A/N: Sorry, this chapter isn't as good as the others, but it's mostly to get a feel for what will happen next.
It had been two weeks since Rewothan was vanquished. Paige had been avoiding Glen. They weren't even staying at one another's houses anymore. Every time Glen called, Paige refused to speak to him. But that's where the oddness ended. Sort of. Paige was going about her life as if nothing had happened. She went back to her job as a social worker. She worked extra long hours. She talked to her sisters about everyday stuff. Just never about the baby, Glen, Rewothan, or evil whatsoever.
"No, Glen, Paige isn't here. Yes, I'll tell her you called. Okay. Bye." Piper replaced the phone in it's cradle.
"Glen again?" Phoebe asked.
"No, I just called someone else 'Glen,' of course it was him!" Piper sniped.
"Well you don't have to bite my head off," Phoebe pouted.
"I swear, Pheebs, sometimes I wonder if you were really meant to be blonde."
"Hey guys!" Paige sailed into the kitchen. "What's up?"
Piper and Phoebe exchanged a look. Piper decided not to tell her Glen had called again. Everytime she told her, Paige would change the subject. "Just telling Phoebe what a dumbass she is."
"Hey!" Phoebe pouted. "If you keep picking on me, I'm gonna tell Prue!"
"Good luck tellling Prue anything. She's been working so much, we never see her anymore." Piper cast a sidelong glance at Paige, wondering if she'd pick up on the fact that not only was Piper talking about Prue, but Paige too.
Paige grabbed an apple off the counter and picked up her bag. "I'm off to work. Bye!"
The two sisters sat in silence for a few moments. "How does she do it?" Piper asked. "How does she pretend to be so cheery, when we obviously know she's dying inside. Why won't she let us support her? Why won't she talk to Glen?"
"She's in denial. Ususally this stage of grief doesn't last this long. I think she should see someone for it."
"Like who? The only doctor we knew that was aware of the magical world died. Right over there." Piper looked at the spot Ava had last been seen. She closed her eyes tight, and turned away.
"I don't know who!" Phoebe exclaimed. But she needs to work through it!"
"Great! Okay, now turn this way. Tilt your chin, pefect! That's a wrap!" Prue Halliwell smiled as she started packing up her camera equipment.
"Thanks! This was one of the funnest shoots I've been on!" Prue was labelling some rolls of film.
"No, thank you. I was dreading this. I know it's for a good cause, but I usually hate this. Being in the limelight, all this attention."
"If you hate it, then why did you become a firefighter?" Prue asked.
"I wanted to help people." He simply shrugged. "Plus, this uniform is a great chick magnet!"
Prue laughed, and packed up the last of the stuff. "This is going to be a great spread. I'm glad Elise talked me into coming. I didn't know that the Firefighters organized so many drives, for toys, clothes, toiletries. You guys really do love the people you save, huh?"
"What I'd really love is to take you out to dinner. How 'bout it?" Alden cocked his head to the side, and his blue-green eyes twinkled.
"Oh, and how can I resist such a great smile?" Prue smiled herself, and slung her camera bags over her shoulder "How about Thai?"
Later that evening, Piper and Phoebe were sitting at the table, eating dinner. Leo had fed the boys earlier, they couldn't wait, and they were playing toss with nerf balls in the backyard.
"Looks like Paige and Prue have ditched us again," sighed Phoebe, poking at her salad with her fork. She picked up a cucumber with her fingers and popped it in her mouth.
"Prue called, she's having dinner with Alden."
"Who's that?"
"Someone she met today at work. Pass the tomatoes."
Just then, Paige breezed in through the back door. "Did you know your kids are jumping all over your husband? I think Wyatt might have pinned him to the ground."
Piper rolled her eyes. "I've never understood male bonding. Paige, do you want to meet me on your lunch break tomorrow? I'm having a meeting with a band's manager at P3 tomororw around one, and you know all about this band. I think your being a fan will help encourage them to play there."
"Sure. I'll be there about ten till." She sat down at the table and mixed up a salad for herself. But she didn't eat it. She did however, drink three glasses of the sun brewed tea Phoebe had made.
"Paige," asked Phoebe, "do you want to go shopping with me and Prue this weekend? She's still tring to get her wardrobe back up to where it once was."
"What's up with you guys wanting me to do all this stuff?"
"We always do stuff together. We're sisters." Phoebe sounded hurt.
"Piper, I'll come to the club tomorrow, but I won't go shopping, Phoebe. I have plans."
"Oh?" Phoebe perked up. "With who?"
"Me," Paige said, meaning herself.
The next day, Piper had sat through the meeting by herself. Paige had never shown. Piper was really worried now. Paige would have at least called... As Piper drove her Jeep downtown to the Family Services building, she wondered what could have held up Paige. She knew it had to be important, one of Paige's cases, or something. She pulled into a visitor space and walked through the doors. She went to the office and asked for Paige.
"Paige Mathews?" the receptionist asked quizzically.
"Yeah, my sister Paige Mathews."
"Um, Paige doesn't work here anymore, Piper. She quit last year."
"Last year? But she-" Piper stopped herself. "Thanks," she said to the lady and turned away. As soon as she got outside, she called Prue on her cell.
"Hello?"
"Prue, it's Piper."
"Piper, it's not really a good time, I'm at lunch with Alden."
"Prue, it's about Paige!"
"Paige? What is it? Is she hurt?"
"Well, duh, but that's not it. She didn't show up at P3, so I went to her office. Prue, she hasn't worked there in over a year."
"What?" Prue demanded. "Why would she lie about something like that? Piper, I'll meet you at P3 in a few minutes. Bye."
Alden, I'm sorry, I have to go. My youngest sister is in trouble, and needs me."
"What is it? Is she going to be okay?"
Prue hesitated for a second, and then decided to tell Alden a little bit. At least she wasn't making up excuses to go vanquish demons this time.
"Well, Paige lost a baby two weeks ago, and she's in serious denial. She won't talk to her boyfriend, she won't talk about it at all, and now, Piper, one of my other sisters, said that Paige isn't even going to work. She's been lying about it. We have to go find her. I'm sorry. Raincheck?"
Alden was fishing something out of his wallet.
"No, let me, it's my turn." Prue tossed a twenty and a ten on the table.
"No, I wasn't doing that, but thanks." He smiled. "No, my older brother is a shrink, and he specializes in depression. Maybe he can help her, when she's ready."
"Thanks," Prue smiled as she stood up. She leaned to kiss Alden on the cheek. "I'll call you later, okay?"
At P3, Piper and Phoebe were waiting for Prue. Piper had called Phoebe right after talking to Prue. "What are we going to do about this? She can't stay in denial forever!"
"I don't see what we can do except support her and be there for her," Phoebe said. "You can't help someone that doesn't want to be helped."
The doors slammed open. Paige was standing at the top of the stairs. "I'm sorry I'm late Piper! Did he already leave?"
"Yeah, about an hour ago."
"Prue? Phoebe? Shouldn't you be at work?"
"Shouldn't we be asking you that, Paige?" Phoebe asked. Piper elbowed her in the ribs. Phoebe ignored this and kept going. "Paige, Piper was worried when you bailed on the meeting, so she went to your office. They said you didn't work there anymore. What's going on?"
After a bit of shouting, denial, and more shouting, Paige finally broke down. She cried about everything that had happened in the past month. She told her sisters how she'd been just wandering the streets of San Francisco for days, and visiting the church whee she'd been left as a baby. Sister Agnes had gotten her to talk about it, but was worried that Paige's voice was emotionless. Paige had confided in Sister Agnes, and told her everything. She knew the sister would be able to handle knowing about magic, after seeing Paige's parents appear before her in the church all those years ago. Sister Agnes had been supportive, and tried to help, but Paige had been stoic. Sister Agnes had asked the priest for help, but didn't tell him any of the magical details. Paige had listened to him, but nothing sank in. She remained stone-faced. After leaving the church that day, she realized she was late for the meeting at P3, and there she was now, in the middle of a breakdown, with her sisters comforting her.
Leo orbed in. "I sensed pain. Is everyone okay?" Paige was sobbing in Prue's arms. Piper rushed over to Leo and whispered to him. "Paige has moved past denial. We're trying to help, but.... where are the boys?"
"I left them with Sheila Morris. Darryl was due home soon, and they were going to feed the boys dinner."
"That's fine. I think we're going to have to be spending lots of time with Paige for a while. Leo, go join the kids and our friends. We'll call if we need you."
"But-"
"Just go. This is a sister thing."
Leo nodded, and orbed away. Piper returned to her sisters. Paige had turned to Phoebe now. Phoebe had been the first of the three that Paige had bonded with, and they were obviously a little closer than Paige was with her other sisters. They were all close, of course, but Phoebe and Paige had a different bond.
"Paige," Prue started, "I told Alden just a tiny bit of what was happening, when I left him on our lunch date. He gave me this," She pulled out the card. "Paige, Alden's brother, Aiden, is a psychiatrist. He thinks he can help you. Obviously not with the magical aspects, but Paige, you need to deal with the emotional aspects, too."
Paige continued to cry into Phoebe's arms, as Phoebe stroked her hair. Paige looked up at Prue, then at the card. She reached out for it.
The next day, Paige sat in Aiden's, or Dr. Scott's office. She was very nervous. Dr. Scott had started out asking about her childhood.
"Only child? What about your sisters?"
"I was adopted at birth. I didn't know I had sisters until Prue di--er, she left for a while, with the witness protection program, and then I found out about my real mom. And I found my sisters."
They talked some more, not mentioning the baby or Glen. Dr. Scott had explained that for their first session, he just wanted to get to know Paige, so he could better understand her pain. When the hour was up, Dr. Scott walked Paige to the reception area. Phoebe stood up to meet Paige. She had planned on driving Paige home, and maybe stopping for ice cream, to see if she wanted to talk alone before going home. Paige introduced Phoebe to Dr. Scott. As their hands met to shake, Phoebe got a premontion. It wasn't an overbearing one, so she didn't gasp, but her breath caught in her throat. She saw Dr. Scott making a potion, throwing it, and vanquishing a demon.
As their hands met, Dr. Scott realilzed what had happened to Phoebe. Premonition was his power, too.
"Come back into my office," he said to the girls.
They all sat down. Paige didn't know what was going on, but she recognized Phoebe's mannerisms when she had the premonition. She was a bit on edge, till she noticed Phoebe was completely relaxed, smiling even.
"Dr. Scott, you're a-"
"Yes, I'm a witch. Paige," he said, turning to her, "are you a witch, too?"
"How did you know?"
"It seems your sister and I have the same power. I hold my breath like that and close my eyes too, when I get a premontion. What's your power, Paige?"
"Pen!" Paige called. Then pen orbed from the desk onto her palm. She sat it back on the desk. "So, does this mean Alden is a witch, too?"
"Yes, he is. But he doesn't know your sister Prue is, or you for that matter, or he would have told me. We so rarely meet up with magical witches, so when we do, we talk about it a great deal."
"But you can't tell Alden about us! Prue won't want him to know she's a witch, even if he is, too."
"It's okay, I won't tell him. I'm sure if it's meant to be, she will tell him on her own. Now Paige, that we know each other's secrets, do you think we can talk again tomorrow? About what's really bothering you? You can trust me, Paige, with everything."
"Yes," Paige said, standing up, "I'l be here tomorrow, same time." For the first time in days, Paige smiled a genuine smile. And so did Phoebe. Not only was her sister going to get help, but help from a very hot, very sexy doctor.
