A/N; In this chapter, a character that a lot of people have been asking about comes in!

Enjoy and please review!

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Prue's funeral had been difficult. She had disappeared and everyone in San Francisco was shocked when they found out she had been murdered. The funeral was a small gathering. Harder yet had been explaining to Jaclyn and Alexandra that mommy wasn't coming home.

Bryce stared at the areas around him; Halliwell Manor it was called and it was where he'd now live. Something about it comforted him and he wasn't even sure why he had decided to move in there with his daughters. He felt drawn to it and almost obligated to live in it and care for it.

The movers were still moving in some things that had been unable to fit in his car and that he had not wanted to part with.

The doorbell rang. Bryce frowned; few people knew he had moved in here and less knew who he was, despite all the publicity and media surrounding the Halliwell Mystery (the media-named case of the murdering of all three Halliwell sisters.) So who was coming to see him? He thought maybe Andy, so he turned to Jaclyn and Alex, who sat on the couch.

"Wait here, girls," he told them, then headed towards the door. He had kept hidden all the magical things that Prue had brought with her and they remained hidden in the closet of the room he had taken occupancy in. He refused to tell anyone about it; he wanted his daughters to live happy and normally. He reached the door and opened it.

A woman with raven black hair, pale skin, and beautiful eyes stood before him.

"Hi," she said, smiling kindly. "Are you Bryce Walters?"

Bryce nodded. "I am. Can I help you?"

"Paige Matthews. I'm a social worker," Paige explained. "Well, not really. But I work at South Bay Social Services."

Bryce stiffened. What did social services want with him? Had he done something? They weren't going to take Jaclyn and Alex from him, were they?

"Yes . . . can I help you?" he asked.

"I've been following the Halliwell Case since the beginning and . . .it's probably not my place, but I lost both my parents when I was a teenager," Paige began. "And I was wondering if I could be of any help? Jaclyn and Alexandra must be so devastated."

It wasn't her place, Bryce thought, and wanted to say out loud. But he didn't. Something in the woman's voice was so sincere and pained, he didn't want to upset her, so he nodded.

"They don't really understand what's going on. All they know is mommy isn't coming home," he said, trying not to cry.

Paige nodded. "They might even blame themselves; I did when my parents died. I felt like I was to blame, like I had just done one thing different-" Paige paused. She handed him her card. "Here's my card in case you need anything. My home phone and cell are on the back. Don't hesitate to call, okay? I'll do anything I can to help you and your daughters."

"Thank you," Bryce managed.

Paige smiled and nodded, then turned and left. She got into her green beetle and drove off.

Bryce stared after her until he could no longer see the car. He looked down at the card, then pocketed it and went back to Jaclyn and Alex, who hadn't moved even an inch.

"Why did mommy leave us?" Jaclyn asked, frowning. Alex had tears in her eyes and looked two seconds away from crying.

Bryce shifted uncomfortably, then excused himself and went to the kitchen. He picked the phone up, pulled Paige's card out, and dialed the cell number. It rang three times and he silently prayed she picked up.

"Hello?" Paige's voice came across the line. She sounded slightly disheveled.

"Hi, Paige? It's Bryce Walters. Did I catch you at a bad time?"

"No, not at all," Paige replied cheerfully. "I just almost dropped my phone. What can I do for you?"

Bryce hesitated. "Well, I know you just left but . . . could you come back? They want to know why their mommy left them and I don't know what to say!"

Paige chuckled. "Sure. I should be there in a few minutes; I'm not far from your house."

"Thanks," Bryce said, feeling relieved. They said goodbye and hung up, then Bryce went back to the living room and sat beside the girls, who were staring off into space, looking utterly depressed.

Once Paige arrived, Bryce excused himself. The girls, he thought, might respond better if he weren't present. So he made his way upstairs to Prue's old room (he had figured this out a few hours ago) and sat on the bed. A picture of Prue and him sat on the night table and he remembered his last day with her.

The dresser sat at the foot of the bed. He stood, walked to it, and pulled out the very dusty Book of Shadows, then sat back on the bed, starring at the cover. The Book was very heavy and he had to place it down on the bed; it flipped itself open.

Bryce frowned, glancing at the page in front of him! It was a time travel spell. Bryce looked around the room. Paige was taking care of the girls and no one else was around, nor would anyone miss him. Besides, he wasn't magical at all, so chances were it wouldn't work. What was the harm in reading it?

"Hear these words, hear this rhyme

I wish to travel through space and time.

Take me to my desired location

In another space and time."

When nothing happened, Bryce laughed at his idiocy. He closed the Book and stood, then reached to pick it up so he could put it back. But the room was spinning and he stood straight again. He closed his eyes, then opened them. The room was still spinning.

What was going on? Was there some kind of protection on all the spells so the wrong people wouldn't abuse them? Was he-

But what he was, he never got to wonder. The room stopped spinning and he found himself still in Prue's room, but it was run down – completely. Cobwebs were everywhere. Dust covered the bed, furniture, windowsill, etc. It looked as if some of the stuff had been stolen from the room. The floor was covered in at least two inches of dust and grime and some of the floorboards were rotted. The walls were crumbling and the door was off its hinges. Outside it was pitch black, making the room feel cold and creepy.

"Where am I?" Bryce asked himself.

"I was wondering the same thing."