~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
I've been searchin' my soul tonight
I know there's so much more to life
Now I know I can shine a light
Everything gonna be alright
I've been searchin' my soul tonight
Don't wanna be alone in life
Now I know I can shine a light
To find my way back home
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
By the time Paige and Leo pulled up to the church, Paige was shaking. Leo reached over and put his hand on hers.
"Do you want me to come in with you?" he offered. She nodded. They both got out of the car, and walked inside.
As soon as their eyes adjusted to the light, they noticed a small, middle-aged nun toward the front of the church. Taking a guess, Paige called out, "Sister Agnes?"
The nun looked up. It was her. "Yes?"
Leo put his arm around Paige supportively, and they walked over to the sister.
"Hi," Paige began, "You probably don't recognise me. I bet I looked a lot different the first time we met. Twenty-three years ago. August 17, 1977. Does that ring any bells?"
Sister Agnes gasped, a flash of recognition shining in her eyes. "Paige, right? Paige Matthews?"
Paige nodded excitedly. "Yes, that's me. You remembered!"
"My, you've grown up. The last time I saw you..." the nun trailed off.
"Actually, that's what I wanted to talk to you about," Paige said. "The last time you saw me. How much do you remember? About my birth parents, I mean. Did you know them?"
Sister Agnes nodded. "I remember it like it was yesterday. Your poor mother... She came in, looking so distraught, with you in her arms. You were barely a few days old. She loved you so much. I could tell how much it hurt her to give you up. She said that she couldn't keep you, that you would be in danger."
"What kind of danger?" Paige asked. "And what about my father, was he there?"
Sister shook her head sadly. "From what I could gather, your father was the danger. She was afraid of him, I could tell. Afraid he'd hurt you. I believe he was an addict of some sort, and a violent one. I'm so sorry, Paige, I know this isn't what you wanted to hear."
"It's okay," Paige said, absorbing this. "I wanted to hear the truth." Trying to process everything she was hearing, she turned to Leo for help.
"Sister, do you know her birth mother's name?" he asked.
"Patty," the nun replied. "Patty Halliwell."
Leo froze. He managed to come out of his shocked state long enough to glance at Paige, and was struck once again by how much she reminded him of Piper...
-x-
Prue sat cross-legged on her bed, cradling Aviva in one arm. With the other, she was going through the family photo albums. Flipping back toward the beginning, she pulled out her favourite picture. It featured Prue, Piper, Phoebe, and their mother, Patricia. It had been taken only weeks before Patty had been drowned by her psychotic boyfriend, Sam.
"Aviva, look," she said, holding up the photo so the baby could see. "That's your Grandma Patty. She would have loved you so much, baby. I wish you could have seen her." Aviva cooed in response. Prue smiled at her, and flipped to another picture.
There was a knock at the door. She looked up to see her sisters come in and sit down on either side of her.
"Honey, whatcha doing?" Phoebe asked.
"I'm showing Aviva pictures of the family," Prue replied. "Mostly pictures of Mom, and Grams, and us when we were kids."
Piper smiled. "Don't expect much of a reaction, sweetie. She's only a week old. I mean, come on, Phoebe's twenty-four and she still gets bored looking at those."
Phoebe reached over to punch her sister in the arm. Prue laughed. "See, honey, I told you your aunts are crazy," she said to the baby.
"Oh, don't listen to her, Ava," Piper said. "Your Aunt Phoebe might be certifiable, and even your Mommy is a bit crazy, but I am completely sane."
"Hey!" Prue and Phoebe snapped at the same time. Piper grinned. Phoebe started giggling.
"What's so funny?" Prue asked.
"Piper... sane!" Phoebe chuckled. Piper smacked her, but that didn't stop Prue from cracking up as well.
"You know," Piper said to her older sister, "If you weren't holding my neice..."
"Hey, I don't want to get hit anymore," Phoebe said. "Prue, lemme hold the baby."
"Not a chance," Prue replied. Phoebe pouted. Piper smirked.
They all got up as the doorbell rang. They got downstairs to find Victor standing on the porch.
"Hi, Dad," Piper greeted, standing aside to let him in.
"Hi, Piper," he replied, his voice tense.
"Daddy, hi," Prue said, going over to give him a kiss. She paused. Something looked off.
"Dad, is everything okay?" Phoebe asked.
Victor sighed nervously. "Not really. Let's go into the living room, I think we should all be sitting for this."
The girls followed him apprehensively, and sat down on the couch across from him. He took a deep breath, and began.
"Prue, when I first came back, you suspected that I was here for some other reason than to be with you," he started. "You were right. I came back to tell you something. Something that I'm sure will be an even bigger shock to you than it was to me, but hopefully, once the dust settles, you'll see this as a good thing."
"Daddy, what is it?" Piper asked.
Victor swallowed hard, trying to decide how to tell them. "Do you remember when you were little, your mother had a boyfriend, Sam?"
"The bastard who killed her," Prue murmurmed, shifting Aviva to her other arm.
Victor nodded. "Also, the bastard who got her pregnant and scared her into giving up the baby. Girls, you... you have a younger half-sister."
****************
A/N: Soon to come, the reunion you've all been waiting for.
~from the song "Searchin' My Soul" by Vonda Shepherd~
I've been searchin' my soul tonight
I know there's so much more to life
Now I know I can shine a light
Everything gonna be alright
I've been searchin' my soul tonight
Don't wanna be alone in life
Now I know I can shine a light
To find my way back home
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
By the time Paige and Leo pulled up to the church, Paige was shaking. Leo reached over and put his hand on hers.
"Do you want me to come in with you?" he offered. She nodded. They both got out of the car, and walked inside.
As soon as their eyes adjusted to the light, they noticed a small, middle-aged nun toward the front of the church. Taking a guess, Paige called out, "Sister Agnes?"
The nun looked up. It was her. "Yes?"
Leo put his arm around Paige supportively, and they walked over to the sister.
"Hi," Paige began, "You probably don't recognise me. I bet I looked a lot different the first time we met. Twenty-three years ago. August 17, 1977. Does that ring any bells?"
Sister Agnes gasped, a flash of recognition shining in her eyes. "Paige, right? Paige Matthews?"
Paige nodded excitedly. "Yes, that's me. You remembered!"
"My, you've grown up. The last time I saw you..." the nun trailed off.
"Actually, that's what I wanted to talk to you about," Paige said. "The last time you saw me. How much do you remember? About my birth parents, I mean. Did you know them?"
Sister Agnes nodded. "I remember it like it was yesterday. Your poor mother... She came in, looking so distraught, with you in her arms. You were barely a few days old. She loved you so much. I could tell how much it hurt her to give you up. She said that she couldn't keep you, that you would be in danger."
"What kind of danger?" Paige asked. "And what about my father, was he there?"
Sister shook her head sadly. "From what I could gather, your father was the danger. She was afraid of him, I could tell. Afraid he'd hurt you. I believe he was an addict of some sort, and a violent one. I'm so sorry, Paige, I know this isn't what you wanted to hear."
"It's okay," Paige said, absorbing this. "I wanted to hear the truth." Trying to process everything she was hearing, she turned to Leo for help.
"Sister, do you know her birth mother's name?" he asked.
"Patty," the nun replied. "Patty Halliwell."
Leo froze. He managed to come out of his shocked state long enough to glance at Paige, and was struck once again by how much she reminded him of Piper...
-x-
Prue sat cross-legged on her bed, cradling Aviva in one arm. With the other, she was going through the family photo albums. Flipping back toward the beginning, she pulled out her favourite picture. It featured Prue, Piper, Phoebe, and their mother, Patricia. It had been taken only weeks before Patty had been drowned by her psychotic boyfriend, Sam.
"Aviva, look," she said, holding up the photo so the baby could see. "That's your Grandma Patty. She would have loved you so much, baby. I wish you could have seen her." Aviva cooed in response. Prue smiled at her, and flipped to another picture.
There was a knock at the door. She looked up to see her sisters come in and sit down on either side of her.
"Honey, whatcha doing?" Phoebe asked.
"I'm showing Aviva pictures of the family," Prue replied. "Mostly pictures of Mom, and Grams, and us when we were kids."
Piper smiled. "Don't expect much of a reaction, sweetie. She's only a week old. I mean, come on, Phoebe's twenty-four and she still gets bored looking at those."
Phoebe reached over to punch her sister in the arm. Prue laughed. "See, honey, I told you your aunts are crazy," she said to the baby.
"Oh, don't listen to her, Ava," Piper said. "Your Aunt Phoebe might be certifiable, and even your Mommy is a bit crazy, but I am completely sane."
"Hey!" Prue and Phoebe snapped at the same time. Piper grinned. Phoebe started giggling.
"What's so funny?" Prue asked.
"Piper... sane!" Phoebe chuckled. Piper smacked her, but that didn't stop Prue from cracking up as well.
"You know," Piper said to her older sister, "If you weren't holding my neice..."
"Hey, I don't want to get hit anymore," Phoebe said. "Prue, lemme hold the baby."
"Not a chance," Prue replied. Phoebe pouted. Piper smirked.
They all got up as the doorbell rang. They got downstairs to find Victor standing on the porch.
"Hi, Dad," Piper greeted, standing aside to let him in.
"Hi, Piper," he replied, his voice tense.
"Daddy, hi," Prue said, going over to give him a kiss. She paused. Something looked off.
"Dad, is everything okay?" Phoebe asked.
Victor sighed nervously. "Not really. Let's go into the living room, I think we should all be sitting for this."
The girls followed him apprehensively, and sat down on the couch across from him. He took a deep breath, and began.
"Prue, when I first came back, you suspected that I was here for some other reason than to be with you," he started. "You were right. I came back to tell you something. Something that I'm sure will be an even bigger shock to you than it was to me, but hopefully, once the dust settles, you'll see this as a good thing."
"Daddy, what is it?" Piper asked.
Victor swallowed hard, trying to decide how to tell them. "Do you remember when you were little, your mother had a boyfriend, Sam?"
"The bastard who killed her," Prue murmurmed, shifting Aviva to her other arm.
Victor nodded. "Also, the bastard who got her pregnant and scared her into giving up the baby. Girls, you... you have a younger half-sister."
****************
A/N: Soon to come, the reunion you've all been waiting for.
~from the song "Searchin' My Soul" by Vonda Shepherd~