Chapter 3
Surprisingly, Prue looked just as shocked as Paige.
"Prue?" asked Paige.
"Uh, yeah," Prue answered. "Okay, who are you and why am I here?"
Prue looked around and finally realized where she actually was.
"Oh my---I, I'm here…and, and I'm not a ghost! And, I'm at the manor! Where's Phoebe and Piper? I have to see them. I'm alive!" Prue cried excitedly.
Paige stood there looking dumb.
"I did it…I did it!" she said to herself. "I can't believe it."
"And again, who are you? Did you bring me here?" Prue asked.
"I…I'm Paige. It's a long story," answered Paige dazedly.
Then, instinctively, Paige walked up to Prue and hugged her. Prue stood stiff, looking at Paige as if she were crazy.
"Ok, I'm just a little freaked out now, so could you like, take me to my sisters so I can talk to them?" Prue told her.
"I am your sister," Paige said. "I know it sounds crazy, but your mom ---our mom --- had me with her whitelighter, Sam, and after you died, I came to the funeral and a demon tried to kill me and Piper and Phoebe saved me and now I'm a Charmed One," she blurted.
Prue was silent. This was a lot to handle.
"Ok, Paige is it?" Paige nodded. "Ok, Paige, you seem nice enough but I've met enough evil to know that people lie, so I'm gonna have to check your story," Prue explained.
"Oh, um, that's ok, I understand," Paige said uncertainly.
Paige hadn't realized how long she had been upstairs until she heard Piper and Phoebe's voices downstairs.
"Paige, where are you? I just made some coffee," Phoebe called.
"Phoebe!" Prue exclaimed, running to the door.
"Wait, no," Paige said. "I'll come up and get you in a minute, okay?" she told Prue.
"Just hurry up, okay? Who knows how long this is gonna last?" Prue pointed out.
"Right," Paige said as she hurried downstairs.
"Morning!" she greeted her sisters cheerily.
"What's up with you?" Piper asked suspiciously.
She had forgotten about being angry with Paige. Piper remembered how she felt when she couldn't control her powers. It had been so frustrating, and Paige had the added weight of being as good as Prue, and those were hard shoes to fill.
"I have a huge surprise for you guys," Paige said slowly.
"Oh really? That's nice of you," Piper said, "but we're no mad at you. It's okay."
"Oh, I know. But I really want to show you how sorry I am, so I'll be right back."
And with that, Paige ran upstairs, leaving a curious Piper and Phoebe. Up in the attic, Prue was busy testing to see if she had her powers. Paige walked in just as a pillow flew across the room and hit her in the stomach.
"Ooh, sorry," Prue laughed. "I can't believe this, I mean, this is exactly how it was before I died!"
Paige sighed. She was starting to understand why Phoebe and Piper missed her so much.
"It's ok. Ok, let's go downstairs," Paige suggested.
Paige ran on into the kitchen while Prue hung back, looking around, getting lost in all of her old memories. Paige took a deep breath.
"Ok, are you ready?" she asked Piper and Phoebe.
"I love surprises!" Phoebe said childishly. Piper laughed.
"Ok, enough drama, let's have it," Piper said, smiling.
Paige left the kitchen and came back, gently guiding Prue into the room. The smiles on Phoebe and Piper's faces vanished when they saw her. Prue's eyes misted over as she ran over to them and hugged them.
"I've missed you guys so much!" she cried.
Phoebe and Piper exchanged scared and hurtful looks.
"You know, Paige, this is a sick joke. I told you we aren't mad. What, you feel like you have to get back at us?" Piper asked, wiping angry tears out of her eyes. Paige looked sick with shock.
"You don't believe me?" she asked, her voice rising. "I spent all night trying to bring Prue back to show you how much I was sorry, and you don't believe me? Exactly what kind of a person do you take me for?" asked Paige, both angry and hurt.
"Phoebe, Piper, it's not a joke. It's really me," Prue insisted.
Piper and Phoebe had both started crying by now, touched by Paige's efforts, and from the sight of their dead sister.
"But…how?" Piper managed to ask.
"I don't know," Prue admitted. "One minute, I'm talking to Grams and the next, I'm in the attic. Oh, and by the way, is what Paige said true? She's our sister, from Mom and Sam?" she asked suspiciously.
Phoebe shook her head in amazement. "I can't believe this," she whispered. "Uh, yeah, she's our sister. Is it really you?" she asked, her voice shaking. Instead of answering, Prue walked up to them both and hugged them. Now all four of them were crying.
"Paige," Phoebe sniffled, "you come over here, too."
She didn't need asked twice. It was the most special group hug Paige had ever been part of.
"There is so much to catch up on!" Prue exclaimed.
