A/N: Again, thank you so much for the comments :) Really appreciate it :D

Chub: I can't say much without revealing anything, so I'll just say this... chapter fifteen ;)

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The next day, July 20th 2010 – Halliwell Manor



Around noon they were told Prue could go home, so that was what they did. Prue was still sleeping so Paige carried her up to her bed. She then returned downstairs and got the phone for the now-routine daily call to Helena.



"Hi Mommy!"



"Hey Froggy, how are you?" she silently cried at the sound of her little voice.



"Good! Grandma Sherry is showing me magic tricks!"



"Really," she smiled, remembering she still had to take care of that. "Can you put Grandma on the phone?"



"Okay!" She heard her run off. "GRAAANDMA!" Helena was shouting. Paige smiled.



"Paige, how are you doing?"



"I… I don't know. The last couple of days have went by so fast… I…" She sighed. "Listen, Prue had an accident yesterday. I'll need you to keep Helena for two more days, then I'll bring her home. I miss her too much to be away much longer."



"That's fine," Sherry told her, "Is Prue alright?"



"Arm's broken, and she had a… mild concussion. She'll be okay."



"That's good news."



"Sherry, there's something else I need to talk to you about."



"What is it?"



"Just try to understand this is for the best… When I bring Helena back, I'll be binding her powers."



"What?"



"Until then, just don't let her see magic stuff, please?"



"But Paige…"



"The decision was hard enough to make. I don't want to reconsider… It might not be forever."



"She's our only grandchild, the only one we'll ever have. I just thought… we would be able to share this with her."



"I'm really sorry."



"Don't be."



After she finished talking to Sherry, Paige talked to Helena a while longer before hanging up. At that point she unplugged the living room TV set and VCR and orbed them to Prue's room along with a stack of movies. She set it all up and went to sit next to her, waiting for her to wake up. That came at one o'clock.



"Hey Angel," Paige smiled. "How are you feeling?"



"My head is better, but my arm still hurts."



"Yeah, that's what I thought. But you know what? Today, tomorrow, you don't have to lift a finger. You just lie here, relax, we watch movies, eat whatever we want, and we make sure you get all better. How does that sound?"



"Good," Prue smiled a bit.



"But first you and I need to have a talk." Prue's smile faded.



"I know."



"What happened yesterday?" Prue hesitated.



"I… I heard you and Uncle Darryl talking… in the basement."



"Oh honey…"



"Why didn't you tell me?"



"I didn't know how to yet… I was waiting for a better time."



"What's going to happen now?"



"Well… from now on I'll be taking care of you. I won't lie, it will be hard, but you're a strong girl and I know you can do it."



"Do you think… they're happy?" Prue asked. Paige looked at her. Piper really had done a wonderful job with her. She was very scared of screwing it all up at that moment.



"I don't know. We can't really know what's going on up there… I'm sure though they wish they could be here with us. At the least we know they're safe. No one will hurt them anymore."



"I would have been a good big sister, right?"



"A great big sister. And you still can be. I mean technically you and Helena are sisters now."



"Yeah," the girl smiled briefly.



"There's one more thing we need to talk about. I have bound Emily and Charlotte's powers, and I'll be doing it for Helena too when she gets back. Do you know what binding powers is?" Prue shook her head. "Well, it's not taking them away but close. They won't be able to use them and we won't be doing magic in front of them or Henry. Eventually they'll… forget."



"What about me?"



"I've decided to let you keep them. You're at an age where you wouldn't easily forget and also I think you can be trusted with keeping that part of our lives hidden from them."



"Is it because of what happened to Mom and Aunt Phoebe?"



"Kind of…" Paige nodded.



"Okay." Paige smiled and kissed her cheek.



"I love you Angel…" Prue smiled.



Over the next two days Paige and Prue watched just about every movie they had. In a way neither expected, it helped the two of them to bond in a whole new manner. By the time the morning of Helena's return came around, both were in a noticeably improved state of mind. They hadn't forgotten the sadness, the pain of their loss, but they were slowly accepting the change.



Jason was having problems on his side. Dealing with the three children on his own was harder and harder. First there was Henry. He continued to have nightmares many times every night, and he almost had to be force-fed, coaxed to play. And the girls were a whole different story. As it turned out, the binding spell had indeed taken their 'psychic connection'. The loss of that put them in a frenzy and Jason had trouble keeping up with them. So last night he took them and they left for some 'refocus' time away.



Paige left Prue alone while she went to get Helena at her grandparents'. She insisted she'd be fine and it wouldn't take long. So off she went. The second she rematerialized a small mass tackled her to the ground.



"MOMMY!" Helena squealed, hugging her tight. Paige laughed.



"Hi Froggy! How's my girl? Ready to go home?"



"Uh-huh!"



"Alright, go get your stuff." Helena sprung up and ran off. Paige sat up wincing as she held up her bandaged wrist. She stood just as Sherry walked in. She hugged her almost-daughter.



"I know you must have been asked a million times in the past week but how are you?"



"I'm not sure… Things are about to become more real… Realizing that is just hard."



"So you're really going to do this?" Sherry asked, and Paige knew what about.



"When we get home," Paige confirmed.



"I was hoping you'd change your mind," Sherry gave a small smile. "You know once that's done… she won't be able to come unless she's on a plane… What do you intend to tell her?" Taking away her daughter's grandparents wasn't her intention.



"That from now on you'll be coming to us…"



"Which means that from now on we'll have to lie to her…"



"It's the only way."



When Helena returned, she hugged her grandmother tightly and went to stand with her mother as they orbed home. They arrived in Helena's room, where they left the bags before heading downstairs. They found Prue in the kitchen, trying to make herself a snack and having a tough time with it. She sighed and dropped the spoon before looking up at her aunt and cousin.



"Hi Helena!" The four-year-old ran over and hugged her. Prue kept her broken arm out of the way, using the other to return the hug. "Do you want some ice cream too?" Prue asked. Helena looked back to her mother, who was nodding.



"Yes, please!"



"With sprinkles?"



"Uh-huh!"



"Do you need a hand with that? I happen to have one free one as well," she held up both her hands. Prue laughed.



"I can do it, Helena can help," she affirmed, to which her cousin nodded. "Want some?"



"Sure! Why not?" Paige nodded.



"Can we watch a movie in my room?" Prue asked.



"I'll go set it up."



A few minutes later the three of them were up in Prue's room, sitting down to their movie and ice cream. When night came, she tucked in Prue before returning to Helena's room. She was sleeping now so it would have to be the time. She went to sit on the edge of the bed, looking at her daughter. She was so precious, so full of life. That had gone into her decision. She used to think about someday teaching Helena all she knew about magic, kind of like her sisters had done for her all those years ago. But losing her sisters had changed everything. And binding Helena's powers seemed the only way.



"Mommy?" she started to wake. Paige leaned down and kissed her forehead.



"It's okay Froggy. Go back to sleep," she smiled, looking into her chocolate eyes. She nodded and she settled again, sleeping within minutes. Paige reached into her pocket and pulled out a piece of paper. "Everything will be just fine."



~



I take your hands in mine

And with this string I will entwine

Your powers I'll forever bind

From now until the end of time.



*



September 6th 2010



Prue walked into the classroom with the others. The desks were put together in sets of four. She sat next to another girl as the teacher indicated their places. According to the name the teacher spoke, the girl at her side was called Keely Hendrix. As the others were being assigned their places, Prue crossed her arms and laid her head on the desk. Moments like these made her miss her parents most of all. Moments where they would have been there… like the first day of school. They had said they'd have a special breakfast the three of them that morning. But it hadn't come. They were gone. She hadn't told her aunt about it. She didn't want to bother her with something like that. She was working hard to make things work.



When everyone was seated the teacher introduced herself as Miss Horn. After lunch, she told them they would do an activity so they could get to know each other. They each had to stand, say their name, and talk about their family. Prue looked anguished. The kids at her station began.



"My name is Caroline Hughes, I live with my Mom, Mike, and my little sister Jamie. Sometimes we live with my Dad."



"My name is Norah Garry, I have a Mommy, a Daddy, two big brothers and a little brother, and a parrot. My Nana lives with us too."



"My name is Keely Hendrix. I was born in China, and I was adopted when I was a baby. I have a dog, no brothers or sisters."



Prue was lost in space, didn't hear the teacher call her name as she traced her aunt's signature with the smiley face. She nearly jumped to the ceiling when she felt a hand on her shoulder. The other kids were laughing, giggling in their hands. All except Keely and the girls across from them, Caroline and Norah. Miss Horn was standing next to her. Prue looked down again.



"It's Prue, right?" she asked kindly as she crouched to her eye level. Prue nodded. "Don't worry. You don't have to do this. Your Aunt explained to me this morning. Okay?" Prue nodded again and Miss Horn stood. "Alright, settle down. This is Prue. Bobby you're next."



And with that they continued. At the end of the day, Keely turned to Prue. "Can I ask about your arm?"



"I got hit by a car," Prue picked up her bag.



"Does it hurt?"



"Not a lot now…"



"What about… before, at the questions?" Prue swung her bag over her shoulder and started out of the class.



"I don't want to talk about it." Keely followed.



"Why?" she asked as they walked down the hall, where parents were meeting up with their children.



"I just don't want to." She realized she may have sounded harsh to this girl who seemed simply interested. "I'm sorry, okay? I'm not usually like this."



"It's okay," Keely smiled. "I understand. You don't have to say anything." Just then a woman called Keely's name. "That's my Mom. I'll see you tomorrow. Bye Prue!" she waved to her as she walked off with her mother. Prue smiled despite herself, thinking about her mother… her mother who would never be there again. Reality hit like a ton of bricks, as it usually did. Prue sat by the lockers, on the cold floor, hugging her knees close with her bag and lunchbox at her side.



"Hey Angel." She looked up as her Aunt crouched next to her. "Had a good day?" Prue shrugged. "Come on. I think I have something that will make it better…" Paige helped her up and they left the school. They drove off and Prue quickly noticed they weren't on the path toward home.



"Where are we going?"



"You'll see." They continued like this, in silence, for a few more minutes before Paige stopped the car. "Here we are." They got out and walked down the sidewalk until Prue had to stop before she bumped into her aunt. She looked at where they were. "I seem to remember hearing something about your wanting a dog…" She was right. Prue had gone to her to ask if her mother would say yes. She said there was only one way to find out. So the next day she did… the day…



"N-No… I don't want… I don't want to go in there," she shook her head, backing up a couple steps.



"Why not?" Paige asked, but the look on her niece's face was all the explanation she needed. "Oh honey, I'm so sorry… I didn't think about… Prue?"



As she'd been talking, Prue had started looking past her, and now she was walking there, into the alley. Paige followed. Prue continued walking slowly, then kneeled down held her hand out toward a box lying against the wall. A few seconds later, a small cat carefully stepped out, heading toward the girl with the outstretched hand. It looked up at her with an almost inquisitive 'Meow?'. Prue laughed a little. She looked up at her aunt.



"Can we take her home?"



"I don't know. It might belong to someone, or it could…"



"Please? Please Aunt Paige?" She couldn't say no to those little eyes.



"We'll have 'her' checked out, and if she doesn't belong to anyone we'll see." Prue gave her a big smile before looking down. The cat was hitting the box, which fell down to a bottom-to-the-ground position. She hopped in and looked up at Prue with another 'Meow?'. Prue picked up the box. They returned to the car. By the time they got home the feline slept all rolled up in the box.



"Misty's sleeping," Prue announced.



"Misty?" Paige repeated.



"My cat!"



"She's not quite 'your cat' yet. And how do you know it's a girl?"



"I just do. And I think she will be my friend for a long time."



*



September 7th 2010 – Paris, France



Jason looked out the window of his home. Phoebe would have loved it… maybe that's why he'd chosen it. They'd been here for a few days, still unpacking. He'd taken the job without hesitation. Staying in San Francisco too long would remind him of her too much and he wasn't ready… He, along with the children, had spent little time there since she was taken from them. It was better this way for now. He really wanted to believe that.



"Daddy!" a small voice called from above. It was Henry. Within seconds the girls' cries could be heard. Jason sighed and went up to Henry's room.



"Hang on buddy, I'll be here in a second." He ran to Emily and Charlotte's room. He quickly got them back to sleep and went back to his son's room. "Had another nightmare?" he asked as he picked up the five-year-old. "Hadn't had one in almost a week. Did something happen?" he asked, comforting him as best possible.



"I don't know," Henry cried, hugging his father tightly.



"It's okay, it's over now. Think you can sleep again?"



"D-Don't go…"



"I'm not going anywhere. I'll be right here," he put him down and pulled up the covers. He sat on the ground next to the bed. He picked up the small picture frame on Henry's night table. It had been taken in Hawaii. Jason, Phoebe, Henry, and the twins on the beach. 'We miss you… more than you'd imagine. You made everything work, Phoebe. We're lost without you…' he thought. He put the picture back a minute later and looked up. Henry was sleeping. Jason grabbed a big stuffed bear and placed it under his head, finding sleep shortly after.



Henry wasn't the only one having nightmares. Jason had them too. For so long he'd been worried that someday Phoebe's witchcraft would get her and/or the kids hurt, or worse. He wanted to tell her, but he knew what it meant to her and for people in trouble… so he'd kept his mouth shut. Now he felt partly responsible. He had to make it all work now, make sure they were safe. He owed it to Phoebe.



*



February 16th 2011 – San Francisco

"Happy birthday!" Keely greeted her friend as she walked in to the manor.



"Thanks," Prue smiled. "Come on," she led her upstairs to her room. "You can put your bags over there," she pointed to the space that had been cleared. Prue and her friends would have a sleepover, her very first.



"What do we do until the others get here?"



"You can change into your PJs," she indicated her own which she'd been wearing for a few hours now. They were a present from her Aunt.



"Okay!" She went into the bathroom and changed. When she returned Prue was sitting on her bed with Misty in her lap. Keely came to sit with her.



"Remember the first day of class?" Prue asked her friend, not quite looking into her eyes.



"Sure. You had trouble with introductions."



"My… my mother had died less than two months before."



"What?" Keely asked. It was the first time Prue opened up about herself. She was usually pretty private.



"And that same day… my father left." She looked up at her friend. They were both crying.



"Why are you telling me now?"



"Because… You're my best friend." Keely hugged her. When she pulled back, Prue held out her smallest finger. "You can't tell anyone, alright? Pinkie swear?" Keely locked her small finger with Prue's.



"Pinkie swear." They wiped the tears away as the bell rang.



"Prue! You have guests!" her aunt's voice floated in. The girls smiled at each other and ran off, Misty close behind. As they arrived down on the first floor they saw Caroline and Norah had arrived. There was much hugging and squealing.



Paige returned to the kitchen, where she was working on both the cake and snacks. Her praise for her niece continued to grow day to day. Her recovery had been hard but now she appeared to have moved on to a point where she lived her life happily. Still there were times where she'd just walk up to her aunt and squeeze her tight, her slim frame shaking just enough that Paige could feel it.



The disappearance of magic in their lives had gone over better than she'd thought it would. There hadn't been a single attack. She still felt guilty knowing there could be innocents out there without protection. But without her sisters she had neither strength to go on nor the assurance that one of them would still be there for the children. They'd had to become her priority now, trading in her spells and potions for bedtime stories and snacks.



But that did not mean magic would let itself be forgotten. She'd lost the count of how many times she'd spotted Lauren, Peter, or Cara standing at a distance as she went out with the kids. They never approached her, but still they were there. And a few times she'd had to redirect people who came to the manor looking for help unaware that the Charmed Ones were no more. Finally there was her grandmother, her mother, her eldest sister coming to check in on her every once in a while. Grams had been almost outraged that Paige had turned her back on the craft this way. And since none of them would tell her how Piper and Phoebe were, their visits had become almost so repetitive that they would annoy her. It didn't mean she didn't love them anymore, but part of them didn't seem to understand what this whole ordeal had been like for her and the others.



She couldn't lie to herself. She missed it. The thrill of going after the bad guys, saving their would-be victims… It was rewarding, made her feel like she was someone important, part of something great and meaningful. Yes, there had been risks taken, they would often get hurt, and they didn't always get to the people in time… but it had been a major part of her life. Without it, who knew what her life would have been… she might never even have been born. She didn't like to think about things like that, but she didn't have control over it…



*



September 17 2011



Helena ran around the house, the necklace she'd received on her fifth birthday dangling side to side. She ran past her mother's room and heard her name called. She doubled back and walked in.



"Come here," her mother waved her over, sitting on the edge of her bed. Helena did as told, coming to sit on her lap. "Look what I got…" she held something up.



"Pictures from vacation!" she squealed.



"Yeah, I finally got around to getting them developed."



"Can we put them in my album?"



"Of course!"



The past July, they had all gone on vacation. They knew the mood would be tense on the 15th, the first anniversary of that day that had changed everything. So to try and ease things, they'd headed to Italy, thanks to Jason's connections. It had served its purpose, and the one year mark passed more or less unnoticed.



The children didn't remember having powers anymore, Prue kept hers hidden well. She was the strength they all needed to make things work. Jason had less difficulty remaining in San Francisco, though it was still hard. Henry only had nightmares rarely. The twins, as they'd been forced to realize, didn't remember their mother all that much anymore. Leo hadn't shown up once since the day he disappeared with that request for his daughter. Paige worried sometimes that her outburst had made him leave, but she'd remind herself that he was in pain too, that he'd lost Piper and their unborn second child. She hoped for Prue's sake that he'd one day return. Sometimes Prue thought she could feel his presence, so she latched on to the hope that it meant her father would be with her again someday.



The phone rang, bringing Paige back to reality. Helena ran to get it. "Hello? Simon!" Paige looked at her with a small smile. Simon… and so it began. "Hang on, I'll ask my mom." She looked up at her. "Mom, can I go play at Simon's house?"



"Did he ask his parents?"



"Did you ask your dad?" Helena spoke into the phone. A second later she turned back to her mother. "Yes."



"And he said it was okay?"



"And he said it was okay?" Helena repeated. "Yes."



"Alright then. Do you have his address?" Helena nodded. "Okay. I'll drive you." Helena squealed.



"I'm coming, bye Simon!" she hung up before running off to get her jacket. A minute later they were in the car. During the drive, Helena told her mother what she knew about this Simon boy. She informed her that he was turning five in one month, that his parents were divorced and he'd lived in San Francisco with his father for about two months. His mother still lived in their old city.



They arrived at the address Helena had shown Paige from her book. She hurried to get her out of the car, knowing how she got if she had to wait too long. They went up to the door and Helena rang the bell. A few seconds later they heard a child's voice.



"Who is it?"



"Simon it's me!" Helena responded.



"Oh!" He opened the door. He was Helena's height, dark blonde hair and hazel eyes. "Hi!" he greeted his friend.



"Hi!" Helena repeated. "This is my Mom," she pointed to Paige. Simon waved.



"Is it okay if I talk to your dad for a second?" she asked the boy.



"He's in the kitchen," he told her quickly before turning to Helena. "Wait 'til you see what I got!" The kids ran off and Paige laughed before starting down the hall. As she approached she could hear some noise, something like an electric screwdriver. She walked in and right away spotted the legs sticking out from inside a cabinet. The man she guessed must have been Simon's father reached out, trying to grab a pot of screws that was just out of his reach. Paige bent over and handed it to him.



"Here…"



"Thanks. You must be Helena's mom…" He sat and looked up. Both froze, eyes locked. When they finally spoke, it was all at once.



"Paige?"

"Glen?"



"What are you doing here?"

"What are you doing here?"



"I live here."

"I came to drop off my daughter."



"Your daughter?"

"This is your house?"



"Mine and my son Simon's."

"Yeah, my daughter Helena."



He held up his hand so the double-talk would stop. "I can't believe how long it's been…"



"We lost contact, how did that happen?"



"It's a long story… So… you have a daughter?"



"And you have a son… you're divorced?"



"Yeah. How'd you know?"



"Simon told Helena, then she told me."



"What about you? Married?" She looked down for a second.



"No, uh… Helena's father died when she was a baby."



"Sorry."



"She's a happy kid, I'm just glad for that."



"How'd it happen?" he asked, and the look on her face was all he needed. He stood. "I'm sure he was a great guy."



"He was," she nodded with a smile. At that moment the kids ran in.



"Daddy?" Paige and Glen turned. "Can we play in the backyard?"



"Sure," he opened the door. The kids ran through. The two parents walked out to keep an eye on them.



"Marco!" Simon called out, eyes closed and hands searching the air around him. Helena bounced around him.



"Polo!" she called before bouncing back. Simon turned toward the sound and started running after her. She giggled and looked back at him. "You have to keep your eyes closed!"



"I am!"



"Are not!" she stuck her tongue out, then her face broke into a smile. "My turn!" She closed her eyes and Simon took off. "Marco!"



"Polo!" Paige and Glen looked on, laughing at how much the kids reminded them of their own childhoods.



Seeing as Prue was having dinner at Norah's home, Paige gladly accepted Glen's invitation for her and Helena to eat with him and Simon. The kids busy chatting and eating, they were able to have a conversation of their own.



"How long ago?" Glen asked Paige when she told him about her sisters.



"A year last July," she told him slowly. "Shortly after that we took away all but Piper's daughter's 'owerspay'. They don't remember now…" she explained to Glen, making sure Helena wouldn't catch on to the subject.



"I see…"



"Why didn't you tell me you were back in San Francisco?"



"I'm still settling into everything, and… I wasn't sure what to say. We haven't seen or talked to each other in almost seven years and…"



"Hey it's okay I mean… I haven't exactly been keeping tabs on you either." They shared a smile. "Question is… Now that we know where we are, what happens?" They looked at the children laughing together.



"I don't know. But if something's meant to happen I'm sure it will."

TBC