Author's Note: Thanks to Dominus Trinus, lizardmomma, Daicy, CharmedLips, ObsessedwReading, EsmeHollyElizabeth, and draupadi for the new reviews. And thanks to Jay Warren, CharmedLips, Daicy, Feruze, and SuperBadKitty37 for following this story. I am amazed at the interest this story is generating. When I say I am writing at a faster pace than ever before, I am not lying or exaggerating. As I post this, I've had a two hour nap and my internet at home is still wonky.

Just so everyone knows, this ends the first three episodes of Season 4 and this is the conclusion of "Charmed Again." I hope you guys all love the upcoming chapter as much as you all seemed to love the first three chapters. Please continue to review and follow to spur this story on.


Chapter 4: Charmed Again, Part 3

Piper stormed upstairs before Prue or Leo could stop her. Paige followed. She had nowhere else to go, and no one had answered her question. The Halliwell sisters were crazy, but Leo had appeared from thin air. And Paige had known she was adopted since she was a small girl. It was worth the risk to follow the Halliwell sisters and confirm if she was related to her recently departed friend Phoebe. After all, Phoebe's funeral was the most eventful one she had attended.

"Where are you going, Piper?" Prue asked as they ran up the stairs to the attic.

Paige envied Piper's storming off. While she was breathless just from running to the second floor, Piper was setting a brisk pace and not even sweating. 'I've got to start using my gym membership.'

"The Elders think she's our sister? Well, I'm going to find out for sure!"

Piper shoved the door to the Halliwells' attic open and stomped toward an antique chest. Paige gazed around the room at the collection of years' of memorabilia. Antique furniture lined the walls; used-up toys and trinkets, an antique but well-maintained dollhouse, and mirrors cluttered almost all the available space. Part of Paige wished she hadn't discarded most of her stuff after the accident.

"What are you planning to do?" Leo wondered. Piper ignored him, took out five white candles from the chest, and arranged them in a circle on the floor. She lit them with a lighter from the same antique chest as the candles, grabbed Prue's hand, and dragged the elder Halliwell to a well-loved book rested atop an ornately carved stand.

Paige, apprehensive, wandered to Leo's side. "What's this? Some sort of spell?" Leo didn't respond because Piper began chanting:

"Hear these words, hear my cry

"Spirit from the other side.

"Come to me, I summon thee,

"Cross now the great divide."

A swirl of radiant yellow lights appeared in the center of the candles. Paige gasped as the light unveiled an older woman in a periwinkle linen dress that flattered her matronly figure, a chestnut colored wig, and a ton of accenting jewelry. "Hello, girls." She smiled at Prue and Piper then glanced at Paige. "Piper, Prue, what is the meaning of this?"

"We've got questions, Grams, and you've got answers," Piper responded.


In a police precinct only four blocks from Halliwell Manor, Lieutenant David Rodriguez massaged his temples. Phone incessantly rang outside his office. He had read over seventy reports in 36 hours. And he could no longer get to sleep. All this had resulted in a massive headache. Goody's Powder hadn't worked for him, and Rodriguez doubted anything would.

The dark-skinned second generation Mexican Ameircan had been dedicated to studying every case from the previous three years that involved the name Halliwell. Lieutenant headed up the Special Cases Unit for the Greater Bay Area and normally processed relatively run-of-the-mill crimes. Unsolved cases, open child abductions, and the occasional incident of occult activity crossed his desk all day long. In thirteen years with the force, Lieutenant Rodriguez had turned down further promotion to focus on the one area.

Lieutenant Rodriguez had never seen cases like the Hallliwell's.

Some were mundane: A noise complaint from earlier in the year; Phoebe Halliwell's name as a potential witness to the murder of a young woman; and two citations for drunk and disorderly contact with the police at Piper's club earlier that year.

Others were admirable: The Halliwells had helped a young man's family properly bury his misidentified and murdered corpse two years earlier; in the same year, they had assisted in the discovery of two fraudulent auction house owners; an internationally renowned assassin had been detoured thanks to an investigation using the Halliwell home a year ago; the last remaining male in one of San Francisco's most prominent families had been rediscovered through an investigation that used Halliwell Manor; and a missing persons case had gotten closed around Christmas when the young man was reunited with his mother.

Most were gruesome. A serial killer used an online dating service to horribly slaughter half a dozen men and a police detective, and Prudence Halliwell was listed as a client of the service. Last year, a crime spree through the city had begun and ended at a theater frequented by Phoebe Halliwell. A criminal named Bane Jessup had escaped police custody, killed two prison guards, and kidnapped Prudence before turning himself in. Only the year prior, a lunatic had killed four people with the last name Halliwell in order of appearance in the phone book, which made the sisters a target.

Rodriguez's verdict on the sisters was solidified on the most appalling investigations. Two years ago, Andy Trudeau, who was once romantically linked to Prudence, was murdered in the sisters' house. Mysterious scorch marks had appeared on his body. And lastly, a week before Rodriguez's investigation had begun: A prominent surgeon and Phoebe Halliwell were found brutally slain in the Halliwells' home.

He was baffled by many facts of the case. The most conspicuous of these was the matter of eyewitness testimony. Prudence, Piper, and Piper's husband Leo claimed to have seen nothing the day of the attack. But their neighbors had seen all three sisters arrive at the house with Dr. Griffiths and usher him into the house. Further, doctors, nurses, orderlies, and hospital security cameras placed the sisters leaving from Bay Area General with Dr. Griffiths before he prepped for surgery that morning. But neither of the surviving Halliwells had seen him or their sister die?

'Something isn't right about the Halliwell sisters. Whatever it is, I'm determined to get to the bottom of it and stop it.'


"Questions about what? And who is this stranger anyway?" Grams demanded. Her ghostly hands flew to her ghostly hips.

Paige scoffed. She had been prepared to accept the presence of a ghost, but the ghost had just insulted her. It was time to leave the nutty farm. "My name's Paige, and I…" Her voice trailed off when the ghost's right hand flew to her mouth to stifle an astonished gasp. Grams lowered her hand too late to avoid everyone's attention. "What?"

"Nothing," the ghost set quickly. "I just…I had to yawn."

Piper, Prue and Paige all put their hands on their hips simultaneously. "Grams, you were a lousy liar when you were alive. Now that you're see-through, you've even worse at it," Piper admonished.

"Tell us what's really going on, Grams," Prue demanded.

Paige shook her head and threw up her hands in surrender. "You know what? I give up. I went to sleep sometime last night, and I just woke up in the middle of a friggin' nightmare."

She strode toward the attic door, but it shut before she could make it. "You're not going anywhere until we know who or what you are," Prue said in a cold voice.

"I've told you before, if you keep me held here, I would call the police!" Paige yelled.

"And I've already told you, you can't leave." Prue stomped across the room into Paige's face, causing the younger woman to back into the door. "There is a demon after you! Are you so insane that you're trying to die?"

"She's right," Grams added. "You can't leave, Paige. We need you here."

Paige sidestepped Prue and glared at the ghost. "Who says you need me here?"

"I-I can't say."

"Why not?" all three women asked at once.

"Because I asked her not to," responded a distant female voice. Prue and Piper gasped at the sound. Paige noticed that Leo's furrowed brow grew deeper.

A swirl of iridescent white lights appeared at Grams' side. They dissolved to reveal another spectral woman. Her flowing brown locks framed a kind, warm face. Paige saw a similarity in the new ghost's eyes and Prue's; the ghost had high cheekbones, dark eyes, and a hesitant way of smiling just like Paige. It was more than a gut feeling. Something as natural as Paige's milky white skin recognized the ghost in front of her. "Mom?"

The woman nodded wistfully. "Yes, Paige. I'm your mother."

"Great!" Piper threw up her hands in exasperation. "We lose one sister, and we gain another on the same day?"

Paige winced but steeled her shoulders. If Piper Halliwell was going to be her enemy, Paige resolved not to shrink back. She already knew Prue didn't like her. "I didn't ask for this."

"Yeah, well, I didn't ask to lose my little sister, but at least she came with a replacement."

"Piper! That is enough!" Grams snapped. "I raised you better than to behave like a Blob Demon."

"Grams, you also raised me to believe I wasn't a witch; that Dad was a good for nothing who abandoned us; and that I only had two sisters. A lot of that has gotten debunked in the last three years, and now I'm playing catch up with my entire life!"

Paige felt a modicum of comfort that Piper wasn't frustrated with her at least. She turned to Grams. "Piper, your mother and I were just trying to protect you as best as we could. I'm sorry that giving you a childhood meant you had to be far behind on the truth."

Piper folded her arms and shook her head. Apparently, stubbornness was an inherited family trait as well. "Exactly how did this happen?"


Lieutenant Rodriguez turned off the light over his desk, grabbed his phone and keys and strolled out his office to the main floor of the police precinct. This was the area where officers were highly charged with tension. Criminals were processed on the main floor, and the secured exits were at the ends of every hallway. Phone calls were still coming in, even as late as it was. Yet Lieutenant Rodriguez walked confidently among the officers and repelled the detainees with a discernible sense of disdain as he approached the exit elevators to underground parking.

The sound of running footsteps compelled Rodriguez to turn around. He identified the footsteps as faux Italian leather loafers with Oxford heels, a bargain compared to the real thing but not inexpensive, even before Rodriguez saw Detective Daryl Morris approaching.

Detective Morris was a 6'5" Black man with café-au-lait skin; he was built like a linebacker for the 49ers. Lieutenant Rodriguez knew Detective Morris to be a well-respected officer and a doting family man, the kind of friend anyone on the force could rely upon. There was only one thing that struck Lieutenant Rodriguez as a flaw: In almost every case involving the Halliwells, Detective Morris was named as the investigating officer.

"Detective Morris, how are you this evening?" Rodriguez asked politely. He personally believed it was pointless to dislike someone and blatantly ignore civilities.

"I'm doing alright." Morris wasn't even out of breath from running. "How are you? How's your daughter?"

Lieutenant Rodriguez narrowed his eyes at Detective Morris. Everyone on the force had to have heard about the messy divorce he was undergoing. After thirteen years of marriage, Rodriguez's wife had left him for a second-string pro football player in Seattle. Rodriguez saw his daughter three times per year. "I'm doing well. Can I do something for you, Morris?"

"Uh, yeah: I heard you were investigating the Halliwells, the sisters who live at 1429 Prescott Street?"

"I have to." Rodriguez affected a dutiful but reluctant shrug. "A prominent doctor was killed at their residence and so was the youngest sister, Phoebe. IA has questions."

The elevator chimed its arrival. Rodriguez stepped in, but Morris held the doors open with a wave of his brawny, Mens Warehouse clad arm. "I just wanted to know if I could help in any way. Prue Halliwell used to date my partner, Andy Trudeau, before he died. We're still close."

Rodriguez studied Morris' face. The husky Black man affected the right grief when he mentioned Trudeau, but Lieutenant Rodriguez also observed the subtle shift of his eyes that usually betrayed anyone who lied. The shift happened when Morris stated that Trudeau had "died."

Both men knew the truth ran deeper than that.

"Thanks, Morris. I'll let you know if I need your assistance. He pressed the down button. "If you'll excuse me, I need to go." Lieutenant Rodriguez stared at Morris until the lower-ranked officer backed away.


Patty wringed her hands together and turned down the corners of her mouth, the same way Piage did when she was nervous and emotional. "After your father and I split up, Sam and I began a…relationship. It was completely clandestine, of course, and forbidden by the Elders."

"Who's Sam?" Paige asked.

"He was my Whitelighter."

"And it was not a relationship!" Grams scoffed. "You and Sam were constantly humping each other like rabbits! I couldn't walk through my own house without having to use magic to pull you two apart."

"Sounds like the apple didn't fall far from the forbidden tree." Prue nudged Piper with her elbow.

"When I got pregnant, Piper and Phoebe thought I was just fat. Prue…well, we had to erase your memory again when Paige was born."

"No wonder you can't remember the seventies, Prue." Piper elbowed the elder Halliwell this time.

"Why wasn't I raised with my sisters? Why did you give me away for adoption?" Years of frustration boiled inside Paige's heart and erupted to the surface. "I wasn't good enough for you? Do you know how hard life was for me growing up?"

Patty's face frowned with disappointment. "Paige, I never meant to hurt you. We couldn't keep a fourth daughter. Sam and I weren't even supposed to be involved. We had to take you to a church and give you away."

"It was my idea," Grams added. "Patty thought with her heart instead of her head…"

"Mother!"

"I would apologize, dear, but it's the truth. Anyway, after she delivered the baby—sorry, Paige—here in the Manor, I told her and Sam to get you to the church. The Elders were constantly watching. Who knows what they were going to do?"

When Grams put it that way, Paige understood the wisdom behind the decision. The Elders sounded like a threat to her existence when she was merely an infant, and as a grown woman, they had identified her as the fourth sister. Paige probably wouldn't join their fan club anytime soon.

Before she could say as much, the attic door exploded in a gust of wind. Paige tumbled backwards from the blast, which extinguished the candles Piper had placed on the floor. The ghosts of Penny and Patty Halliwell disappeared as Shax materialized. He launched another gust of wind at Leo, and the Whitelighter crashed into the ceiling on the other side of the attic.

"Leo!" Paige was certain her death was imminent as the demon wound back his arm. She felt like Sarah Connor in Terminator 2: Judgment Day, when Sarah had scrambled backward from the Terminator in John's control. Paige could feel the power building all around him.

Then something large, heavy, and metallic slammed into the side of the demon's head. Shax stumbled backward.

Paige glanced at the remnants of a scorched sewing machine on the floor beside the demon and looked around. Over her shoulder, Prue glared at the demon with her hand still raised. "Thanks for that!"

Piper reached for Paige. "Come on! We've got to stop him!"

Paige took the woman's—no, her sister's—hand and joined Prue beside the aged book. "There's only one way to stop this demon," Prue warned as Shax steadied himself, "and that's with the Power of Three. Three sister witches untied as one. Can we do that?"

She stopped on a page in the book with an illustration of Shax and offered Paige her hand. Piper already held Prue's right hand. In the scarce second that Paige hesitated to take Prue's hand, Shax wound back his arm again. Piper's free hand shot out and the demon's movements slowed to a crawl.

'They aren't trying to protect my life because they're my neighbors or just good people. Prue and Piper want to protect me because they're my sisters.' "Ok." Paige took Prue's hand.

A warm golden light radiated from the attic's overhead light. The three sisters and the book were bathed in it. It filled Paige with a sense of security, love, and goodness. For the first time that day, Paige's heart was racing with fear.

Prue led the chant:

"Evil wind that blows

"Formed from Deep Below;

"Here you may not dwell,

"Death takes you with this spell."

Shax held his hands to the sky, his face contorted with agony. Paige flinched at the sight of golden lightning coursing up his body, his bellow of pain, and finally at the floor-shaking explosion of his body. If he hadn't tried to kill her, Paige would have pitied him. "Did we just kill him?"

"We prefer the term 'vanquish.' They're not human, after all," Piper responded. She crossed the floor to Leo's side and stroked her husband's blond hair.

"Is he alright, or is he…?"

Piper hoisted her husband to his feet. Paige was relieved to hear Leo's dazed groans. "Leo's alive, or at least as alive as Whitelighters get. That's a long story." To Leo, she said, "Alright, hero, let's go get you a cup of tea."

"We could discuss it over a cup of tea tonight, if you have the time," Prue offered.

Paige observed the hopeful gleam in Prue's eyes, the openness of her stance, and the anxious way she bit her lip. Paige had seen kids, the ones who were hurt the most but still yearned for affection, project the same look. "Sure, I'd like that."


The Oracle stroked the cloudy crystal ball resting in front of her glowing green eyes. She only had a few moments before the Source returned from his meeting with a council of powerful demons. Precious seconds were ticking away while the forces of magic attempted to deny her access to the unknown future. "I need to see the great power to come!" she yelled at the orb. "Show it to me! Show it to me now!"

Gradually the swirling mists parted. A pair of eyes, followed by a face, and a legion of followers appeared in the Oracle's crystal ball. She leaned closer to the gleaming surface of the ball and seductively stroked its surface. The Oracle gasped at the other faces flanking the first on either side. "NO! It can't be!"