Wow, sorry I haven't updated in over a year, yes, it's been that long, i've been updating my other stories and this one kind of got forgotten, but now, one of them has finished and another is almost finished so there is a chance that I'll be able to update more.

I know it's short, but I like where i've ended it, I tried to continue it but it didn't feel right.

"Becca," Piper sighed, watching the teenager, whom rolled her eyes at her aunt's tone, "We don't want Amber involved in this anymore,"

"She caused it," Rebecca pointed out, "She should fix it herself,"

"She's a child," Phoebe argued, "she had no idea what she was doing, you know that,"

Rebecca rolled her eyes again and turned, heading back downstairs.

Paige frowned at her sisters "Call Prue, you obviously think she can help, I'm going to check on Lacey,"

Piper frowned as Paige quickly orbed out, before glancing at Phoebe, "Time to summon Prue?"

Phoebe nodded, heading towards the back of the attic to begin.

- - - -

Melinda smiled to herself as she crept up to the attic. It hadn't been easy to give her dad the slip, and her brothers had been even harder to escape, but she'd done it, and now she was home, right in the middle of whatever was going on that was making her mother keep her away.

She continued moving forward, careful to stay in the shadow of the dark stairwell.

The door was ajar, another stroke of luck. She crept up to it, peeking through as soon as she was close enough. It was deserted despite the candles laid out in the centre, the book of shadows laying between them. She opened the door a little more and slipped into the room, closing it lightly behind her.

She slowly moved across the floor, sure to avoid the floorboards she knew would increase the amount of sound she made, approaching the book.

She knelt down in front of it, unsurprised to see the page it was on, they'd been a lot of spirit summoning recently.

She began leafing through the pages, not sure exactly what she was looking for, more searching for something that could possibly be interesting to try.

A cough startled her as she was about to turn to the last page, making her turn, throwing her hands up in front of her.

"Melinda," the woman frowned disapprovingly, "you can't freeze the dead,"

"Did mommy summon you?" Melinda frowned as she regarded her aunt, "Is it really bad?"

"Aren't you meant to be with your dad and brothers?" Prue asked, ignoring the eight year old's questions and supplying her own, "They'll be worried,"

"I want to help." Melinda stated defiantly, "No one ever lets me help, but I can, I have powers too, but no one lets me use them,"

"It's not safe, Melinda," Prue reasoned, "Your mom doesn't want you and your brothers involved."

"Lizzie's allowed to fight," Melinda complained, "No one says she's not allowed, and I have more powers than her!"

"Melinda Halliwell-Wyatt," Prue scolded, finally approaching the child, reaching for her and pulling her to her feet, "You will not fight, you are a child, no matter how much you try to ignore that fact,"

"It's not fair!" she exclaimed, quiet enough as to not let her mother hear her, "why'd they have to summon you anyway?"

"I've got nothing to lose by helping them Melinda," Prue pointed out, looking down at the child sternly, "Like I said, I'm dead, it's not as if I can die, you can die, where would that leave your mom, do you have any idea how upset everyone would be if you got hurt?"

"Lacey got hurt," Melinda shot back, "If you'd of made her go too..."

"Don't argue with me, Melinda," The older woman insisted, "Dead or not, I'm still your aunt, some level of respect is required, you are not staying here, not while there is danger, neither are any of the other kids, we can't stop Lizzie, Becca and Kayleigh, but we're stopping you, go back to your father."

Melinda opened her mouth to reply when the attic door opened, the figure stopping dead in the doorway when she saw them.

"Hi Aunt Paige," Melinda chirped, smiling at the distraction as she tried to make herself look innocent.

"Phoebe told me to get candles," Paige stuttered, eyeing her eldest half-sister warily, in the many years it had been since she'd found out about them, she'd never once had a conversation with the eldest one.

"Why didn't you orb?"

"I don't always have to orb, Mel, sometimes it's good to walk," Paige frowned after she spoke, "Go back to your father,"

Melinda sighed reluctantly, "Ok,"

She left the room the way she had came, not intending to return to her father as she had promised, knowing that neither one of her aunts would question her.

"Paige?" Prue started, slightly amused at her younger sister's avoidance technique as the latter began picking up various candles, "Can you just stop for a sec?"

The younger woman's movements halted but she didn't turn to address her sister.

"I know that you feel like you don't know me Paige," Prue continued, sensing that her sibling was unlikely to give any form of response, "but I am your sister, and I want you to know me, ok so I can't be round much for obvious reasons, but that doesn't mean you can't summon me if you ever need to, even if you just feel like talking,"

"Thanks, but I'm fine," Paige finally answered, busying herself with the candles again.

"They don't want you to be like me," Prue spoke up, "They've never wanted anything but for you to be yourself,"

Paige frowned, but didn't speak.

"If it means anything," Prue tried, "I think you were right to follow your instincts when you tried to help Cole all those years back, you didn't know that Barbas was after his powers, I'd have done the same thing. Don't get me wrong, I hate the guy, but he's better off without powers than with,"

"It's just..." Paige paused, realising what she was doing before continuing her task of collecting candles, "Never mind,"

"You're always so closed," Prue noted, "Growing up with Piper and Phoebe I learnt how to read them, I can't do that with you, you're gonna need to give me a little help her,"

"They're so close," Paige decided to talk, "If Piper needs help, she calls Phoebe and vice versa, I just feel like ever since I moved out we've grown apart, like they don't really need me anymore, they can leave most of the demons to Lizzie and Kayleigh and just act like normal sisters, and I just feel like I'm going to lose them somewhere down the line,"

"That is never going to happen," Prue insisted, unsure as to whether or not she should try and hug her youngest sister, "They love you, you're our sister, nothing will ever change that, they do need you, they need you for all the little things that they take for granted, like taking care of the kids, they need you because losing you would hurt them so much,"

"You know that for sure?" Paige queried, "You can honestly say that if my kids and I just disappeared they'd miss us? That if you hadn't died and you'd found out about me anyway you'd have wanted me around."

"I would have," Prue insisted, "If I'd have known about you, I would have wanted you around, you're my sister, nothing can change that. Piper and Phoebe, especially Phoebe, they'd be lost without you, you underestimate just how much they care about you, Phoebe sees so much of herself in you, and i've never seen Piper so protective over anyone other than her kids, when you moved out she summoned me you know, went on and on about how you weren't ready, how you needed to be closer to her, she wouldn't admit the truth, that she simply didn't want you to go, I've watched her some nights after demon attacks, she doesn't sleep, she worries, worries that there'll be a revenge attack on you or Phoebe and she won't be there. Leo constantly has to talk her out of calling you at three in the morning. It's not just Phoebe she cares about."

"They still have this bond that I don't understand,"

"They grew up together, Paige," Prue sighed, "There's always going to be those years you missed out on giving their relationship a boost, it doesn't mean they care about you any less, they're worried about you."

Paige frowned, "Which one of them got you to do this?"

"Phoebe may have said something," Prue bit her lip, clearly uncomfortable with admitting that, but more uncomfortable with the idea of lying to her sister, "I'd have done it anyway though,"

"If Phoebe's so worried then why didn't she come and talk to me herself," Paige responded, struggling to pick up a few more candles.

"Come on, Paige," Prue answered, "when was the last time you willingly told her how you felt? You aren't really the easiest person to get to open up,"

"Does she even need these candles?" Paige asked, obviously annoyed, "or was this just some ploy to get me up here?" The look on Prue's face told her the answer and she automatically dropped the candles, "Great,"

Without another word the younger sister orbed out of the room, leaving the elder woman frowning.

- - - -

"How did it go?" Phoebe asked as her elder sister appeared in the kitchen, "is she mad?"

"As well as can be expected," Prue answered, "you should add thyme to that,"

"You didn't answer both of my questions,"

"She'll calm down," Prue sighed, "she didn't take it well, but before she figured out what was going on she suggested that she was jealous of the bond that you and Piper share, she feels that if she left, it wouldn't have much of an effect on you,"

"That's ridiculous!" Phoebe exclaimed, "How can she think that? That's not true,"

"I know that," Prue pointed out, "the important thing is that she doesn't, and she needs convincing fast, you need her to vanquish Cole again,"

"Piper and I will get right on it," Phoebe gave a small smile, "maybe you should too, after all, you are her sister as well,"

"She doesn't know me, Phoebe," Prue explained, "I hope that one day she will but right now you and Piper will be more than enough for her to deal with, and I have to go back anyway, you know what to do if you need me,"

With that, Prue disappeared, causing Phoebe to feel a wave of sadness wash over her, when her elder sister was with them, she could almost pretend that she'd never died.

Sorry it took so long, hopefully it won't next time, review!