Mysterious Midnight - Yey! I got another review from you! You've now reviewed this story three times! I feel really special! And as for Paige summoning Prue, I wanted her in it and this was how I could do it without contradicting the show. I really wanted to keep this so it agreed with the show on everything. I'm really glad you liked the last chapter; hopefully you'll like this one too.

JanaRose - Once again, thank you for your review, you've been with me since the beginning, feeling loved! I know what you mean about Shannon Doherty not going back on the show so they can't summon Prue, that's what I think too. But the wonderful thing about writing fanfic is that she can make an appearance if and when I want her to. I think they said that so that Piper and Phoebe didn't like summon Prue every day, then they couldn't accept that she was dead. That's how I'm working it for this story anyway. Is this going too fast? Should I slow it down a little, add more description or something?

FanOfBRASH - I'm really glad that you like my story, I feel very flattered! You said it was outstanding! Wow!

svata2004 - You've reviewed this before, right? Thanks for your review; I'm so happy you like my story! I feel so loved!

leojunkie-charmed04 - The way I see it maybe Nicki can summon her because she's never met her, so she already feels separated from her. I'm glad you thought about this, I've been debating it for ages too! Thank you for your review, it was really sweet of you! Hope all is good!

--Chapter Five--

Piper leant back in her chair, and let out a slow breath. 'I think that maybe this is all going a little fast,' she said carefully. 'I mean, we need to think this through before we do anything too drastic.' She was looking at Nicki, but kept glancing uneasily at Paige. Am I ready to see Prue again? I don't know whether I'd be able to ever let her go if she was right there.

Phoebe knew exactly what Piper was feeling, even though her empathy powers didn't work on her and Paige, because she was feeling exactly the same way. She felt as if her whole world was crumbling because this little girl had arrived, but yet she couldn't find it in her heart to hate her for it. She was also getting worried about Paige. Nicki's life had many parallels to Paige's and she wasn't sure how Paige was handling it. She's only just become adjusted to being here with us, safe. I think that she thinks Prue might be able to answer all the little doubts she has, but she can't. Only mom can do that, and maybe not even her.

It seemed that Phoebe's power of empathy had really had an affect on the way she thought about other people, because she was spot on about Paige as well. Paige was feeling frustrated, she couldn't believe all that was going on here. It seemed like her world had only just become stable, and now here was this girl threatening to break everything up again. But she, like Phoebe, couldn't find it within herself to resent Nicki, she looked to forlorn and insecure huddling herself in the chair as if she could shut out the world.

Piper let out a long sigh and resignedly threw up her hands, freezing the room and Nicki as well. Paige looked outraged, but Phoebe just looked tired. She'd gone through so much with Cole, and it had taken her so long to get over Prue's death, and she wasn't so sure she even was over it yet. And then this girl came to her house, looking so much like her lost sister, and she wasn't sure what to do. It was Piper who spoke first.

'Let's just assume that all this is true for a moment here, okay?' she said, as if trying to sort it out in her own mind rather than discuss it with her sisters. 'Then this little girl, Nicki, has been targeted by demons and warlocks her entire life. Isn't it incredible that she's still alive?'

'Well, yeah, when you consider that you guys have only been doing it for five years or so, and you're adults,' said Paige. 'And it's not like you haven't lost anything...' she added, as though only just realising what she'd said.

Phoebe was trying to ignore Paige's last comment, and was looking at Nicki, still frozen in her seat. 'How long will she stay like that?' she asked Piper, in a strained voice.

'Another couple of minutes, five at the most,' Piper said, as though she too was in desperate need for a few moments to herself. 'I think we all need a little time. I'm going to go up to the attic and see if I can summon Grams. Maybe she'll have some of the answers we need. I mean, Nicki could be a warlock for all we know, just 'cause she looks like a kid, doesn't mean she is one. After all, she did freeze.'

Phoebe looked up from Nicki and into Piper's eyes. 'She froze because her powers have been bound. And for God's sake, warlocks and demons have been attacking her, she hasn't made a single move on us. Piper, can't you see it? She looks so much like Prue did at that age. She looks a little like all of us. Don't you see that?'

At that moment, Nicki unfroze. Piper continued as if she hadn't. 'Yes, Phoebe, of course I see it. But there's no harm in checking, is there? Anyway, I need to go check on Wyatt and talk to Leo.' With that, Piper turned on her heel and walked up the stairs.

Nicki looked completely lost, she had absolutely no idea what was going on. 'See what?' she asked, looking between Phoebe and Paige.

Phoebe looked kindly at her. 'Doesn't matter, honey,' she said, smiling. She turned to Paige, and said, 'Could I see you in the kitchen for a moment please?'

Paige glanced up at Phoebe, who had stood up, and saw the look of urgency in her eyes. 'Sure,' she said. 'Is there anything we can get you?' she asked Nicki, who shook her head.

'No, but could I please use your bathroom?' she asked, as if there was no way that the sisters would let her.

'Of course you can,' Paige answered, smiling at her. 'It's up the stairs and down the hall to the left.'

With a mumbled, 'thank you,' Nicki curled out of her armchair and headed to the stairs. Paige stroked her hair and smiled at her as she passed, and then headed into the kitchen to see what Phoebe wanted.

Phoebe was pacing back and forth in the kitchen, mumbling to herself. 'Don't know what Piper's thinking... how she could say that... Nicki is so innocent, so broken... Piper's just worried...'

Paige cleared her throat loudly, and Phoebe looked up at her. 'Am I interrupting something?' she asked, walking over and sitting down at the table. 'What did you want to talk about?'

Phoebe noisily pulled out another chair and sat down. 'Nicki,' she said resignedly, 'what else? What do you think about all this, anyway? You've been kind of quiet.'

Paige looked thoughtful, as if she was choosing her words very carefully. 'I think that we need to know a lot more about all of this before we come to any kind of decision,' she said, staring down at her hands, as if they held the answers to her burning questions. 'I mean, from the photos I've seen, she looks a lot like Prue, but we can't be certain until we've spoken to someone, Grams, her foster parents in England...' she hesitated as if unsure whether to say more, but decided that she might as well, 'maybe even Prue...' Paige was scrutinising Phoebe's face, trying to see her reaction to Prue's name. She was surprised when Phoebe merely nodded.

'I know,' she said, quietly. 'We really have to talk to Prue about all of this. Do you think you could summon her, really?'

Paige nodded excitedly. 'Of course, I mean, I've never really tried, but I don't see why I shouldn't be able to. I never actually met her, so I think I'm in with a chance. Even if I can't do it alone, Nicki might be able to help me, if she really is Prue's daughter.'

'I wanted to talk to you about that, as well,' Phoebe said, standing up and starting to make some more coffee. 'Where do we stand, legally, if we wanted her to come and live with us?'

Paige looked shocked, having evidently not looked that far ahead yet. 'Well, as blood relatives, we shouldn't have that many problems,' she said. 'We'd probably all have to do a DNA test, you know, to prove it. And then we'd have to go through Social Services, and contact her social worker in England. All in all, it would probably take around a month.'

'Where would she stay during that month?' asked Phoebe.

'Pretty much wherever she wanted to,' Paige replied. 'But if she wanted to stay here, we'd need to get the ball rolling, she can't stay here without Social Services being aware of it; it's against the law, after all, she is a minor. We could talk to Darryl, that might buy us a couple of days until we're ready to go to South Bay, and then I can go through it all with Mr Cowan. There shouldn't be that much of a problem, so long as they're okay about it in England.'

Phoebe came back to the table, carrying two mugs of coffee. 'Okay, that's good, I guess. It's all a little much to take in, you know?' She lay her head down onto her hands, breathing deeply.

Paige smoothed her hair reassuringly. 'I know. It's all gonna be okay, you'll see.'

It took Nicki a few seconds to find the bathroom. This house is so big, it's like a maze. I've never been in a house this huge before. She locked the door behind her and leant against it, sighing deeply. She went over to the mirror and just looked at herself. She'd been doing this every day for as long as she could remember, as if somewhere in her face she could see her mother; get some comfort from seeing her mother in her. The problem was she didn't know what her mother looked like, so she didn't know whether she was there or not. Looking at her face now, she could see a little resemblance, to Phoebe, and Piper, and a little to Paige as well. It was as if she was finally seeing her family there.

Wyatt was sleeping soundly in his crib when Piper came in, Leo rocking him silently. Piper smiled sadly, just watching them for a little while, the two most important men in her world. She cleared her throat, and Leo looked up.

'Piper, how is everything going downstairs?' he asked, seeing the hurt in her eyes.

Piper broke down into tears, and Leo rushed over to comfort her. 'Shhh, it's okay. What happened?'

Piper was speaking through her sobs, disjointed phrases. 'Nicki looks so much like Prue... I can't look at her... why did Prue have to go... she left me here and I can't be without her... maybe Nicki's a warlock... gotta talk to Grams...'

Leo was hugging his wife, rocking her to and fro. He hadn't seen her like this since Prue died, he'd thought she'd gotten over it, but obviously not. After several minutes, Piper calmed down, and dried her eyes on a Kleenex Leo offered her from the box on Wyatt's changing table.

'I'm sorry,' she said, trying to fix her mascara in their bedroom mirror. 'It just seems a little too much right now, that's all. I was gonna go summon Grams to ask her about it, but I'm not sure if I can.'

Leo looked at his beautiful wife, and smiled reassuringly at her. 'Of course you can Piper; you're one of the strongest people I know. You should give Nicki a chance you know, she might be a link to Prue that you shouldn't let go. You know that, don't you?'

Piper looked at his reflection in the mirror. 'When did you get so clear-headed?' she asked, smiling back at him.

'Oh, me?' Leo said, walking over to her and wrapping his arms around her waist, smiling. 'I've always been clear-headed, except of course when it comes to either you or Wyatt. Then I'm as cloudy as the next person.'

Piper laughed, and leant back into his embrace for a few seconds. Then, she stood up, and grabbed his hand. 'Come on then, let's go talk to my dead grandmother, see what she has to say about all of this.'

Leo grinned as she literally pulled him up the stairs to the attic. 'That's my girl,' he said, not even loud enough for Piper to hear him.

--End of Chapter Five--

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