Thanks for the reviews everyone! I decided not to include Phoebe's reason for leaving yet – but don't get too pissed off, it's in the next chapter FOR SURE, which will be posted tomorrow. I thought that it worked better to split the chapter in half.
Happy Thanksgiving to all of you Canadians! Enjoy...
"Ok kids, time to break it up," came Paige's urgent voice as she entered the room, inevitably breaking the moment shared between Phoebe and Wyatt. "It's time to get to business."
Phoebe quickly released the small boy from their embrace, giving him a quick smile after she tenderly wiped the tears from her cheeks. Wyatt returned the smile as he slipped off of the couch and made his way over towards Leo who had just entered the room.
"Aunt Paige is right kids," began Leo. "It's time to go boys, and you too Paisley."
Upon hearing her name, Paisley dropped the toy that she had held and glanced uneasily at her uncle before making eye contact with Phoebe. Noticing the slight redness that glazed over her mother's eyes and the gentle smudge of mascara that had settled underneath them, Paisley eyed her mother more carefully and asked, "Mommy, are you sad?"
"Just a little bit sweetie," Phoebe stuttered, suddenly feeling the uncomfortable presence of her silent relatives. "But there's nothing for you to worry about."
Paisley stood up and stumbled towards the couch where her mother rested. Crawling up into her lap, she gently cupped Phoebe's face with her hands and directed it towards her own. Phoebe looked up into the stare of her tiny daughter's deep blue eyes that were filled with concern.
"Don't cwy mommy," Paisley said while wrapping her arms tightly around her mother's neck. "I wove you and I'll never ever weave you."
"Oh that's sweet baby," started Phoebe as she placed a quick kiss on the top of her daughter's head. "But I need you to go with Uncle Leo just for a little bit so I can talk to Aunt Piper and Aunt Paige about some really important things."
"But I want to stay here with you," Paisley cried out, clinging on to her mother more fiercely.
"I know you do sweetheart," Phoebe began as she lifted herself and Paisley off of the couch and started towards Leo. "But I need you to be a big girl for Mommy and go with Uncle Leo for a little while. Can you do that for me Paisley?"
"Ok mommy," Paisley answered tearfully as Phoebe passed her over to Leo.
"Miss you already," Phoebe started.
"Wove you forever," Paisley replied.
"Mwuah!" they finished together, each blowing the other a kiss as Paisley and Leo orbed out of the room followed by Chris and Wyatt.
"Well that was quite a show," Paige remarked, breaking the icy silence that had embraced the room not long after Leo and the kids had left.
"Yeah well, we're always together – I mean, I don't leave her very often," Phoebe responded while looking down at the floor guiltily.
"At least you stick around for some people," came Piper's voice, filled with resentment as she entered the room. She carefully eyed Phoebe up and down before adding, "But then that little girl's not even five years old. You usually take off around the twenty year mark. Isn't that right, Phoebes?"
"Look Piper, I'm sorry," Phoebe started. "But if you'd just let me explain - -"
"I don't want to hear it," Piper interrupted while turning away from her sister. "I don't even know what the hell I'm doing here. I'm pissed off Phoebe, really pissed off. I thought I could do this, but I can't. I can't talk to you now."
Piper turned to exit the room, but not before Paige caught her arm and directed her in the other way.
"I know this is hard for you Piper," Paige whispered into her older sister's ear. "It's hard for me too, but it's something that we have to do – for Leo and for ourselves. You've been so strong these past years, just hold on a little longer."
Paige then turned to face Phoebe as she captured Piper's hand within her own, reminding her silently that she was going to be there with her, helping her the entire way. While giving her hand a reassuring squeeze, Paige began, "I think you can see how hard this has been for us, Phoebe. You're here now, and we're obligated to listen. Just don't expect us to forgive or even sympathize with you. You've hurt us. Just remember that it's going to take a lot for us to forgive and forget. It's going to take a lot more than just an apology to fix this."
Phoebe nodded her head in a silent agreement. She then took a deep breath and asked, "What do you want to know?"
"Exactly what you're here to tell us," Paige responded. "Everything: why you're here, why you left - -"
"Who's her father?" Piper interrupted while looking at her baby sister, her face set with determination.
"I... I can't tell you. Not yet," Phoebe replied after a period of silence.
"What! Phoebe you can't do this!" Paige yelled angrily. "You don't have any right to! You abandoned us – remember? It wasn't the other way around. And then you come into our house years after never having any contact with us, not a phone call, not even a friggen letter, and expect us to trust you? How can we if you won't tell us the whole story?"
"Paige! Hang on a second - -" Phoebe began.
"Oh Phoebe, you didn't," Piper somberly interrupted her feuding sisters.
"What?" the two questioned startled to hear Piper speak up.
"I know who it is, the father I mean," Piper continued. "I just don't understand how, or even why, for that matter."
"Piper you're not making any sense," said Paige looking with concern at her sister.
"Don't you get it Paige?" asked Piper more passionately as she continued to stare hardly at Phoebe. "Doesn't that kid remind you of someone – someone who's supposed to be dead? God! Why doesn't he ever die!"
"I have no idea who you're talking about," Paige said her voice filled with confusion.
"Oh Paige, just listen to her name for God's sake," continued Piper, anger quickly forming within her voice. "Paisley Nicole – Nicole as in Cole, demon Cole, the Source Cole – Should be dead, whoever he is. Why won't he die? Haven't we killed him enough already?"
Paige turned to face Phoebe quickly, her emotions evidently written across her face and within her voice as she asked, "Is she right Phoebe? Is that little girl's father, Cole?"
Phoebe nodded her head, unable to say a word, unable to look at the dumbfounded expressions that creased their faces.
"Oh great! Now that little demon child is running around corrupting my kids as we speak," Piper commented.
"She's not a demon Piper!" Phoebe yelled furiously while jolting her head up to meet the glares of her sisters. "Don't you ever say that! Don't you ever call my daughter a demon!"
"No offence Phoebe, but she is Cole's daughter too," Piper responded.
"That's right, she is Cole's daughter, but she's not a demon, and... neither is he," Phoebe replied.
"Don't tell me you fell for that one again, Phoebe!" Piper yelled angrily at her younger sister while throwing her hands up in defeat. "How many times has he told you that? And you never, ever learn! Honestly. He can't help it. Demons never change. Once evil, always evil."
"You don't understand," Phoebe started.
"Obviously I don't," Piper retorted. "Why don't you fill us in then, Phoebe? Tell us how Cole's changed – for good this time. How he promised you that he'd never use his powers for evil? Go ahead, we're all ears, but it's not like we haven't heard this all before."
"He did change. He's human," Phoebe responded emotionally. "Even if he was lying, if he was a demon, I would have known by now – his powers would have been passed on to Paisley and she has no demonic powers. Do you believe me now?"
Piper shook her head, "I can't Phoebe. Not after all that he has done to you. I don't understand how he's still alive, even! I thought we killed him for good last time."
"Is this why you left us?" Paige asked in a small voice, finally speaking up.
"No," Phoebe responded while calming down. "It's not the entire reason at least."
"Can you tell us then? Because I think that we have the right to know now," Paige said.
Phoebe took in a deep breath as she slumped into the couch behind her. This was it, the moment that she would tell all. Was she prepared? No, not really, but she had to tell them.
"Alright," she began. "It's what I'm here to do, but I think that you both should sit down. This might take a while."