Phoebe opened her eyes vaguely aware of a lump on her head she looked around Paige lay strewn on the floor Piper slumped over her
"We're alive!" Phoebe shouted she coughed as dust hit her lungs and shook Piper and Paige Piper sat up
"We did it we beat the balance!" Phoebe said excitedly she looked at Paige
"Almost" she added Piper pursed her lips and bowed her head
"Almost" she repeted reaching out a handshe squeezed Phoebe's
"Come on let's see what's left of the earth" Piper said Phoebe nodded the two go up and walked to the remains of the front door across the street she could see people emerging
"They should be dead" Phoebe noted blindly
"The sacrifice of one for the greater good" Piper reminded
"Paige's a hero" Phoebe muttered
"But they'll never know" Piper added the two grasped hands
(Later that night)
Phoebe tossed the remains of the coffee table into the pile in the hall then peered into the sun room Piper sat in front of Paige's lifeless body which they'd placed on the couch. She looked peaceful and as though nothing was bothering her neither of the sisters had talked about her death come to think of it they hadn't really had time to grieve for Leo or Paige and then there was Kyle for the short time she'd known him Phoebe had liked him she rubbed her grubby hands on her pants and went to settle next to Piper
"Doesn't seem real does it?" she asked Piper shook her head
"We've lost everything" Piper sniffed "My husband, my boys Paige"
"I know" Phoebe slipped her hand into Pipers
"We'll be ok" she promised
"Maybe" Piper squeezed her hand gently as they heard someone knock tentivly Piper followed by Phoebe got up Darryl stood looking a little worse for wear
"You guys alright?" he asked Piper shrugged
"We're alive" Phoebe said he nodded
"And the boys? Leo? Paige?" he asked suddenly Piper realised they hadn't even told Darryl what was going on
"Leo died a day or so ago the boys are with the elders and Paige…" Phoebe's voice broke
"No…She…no!" Darryl looked sadly at the strewn remains
"Why?" he asked
"The sacrifice of one for the greater good" Piper's voice shook as Darryl opened his arms and hugged them both
"So all this the earth Paige saved the world?"
"Literally" Phoebe sniffled
"What about her baby? Did that die?" he asked Piper shook her head
"The baby's alive somewhere being raised by evil" she replied
"Oh great" Darryl wasn't sure what to say at all
"I'll be back later on there's a lot of stuff I gotta do Shiela and the boys" Piper nodded and Phoebe let go of his hand sadly
"Bye" she waved a little he winked back "See you"
"So what happens now?" Phoebe asked in a tiny voice
"We go save our nephew" Piper marched up the stairs Phoebe stood a little shell shocked in the spot where Piper had been a second ago
"Christelle!" she called the whitelighter orbed down
"Your alive? We all are!" she sounded pleased
"Not all of us" Phoebe replied she motioned to the sunroom
"Paige was the one who saved us saved the earth" Christelle was trying Phoebe had to admit
"Then help us save her baby please we lost Leo and the boys and Paige today don't let us lose him too" Phoebe babbled but Christella held up a hand
"You guy's deserve a break, I'll help but I'm not supposed to" she smiled
"Thank you" she smiled back gratefully and the two went up to meet Piper
who'd gotten out two candles and already summoned the impulsarian
"Are you gonna give him to us?"
"No he's mine! You already screwed up the earth and now I have the one thing you want"
"You mean yolu don't want him?"
"He was only useful for one thing and your sister ruined that!" the demon spat Piper blew up half of his left arm he screamed in agony
"What's his name?" Phoebe asked
"What?"
"The baby what's his name!"
"We didn't name him his existence is all that matters!" the demon looked angry Piper raised her hands but he shimmered away she blew up the old chair instead venting a little bit of anger
"Can I have Wyatt and Chris please?" she turned suddenly
"I don't know Piper but I'll try" she orbed away Piper blew up a box in the corner and it shattered in all directions a square of burning paper floated down infront of Phoebe she picked it up it was a picture from Paige's birthday last year Piper Phoebe and Paige snuggled up together Leo holding Wyatt and resting his hand on Piper's bump they looked so happy she folded it and put it in her pocket an ache in her heart
Piper dug at the soil furiously then pulled a brown bag towards her after the demon had gotten away she'd drove to the garden center the man was so terrified after what happened he sold her everything she needed for the price of a packet of seeds Piper placed the small rose bush in the hole and covered it, ot bgan to rain fat droplets splattering in her hair and blinding her she dug another hole and planted a small tree sitting back she looked at them Prue's tree then Paige's and finally Leo's she blinked back tears she rubbed her arms attempting to banish the cold her heart ached she wanted so badly to have her family back, all of them now it was just her and Phoebe and for some unexplainable reason she couldn't bring herself to look Phoebe in the eye.
Phoebe looked out of the kitchen window at Piper digging away at the ground it was her way of dealing with things by keeping busy when Prue died she had planted that tree as a way of always keeping her near and now Paige was dead too she was just another tree in the garden another memory to keep another death by demons
"It's alright to be sad you know?" came a soft voice from behind her Phoebe turned
"Paige?" she asked wildly but she knew it wasn't instead it was her grams
"Hey" Phoebe smiled softly as her grandmother stepped from the glowing shadow and into real life and embraced her in a hug
"Have you seen Paige? Leo? The boys?" Phoebe asked sobbing
"I've seen Leo and Paige but the children are being kept in close guard we're not allowed to see them"
"Can't we see Paige?" Phoebe asked she knew they wouldn't allow it but she had to ask anyway
"if we let you see her she'll still be alive for you and then you can't move on I'm so sorry"
"But there's nothing to move on too!" Phoebe said stepping away from her grams
"You girls still have your powers"
"But not the power of three" Phoebe replied
"Maybe not but your still witches and you can still fight demons" Grams looked a little hopeful at Phoebe
"No we won't I won't we just lost Paige because of fighting demons it's over grams so tell the stupid elders to get somebody else to fight demons but not us!" Phoebe found herself shouting as she let all her anger and pain and sadness take control she was shaking standing there shaking in front of Grams she broke the eye contact and ran her hand over her hair
"I don't know what to do!" Grams held out her arms and Phoebe shook her head
"What about all the good you've done all the good your destined to do!" Grams seemed to think that they could carry on their destinys
"And what about all the people we've lost" Phoebe sighed "First Andy then Prue now Paige and Leo not to mention Kyle I'ts over Grams we're over" Phoebe and Grams sat in silence for a few minutes Piper stumbled in rain running down her arms her soaked clothes clinging to her seemingly small frame
"I'm not gonna let my Boys grow up as orphans, it stops now" Piper's tiny voice carried so much more power than even she thought Grams nodded
"I understand…I do Blessed be girls I love you my Darlings" Grams waved her hand a little before glowing and disappearing Phoebe turned
"It's not my fault" Phoebe spoke suddenly
"I know" Piper looked confused
"Then look at me your blaming you for Leo's death and me for Paige's but I blame myself for both so I don't need your guilt too!" Phoebe sat sadly down Piper siddled next to her
"What do you mean you blame yourself for them both?"
"If I'd let you and Paige alone maybe she'd have told us sooner we wouldn't have had to wait so long and if I had done something when Leo was attacked maybe he'd still be here"
"No Pheebs you couldn't have, I think we just have to accept the fact that they've gone and give them a proper funeral all three of them" Phoebe nodded and hugged her sister