Phoebe saw what Piper was pointeing at, and smiled. "Looks like we're not the only ones happy to have Prue back."
They were looking at their sisters lying next to each other on the couch. They'd obviously been there all night, or at least most of it.
"Funny," Piper said, "it looks like they'd grown up together."
Phoebe caught the wistfullness in Piper's voice. "Honey, what is it?"
"Nothing," Piper started to deny, but then stopped. "I don't know. I guess it's just because Paige still doesn't feel like she's completely part of the family with us, but Prue's been here one night, and she obviously already got Paige to talk to her, and-"
"And you think we're doing something wrong?" Phoebe interjected. Piper nodded. "Oh, sweetie..." she paused, realizing she agreed with her older sister. "So what do we do?"
"I don't know." Piper said, "But I think I know who to ask."
Just then, their sisters stirred on the couch. "What time is it?" Prue asked, yawning.
"Eight in the morning." Phoebe told her.
"Hey, shouldn't you be resting?" Paige asked, casting a worried glance at Piper.
"I'm fine." Piper assured her.
"Are you sure?" Paige pressed.
Piper nodded, touched by how concerned Paige was. 'Even after all the times we pushed her away, she still worries and cares about us,' she thought, slightly in awe.
"How about you?" Phoebe asked. "Are you okay?"
Paige looked at her quizically. "Why wouldn't I be? Piper's the one who nearly..." Her voice trailed off. She couldn't say it, couldn't admit out loud that her sister had almost died.
Prue, Piper, and Phoebe all pretended not to notice Paige's half-finished sentence.
"I think we need to hold a family meeting." Piper said. "All four of us."
Her sisters nodded, and followed her into the kitchen. Piper put some bagels in the toaster oven for breakfast, then joined her sisters at the table.
"We need to come up with a way to vanquish Remler." Paige said, stifling a yawn.
Phoebe put a hand on Paige's shoulder. "Yeah, we do, but honey that isn't what this is about."
Paige looked at Phoebe, confused, and then her gaze shifted to Piper, then Prue.
"Sweetie, Piper and Phoebe thought that since I'm here, now would be a good time to resolve some... family issues... between the three of you." Prue started.
"We know we haven't exactly made you feel welcome, and we want to fix that." Piper added.
"Oh, no," Paige protested. "It's not that I haven't felt welcome, believe me..."
"You just haven't felt like part of the family." Phoebe interrupted.
Paige nodded, reluctently. She'd wanted to keep quiet about it, to not make waves, especially the past few weeks, when they'd all been trying to avoid placing added stress on Piper. "I'm okay, though." she insisted. "Really, don't worry."
Her sisters weren't fooled. "Honey, the other day, when I said I loved you, you looked so surprised... How did it get this way?" Piper asked.
Paige shrugged. "You guys were going through hell when I showed up. You'd just lost your big sister, and I was a total stranger. It's okay, I understand."
"It's not okay." Phoebe countered. "You're not a stranger. You're our sister, and we want you to feel like it. Just tell us what we can do to make that happen."
"I don't know." Paige sighed.
"I think it's something you all need to work on." Prue interjected. Her sisters looked at her, surprised. She'd been so quiet since the start of the conversation, they'd almost forgotten that she was there.
"What do you mean, 'you'?" Piper asked. "You're allowed to come to us now. You'll be here, won't you?"
Prue shook her head. "The Elders said this is a one-time deal. You're never going to resolve anything with Paige if I'm always popping in, getting in the way."
"You wouldn't be getting in the way." Paige protested, remembering the way she'd bonded with her oldest sister last night.
Prue turned to address her baby sister. "Yes, I would, and you know it. Paige, the three of you need each other more than Piper and Phoebe need me."
"So how do we work things out?" Paige asked her.
"Talk to each other." Prue answered simply. "Not just about demons and magic. I mean really talk, the way we used to."
"It's going to be a lot harder than it sounds." Paige said.
Piper and Phoebe looked down in silent agreement.
"It'll be worth it." Phoebe said.
Piper nodded, looking between Prue and Paige. "Family always is."
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A/N: Okay, there's my big sisterly-togetherness chapter. It's not the only one I'm planning on, but it might be if I don't get any feedback....
