Before I even start writing I need to apologise for the massive delay in updates. I've been dealing with a lot of personal issues lately (family; who'd have them!) and although their not completely solved, I thought that you loyal readers deserved an update.

So I am so sorry, that it has taken this long and I do hope that you won't hold it against me, and continue to read.

I am hoping that updates will become more regular, but with everything that's happening I can't promise anything.

But please don't let that stop you reading!

I thank you in advance for your patience and loyalty and if you're feeling especially nice and forgiving, please leave a review on the way out (I'm pushing my luck there aren't I? Lol)

So once again I am really sorry for the delay.

Much love...

--

"You're married"

Paige's eyes didn't move from their place of fixation, nor did she show any sign of hearing her sister. The silence that Piper had only just gathered the courage to break engulfed them once again and the soft evening breeze could be heard rustling through the trees. Neither woman seemed aware of the gentle drops of August rain that wept from the grey clouds above them, both immersed in something that they couldn't quite define.

The intensely dark chestnut eyes Patricia Halliwell had bestowed upon her second daughter, roamed over the soft contours of the youngest sister's face, feeling slightly awkward at the lack of response. Paige's own eyes were fixated on the gleaming marble headstone before her, re reading words she had long ago memorised.

After a few moments, she decided to speak, her voice soft and just a few notes above a whisper.

"Evidently"

Piper chuckled ever so lightly, whether it was at the situation she found herself in or the fact that even now Paige still managed to be a smart-ass, she couldn't tell.

"And you're a mom"

This time, the blank canvas that was Paige's face, broke, her full glossy lips falling into a soft smile at the mention of her children.

"Yeah...yeah I am"

Pleased at her youngest sister's response and unwilling to push her further than she was ready to go, Piper took a step forward, releasing a sigh when Paige made no attempt to move away. Casting a glance around her, Piper took in the lush green of the grass, and the vividly coloured bouquets that people had adorned their loved ones resting place with.

In all the time Paige had been with them, neither Piper nor Phoebe had come here with her. She had never asked and they had never offered. It was something Piper was starting to regret now. She herself was only too aware of the loneliness and melancholy that these places' emanated and never in all her years had she been on her own while visiting; she'd always had someone there to support her, someone that could share in her sorrow and yet offer comfort, whether it was Leo or Phoebe. Piper could only imagine how hard it was for Paige to come here by herself, absent of the reassurance that she had always had.

Taking her older sister by surprise, Paige looked up, the bright chestnut of her eyes capturing Piper's. When she spoke, her voice was soft and Piper could have sworn she detected an unfamiliar air of nervousness from her sister.

"He's eight now yes?"

Piper couldn't help the beaming smile that pulled at her lips, picturing the angelic face of her eldest child.

"Yeah he is"

Paige's full glossy lips curved into a small smile and she held her sister's gaze for a moment or two longer, before turning her eyes back towards her parent's grave. Breathing steadily, she loosened herself up, arms relaxing against her chest where she had unconsciously crossed them. Something within her had calmed down, the nervousness and worry that had been eating away at her, becoming infrequent and less sharp. And although she would rather not acknowledge it, she knew that she was already beginning to fall back into that comfortable familiarity and presence that her sisters seemed to emanate.

"He misses you"

Her nose scrunched slightly in momentary confusion, before she turned to find Piper's gaze still on her.

"But how? He doesn't even –"

When Piper cut her off, her voice was firm yet soft, Paige taking subconscious note of the opposing characteristics that she had always associated with her eldest sister.

"He knows who you are Paige. They all do"

Of its own accord, a light laugh escaped her, before her sister's words registered with her completely.

"They?"

This time, Piper laughed, nodding in response to the intrigue and delight that was painted quite clearly across the younger woman's face.

"Yeah; two boys and a girl. Wyatt, Christopher and Prudence"

She had always wondered whether Piper and Leo, had succeeded in having the family they always wanted, but to have definitive knowledge, that she did indeed have another nephew and a niece, was enough to make Paige's eyes widen slightly and bite down on one side of her lower lip, trying to suppress the delight that was coursing through her.

"And Phoebe?"

"Two girls and one boy; Melinda, Emily and Noah"

This time the small smile that had been toying at her lips couldn't be suppressed any longer, and thus turned into the delighted grin that Piper hadn't seen in eight years.

- - - - - - - - - -

"Cuse' me"

The small but confident voice was accompanied with a tug of her jeans, and Phoebe turned to find Sinead stood before her and Leo, the bemusement that had seeped into her voice, written quite clearly across the child's delicate features. Kneeling down so she was eye-level with the six year old, Phoebe tucked a strand of dark hair back behind the young girls ear, who seemed unperturbed by the affectionate gesture.

"Yes sweetie"

"When's mommy coming back?"

Phoebe glanced up at Leo, who could only offer a sympathetic shrug in response. She did a quick sweep of the room, noting that Kyle still hadn't returned. 

Apparently comfortable and enough at ease with his wife's estranged family, he had relented to Phoebe's offer of watching the kid's while he got some air, and had retreated in the direction of the back garden about fifteen minutes earlier.

Wyatt and Warren had struck up an immediate friendship and had hardly left each other's side for the past hour, and were currently sat in front of the television along with Chris, playing on the games console that Leo had set up for them. From the loud cheers and delighted laughter, Phoebe guessed that they were winning whatever game was currently amusing them, every now and again interrupted by the whines of whoever was losing.

Emily, Keira and Prue were all crowded around the coffee table, each scribbling away on the coloured paper with the large crayons that Coop had supplied them with. From what Phoebe could decipher, they were competing to see who could draw the best hippopotamus and then arguing about whether or not the animal was rainbow coloured or just luminous yellow.

Melinda leant back against the sofa, surrounded by a number of dolls, where Sinead had been moments before, amusing herself by brushing the doll's hair until her new found friend returned. The two youngest children, Aiden and Noah were in the corner with Coop, both running matching fire trucks along the roads that adorned the play mat that they were sat on.

Turning her attention back to Sinead, Phoebe noted happily that the child did not seemed to be worried by the fact that she was with people she had only known for an hour or so, and seemed to have become quite comfortable with their presence.

"I'm not sure yet, but she won't be too long, I promise"

The sparkling blue eyes before her seemed to contemplate the words that had been said, and Phoebe couldn't help but smile at the tilted head and furrowed brow that was identical to that of the child's mother.

"Will she be back for bedtime?"

"Of course she will"

The child's face broke into a dimpled grin, happy with the response given.

"Good, because mommy always tells the best bedtime stories"

"Really?"

Nodding her dark head fervently, Sinead cast a quick look around before leaning in and speaking in the over dramatised whisper that children managed so perfectly.

"They're much better than daddy's"

Phoebe could hear Leo's chuckle from beside her, and she glanced up at him, grinning before turning back to Sinead.

"And what does she tell you stories about?"

Sitting down on the loveseat behind her, Phoebe patted the space next to her and Sinead scrambled up to sit next to her.

"Bout witches"

The middle Halliwell sister's eyes widened slightly and she cast a quick glance at Leo.

"But not bad witches like the ones with the pointy hats and the flying brooms. Mommy tells us stories bout good witches"

"Does she?"

The child nodded enthusiastically, thrilled to be able to tell the stories to someone who had yet to hear them.

"And they're sisters, like me and Keira, cept there's three of them"

Phoebe smiled gently, both in amusement at her niece and the knowledge she had just shared. Apparently her baby sister had not completely ignored her past, and had acknowledged it, even if it was in the form of enchanting bedtime stories.

"And there's an angel!"

Phoebe couldn't help the laugh that escaped her, and turned to look at Leo who had sat himself on the arm of the loveseat, next to her. He too had been listening to his young niece, and Phoebe could tell from the soft smile, and the delight that danced in his eyes, that he was genuinely touched by Paige's obvious reference to him in her tales.

"Him and the biggest sister get married!"

"And do they live happily ever after?"

Sinead's sparkling blue eyes met her uncle Leo's and she nodded enthusiastically again, in response to his question.

"Mommy says they do! And they all have lots of a' ventures!"

"Well that sounds like a great story sweetie"

"It's the best!"

Phoebe brushed back a strand of the girl's dark hair, in an affectionate gesture, but before she could speak further, was interrupted by Sinead in the abrupt change of topic that only children could manage so skilfully.

"Are you mommy's sister?"

Unsure of what to say, Phoebe hesitated for a moment before deciding that honesty was always the best option, especially where children were concerned.

"Yeah, I'm her big sister sweetheart"

Sinead tilted her head to one side in an adorable gesture, seemingly contemplating something for a moment.

"Does that mean you're my auntie now?"

"Yeah I guess it does"

Nodding happily, the six year old knelt up in her seat.

"Good, cus I never had an auntie before"

The young girl then turned to Leo, Phoebe watching in elated amusement all the while.

"And are you my uncle?"

Glancing only fleetingly at his sister in law, Leo nodded at the young child.

"Yeah I am"

Sinead clapped her hands in excitement, before crawling into her Aunt Phoebe's lap, to take his hand and tug at it insistently.

"Come on then Uncle Leo, let's play dolls"

And within minutes Leo was on the floor with his two nieces, Sinead sat in his lap, telling him quite firmly that he was brushing the doll's hair wrong, while Melinda gave him various clothes she thought his doll would like.

All the while, Phoebe watched, amusement evident in the giggles she emitted and yet an overwhelming contentment at the united scenes before her. Her family was back together.

Nearly.

- - - - - - - - - - - - -

"Paige..."

The younger woman looked up, meeting her sister's eyes. Having fallen into silence once again, the two were relieved to find that most of the awkwardness had now disappeared, the gentle drops of rain playing a soothing rhythm as they bounced off the surrounding marble headstones.

"Do you think...maybe we could...?"

Seeing her elder sister stumble over her words in a manner that she had never before witnessed from Piper, Paige spoke out, face yet to show any discernable emotion.

"Go to the manor?"

Piper inhaled sharply and let it out again slowly, glancing away from her sister, before meeting the eyes that hadn't moved from her face.

"Yeah"

Piper couldn't remember ever being so nervous over something as insignificant as a simple 'yes' or 'no'. But she was. It ran through her in jolting waves and she had to stop herself from bouncing on the balls of her feet. She crossed her arms over her chest, and turned to face her sister completely, not removing her eyes from the young woman's lithe form in fear that she would suddenly disappear.

Paige didn't know how to answer. And Paige was a woman that had an answer for everything, whether sarcastic or not. Breaking the eye contact that they had been holding for the past few moments, Paige moved her gaze away and as soon as her eyes fell on the grave in front of them, realisation dawned.

She couldn't deny her children or her sisters this. They deserved a chance to get to know one another, to try and immerse themselves in one another's lives in the way they should have had the chance to do in the first place.

But most of all she didn't think she could deny herself it, even if she wanted to.

"Okay..."