~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Step out the front door like a ghost
Into a fog where no one notices
The contrast of white on white
And in between the moon and you
The angels get a better view
Of the crumbling difference
Between wrong and right
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
The girls were quiet for a while, trying to comprehend what their father had just told them.
"But... how?" Prue asked. "I remember Sam. Why don't I remember... her?"
"Your mother and grandmother had to work hard to hide it from you," Victor admitted. "Do you remember taking a trip with your Grams down to Los Angeles when you were little?"
Prue nodded. "That's when Mom had the baby?"
"By the time you got back, the baby had already been adopted by some family at the church where your mother left her," Victor said.
"She just gave our sister to some family from a church she didn't even go to?" Phoebe asked angrily.
"Phoebe, you have every right to be upset," Victor responded. "You all do. But your mother did it out of love, to protect her. That bastard, Sam, was threatening to hurt them both, and she couldn't take that chance."
Piper looked up. "So why didn't we even know? Why are you telling us now?"
"I just found out myself, a few months ago," Victor explained. "I ran into an old friend of Penny's, who knew. I don't know why Penny never told you herself, but you're right, she should have."
"So who is she?" Prue asked. "What's her name? What is she like?"
"All I know is that her name is Paige," Victor told them. "I think her last name begins with an 'M'. Morgan... Matthews.. something like that."
"So what do we do now?" Piper asked.
Prue didn't answer right away. She looked down at Aviva, asleep in her arms, and tried to imagine having to give her up. She knew the pain would be unbearable. "Mom would want us to find her."
Phoebe and Piper nodded, knowing their sister was right.
"But how?" Phoebe asked. They all looked to their father.
"You're friend is a policeman, right?" Victor suggested. "Maybe he'll help you."
"Darryl," Piper said. "We'll call Darryl."
"Maybe you should give it a day or so first, just to let it sink in," Victor cautioned.
Prue nodded. "Dad is right. Let's just wait a while."
Her sisters both agreed. The three of them lapsed back into silence, preoccupied with their own thoughts.
-x-
"You're awfully quiet," Paige observed when Leo drove her home. "Is something wrong?"
Leo sighed. He knew without a doubt who Paige was now. He had to tell her. The problem was Piper. He knew she'd be angry with him for not telling her first, but he couldn't help that. He felt he owed to Paige to let her know who her family was, so he suggested they go inside.
Paige led him over to the kitchen, and poured them each a glass of water. They were both seated on the couch before either of them said a word.
"So what is it?" Paige asked finally. "You've been acting so weird since we talked to Sister Agnes. Why?"
Leo took a deep breath. "It's because I know who she was talking about. Patty Halliwell, your birth mother. My girlfriend's name is Piper Halliwell. Her mother was Patricia. Everyone called her Patty."
Paige stared at him blankly, trying to put two and two together. "So... You're saying I'm your girlfriend's sister?"
Leo nodded. "I think you are. It would explain a lot. The first time I saw you, you just reminded me so much of her. I think that's why we're such good friends in the first place."
Paige sat back. "I've got a sister. I've always wanted a sister."
"If I'm right, and your birth mother is the same Patty Halliwell, you've got three," Leo told her.
She nodded, taking it in. Suddenly, she turned to him. "Can you tell them for me? I wouldn't know how. They're probably not expecting this, and... Do they even know about me?"
Leo shook his head. "No. I don't think so."
Paige frowned.
"Hey, it'll be okay," Leo assured her. "They'll love you. Sure, they'll be shocked as hell, but who wouldn't? They'll get over it, and then they'll love you. Don't worry, okay? I'll introduce them to you. I'll take care of everything."
She leaned over and hugged him. "Thank you, Leo. I never would have found them without you."
He hugged her back, but didn't have time to say anything. His pager went off. It was Piper.
-x-
Piper wrung her hands nervously, pacing around the conservatory. She'd sent a message to Leo's pager asking him to come, but she wasn't sure when he'd get there, and waiting was making her even more nervous than she already was.
Phoebe came in, holding Aviva. "What's wrong, honey?" she asked.
"He's not here yet," Piper responded frustratedly.
"Who?" Phoebe asked.
"Leo. I paged him half an hour ago."
Just then, the doorbell rang. Piper took the baby from Phoebe and went to get the door, muttering, "This better be him."
It was.
"Piper, hi," he greeted, kissing her hello. "Sorry I couldn't get here sooner. I was on the other side of town, and you know how traffic is at this hour. What's up?"
"Actually, it's more like what's out. Of the bag. As in, the cat. Nevermind," Piper rambled. She was pacing back and forth, half to relax the baby and half out of her own nervousness. She took a deep breath, and started over. "My dad was just here. You are so not going to believe this. I don't fully believe it yet."
As she was talking, he put an arm around her and led her over to the living room couch. "Honey, what is it?" he asked, although he suspected he already knew.
Piper took another breath. "I have a sister. A half-sister, technically. All Daddy knew about her was that her name is Paige." She paused. "You don't look surprised. Why not?"
He took her free hand, and held it tightly. "I'm not surprised. Well, I am, but... I already knew."
Piper blinked. "How? Did Phoebe or Prue tell you?"
He shook his head. "No, honey. Paige did. She used to be a patient of mine, and while she was under my care, we became pretty close friends. She asked me to help her find her biological family, and I told her I would. Before today, I never even suspected that she could have been related to you, otherwise I would have told you, I swear I would have."
She listened quietly. When he finished, she said nothing. After a minute, Aviva started to cry.
Piper got up, handing the baby over to Leo. "Can you change her diaper for me? I need to go talk to my sisters."
Leo nodded. "Of course," he said, taking the whimpering newborn up to the nursery.
Piper went upstairs to Prue's room, where her sisters were sitting on the bed, talking.
Prue looked up when Piper came in. "Where's Aviva?" she asked. "I thought I heard her crying."
Piper sat down next to her. "Yeah, Leo went to change her. He told me something, and I thought I should be the one to tell the both of you."
She repeated to her sisters what Leo had said about knowing Paige. When she'd finished, no one knew quite what to say.
"I guess we have to meet her now," Phoebe said slowly.
"It's what Mom would want us to do," Prue replied.
"It doesn't seem real, does it?" Piper asked. "I mean, now that we know who she is, it's slightly less surreal than it was an hour ago, but still... I don't think I'm ready for this."
Prue hugged her. "Sweetie, none of us are. I don't think there's any way we could ever be ready for something like this. We'll just have to deal with it, that's all."
They looked up as Leo knocked on the door. "Are you three done talking?" he asked, looking nervous.
Prue got up and took Aviva from him, then gave him a hug. "Thank you for coming to tell us," she said. With a glance back at her sisters, she added, "How soon do you think you can get Paige to come here?"
****************
~from the song "Round Here" by the Counting Crows~
Step out the front door like a ghost
Into a fog where no one notices
The contrast of white on white
And in between the moon and you
The angels get a better view
Of the crumbling difference
Between wrong and right
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
The girls were quiet for a while, trying to comprehend what their father had just told them.
"But... how?" Prue asked. "I remember Sam. Why don't I remember... her?"
"Your mother and grandmother had to work hard to hide it from you," Victor admitted. "Do you remember taking a trip with your Grams down to Los Angeles when you were little?"
Prue nodded. "That's when Mom had the baby?"
"By the time you got back, the baby had already been adopted by some family at the church where your mother left her," Victor said.
"She just gave our sister to some family from a church she didn't even go to?" Phoebe asked angrily.
"Phoebe, you have every right to be upset," Victor responded. "You all do. But your mother did it out of love, to protect her. That bastard, Sam, was threatening to hurt them both, and she couldn't take that chance."
Piper looked up. "So why didn't we even know? Why are you telling us now?"
"I just found out myself, a few months ago," Victor explained. "I ran into an old friend of Penny's, who knew. I don't know why Penny never told you herself, but you're right, she should have."
"So who is she?" Prue asked. "What's her name? What is she like?"
"All I know is that her name is Paige," Victor told them. "I think her last name begins with an 'M'. Morgan... Matthews.. something like that."
"So what do we do now?" Piper asked.
Prue didn't answer right away. She looked down at Aviva, asleep in her arms, and tried to imagine having to give her up. She knew the pain would be unbearable. "Mom would want us to find her."
Phoebe and Piper nodded, knowing their sister was right.
"But how?" Phoebe asked. They all looked to their father.
"You're friend is a policeman, right?" Victor suggested. "Maybe he'll help you."
"Darryl," Piper said. "We'll call Darryl."
"Maybe you should give it a day or so first, just to let it sink in," Victor cautioned.
Prue nodded. "Dad is right. Let's just wait a while."
Her sisters both agreed. The three of them lapsed back into silence, preoccupied with their own thoughts.
-x-
"You're awfully quiet," Paige observed when Leo drove her home. "Is something wrong?"
Leo sighed. He knew without a doubt who Paige was now. He had to tell her. The problem was Piper. He knew she'd be angry with him for not telling her first, but he couldn't help that. He felt he owed to Paige to let her know who her family was, so he suggested they go inside.
Paige led him over to the kitchen, and poured them each a glass of water. They were both seated on the couch before either of them said a word.
"So what is it?" Paige asked finally. "You've been acting so weird since we talked to Sister Agnes. Why?"
Leo took a deep breath. "It's because I know who she was talking about. Patty Halliwell, your birth mother. My girlfriend's name is Piper Halliwell. Her mother was Patricia. Everyone called her Patty."
Paige stared at him blankly, trying to put two and two together. "So... You're saying I'm your girlfriend's sister?"
Leo nodded. "I think you are. It would explain a lot. The first time I saw you, you just reminded me so much of her. I think that's why we're such good friends in the first place."
Paige sat back. "I've got a sister. I've always wanted a sister."
"If I'm right, and your birth mother is the same Patty Halliwell, you've got three," Leo told her.
She nodded, taking it in. Suddenly, she turned to him. "Can you tell them for me? I wouldn't know how. They're probably not expecting this, and... Do they even know about me?"
Leo shook his head. "No. I don't think so."
Paige frowned.
"Hey, it'll be okay," Leo assured her. "They'll love you. Sure, they'll be shocked as hell, but who wouldn't? They'll get over it, and then they'll love you. Don't worry, okay? I'll introduce them to you. I'll take care of everything."
She leaned over and hugged him. "Thank you, Leo. I never would have found them without you."
He hugged her back, but didn't have time to say anything. His pager went off. It was Piper.
-x-
Piper wrung her hands nervously, pacing around the conservatory. She'd sent a message to Leo's pager asking him to come, but she wasn't sure when he'd get there, and waiting was making her even more nervous than she already was.
Phoebe came in, holding Aviva. "What's wrong, honey?" she asked.
"He's not here yet," Piper responded frustratedly.
"Who?" Phoebe asked.
"Leo. I paged him half an hour ago."
Just then, the doorbell rang. Piper took the baby from Phoebe and went to get the door, muttering, "This better be him."
It was.
"Piper, hi," he greeted, kissing her hello. "Sorry I couldn't get here sooner. I was on the other side of town, and you know how traffic is at this hour. What's up?"
"Actually, it's more like what's out. Of the bag. As in, the cat. Nevermind," Piper rambled. She was pacing back and forth, half to relax the baby and half out of her own nervousness. She took a deep breath, and started over. "My dad was just here. You are so not going to believe this. I don't fully believe it yet."
As she was talking, he put an arm around her and led her over to the living room couch. "Honey, what is it?" he asked, although he suspected he already knew.
Piper took another breath. "I have a sister. A half-sister, technically. All Daddy knew about her was that her name is Paige." She paused. "You don't look surprised. Why not?"
He took her free hand, and held it tightly. "I'm not surprised. Well, I am, but... I already knew."
Piper blinked. "How? Did Phoebe or Prue tell you?"
He shook his head. "No, honey. Paige did. She used to be a patient of mine, and while she was under my care, we became pretty close friends. She asked me to help her find her biological family, and I told her I would. Before today, I never even suspected that she could have been related to you, otherwise I would have told you, I swear I would have."
She listened quietly. When he finished, she said nothing. After a minute, Aviva started to cry.
Piper got up, handing the baby over to Leo. "Can you change her diaper for me? I need to go talk to my sisters."
Leo nodded. "Of course," he said, taking the whimpering newborn up to the nursery.
Piper went upstairs to Prue's room, where her sisters were sitting on the bed, talking.
Prue looked up when Piper came in. "Where's Aviva?" she asked. "I thought I heard her crying."
Piper sat down next to her. "Yeah, Leo went to change her. He told me something, and I thought I should be the one to tell the both of you."
She repeated to her sisters what Leo had said about knowing Paige. When she'd finished, no one knew quite what to say.
"I guess we have to meet her now," Phoebe said slowly.
"It's what Mom would want us to do," Prue replied.
"It doesn't seem real, does it?" Piper asked. "I mean, now that we know who she is, it's slightly less surreal than it was an hour ago, but still... I don't think I'm ready for this."
Prue hugged her. "Sweetie, none of us are. I don't think there's any way we could ever be ready for something like this. We'll just have to deal with it, that's all."
They looked up as Leo knocked on the door. "Are you three done talking?" he asked, looking nervous.
Prue got up and took Aviva from him, then gave him a hug. "Thank you for coming to tell us," she said. With a glance back at her sisters, she added, "How soon do you think you can get Paige to come here?"
****************
~from the song "Round Here" by the Counting Crows~