ONE

Victor Bennett opened the front door to the manor and walked in. He hadn't been to see his daughters since Prue had died. Even though they had needed his comfort and support after her death he also knew they needed time alone. To sort out their feelings.

Both cars were gone so he was pretty sure they weren't home. They wouldn't mind if he waited for them in the manor. Since coming back into their lives he had started growing closer to his daughters.

He put his bag in the living room. He wasn't sure what he would do until they got home. Maybe watch some TV. His job kept him on the road quite a bit. It would be nice to relax and just enjoy a program for a change instead of watching something to help him doze off.

He had been watching TV for about ten minutes when he heard the front door open. Expecting to see one of his daughters he got up and walked into the entryway. Instead of Piper or Phoebe he saw a young woman with dark hair that was apparently a couple of years younger than Phoebe.

She looked vaguely familiar. He couldn't quite place her from where. But then with all that had happened recently he had met quite a few of the girl's friends. Maybe she was one who had gone to the funeral.

"Hello?" he questioned. "Can I help you with something?"

The young woman spun around in surprise. She eyed him suspiciously.

"Who are you?" she demanded. "What are you doing in the house?"

"I could ask you the same thing. This house belongs to my daughters. They gave me a key a while back. But that doesn't explain who you are or how you got in."

"Oh, you must be Victor," said the woman. "They told me about you. I hadn't realized you were coming by."

"It was kind of a last minute decision, Miss?"

"Oh, sorry. I'm Paige Matthews. I'm Piper and Phoebe's sister."

"I think I'd remember having another daughter."

"Well, actually half sister, to be honest. Apparently Patty was my mother but my father was her… was someone named Sam."

"I see," said Victor, his brow furrowing at the mention of the White Lighters' name. "Sam was the reason Patty and I broke up."

"That's not the way I hear it."

"You're very outspoken."

"Yeah. I've always been that way. Look, I didn't mean to dredge up any unpleasant memories. I'm kind of new to all this and, well, I still don't know what's off limits and what's not."

"No, no unpleasant memories, really. It's just that neither Piper nor Phoebe mentioned you to me."

"We only met about a month ago. Actually, I didn't know I even had any relatives. Then they just sort of came out of nowhere. I'm still getting used to the idea."

"I see," said Victor, trying to decide if he should ask her if she was a witch, too.

He knew all about his daughters' heritage. And if Patty were this young woman's mother as well, she might also be a witch. But if it had skipped her, as it was sometimes known to happen, they might not have said anything to her.

"So, did you know Prue?"

"No. I met Piper and Phoebe at her funeral. That's the first time I knew anything about any relatives I had."

"You didn't know her but you went to her funeral?"

"Yes," said Paige uncomfortably.

She was wondering how much to tell him. Piper and Phoebe had told her about their father. How they had been estranged for nearly twenty years and how he had suddenly come back into their lives. But neither had mentioned if he knew the family secret. If he didn't she didn't want to be the one to spill the beans. It might complicate matters too much.

"Well," Paige continued, "it's kind of hard to explain. I saw her obituary in the newspaper. And I just sort of felt like I needed to attend the funeral. I can't really explain it. It's like there was some kind of connection between us. So I went to the funeral and as I said, that's where I met Piper and Paige."

"I assume you met Leo, Piper's husband."

"Oh, you mean their Whi… uh, workman that helps out around the manor? Yes, we've met."

Victor looked at Paige. She had started to say something and then quickly changed it. And he was pretty sure he knew what she was going to say.

"You were going to say White Lighter, weren't you?"

"You know about them?"

"Yes," said Victor, relaxing. "Actually, I wasn't sure how to ask you. I didn't know if they had said anything about that aspect of their lives to you."

"You mean being witches. Yeah, they did. Apparently I'm one too. Well, I'm glad that's out in the open finally. It was starting to get uncomfortable there for a minute. I wasn't sure how much to say, either."

"I've always known about them," said Victor. "It used to be a sore spot between Patty and me."

"I see. Well, I just stopped by to see if they were home yet. Apparently there's a whole lot of things I need to learn about being a witch."

"You don't live here?"

"No, I have my own place. But I have to admit it's kind of a hassle driving over here all the time."

"Well," said Victor, smiling at her, "I have an idea. Why don't I make us some coffee and we can have a chat and get to know one another. After all, you are almost a step daughter to me."

"Sounds good. My adopted father died when I was thirteen. And maybe you can clue me in on some of the family history. The part that doesn't involve magic."

"Oh, that I can do."

Together the two went into the kitchen so Victor could put some coffee on and they could have their chat.