That evening, after dinner, Prue and Piper sat Grams down in the living room to tell her the news. Her initial reaction was not a good one.
"Well," she said simply, "What are you going to do?"
"I- I don't know," Piper stammered.
"Well then what do you expect from me?" the old woman asked. "Certainly not to give you a hug and tell you it's all going to be okay. Because it's not, Piper, not by a long shot. It's bad enough you went behind my back, but now you are going to have to live with the consequence for the rest of your life."
Piper nodded quietly, feeling that her grandmother's anger was completely justified, but Prue jumped in quickly to defend her sister. "Don't you think she knows that? She's spent the entire day crying over the thought of disappointing you. She doesn't need you beating her over the head with it now. Grams, she needs our support. I'd think you of all people would understand. After all, you were just a teenager when you had Mom. In fact, you were younger than Piper is now."
"That doesn't give her the right to repeat my mistakes," Penny hissed. "How can I support her when I know she's just completely destroyed her life?"
"Grams, I'm sorry," Piper said tearfully.
Prue stood up, cutting her sister off. "Fine. If you don't want to help her through this, fine. I'll do it myself if I have to." She turned to Piper, taking her hand. "Come on, sweetheart. Let's go upstairs."
Penny watched then go upstairs, and her anger faded into sadness. She hated the way she'd spoke to her granddaughter just then, but at the same time she knew that Piper had to learn from this. Piper had always been responsible, but there had been an air of sadness about her before she met Jared. It hadn't been easy for her, before him. She'd never had many friends, especially not in high school. That had always worried Penny, but it worried her more once she saw how much she changed because of Jared. She knew Piper needed to learn to be happy without depending on anyone else, if she was to fulfill her destiny...
Things suddenly got quiet. Penny knew this meant that Prue was in Piper's room, taking care of the understandably distraught girl, and that it was safe to go up to the attic. Quietly, she slipped up there, pausing only to listen at Piper's door. It broke her heart to hear her crying, so she quickly ran the rest of the way upstairs.
Out of habit, Penny locked the attic door before lighting the five candles it would take to call a spirit. This being done, she said the spell, and her daughter appeared before her.
"Oh, Patty," Penny sighed. "I'd suggest that you sit down, but... well, you know..."
Patty nodded, looking down at her own transparant form. "Mother, what is it? Is there something wrong with the girls?"
Penny frowned, trying to decide how to break the news. "It's Piper. She's... Well, Patty, she's pregnant."
The ghost did a double-take. "What? Our Piper? But... how did this happen? She's always been so... Well, you know. So good."
"I know," Penny said, pacing. "Believe me, I was completely shocked. I even... well, I wouldn't call it yelling at her, I just... chastised her, I guess that would be the best way to put it. I didn't want to, you understand, what I wanted to do was take her into my arms like she was still a little girl, but I had to do what I did."
"Oh, Mother, stop pacing, you're making me want to," Patty implored.
"I'm sorry, dear, I just don't know what else to do," Penny replied. "I could handle this if they were normal girls, but I can't ignore the fact that they're not. Now I have to figure out how to make this fit with what they're going to become-"
"Excuse me, you just told me my sixteen-year-old daughter is having a baby and all you can think about is that damn Charmed thing?" Patty interrupted.
"Of course it's not all I'm thinking about!" Penny cried. "For godsakes, she's my little girl, too. But Patty, Piper's future - all the girls' future - as witches has to be considered in this. It's going to be hard enough for her to balance a career with her duties as a Charmed One, but adding teenage parenthood?"
"Maybe it'll prepare her," Patty suggested optimistically. "She'll have to learn some discipline, although she was honestly the last person I'd ever thought would have that problem. Maybe it'll make her stronger."
Penny shrugged in response. "Who knows? Maybe you're right. I guess we'll just have to wait and see. But in the meantime, what am I to do about her?"
"Whatever you can, Mom," Patty said. And then, she was gone.
"Well," she said simply, "What are you going to do?"
"I- I don't know," Piper stammered.
"Well then what do you expect from me?" the old woman asked. "Certainly not to give you a hug and tell you it's all going to be okay. Because it's not, Piper, not by a long shot. It's bad enough you went behind my back, but now you are going to have to live with the consequence for the rest of your life."
Piper nodded quietly, feeling that her grandmother's anger was completely justified, but Prue jumped in quickly to defend her sister. "Don't you think she knows that? She's spent the entire day crying over the thought of disappointing you. She doesn't need you beating her over the head with it now. Grams, she needs our support. I'd think you of all people would understand. After all, you were just a teenager when you had Mom. In fact, you were younger than Piper is now."
"That doesn't give her the right to repeat my mistakes," Penny hissed. "How can I support her when I know she's just completely destroyed her life?"
"Grams, I'm sorry," Piper said tearfully.
Prue stood up, cutting her sister off. "Fine. If you don't want to help her through this, fine. I'll do it myself if I have to." She turned to Piper, taking her hand. "Come on, sweetheart. Let's go upstairs."
Penny watched then go upstairs, and her anger faded into sadness. She hated the way she'd spoke to her granddaughter just then, but at the same time she knew that Piper had to learn from this. Piper had always been responsible, but there had been an air of sadness about her before she met Jared. It hadn't been easy for her, before him. She'd never had many friends, especially not in high school. That had always worried Penny, but it worried her more once she saw how much she changed because of Jared. She knew Piper needed to learn to be happy without depending on anyone else, if she was to fulfill her destiny...
Things suddenly got quiet. Penny knew this meant that Prue was in Piper's room, taking care of the understandably distraught girl, and that it was safe to go up to the attic. Quietly, she slipped up there, pausing only to listen at Piper's door. It broke her heart to hear her crying, so she quickly ran the rest of the way upstairs.
Out of habit, Penny locked the attic door before lighting the five candles it would take to call a spirit. This being done, she said the spell, and her daughter appeared before her.
"Oh, Patty," Penny sighed. "I'd suggest that you sit down, but... well, you know..."
Patty nodded, looking down at her own transparant form. "Mother, what is it? Is there something wrong with the girls?"
Penny frowned, trying to decide how to break the news. "It's Piper. She's... Well, Patty, she's pregnant."
The ghost did a double-take. "What? Our Piper? But... how did this happen? She's always been so... Well, you know. So good."
"I know," Penny said, pacing. "Believe me, I was completely shocked. I even... well, I wouldn't call it yelling at her, I just... chastised her, I guess that would be the best way to put it. I didn't want to, you understand, what I wanted to do was take her into my arms like she was still a little girl, but I had to do what I did."
"Oh, Mother, stop pacing, you're making me want to," Patty implored.
"I'm sorry, dear, I just don't know what else to do," Penny replied. "I could handle this if they were normal girls, but I can't ignore the fact that they're not. Now I have to figure out how to make this fit with what they're going to become-"
"Excuse me, you just told me my sixteen-year-old daughter is having a baby and all you can think about is that damn Charmed thing?" Patty interrupted.
"Of course it's not all I'm thinking about!" Penny cried. "For godsakes, she's my little girl, too. But Patty, Piper's future - all the girls' future - as witches has to be considered in this. It's going to be hard enough for her to balance a career with her duties as a Charmed One, but adding teenage parenthood?"
"Maybe it'll prepare her," Patty suggested optimistically. "She'll have to learn some discipline, although she was honestly the last person I'd ever thought would have that problem. Maybe it'll make her stronger."
Penny shrugged in response. "Who knows? Maybe you're right. I guess we'll just have to wait and see. But in the meantime, what am I to do about her?"
"Whatever you can, Mom," Patty said. And then, she was gone.