This is dedicated to JanaRose, Eileen Harris and svata2004, my first ever reviewers! How exciting (does little victory dance)!

--Chapter Two--

Phoebe looked at the girl in the doorway, her heart breaking for her. 'Um, I'm afraid not. I'm sorry' she said, gently.

The girl looked crushed. 'Are you sure?' she pleaded, 'Maybe there's another P Halliwell that lives here? Or maybe she used to live here? Please!' Tears were running down Nicki's face, her head was spinning.

'I'm really sorry, honey,' Phoebe said, trying to comfort this girl who was in obvious distress on her front porch. 'I've lived here since I was born. The only other P Halliwells I know are my sisters, and I'm pretty sure that they don't have any children. Maybe you have the wrong house?' she offered, looking at the girl with obvious pain on her face. Phoebe's empathy allowed her to feel this pain washing off of her in waves, along with fear, and distrust. I really hope I can help this girl. Phoebe thought. She looks so... broken.

'No, it's here, I'm sure it's here. It has to be here,' Nicki mumbled through the tears. She felt her legs swaying and put a hand on the doorframe to steady herself, dropping the photo she had held so tightly in her fingers. Phoebe bent down to pick it up, and then nearly dropped it again in shock. The photo was at least fifteen years old, it was of herself, and Piper, and Prue, when they were kids. She had that exact picture in her room; she looked at it nearly every day. Phoebe looked up at the girl for an explanation, only to find her on her knees, struggling to breathe. As she collapsed into Phoebe's arms, Phoebe was hit by huge amounts of physical pain coming from her. There was an athame stuck in the middle of her back, and a warlock standing behind her in the doorway.

'Oh, this I really don't need right now,' Phoebe muttered. 'Leo! God damn it, Leo, get your ass down here now!' she yelled up the stairs. Her brother-in-law was in the nursery with Wyatt, and he orbed in right next to her.

'What, Phoebe! I've only just got him down and then you...' he started, and then took in the situation. 'Oh, dear.'

'Understatement of the year!' Phoebe said angrily, trying to fight off the warlock and keep the girl safe at the same time. 'A little help please?'

Where the hell did he come from? Nicki thought. Then she gave in to the pain and the darkness swallowed her up.

An hour later, Phoebe, Piper and Paige were sitting in the lounge, each with a scalding hot cup of coffee. Paige absentmindedly stirred her coffee whilst speculating about the warlock. 'He was only lower level; I mean he didn't even have any powers. Why the hell did he come and attack us?'

Piper got out of her armchair as Wyatt started crying from the playpen in the corner of the sunroom. 'I know. You'd think that by now they'd have realised that they need more than one warlock to kill us,' she said, as she picked the baby up.

Phoebe was staring into her coffee cup. 'I don't think he knew who we were,' she said, quietly. Piper made a derisive noise from the corner.

'Oh, please. Everyone knows we live here,' she said, bouncing Wyatt on her hip.

'She's right' added Paige, from the couch. 'The amount of bad karma in this house is incredible. Anything evil could tell this was our house from thirty feet.'

'I mean,' Phoebe started, still staring into her coffee, 'I think he was after the girl.'

'What the one upstairs?' Piper asked, bringing Wyatt into the living room with her. 'Is she a witch?'

'I don't think so,' Phoebe said, getting off of the couch and walking to the window. 'I don't know,' she added slowly. 'She said she thought that I was her mother.'

Piper stared at her. 'Her mother? Is she mad?'

Paige looked pissed. 'Why do we always get the crazy people?'

Phoebe glared at her sisters. 'You guys, I don't think she's crazy. All I was getting from her was fear, you know,' she was searching for the right word, 'apprehension. I honestly think she thought she would find her mother here.' She caught Leo in the corner of her eye walking down the stairs and whipped round. 'Is she awake?'

'No,' Leo said. 'I've healed her, but there's something wrong. She won't wake up, I think she's unconscious.' Paige opened her mouth to protest, but Leo held up his hand to calm her. 'She'll be fine; her body just needs some rest. It looks like she hasn't slept in days.'

Phoebe walked back to the couch and put her mug of coffee onto the table. 'She probably hasn't. It looks like she's been travelling; all she had with her was a backpack,' she gestured to the bag, which was looking very forlorn in the corner of the hall, 'and this.' She laid the photo carefully down onto the coffee table next to her mug. Paige leant over to look at it and picked it up. Piper glanced at it over Paige's shoulder and gasped. That's me, and Phoebe, and Prue. How did she get this? She handed Wyatt to Leo, and took a closer look at the picture.

'That's the manor,' Paige said curiously. 'Is that you?' she asked Phoebe and Piper, and Phoebe nodded. 'Where did she get this from? Was it in the manor?' Paige said suspiciously. 'Did she take it?'

'No, I don't think so,' Phoebe replied. 'I mean, I have a copy of that photo, and so does Piper, and Prue did, but I know mine's in my album and Prue's album is in the attic.'

'Mine is in a frame in my room,' added Piper. 'So how did she get a copy?' She went to take Wyatt again, and tried to stop him from fussing.

'He's just tired,' Phoebe said. 'He wants the blue elephant and daddy to take him to bed.'

Piper gave Wyatt back to Leo and went to fetch the elephant from his playpen. 'Phoebs, I know your being an empath comes in handy, but I would appreciate you not using your powers on my child,' she said sarcastically as she came back into the room.

'I'm not using my powers on him!' said Phoebe indignantly. 'I can't control it yet, I'm picking up on everything, and it's driving me crazy!'

'Guys, calm,' Paige said placidly, putting the photo back on to the table. 'Piper's just worried that you're going to override her maternal instinct, or something, and Phoebe just wants what's best for Wyatt, okay?'

Leo started to laugh. 'Paige, are you sure you're not becoming an empath?' he said, as he carried Wyatt up the stairs.

'No, god, at least I hope not,' Paige said. 'No offence,' she quickly added to Phoebe, who nodded and smiled back at her.

'None taken.'

Paige continued, once Leo had left the room. 'Actually, I think I'm finally becoming a sister.'

Phoebe looked shocked. 'Paige, how can you say that? You've always been my sister; Piper's too, right Piper?' she asked, looking over to her other sister. Piper just nodded absentmindedly.

'Hey, feel the love in this room,' Paige said, jokingly. She noticed that Piper was staring at the coffee table. 'Piper, what's wrong?'

Piper had picked up the photo again and was looking at the back. 'Guys,' she said slowly, not taking her eyes off the picture, 'did you see this?' She handed the photo to Phoebe and Paige on the couch. Paige took it and turned it over. There was a message on the back:

To my little girl – born May 12th 1987

I'm sorry I never got to know you

P Halliwell

Paige looked puzzled, but Phoebe looked shocked. She turned to Piper, a pleading look in her eyes. Oh god. That can't be what I think it is. 'Is that...'

Piper nodded again. 'Yes. That's Prue's handwriting.'

--End of Chapter Two--