17-year old Paige is absorbed in life, love, attitude and rebellion, but when normal teenage turmoil is turned upside down by something she can't explain, has she pushed her family too far? All 4 sisters. Paige-centric with Glen/Kyle

A/N: Thanks for reviews and ideas that you left! Hope I managed to do some of them justice...please review.

Disclaimer: Everything to do with Charmed Not mine!

Chapter 15: White Flag

Well, last night was an occasion.

My sisters sat me down and talked to me about their, oh if only I had a drum-roll…magic. This minor development took place while I was 'resting' in the hospital. Yep, I scoffed at my sisters' euphemism too until a dark frown from Prue stopped my hysterical laughter. Well, if they want to label me crazy I might as well act like it. Anyway, apparently Phoebe found the entrance to an attic in the Manor. How have four of us lived our whole lives there without discovering one is I what I want to know? She went in, and as you do, read an extract from a mysterious book she found up there. To cut out all the crappy bits, they found out that they were the three sisters destined to become Charmed Ones and bang, they now all had magical powers. Prue can move things with her mind, Piper can freeze time and Phoebe can see into the future. It's a cute story don't you think, too bad that baby sister doesn't fit anywhere in this pretty major destiny.

Once my stubborn sisters finally accepted their powers (Pheebs took great delight in telling me that it was Prue who was the most stubborn). Well, duh, I could have told her that. Grams came down to explain to them that I was magical too, and that my mysterious dad was a Whitelighter, like Leo, making me half-Whitelighter which gives me a whole 'guardian of witches' deal.

I'm a little bit bummed though, being half-angel is going to do nothing for my reputation.

The best part of it all was that on finding out that their baby sister was, in fact, perfectly sane and that the whole magical deal was the truth, they didn't come get me right away. Instead they had to go vanquish Piper's date, Jeremy who turned out to be a Warlock after her power. Piper kept blushing, and not out of embarrassment, I suspect it was more to do with Leo being in the room. I swear the girl and couldn't look at him for about half-an-hour.

Then Phoebe told me about her premonition, of Achlysa and I in the underworld. Apparently they rushed to the hospital to find me.

The only reason that they came to get me was because of Phoebe's premonition.

Well, sisters, thanks a bunch. I'm sure grateful.

---

I'm up way too early for my liking, still on hospital routine, I guess.

I head down stairs, padding into the kitchen where my sisters are already breakfasting around the table. Ooh! The lovely smell of caffeine wafts up my nose and I head straight through the kitchen towards the coffee pot. It's like someone hit the pause button, 'cause Phoebe stops crunching her cereal mid-mouthful, Piper stops buttering her toast and Prue quits stirring her coffee to look up at me. I'm kind of freaked out feeling three pair of eyes on my back.

I'm just about to turn around and tell them to quit, when Phoebe's voice cuts through the silence.

"Good morning Paige"She hums, it might just be because it's early in the morning but her cheerfulness sure grates on my nerves.

"Did you have sweet dreams, Paigey-Pie?" Piper asks with a broad smile. This happy-happy act is wearing a little bit thin.

"Okay Piper" I say with an eye-roll "I thought we vanquished the baby-name years ago" She just giggles at me. Great.

"C'mon you guys" Prue interrupts seriously. "We've got a demon-bitch on the loose and a baby-sister to protect"

What? I think I misheard, "Protect?"

"Paigey" Piper begins, her wide brown eyes set her in panic mode, "We don't want them coming after you again"

"Pheebs" Prue commands all business-like "Go get the Book of Shadows…" She bounds out of her chair like an obedient puppy.

I look at each of their faces suspiciously. Where did all this concern suddenly come from? When have they ever cared before? Their worried faces mock me with there sincerity. And this fragile friendliness we've got going on, finally reaches breaking point, so much for denial. Suddenly a bout of laughter escapes from my mouth raking up all the anger that was buried below but it quickly disappears into the silence.

Thank god, Phoebe's steps are loud enough to distract, she clatters along the hallway through the quiet before appearing in the doorway. She frowns on entering the tense scene, witnessing her seething baby sister and a wide-eyed Prue and Piper sat tensely. Okay I may not be big on the sympathy lately but poor Pheebs is baffled. "Erm Prue? I got an I.D on demon bitch here…" She hands over the heavy book and sits back down still without a clue, where she stays uncharacteristically silent, which does nothing but worsen the tension.

My eldest sister runs her finger across the page, reading quietly to herself before she stops abruptly, seeming to choke on the words.

"Prue?" Piper whispers anxiously across the table.

Prue doesn't reply but begins reading from the book,a scrawled passage sat alongside an ink drawing of a familiar figure. Achlysa.

"Doohretsis Tribe – A strong all-female demon clan, attracted to magical beings experiening feelings of loss, distress or abandonment. They often befriend the being, usually young and magically inexperienced, to use their magic for evil and personal gains. Powerful and ruthless they offer their innocent the missing bonds of family that they desire. As the innocent embraces the family ties promised to them, they transform into a Doohretsi. This culminates in their first act of evil, which seals the soul on the side of evil. Doohretsis Tribe can only exploit the deepest hurts and despairs. Known powers of the Dooretsis demons: shimmering, pyrokinesis: including fireballs, ability to sense hurt and fear, thought projection, glamouring, there is no known vanquishing spell or potion…"

She trails off looking me in the eye once more, I stare defiantly back at her as see the realisation dawn.

"Despair?" She mutters softly, I see her fighting it but finally, her face grows pale and distraught. "Oh Paigey..."

"Yeah. Did you know that I was hurting…" Piper winces at the harshness of my tone.

"Paigey…" She whispers.

"Did you care? I lost Glen, only to learn that for some screwed up reason I was destined to survive. When that demon attacked, I thought I was going to die, all I wanted was to see you guys. I was so scared and alone. And then…"

"We didn't believe you" Phoebe interrupts as it all washes over her leaving a look of true horror flickering in her dark eyes.

"I needed you, I needed you and you weren't there" It comes out as hollow as I feel.

The air crackles with a charge so intense that I can feel it every time one of my sisters steals a glance at me through the silence. I wish someone would speak, because if I go first this simmering inside of me is just going to boil over. There could have been a better time for them all to be struck dumb.

"Oh Paige" Piper eventually gasps, notching up the tension in the room by several degrees, Prue sits all hunched up a pained expression on her face. I feel a brief surge of sadistic pleasure surge through me. Whoa.

"We're so sorry" Phoebe whispers sincerely. The rational Paige would be all for forgiving and forgetting, since when did I listen to her. It's just a word, it can't take away any of the hurt and pain that I have suffered and it's still there, fresh and raw under the surface.

"Sorry isn't going to make it all go away." I rub across my wrist absently, over the thin red scars that are a constant reminder of the demon attack and afterwards… "It wasn't even okay before" It needs to be said. "You guys had your little sisterly club going, all I'm here for is for you guys to nag, to yell at…" I face my oldest sister, "For you to chew out," I look towards Piper whose face flushes with embarrassment, "For you to treat like a porcelain doll and you" Iglare atPheebs "You're the worst, you changed Pheebs, ever since you went to college, what happened to my playmate, my best friend, my partner in crime. She wouldn't do what you did. Sisters wouldn't do what you did." I glare at all three of them once more.

"That's how she got to you, isn't it?" Prue asks "what we did…" She knows that she's answered her question. I can see it.

"Yes" I admit and wetness springs from my eyes. "You think I was forced – Achlysa only had to remind me of you all. You LEFT me in that place, abandoned me…said that I was a liar. You didn't believe me about m-magic and the demon and Mom and…Achlysa was there for me when I needed her. Just like a sister. She took care of me, LISTENED to me and she didn't hurt me. I made my choice, until you-you. Why did you even bother coming? I was better of there, I didn't have to pretend that everything was okay" I snarl, struggling to keep my breathing even and my eyes dry. Prue crumples in her chair; fists clenched with failure in her eyes and Piper who moved to rub my back, backs away in surprise.

Something stings again. I can't stand it any longer. I have to orb.

---

"Baby, it's all falling apart…"

Okay, so I'm sat on top of the garages talking to the air. I need to talk to someone right now. Just because he's not here doesn't mean I can't. I feel close to him here, on top of this cold concrete building almost as if his presence is printed in the air. People might think I'm insane but hey, what else is new? I just picture the cheeky grin and pale eyes and hope that he can hear me somewhere.

"I wish you were here, you're the only one who understands, I miss you so much. I love you…"

The silence is painful, but I knew he couldn't reply. I shut my eyes on the tears that are forming, hugging my knees, until I feel something behind me.

"I know P-girl, I know"


TBC...in the last and final chapter!Hope you enjoyed this one, and please review!