Victor braced himself for the explosion, he expected some shouting, ranting, raving, an expression of shock, or even some cries of disbelief and in truth did Patty look as if she was about to hit someone. Before she had the chance a baby's cries were heard from the other room. Victor made to continue with his explanation, but she raised her hands as if to silence him.

"One moment" was all she said, in a flat emotionless voice, making it extremely hard to gage how she had just taken the news.

Patty turned and walked back into the nursery, picking up baby Paige who had now gone bright pink.

"Paigey" she cooed, can you orb down to Chris for me please?" The baby looked at her, her tiny face all scrunched up, she leant forward and attempted to grab some hair.

"No Paigey" Patty was firm "I need you to orb to Chris for me". The baby shook her little head.

"Chris!" Patty carried the baby over to the bedroom door and yelled, "Call Paige please"

"Paige!" a voice bellowed from below, and almost instantaneously the baby felt herself involuntarily orbing down to the kitchen and into the waiting arms of her nephew.

"Now" Patty turned her attention back to Victor. "What the hell do you mean they can't turn them back, what on god's earth are we supposed to do?"

"If you would just let me explain..."

"Well explain away dear victor explain away, because this I would greatly like to hear"

"It's not that the elders can't change the girls back. It's that they won't, not yet any way."

"What the..?"

"They think that you and I, and the girls have some unresolved family issues, parent daughter relationships or something, I don't know, anyway they think that this would be the perfect time to help us resolve those issues"

"What issues? I don't have any issues apart from the fact that I am dead!"

"They wouldn't tell me, we have to figure it out by ourselves, and when we do, when we learn to function as a proper family, that's when the spell will be broken and everyone will revert to their proper ages"

During all this Victor had kept his gaze firmly on the top of a nearby lampshade. Now he looked up slowly to see how his ex-wife had taken the news. Patty had dropped down into the rocking chair and was staring blankly at the wall in front of her. She turned her head to meet Victor's eyes; "I don't think I can do this" was all she said.

££££££££££££££££££££

Down in the kitchen Chris had succeeded in feeding his mother and his aunts and was just finishing off cleaning the breakfast dishes. The door to the sun room was ajar and he could see the 3 of them on the floor, Paige playing with a big teddy bear that was almost the same size as her, Phoebe and Piper were some distance apart, huddled together furtively whispering about something. He crept towards the doorway to see if he could listen to their conversation.

"Phoebe!" Piper was saying "Just listen! This" she brandished a piece of paper with what looked to be the floor plan of P3 on it, "is a treasure map. Okay?"

"Okay"

"Good, now I am the captain, and you are the pirate and we got to..."

"Why am I the stupid pirate, I wanna be the captain"

"I am the captain, cos I am the oldest and you hafta to do everything I say"

"Do not"

"Do too"

"Do not"

"Do you wanna find the buried treasure or not?"

"Guess"

"Good, I am the captain, you are the pirate and we gonna find the treasure, which is up there"

"In attic?"

"Yes, we gotta be real quiet, cos we don't want no grown-ups to catch us and share the treasure with us 'kay?"

"'kay"

"Let's go" The two removed their slippers and began to creep across the floor in bare feet. The pad pad pad sound of tiny feet soon indicated they were not alone.

"Paige!" Piper whirled round to find her sister standing there.

"Gah?" came the baby's reply, as she smiled at her big sister

"You can't come with us your too little, you'll slow us down"

"nuh?" the baby's face fell.

"Piper" Chris decided it was time to interrupt, "if you can't play nicely all together, then you can't play at all" he admonished, recalling what his mother used to tell him and Wyatt when they were little.

Piper paused, as if realising on some level that she has heard these words before.

"Ugh alright" She stomped toward Paige, bent down and picked her up roughly, settling her on her hip. "Better?" she asked Chris.

"Much" he replied, as Paige planted a big wet kiss on Pipers cheek "see she loves you"

"Stupid baby" Piper muttered, though not really meaning it. "Come on!" she barked at Phoebe, and the 3 of them set off on their "adventure"

TBC