A/N: Hey!! Sorry I haven't updated in so long. We got a new puppy on Saturday and it's been really crazy; I hardly get online anymore. Plus school's a bitch. So let me get started by thanking the reviewers:

svata2004, Glad you think it's good so far. I hope you think it's great by the end! Lol. Thanks for the review!

dark-black-shadow-cat, I hope that's a good thing! Lol. When I can't find the words, I just go "wow . . . that was . . . wow." Lol.

Vintagegirl, - hangs head – Yes, I'm a murderer. – grins – And I can get away with it! Haha! Well, if you thought it was really good, then wait until you read later chapters! It gets much better!!

BTW, I forgot to put a disclaimer on this, as I tend to do. Not on purpose! I would never try to steal the credit. I just never put the disclaimer on when I first write the fic, so I tend to forget after. So, here it is: I do not own Charmed! However, I do own Payton, Pandora, Phoenix, Rick, and any other characters that don't appear on the show.

Enjoy! And review please!!!!!

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Several people showed up at the funeral two days later. Payton had almost forgotten how many people her mother and aunts knew, though now that she thought about it, it made sense. Piper was well known by several people because of her days of managing Quake and, now, because of the club. Phoebe was an advice columnist and extremely popular because of it, so several people showed up because of her. And Paige had worked as a social worker and many of the children whom she had placed in homes had showed up with their new parents.

In then front row, Payton sat with Pandora and Phoenix, their grandfather Victor, Jason, and Christian. Christian was embracing Phoenix, as was Jason embracing Pandora. Since none of them had seen nor heard from Leo, Victor was comforting Payton.

The Priestess conducting the ceremony was almost finished; she was placing the ropes into a small bowl. Now, being here and seeing this, everything felt suddenly real. Reality had hit hard for all three of the Charmed Girls earlier that morning while getting ready for the funeral. They now sat starring at the three white, gold-trimmed caskets in the front of the room and a new reality sunk in: They were now the Charmed Ones.

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Later that night, the guests had gone home and all that remained were Payton, Pandora, Phoenix, Victor, Jason, and Christian. Payton had even told Rick to go home, which he had done after twenty minutes of arguing with her – and he'd gone home angry.

Now in the living room, Pandora and Phoenix sat on the couch, Jason was pacing, Christian stood in the doorway coming off of the entrance hall, Victor stood by the fireplace, and Payton was standing by the window, staring outside.

"What does this mean for you three?" Jason asked worriedly. He had only recently come to accept Phoebe as a witch and he was still a little rusty on the details.

"It means we're the Charmed One's," Payton said flatly, her eyes never straying from whatever they were transfixed on outside.

The room was silent for a few moments before that silence was broken by Christian, who pounded the wall with his fist.

"It's not fair. Why did they have to die?" he growled before stalking out of the room.

Payton's eyes filled with tears and she continued to stare out the window. It wasn't fair. Her mom and aunts shouldn't have died. She blamed herself for not being there. And now? Well, now she was pregnant and her mother was dead and she had died worrying about Payton, wondering what was wrong with her.

"You girls are too young to become the Charmed Ones!" Victor stated, eyes narrowed with worry and anger. "Phoenix is only fourteen, for god sake. Can't you just refuse to be Charmed Ones?"

"We were born witches, grandpa. We have to fulfill our destiny, if not for the innocents out there than for our mothers," Pandora replied sadly.

"I don't want to do this," Payton said suddenly.

Everyone turned to look at her, frowning.

"Do what?" Jason asked.

"I don't want to be a Charmed One and I won't," Payton snapped, turning and running out of the room.

"Payton!" Pandora cried, standing to chase after her.

Victor took her hand and shook his head. "Let her be. This is hard on all of us and Payton just needs time to take all of this in."

"No, something's wrong with her. She's been throwing up and she's been acting weird. This has nothing to do with becoming Charmed and I'm going to finally find out what the deal is," Pandora argued, pulling her hand free and running after Payton. She caught up with her cousin just as Payton was slamming her door shut. Pandora caught it and went inside.

"What's your problem, Payton?" Pandora demanded, eyes narrowed.

"Leave me alone," Payton snapped, walking to her window and sitting down on the mini couch underneath it.

"No," Pandora said sharply. "Not until you tell me what's going on. Grieving or not, you would never abandon your Charmed duties. You've always said that, no matter how much it hurt, you'd continue doing what our mothers had been doing almost their entire lives!"

Payton bit her lip, trying to keep back her tears. "Shut up, Pandora. You have no idea what you're talking about! You have no idea what I'm going through."

"I don't? I lost my mom and aunts, too, just like you. So what is it that I don't get?" Pandora demanded.

"That's not it!" Payton cried. "You don't get it! You won't and can't, so just leave me alone, okay?"

"No!" Pandora snapped. "No, I won't. I won't until you tell me why you're being such a bitch to everyone, including me! We're best friends, Payton. You tell me everything. So why won't you tell me now? Why are you keeping everything inside? I'm here for you! We need to stand by each other and be there for one another. Poor Phoenix is so young and she's in this, too. So unless you have a good excuse, you're in this with us, too."

Payton stared out the window, trying hard to keep away her tears. Too much had happened in too short a time. She had found out she was pregnant, lost her mom and aunts, and to top it off, Rick had gotten angry with her at a time when she needed him most.

Now, she was arguing with Pandora, one of her closest and dearest friends and shunning the rest of the family. What was going on? Yes, she was grieving. Yes, she was confused about the baby situation. Yes, she was upset with Rick.

But for her to be so downright mean to her family? It wasn't like her.

"Answer, me Payton," Pandora demanded, crossing her arms.

Payton opened her mouth to argue but couldn't find the words and shut it. Unable to keep back her tears any longer, she began to sob uncontrollably.

Pandora frowned, her anger immediately ebbing away. She moved to Payton's side and sat down behind her, embracing her and trying to comfort her.

After several minutes, the two broke apart and sat in silence, both trying to collect themselves.

"Pandora, I'm sorry. I don't know what's wrong with me. So much has happened and I-"

"What?" Pandora asked, prompting her cousin to continue.

Payton sighed, averting her gaze. "I'm pregnant."