Keeping Paige Chapter 2: Homecoming, a charmed fanfic

Keeping Paige--- Chapter 2: Homecoming

Disclaimer: I know some other authors have this idea but as far as I know the storyline is mine. I don't own Charmed or anything related to them. (If I did I would be writing for the show not at fanfiction.net)

A/N: Thank you for the reviews. I noticed that I had Paige born in April, not August, so I changed it. I haven't been able to update for a while because my computer was broken. So sorry. Tell me if you'd like shorter chapters more often or longer chapters less often. Now I'm not sure exactly how Patty died, since Charmed has had many conflicting accounts of the event. In P3H2O she was said to be killed by the mysterious water demon. In That 70's Episode it was a water demon or something. In a Witch's Tail it was the Sea Hag. I'm just gonna pick the one that will work best. Or I may put my own spin on it. Also there have been many different dates of Patty's death, but I will use the one Fiona Dean told me (thanks) which is February 28, 1978.I'm am also going to use these ages as follows: as of February 28, 1978 Penny is 47, Patty is 28, Prue is about 7 ½, Piper is about 5 ½, Phoebe is about 2 ½, and Paige is about 6 months old. I won't change anything unless I'm very off. That's the info I got. Also forget the Nicholas curse thing. It doesn't pertain to my story and the girls may have there powers. I don't know anything about the legal system and its how it handles guardianship and murder, let alone how it worked in the 70's, so bear with me--anyways ... on with the story.

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Patty Halliwell walked along the pier along San Francisco Bay. The air smelled sweet of sea water and fresh air. The wind blew Patty's soft curls. The water splashed along the rocks. Sea gulls cawed and flew overhead. The place was deserted save for a man at a hot dog stand and a women in a black coat who was walking about 40 feet away from Patty. As Patty realized that the woman was following her, she quickened her pace. After the two people had gotten into a secluded and deserted area, the woman walked closer to the witch. All of the sudden, the woman took her coat off. She grew a few feet and turned into a woman with scraggily clothes and hair. The hideous woman screeched. Patty screamed as she attempted to freeze the sea hag, but she couldn't. The woman fought through them. The sea hag held her hand out creating a giant water bubble and threw it at Patty. Patty dodged it but the sea hag kept trying to hit her. When she finally hit the witch with the bubble she began to drown. Patty backed up towards the water and fell into the water. After a few moments she was dead. The sea hag let out a devious cackle, and she transformed back into her "human" self. She walked to the nearest pay phone. The woman called 911 and she said: "I'd like to report a dead body. I was walking and I just saw it. Get here! Quick! Maybe she's still alive!" The woman disappeared.

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Police officer, Adam Martin, walked up to the Halliwell Manor on Prescott Street. He hated to deliver news like this. The woman had been a mother of four young girls. Those girls wouldn't know there mother. He didn't want to tell someone that there loved one's life was over. It was his job though, so he knocked on the door.

"Girls! Girls! Be quiet! Someone is at the door!" a woman shouted from inside the house before she came into the house. "Hello Officer," she said as she swung the door open. Then she saw the grave look in his eyes. "Oh my God. What happened?"

"Why...don't I come in?" he said respectfully.

"Okay," Penny said leading him into the house. "Girls go play in the conservatory for a little bit."

"Okay, Grams," Prue shouted leading two of her three sisters into the room.

Once in the kitchen Penny began to make tea.

"I'm Penny Halliwell. Would you like some tea?"

"Sure. Adam Martin," He said reaching out his hand to shake hers. "I guess I should tell you why I'm here."

"Please."

"Your daughter, Patricia Halliwell, was found in the San Francisco Bay. She had been dead for a little while. We haven't been able to figure out what exactly happened, but we're leaning towards homicide. If you don't mind could we ask you some questions later?"

Penny nodded her head. She stared into space. Her daughter was dead. Someone had taken her life. Her granddaughters would never know their mother. It wasn't fair. What was she going to do?

"Miss Halliwell, I don't mean to sound unsympathetic, but I must ask you some questions regarding guardianships of Patty's four daughters." He got a nod in response. "Now, of course there will be a lawyer present for the official turnover of guardianship that should occur in a few days... can you take care of them until then?

"Of course, they've been living with me here since they were born."

"Also, ma'am, you will have to come into identify the body. We just need to be sure, but prints matched the missing persons notice, so..."

"Uh... yes...I'll call the neighbor to watch the girls." She dialed the phone and after a few moments hung up. "She'll be right over." She paused for a moment "You know it just hurts so much. I need to breakdown right now, but I can't."

"If you don't mind me saying you can. It's okay."

"I know that I can and I should, but not here, not now, not while the girls are here." She smiled solemnly. "Thank you, you have been really kind."

"I am truly sorry Miss." The neighbor came, and the officer and Penny left. When they arrived at the morgue, Penny identified the body as her daughter's. She cried. Adam had driven her home but she hadn't gone into the house the second she did she'd have to explain to the girls that their mother wasn't coming home. How could she have all this power and still lose her daughter and not be able to do anything about it? It was raining...actually it was downright pouring, thunder cracked, and lighting bolts surged across the sky. If someone saw this in a movie or something they'd say that the heavens and angels were crying over the loss of her daughter's life. But Penny had always thought people who said that were stupid and didn't every really experience loss. Penny didn't want to think that all the heavens were crying for her daughter. She wasn't theirs to cry over. Patty was for her to mourn. She had raised her daughter and loved her. Anyways, if her daughter had died she would want the heavens to be welcoming her home with joy. Patty had gone through too much to have a depressing welcoming into the afterlife. She couldn't think about it now. She had to go inside and break the news to the girls. Patty stood up off the steps and turned around to open the door. She thanked her neighbor and said goodbye to her.

"Girls!" she called them into the living room. Prue came in with Piper and Phoebe on her tail. "C'mon. Come over here." She said pulling Phoebe onto her lap as the two elder girls settled themselves next to their grams.

"Grams, when is Mommy comin' home?" Piper asked softly.

"Umm...that's what I wanted to talk to you girls about," tears welled up in her eyes but she continued. She stroked Phoebe's hair. All of the sudden she say a random series of images...Patty walking along the pier...a woman in a black coat...a terrible Sea Hag...Patty drowning as the woman/hag cackled...the officers examining Patty...they were all blurred flashes of light that she just barely identified. Her daughter had been killed by magic. How had she gotten a premonition? Had Phoebe transmitted it to her? That didn't matter. She had to tell the girls.

"Are you okay, Grams?" Prue asked worriedly. Penny realized she had been short of breath. She nodded, pushing the image back in her mind, and wrapped an arm around the girl.

"Girls," she said, her voice breaking, "I have some ... bad news. Mommy won't be coming home. She's dead."

"But you don't come back from dead," Prue exclaimed, "I want my mommy home."

"Prue, Sweetie, calm down," Patty said tenderly.

"No, I will not! I want my mommy!" she was screaming my now.

Piper spoke up now, "Mommy's never comin' back?"

"No! No! No!" Prue shouted, "She's never coming back! She's dead! Don't you get it?"

"What's dead?" Phoebe had timidly spoken up. Prue began to say something, but Patty had hushed her.

"It means, Darling, that Mommy is gone. She can't live on earth with us anymore."

"She's not gonna be back?" Penny shook her head. This was so hard. "Where is she?"

"Come here, all of you." She led them outside; the rain had stopped and now the sky was clear. Many, many stars were visible. "Darlings, look at the sky. What do you see?"

"Stars," Prue stated in awe of the beauty of the sky. "Lots and lots of 'em."

"Lots," Piper added.

"Yeah...lots," Phoebe said following suit.

"Your mom is there. She's watching over you. She gets to see those stars anytime she wants. She gets to see the most beautiful things in the world. But I bet her favorite things to look at are you. She'll get to see you grow up and grow old. She'll love and you will always know that she is there for you. Watching out for you and loving you- no matter what." As she said this she was also trying to comfort herself. "Why...um don't we all go inside and watch a movie? I'll go get baby Paige." The walked inside. Tears streamed down her face. Penny walked upstairs to get Paige. She looked at the sleeping baby in the bassinet. The girl would never even know her mother; it wasn't fair. She carried the child downstairs. The family, though broken, sat together and made it through the night together.

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It had been about a week. Despite everything things had been okay. The girls still cried and Penny sometimes found it difficult to be strong. Phoebe had been screaming out at night. She kept saying "I saw Mommy! I saw Mommy die!" Penny didn't know what to do, but to bind Phoebe's powers... so she did. As much as she didn't want to, she knew it was best for Phoebe.

Today was the day of the funeral. Things had been a blur to Penny. Andy's mother, Donna Trudeau, had been helping with the planning and handshaking. The funeral itself was quiet and intimate. The only people there were Penny; the girls; Andy; his mom and dad; Patty's best friend, Clair; Sam, Patty's lover and Paige's father; Adam Martin; and Victor, the girls' father. Penny cried hard as her daughter's body was lowered into the ground. Afterwards, everyone went back to the Manor, except Victor who said he had important business to attend to. Penny hated the man for leaving his daughters yet another time that was so crucial. Penny talked to all the people. She tried to be as pleasant as possible. After awhile Sam had come up to her.

"Miss Halliwell?" Sam said.

"Yes, Sam. What is it?"

"Umm, I need to tell you something." Penny nodded him on. "I feel that Patty's death is my fault."

"Why, Sam?"

"I'm her whitelighter."

"Whitelighter?"

"Yes. Have you heard of them? Do you know what they are?"

"Uh huh. Yeah. Yeah, I do." She answered surprised.

"Well, I should've protected her."

"Oh... Sam. It was time. You couldn't have changed anything. It isn't your fault. I know you would've tried your best if you had been there."

"That's just it. I wasn't there. The Sea Hag set a trap. I walked straight into it. She felt that by killing Patty, who was the supposed mother of the Charmed Ones, she would tip the balance between good and evil. She didn't do that, but Patty's still dead. I just wanted to tell you that I've decided to clip my wings. Stop being a whitelighter."

"Oh, but, Sam. You are a whitelighter. It is who you are."

"I know, but with all do respect I came to ask for your blessing, not your permission. This is what I need to do."

"I support you. If it is really what you want to do."

"It is. For now. And I will still help with the girls. You know anything I can do."

"Sure."

"I should probably go now."

"Bye, Sam." She said hugging him.

Everyone began to leave. Penny was approached by the police officer, Adam Martin.

"Hello, Penny," Adam said.

"Hi. Thanks for coming. I mean I don't know you, but it was really thoughtful of you."

"Well, your welcome. I was worried I might be intruding or something."

"No, no of course not. I'm glad you came."

"Well, Penny, if you need any help with the girls or something, feel free to call me." He gave her his business card.

"I might just have to take you up on that, Officer Martin."

"Bye."

After that everyone else left and it was just Penny and four girls. Everyone was so sad and solemn. Penny needed to do something. She took the girls up to the attic. She'd let them see their mother. She read the spell to call a witch from the other side, and allowed Phoebe to open up to magic, though her powers were bound. In an array of light Patty appeared.

"Hi," Penny said softly.

"Hi, Mom. Hi, Girls. I have to tell you that I love you. And I was welcomed joyously by everyone we've known and everyone in our family line. They welcomed me home. It was my home before and forever shall be. But if you can't let me move on I never will be able to fully live on. Mourn me now, but let me go, Mom. I love you, all. And that's all I can say." She left and the remaining Halliwells stood in awe. Penny thought to herself and smiled. Her daughter was home. And safe. And loved. And happy. And one day they would all join her, but not anytime soon. For now, there home was here.

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A/N: So how was it? Good? Bad? So-so? Let me know by... what it called again? It starts with an R and ends in a W. Then there is an E, a V, I, and another E. (j/k) Oh yeah REVIEW---please do! Also if you could take the time to respond to the comments in my first author's note. Please Review! Please Review! Please Review!

Thanx

shininglight14