Together – Forever! Part 4:
A whole lot to explain

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Leo and Cole each grabbed one of woman's arms and carried her back to the couch. They wanted to make it more comfortable for her and also, they needed the space between the candles to call Penny. As soon as that was done, Piper looked down at the book again
"Here these words. Hear my cry spirit from the other side. Come to me, I summon thee. Cross now the Great Divide!"
Piper chanted and right away, Penny appeared in the circle of candles.
"Grams, why does, every time I cast the spell to call a blood-relative, this woman over there appear?"
Piper asked in a stern and angry kinda voice, motioning to the woman
"I do… I don't know what you're talking about…"
Penny said acting innocent
"You know what, Grams? You were a lousy liar when you were alive, and now as a ghost, you're worse."
Piper told her grandmother straight into the face, still waiting for an answer
"Grams, if you know something, you have to tell us. We deserve to know."
Phoebe pleaded looking at her grandmother as well. Penny fought of her own desire and sighted
"I can't. I'm sworn to secrecy."
"By who?"
Phoebe asked confused
"By me."
A familiar other female voice filled the room. The girls looked around until they saw the light coming from the ceiling forming next to Penny into Patty, their mother.
"By me."
Patty repeated looking at her daughters
"Mom?"
Phoebe asked unsure, while piper stayed ice cold
"Andy why that?"
"It's complicated…"
Penny started, but was interrupted by Patty
"Look… just let me explain, okay?
Piper just nodded
"Go ahead"
"We didn't tell anybody because we were afraid that there would be reprisals, afraid that, you girls would be dined your powers. Your birthright. It happened after your father and I were divorced, when Sam and I were together."
Patty started the story, when Cole interrupted, looking again confused at Leo
"Sam?"
"Her white-lighter."
Leo answered shortly
"Hmm. Apples don't fall far from the forbidden tree, I see."
Cole commented, just to receive an evil look from Piper
"Shh!"
Piper told him and then looked back at her mother
"Go on."
"You two were still toddlers and Prue just came into kindergarten. You just thought Mommy got a little fat. You never knew I was pregnant."
"I was the only one who knew."
"And Sam, obviously."
"Right. Well, yes, of course."
"We wanted to keep the baby, of course, but mother…"
"Well, I… I knew it would be disastrous. You know, before you and Leo, Piper, it wasn't just forbidden. It was unthinkable for witches to be with white-lighters. I mean, let alone have children with them. You and Leo of all people should understand and know that…"
Penny continued for her daughter
"So, that's why we had to… why we decided to… to give the baby up. Sam and I took her to a local church as soon as she was born. And we asked the nun there to find a home for her, and she found one. A very, very good home."
"Explains why the Elders didn't know about her."
Leo commented, looking over at the woman lying on the couch. Phoebe was the past few minutes in complete shock, but now she finally found her speech. This was all too much for her to take
"All right, hold it. Wait just one minute. Are you telling me, that that girl… is really… our sister?"
"Your baby sister."
"Your baby half-sister."
Penny added
"But by my half, which makes her a sister witch. Well, actually, not yet anyway. Not until she read the spell to call her powers"
Patty told them
"So? I don't get it… she's our sister… our witch-sister. Does that mean now, that we shall just replace one of us?!?"
Phoebe yelled, everyone looked down, as no one had an answer to what would happen after the reversal of the secret Penny and Patty had kept this long. No one ever thought about it.
"No… Phoebe… no… we never… wanted anybody to find out… especially, because we didn't want you guys to miss your destiny…"
"We… well I… never even thought about the option of this spell being cast and Paige discovered like that"
Penny mixed into the conversation again
"So her name is Paige?"
Leo asked, trying to ease the situation a little and both of the ghosts nodded
"Another p…"
Cole mumbled, just to get a glance from Phoebe. Penny watched phoebe and Cole and then heard a jingle coming from 'up there'
"They're calling us"
"Me too"
Leo confirmed
"Wait! You can't just leave us alone with HER!! We don't even know HER name"
"Her name's Paige"
Patty repeated gently again
"I don't care! You can't just leave! You can't just drop this bomb on us and leave!"
"Piper… honey…"
Patty started
"No! Don't honey me! She'll wake any second… and then WE will have to explain everything to her… and this is so not fair. You are creating a huge bulshit, hide stuff from us, and now we even have to handle your crap?! No!!!"
"I'm sorry"
Patty whispered, as both, Penny and her, disappeared into the yellowish light, ghost always came to earth in
"Leo…"
"Piper… you can handle this…"
"No! I fucking can't handle this! Prue could handle this! But not me! Okay? I'm not Prue! I need Prue here! I can't handle HER! I just can't!!!"
Piper yelled at him
"Sweetie… her name's Paige…"
"I don't care what her name is!!! I don't care HER! I wanted my big sister back and that's what I still want, okay! So get your buddy here right now, so he brings her back!!!"
"Piper, you know I tried, and you know I can't contact him or her…"
Leo said and sighted, as he heard more jingle…
"Sweetie… you're not alone in this, okay? You got Phoebe and Cole…"
"Well… I need you… or Prue… or mom… or whoever… someone older… someone more experienced…"
Piper continued to ramble
"Honey, I need to go…"
Leo told her, looking pleadingly at her. Piper pointed a finger at Leo
"Leo, if you do leave now…"
She started to threat after she took a big breath, but Leo was already gone, with the word 'now'
"Damn it!! You get your dead butts back here right now!! You heard me!?!"
Piper yelled at the ceiling
"I mean it!!!"
She continued after a few minutes. Slowly Phoebe went over to her and put a hand on her back
"They can't just leave us alone with this…"
Piper told her
"I know"
Phoebe whispered and hugged her sister. Less to calm Piper but more to calm herself. To comfort herself.