Paige and Phoebe orbed in with Melinda in hand right before Leo was about to fire the crossbow.

"Woah," Phoebe said as Paige handed her Melinda and called out for Leo's crossbow. As the weapon appeared in Paige's hands, Piper and Leo turned around.

The anger on their faces was obvious as was the fact that they had switched sides. Phoebe eyes got big as she filled with more than a little fear. "Um, we can all calm down now. Baby here. She's a little upset with her parents right now, but she's here. No need to go killing any Elders now," Phoebe said as she and Paige sized up the situation.

Leo's rage melted in an instant. As his heart filled with the love he had for his daughter even his clothes changed back to the jeans and flannel shirt he had been wearing earlier that day. Leo walked over to look at Melinda and the crossbow Paige was holding disappeared. Phoebe let out a sigh of relief. As soon as she saw the love in Leo's eyes she knew it was safe to give the baby to him.

"One down, one to go," Phoebe whispered to Paige.

*****

Some of the Elders relaxed a little when Phoebe and Paige appeared. Lyalia breathed a sigh of relief when Leo found himself and his love again. Then she looked at the witches in front of her so full of pain, and she knew she had been right in both situations. These women should have never had their children taken away from them. Their actions now weren't justifying the original decision but a result of it. If love could prevail this day, Lyalia made a silent promise to herself that she would fix these wrongs.

*****

Piper looked at her husband holding her daughter and eyes filled with tears. There was nothing Piper wanted more than to go take her husband by the hand, go back home, and love Melinda. But if the Elders could take her once they could do it again. She had to put a stop to it. It had to end here and now.

*****

Kayle looked a father and his love for his child. All the pain she felt with her husband's betrayal came flooding back. All she had wanted for so long was revenge, but now as she looked at Leo holding Melinda, now what she wanted more than anything was her little boy.

*****

Piper pulled the potion bottles she and Kayle had made out from her pockets. She turned to Leo and her sisters. "Leave this place," Piper said sadly, "and take Melinda home."

Phoebe looked from Leo to Piper. "Keep her safe," Phoebe told Leo. Then she turned back to face Piper. Phoebe grabbed Paige's hand and squeezed it hard.

"I see the bottles," Paige whispered as Phoebe said loudly to Piper, "Honey, come home with us. Lindy needs her mommy now."

Piper shook her head. "It has to stop Phoebe. They can't do this to us anymore. If I come home with you now, they'll just cause us more pain later. It's better this way."

Paige and Phoebe walked toward their sister. They knew she was being torn between good and evil at that very moment. They could both feel it. "Listen here big sister, we aren't leaving you here. No matter what," Paige said as she put one arm around Piper's shoulders.

"That's right. You guys didn't give up on me and I was way worse off then this. No way we are leaving you now," Phoebe added.

Piper looked at her sisters so full of love and understanding, then she looked over to her husband and baby girl. She almost felt herself let go of all the rage, but then she stopped. She pulled away and turned back to face the Elders. "Leave," she said again. "I don't want you hurt."

Phoebe and Paige exchanged worried looks. They started to tell Leo to get out of there, but Kayle interceded.

Kayle walked over to Piper and put her hands on Piper's. "Don't do it," she said in a whisper.

Piper looked up to mirrored tear-filled eyes. "But...."

Kayle smiled sadly, "There's hope for you. And I no longer want revenge. All I want now is to be with Caleb again." Kayle took the potion bottles from Piper's hands, "But even if I can't have that, I don't want you to lose your chance at happiness."

Kayle turned and walked over to Lyalia and handed her the bottles.

Lyalia smiled at Kayle as she stepped back to face the council, ready to accept their punishment.

Piper walked over to Leo to look at her baby girl again. Melinda was silent now, and she had a playful smile on her little face. Piper let Melinda's little hands grip her fingers and she released the last of her rage as she collapsed crying in Leo's arms.

*****

Feeling safe and in control again, the Elder that first angered Piper started to speak again, but didn't get the chance.

"I really hope you aren't thinking you're in charge here again," Phoebe said as she turned to face the Elders.

Paige was standing by Phoebe's side. There was no way they were going to let their sister or brother-in-law take any punishment for what happened today. "That's right. And don't think for a minute you'll be keeping Melinda either," Paige added.

"But we had good reason to do what we did," the Elder responded.

The sisters started to speak at the same time, but Lyalia came to their defense. "No, we didn't. We were wrong with Kayle, and we were wrong with Piper."

Kayle looked at Lyalia in shook. Phoebe smiled, "I like her." Paige nodded, "Me too."

Some of the Elders started to object to Lyalia's defense, but then the woman whom Leo had almost killed spoke. She had a voice that resonated with kindness and wisdom. "Lyalia is right. It is obvious the pain we caused nearly cost us two good witches and a whitelighter. We have no idea how much more it could have cost us down the road. The price we paid for our arrogance was far too high. We need to put more faith in those selected as forces of good."

Lyalia, "Thank you Arimia. As I argued once before, we only saw possible futures. If we had guided Kayle and Piper instead of taking their children from them, perhaps destiny would have found it's way and we would all have been better for it."

Phoebe and Paige looked around the room. It was clear some of the Elders were being convinced by Lyalia and Arimia. "It's not too late, you know," Phoebe said. When the room had turned its attention back to the witches, Paige added, "You could learn from this experience and reunite Kayle with her son. You could let Piper, Leo and Melinda be a family."

An Elder that hadn't spoken before did now, "You would have noone punished in this ordeal?"

Phoebe paused for a moment, and then decided to proceed with her thoughts, "Haven't they all been punished enough? You take children away on the slightest chance that some action by their parents might interrupt their destiny? But you never once did anything about my dark marriage, demonic child, or turn to evil? If anyone here should be punished for anything, it's me. Certainly my sister deserves only happiness and love."

Lyalia could sense the pain it caused Phoebe to say these things, and she admired her sacrifice as she tried to turn the wrath of the council onto her instead of the others in the room. She stood up and walked over to the young witch. Lyalia placed her hand on Phoebe's cheek as she said, "Nothing was done because those who love you begged for you to be given time. Of course, they would have had a fit if they knew anything about what happened today."

Phoebe's mind filled with all sorts of questions, but she wouldn't find those answers today. Lyalia stepped back from Phoebe to face all of them. "Leo, take your family to the garden. We will discus the situation and call you in a few minutes."

She turned to face Kayle as the doors opened to the Great Hall. A young boy about five years old came running in. "Caleb, would you like to spend some time with your mother?" Lyalia asked the little boy. Caleb turned to look at Kayle with a huge grin on his face. He ran into her arms as Kayle melted in tears. "Caleb, please take your mother to the pond you like to play by. We will call you back in soon," Lyalia said as she turned to face her fellow Elders ready to win the fight she should have won years ago.

*****

Paige was setting the table in the manner for dinner. Phoebe carried the roast she had prepared under Piper's guidance to the table. She set it down in the middle of the table and turned her nose a little. "I'm sure it will be yummy," Paige said. "I hope so," Phoebe said with a smile, "Promise to tell me if it isn't?" she added. "Oh yeah sis, if it sucks, I spit it out right in front of you," Paige teased.

Piper came down the stairs carrying Melinda. She walked into the kitchen where her sisters were getting ready to call her for dinner. "Oh good, you're down here, now we just have to call Leo," Paige said. "Leo! Dinner!" Paige screamed.

Phoebe smiled as Piper came walking in. "Oh don't give me that look," Piper said as she pointed her finger at Phoebe's nose. Phoebe held Piper's hand and pulled it down to her side. "What?" she said, "I don't think we should ever put Lindy down again."

Piper smiled as she said, "Good, I agree. Except I really don't like that nickname you've given her."

Phoebe giggled, "Don't care. Time to eat."

Piper started to say something more but then Leo orbed in, "Someone say it was time for dinner?" Piper walked over and kissed her husband. "Everything o.k. up there?" she asked.

Leo returned Piper's kiss and joined the sisters at the dinner table. "It seems Kayle and her son have been reunited permanently, and the Elders have promised never to do anything like that again unless it was a matter of life and death," Leo explained.

Paige was passing the vegetables around the table as she asked, "And there will be no punishment for what happened?"

Leo took a spoonful of mashed potatoes and passed them to Piper as he responded, "Well no not punishment, but some memories will fade."

Piper took some potatoes and passed them on before she continued feeding little Melinda her dinner. "Like ours?"

Leo nodded as he took a bite of the roast, "To some degree and Kayle's and Caleb's. I don't know what we will remember and won't, but the Elders will remember it all, and Lyalia assured me the lessons they learned from this won't be lost on them."

Paige took a bite from her roast as well and then said, "Well, I really hope they learn to have more faith in us, in all witches," then she turned to Phoebe, "Sis, I got to tell you..."

Phoebe frowned, "Not good?"

Paige frowned and Leo looked away. Piper looked at her sister who was trying so hard to make things easier on her and took a bite of the roast. She looked up at Paige and Leo, and then over at Phoebe.

Phoebe looked at her big sister and said, "I'm so sorry. I thought I did everything you told me to. I....."

Paige started laughing and Piper joined in, "It's wonderful Phoebe," Paige said.

Phoebe looked at Piper. "She's right. As good as anything I would have made," Piper said.

"Really?" Phoebe asked as she took a bite of the roast herself. She turned to Paige and gave her a little look. Paige giggled and Piper and Leo joined.

*****

Lyalia and Arimia looked on at the Halliwell household from above and exchanged satisfied looks with what they saw. They knew the future of Melinda and Caleb and what it would mean to the side of good. They also knew that the most important thing to make that future come about was love, and now both of their lives would be full of just that.