A/N: This isn't the end, honest! And I will try to update a little more, having comp difficulties at the mo. Anyway, enjoy!

Paige wandered downstairs early the next morning leaving Maddy sleeping peacefully in her bed. Piper was in the kitchen giving Wyatt his breakfast while Phoebe was eating cereal over at the table. The sisters seemed to share a significant glance when Paige walked in.

'Morning, Paige,' Phoebe said chirpily.

'Erm... morning,' Paige replied, unsure of how to take this change in mood from her sister. Phoebe had been rather distant with her lately, as much as Piper had been.

'Paige,' Phoebe started apprehensively. 'We wanted to apologise about the last few weeks, we shouldn't have treated you the way we did.'

'Yeah,' Piper added. 'You didn't know Prue like we did but that was no reason to... blank you out.'

Paige was stunned to say the least. Her sisters were forgiving her but they were forgiving her when they didn't know who was asleep in her bed. That wasn't forgiveness, that was just ignorance. 'Maybe I've done enough.'

'What do you mean?' Piper questioned pushing another spoonful of mush into Wyatt's mouth.

This was her chance to be honest, tell them the truth, something Prue hadn't done. Such a perfect opportunity but... she couldn't do it. 'Nothing, I'm sorry too.'

'You haven't heard anything from that Madeline have you?' Phoebe asked.

'Why would I?' Paige bluffed smoothly.

Phoebe shrugged. 'You saved her from us.'

'Not that there was anything to save her from,' Piper put in hurriedly. 'Like you said, being a liar didn't make her a demon.'

'If she did contact you, you'd tell you, right?' Phoebe questioned.

'Sure,' Paige replied with a pang of guilt.

After twenty minutes of small talk with her sisters (something she had really missed), Paige made her way back upstairs to find Maddy just waking up. 'Morning.'

'Morning,' Maddy yawned. 'Where've you been?'

'Saying good morning to my little nephew,' Paige lied falling onto the bed next to Maddy. 'He misses me if I don't.'

'Couldn't have that,' Maddy smiled. 'Is Piper down there?'

'Yeah, didn't talk to me though.'

Maddy patted her arm sympathetically. 'She'll come around.'

Another pang of guilt swept through her at the continuous lying but, at the moment, it was the easiest thing to do. 'Yeah, I know she will.'

'Are you working today?'

'Nope,' Paige smiled. 'I'm all yours.'

'Funny you should say that,' Maddy said. 'I was thinking maybe we could get out of the city, go for a drive maybe.'

'Sounds great to me.'

They were about an hour out of San Francisco when Paige pulled her car off the road onto a little dirt path.

'Why have we stopped?' Maddy asked curiously.

Paige turned to her. 'I haven't had a family since I was a teenager, they mean the world to me.'

'I know that.'

'What I'm trying to say is...' Paige hesitated, sure that Madeline would take this the wrong way.

'Go on,' she prompted.

'I can't tell them,' Paige finished quietly. 'I wish I could do what Prue couldn't but I can't.'

'And we're back to Prue,' Maddy said softly.

'She'll always be with us, whether we like it or not,' Paige reasoned.

'Well I've told you I'm not comparing you,' Maddy replied. 'The situation with Prue was completely different, she wouldn't have been blown up if she'd told them the truth. It's her fault you can't tell them.'

'Are you sure you don't mind?'

'Are you sure Chris won't spill the beans?' Maddy countered. 'He is Piper's son after all.'

'If he knows what's good for him, he'll listen to his Aunt Paige,' she answered with a smile.

'What'll happen to big Chris when little Chris comes along?' Maddy asked idly stroking Paige's knee.

'No idea,' Paige shrugged. 'When Piper went back to the past, they could exist but they didn't have their powers.'

'They went back to the past?'

'Yeah,' Paige confirmed. 'There was a warlock, Nicolas, they had to go back and stop mom making a deal with him.'

'I think Prue told me about that,' Maddy said thoughtfully. 'They had to kidnap themselves, right?'

'Mmm, very strange,' Paige smiled. 'But it probably means Chris'll still exist, he'll just be powerless.'

'Bit of bad luck for a Whitelighter,' Maddy commented.

'We'll work it out, maybe we can bind baby Chris then unbind big Chris, I dunno.'

'Weird situation though.'

'You get used to 'em,' Paige said. 'I've had to deal with everything from leprechaun to the Demon of Fear.'

'Barbus?'

God, it was so refreshing to talk to someone who knew everything. 'Yeah, Barbus.'