that!" Piper gave her ranting sister a dark look until she said sweetly "Sorry Piper, I haven't seen her."

"Paige" Piper looked up at the ceiling; "Paige" She waited a beat for the orbs to appear, when they didn't she threw a worried glare at Phoebe.

"Well her keys are here" Phoebe started, moving towards the pile of her little sister's stuff, she picked up the quirky red bag from the table. She ran her fingers affectionately across the intricate beading and battered material, aware of how much Paige adored it "and here's her purse…Oh oh…Piper!" Her face fell as her eye caught the loopy scrawl on the notepad. She waved frantically at her sister beckoning her over to the table and thrusting the paper in her face.

"Aw, crap" Piper agreed after just a glance, looking back at Phoebe her eyes widening in her trademark panicked expression "Attic, now!"


Year 1999

"Woah, some trip" She muttered, her surroundings were still spinning as she tried to shrug of the dizziness caused by her trip. Paige shivered as the chilly air whipped around her body. The cold snapped her to her senses as she began to take in the green landscape. She steadied herself by clutching onto the arm of the wooden bench she had arrived beside.

This was not P3. This was not the night that she wished a cat would have gotten her tongue and clawed the whole thing right out to prevent her from making the stupidest mistake of her life and her sisters from hating her. This wasn't where her spell was supposed to bring her, at all. Paige the screw up was at it again, not only had she ruined everything between her and her sisters she couldn't even fix it right.

This was not good.

She sucked in a breath and tried to orb, no luck. Well, at least she knew her spell had worked and that she was at least back in time. It wasn't really much consolation, she didn't know where or when she had arrived. Through the cloud and the fog in her head that had made her woozy. She could make out the familiar skyline, of buildings that were tall enough to invade the sky, the famous red bridge was visible through them it was a relief to know that at least she was still in San Francisco.

"This is just great" She muttered inwardly "well, at least I know Piper and Phoebe won't miss me"

Her dark thoughts were interrupted as she cast her eye desperately around her. Her brow furrowed in surprise as her eye caught the wooden bench. Before, she hadn't noticed the tiny figure curled up at the far end. Her face was buried in her knees that were being clutched tightly to her chest. Black hair flailed wildly around her in the slight breeze making it look like she was tiny and helpless under the attack of the fierce wind. Paige was no Empath but there was something so forlorn about the figure that Paige could almost feel the pain radiating from her. It was so strong it felt like they were connected in some way. An Innocent? Paige mused silently and instantly, her instincts as a Charmed One and a social worker kicked in, pulling her towards the mystery figure. Silently she drew closer creeping slowly across the damp grass.

"Mind if I…" Paige began but as the other figure looked up at her, her brain went into meltdown taking her ability to speak with it.

Paige's voice echoed through the silence and as the figure lifted her head raven hair fell from either side opening curtains to her face.It was ghostly pale, sticky and streaked by red. Some of the black locks had stuck to the wet trails drying against her face. Despite this, her raw beauty made Paige catch her breath. She brought her blue eyes level with the woman who had spoken to her and who was frozen to the spot where she stood.

Those eyes: the ones that stared out of every other photo-frame in the Manor.

The youngest Charmed One felt her stomach twist into a knot, her throat suffered a drought and the rush of feeling turned her limbs to jelly.

She was looking into the eyes of her eldest sister.


Present

A SHAFT OF LIGHT poured into the darkened attic as Piper and Phoebe burst through the door. Both sisters swapped an anxious look as they looked at the spent candles scattered in a circle on the wooden floorboards. Piper blew out one that continued to burn faintly as her younger sister swept over to the bookstand to the closed Book of Shadows. She opened it so fiercely that she didn't notice the crumpled notepaper that fluttered quietly to the floor.

"Oh Piper…" Phoebe cried,

Piper sighed inwardly, although she could panic at some kind of competitive level, she wasn't quite there yet. She just hoped her headstrong little sister hadn't done anything stupid, hoping that Paige was only letting off a little steam but Piper couldn't quell her worry persisted at the pit of her stomach like an instinct…she hoped wouldn't be right. Phoebe wasn't doing so well, her big brown eyes were wide. Piper, who by fluent knowledge of Phoebe saw that it was worry darkening her sisters features, and she pushed her own fear to her toes and tried to comfort her little sister.

"It's okay sweetie, we'll just call her" Piper soothed. "Paige?" She called, "Paige?... PAIGE!"

"Okay, Missy Paige you're hgonna regret making me full name you…" Phoebe winced as her sisters rant whipped into full force, "Paige Matthews, if you can hear me you orb your half-whitelighter ass back here, right now."

"Wow, Piper, you know you're scarier than some of the demons we've faced?" Phoebe grinned lightening the mood considerably until it faded into silence, when their little sister didn't appear. Finally a sudden burst of blue and white lights filled the attic grabbing the attention of the two sisters as they waited for the youngest one to materialize.

"About ti-" Piper growled lowly. Herhands wereset firmly on her hips until the lights faded away and her face crumpled in confusion.

"Leo?" Phoebe questioned. As her brother-in law appeared from the orbs.

"What's the matter?" Piper finally managed to spit out rather shortly, but she caught herself and crept up to her husband placing a sweet kiss on his lips. "Hi honey" She greeted softly. "Is everything alright?"

The dopey smile that crept onto Leo's cheeks disappeared as his face fell. "No, not really…when the whole of the Whitelighter world and I just heard you calling, well, yelling for Paige, I tried to sense her and…" He paused looking over Phoebe and Piper with his penetrating green eyes.

"What Leo?" Piper asked impatiently.

Leo looked up at the two pairs of brown eyes that waited desperately for his answer "I can't" and watches uneasily as waves of fear anxiety and emotion crash over his wife and sister-in-law leaving a deafening silence in its wake.


TBC... If you enjoyed it please review, I love to hear what you think and thanks for reading :)