Author's Note: Here's my second chapter! Thanks to Queen of Gabb 488, charmed-freak, Blackangle2011 and sam jay for reviewing my first chapter. I hope you guys enjoy this one. And don't forget to review, please!!

Disclaimers: I don't own any characters, concepts or objects related to Charmed as they belong to some very rich and successful people, i.e. not me! Thanks.

Chapter 2 - The Hurt

Paige Mitchell doubled over in pain. Her charge gazed at her worriedly as pain and fear wrapped around Paige's heart. A strong sense of Piper consumed her and Paige knew that something was terribly wrong.

"I'm sorry Michael, I have to go." Paige said, orbing immediately to the manor. There she saw her strongest niece laying on the floor, cradling the very still and very cold body of her eldest sister. Wyatt and Chris stood around them, watching with red, raw eyes.

"Aunt Paige." Wyatt said softly, his voice hoarse.

Paige couldn't move. Her hazel eyes welled up and she kneeled down next to Melinda. Clearing her throat, Paige took charge.

"Chris, go get your Aunt Phoebe." Paige's voice was deep and cold, trying very hard to control her voice before it gave out. "Wyatt, orb 'up there' and find your father. Melinda-"

Paige had been trying to pull Melinda away from Piper's body, but Mel yanked her arm away from her aunt and held her mother tighter. The boys just stood there and watched.

"Wyatt, Chris, go!" Paige hissed, the tears that were welling up in her eyes fell down her cheeks. But before they could orb, a pink glow appeared, enveloping two figures. As the glow subsided, Phoebe Halliwell and Coop stood there.

Phoebe pulled away from her husband immediately and moved down to Piper and Melinda. "Oh, god."

"Okay, Wyatt, go and get your father." Paige said through clenched teeth, pulling Melinda up once more. "Chris, take your sister upstairs." Melinda didn't move, she just cried silently, clutching at her mother.

"Mel," Chris said softly. He said her name again, this time pulling her eyes up to him. "Mel, come on. Mom wouldn't want this." Melinda began tearing up again, profusely, and took Chris' hand. They orbed upstairs.

"Oh god," Phoebe whispered again.

"I know, Phoebe, but you can't fall apart on me." Paige said, trying to be strong. "We have so much to do now. Come on. All the kids need us to be strong for them."

"I know," Phoebe cleared her throat and stood up. "What do we need to do?"

"Well, you've told me so much about what happened when Prue died." Paige said. "We need to make sure no one suspects anything and that we don't expose magic."

"Okay, how do we do that?" Phoebe asked.

"Here." Paige took Phoebe's hand and began to recite her best spell. "Let the object of objection become but a dream, as I cause this scene to become unseen."

Immediately the blood was cleaned up around Piper, all the scorch marks on the walls disappeared and any demonic debris cleared up.

"How do we explain an energy ball to the chest to the coroner?" Phoebe asked.

"I'll take care of it." Coop said softly. The two remaining Charmed sisters turned to him. Of course, Cupids had the power to persuade the heart; Coop could surely persuade the mortals not to investigate any further

"Dad?" Wyatt looked around the heavenly hall. Mist fogged around at his ankles and hooded figures stood in circles, discussing secret issues in their clicking tongue. No one even noticed Wyatt. "Dad?!" He called out loudly.

Orbs materialised in front of him and Leo stood before him. "Wyatt, what're you doing here?"

"Something happened." Wyatt said coldly. "Demons attacked. They got Mom."

"What do you mean, they got her?" Leo frowned. "They kidnapped her?"

"No!" Wyatt narrowed his eyes. "They killed her. That's all I came here to say." Like his siblings, Wyatt felt disdain towards their father. He had left a few years after Melinda was born and they barely spoke to him. "Paige just wanted you to know." Before waiting for his father's response, Wyatt orbed down, back to his home.

The main corridor of the bottom floor had been completely cleaned up. His mother's body had been removed.

"Chris? Mel?" Wyatt called out.

"They're upstairs." Paige said. She and Phoebe were sitting in the living room, the Book of Shadows sitting front of them, tears running down both their faces.

"What are you guys doing? Where's Mom?" Wyatt asked.

"They took her away." Phoebe said solemnly. "The police have been through here and they took her body away."

"What?" Wyatt's blue eyes widened. "And what about exposure?" That lesson had been drummed into him for as long as he could remember. Exposing magic to the world would have disastrous effects.

"We cleaned it all up, don't worry." Paige said. "Right now we have to find the demons that killed her."

"Revenge." Wyatt said quietly but fiercely.

"No." Phoebe's voice was short and sharp. "That would be personal gain. We are tracking and vanquishing these demons so that they don't hurt anyone else. Loved one or innocent."

"You guys need to slow down." Wyatt said. "Can't we just take this step by step?"

"Wyatt, you don't understand how deep this goes." Paige said. "There are demons smart enough and powerful enough to kill a former Charmed One. A Warren witch. A Halliwell witch. If there is that much power out there that has come together and has set its target on our family, then we need to get to work before they come back."

"You are treating this like they just killed an innocent." Wyatt said coldly, his blue eyes glaring from his Aunt Paige to his Aunt Phoebe.

"We understand why you're upset Wyatt," Phoebe sighed, standing up. "We're upset, too, but it doesn't change the fact that there are demons out there that are now after us. Maybe after you, maybe Chris, maybe Mel."

"No, you don't understand!" Wyatt cried out, anger blazing in his eyes. "Don't you get it? Mom just died! She's dead now, she's gone forever!"

"Wyatt?" The voice sounded so young, so innocent. But it was Melinda who had said it. And right behind her was Chris. Her hazel eyes were rimmed with red, her smooth pale skin, as pale as her Aunt Paige's, was pink and blotchy, and her dark mahogany hair was dishevelled. Those eyes gazed solemnly at her eldest brother. A flash of anger and pain crossed those eyes that were staring at Wyatt.

"Mel." Wyatt whispered as she ran to him, burying her head against his chest and hugging him tightly. A small lump formed in his throat as he held onto his baby sister and never wanting to let go. He looked up at Chris, who was standing just behind them, and he spoke to both his younger siblings: "Don't worry, we'll deal with this. We can handle this." His voice was soft and whispered, touching the innermost core of both Chris and Melinda. They nodded, both gazing up at their eldest brother.