Disclaimer: I don't own Charmed or its characters

A/N: I know this has been done repeatedly, but I'm writing a next generation series where an AU version of Pru and Andy flees to "our"u. In each chapter, I will go into how her character evolved.

This is my version of "Charmed Again" much of it copied from the original version, with a twist.

(X)

Phoebe Halliwell was desperate.

She sat in the shadowy attic of her ancestral home, where generations of Halliwell witches had honed their powers and cast spells. On a table before her was The Book of Shadows- the sepia-colored tome where all those witches had recorded magical incantations and demon biographies. Also before her were an array of herbs and a burning white candle- a gateway to the cosmic Elders who ruled her supernatural world.

Yet Phoebe had never felt more powerless.

She began to chant. Her voice was scratchy and tear-choked. Her brimming eyes veered in and out of focus as she stared intently at the flickering candle flame.

"Hear now the words of the witches,

The secrets we hid in the night.

The oldest of Gods are invoked here,

The great work of magic is sought…."

As she prepared to say the last words, she felt her heart constrict with pleading. She threw her head back and closed her eyes, begging the Elders for their help.

"In this night and in this hour

I call upon the Ancient Power.

Bring back my sister.

Bring back the power of three."

Phoebe drew a long shuddering breath before opening her eyes. Despite her need, she was alone.

She looked at the book in front of her. In the three years since the sisters had discovered their shared destiny, it had never failed them. Since becoming the prophesized Charmed Ones, she and her sisters had managed to save many innocent lives and vanquish many demons, until three days ago. Phoebe's head spun at the memory. Shax, the Source's assassin, had burst into their home, with a blast he had sent Piper, Pru and an innocent doctor they'd been trying to protect through a wall. They had all gone through plaster and framing to land on the grass. Piper and the doctor had died instantly. Leo, Piper's White-Lighter husband, had arrived too late. Leo couldn't heal the dead. He had been able to heal Pru, her body at least. Phoebe didn't think that the pain of losing Piper would ever go away. The irony was that she had made a deal with The Source to turn back time and save Piper's life, from a bullet wound caused by events that didn't have a chance to happen; events that led to the exposure of magic and the reason why The Source had agreed to turn back time. Of course, he had a price, he wanted Phoebe to remain in the underworld, so that he could kill her. Phoebe, with the help of her half-demon boyfriend, Cole, had barely managed to escape. There would be no more cooperation with The Source, magic remained unexposed and his assassin had managed to stop the Charmed Ones. Killing Piper had ended their destiny.

Phoebe shook off her thoughts and began to search for another solution. She found a new page in the Book of Shadows. Quickly she gathered the herbs she needed, and put them in a bowl.

"Power of the witches rise,

Course unseen across the skies.

Come to us who call you near.

Come to us and settle here."

Unflinchingly, Phoebe thrust her right index finger over the bowl and pricked it with the athame. Her blood dripped over the herbs.

"Blood to blood, I summon thee,

Blood to blood, return to me."

She felt a light breeze, and smelled the scent of magic on the air.

"Phoebe…"

Phoebe started. She looked toward the attic door and the figure that was emerging from the shadows.

"Piper?" Phoebe asked in desperate hope.

"Sweetie…"

Phoebe's shoulders slumped in defeat. It was Pru, looking exhausted. Pru, the only sister she had left.

"It's four o'clock in the morning," Pru said, her voice thick with grief and fatigue. "What are you doing?" She gazed into Phoebe's pained eyes.

"I don't understand why magic can't fix this, we've cheated death before. There are spells, incantations… but, suddenly, nothing's working. It's like magic has abandoned us. Deserted Piper, and I want to know why." Her beautiful brown eyes overflowed with tears. Pru came closer and wrapped her arms around her sister. She tried to comfort Phoebe, her baby sister, the effervescent one. The pain of seeing Phoebe in so much pain, Pru added to the pain of losing Piper. My pain will wait, she vowed to herself, first she'd be strong for Phoebe, she'd be strong enough to get them through the next few days at least.

"Come on," Phoebe said, squaring her shoulders, releasing Pru and wiping her cheeks. "We'd better get some rest, Piper would never forgive us if we look bad at her funeral."

Pru tried to smile, leave it to free spirited Phoebe to lighten the mood.

Phoebe allowed Pru to lead her out of the attic but couldn't resist one last look.

(X)

Paige Mathews was working busily at her desk. She flipped open a file, her eyes skimmed over the soothing decorations she'd placed around her desk. Grabbing her mouse, she clicked her way across her computer and quickly located what she needed. She opened the folder and hit print. She whirled in her chair and stood. Heading to the printer, Paige felt a sudden chill and the hair on the back of her neck stood on end. She noticed a sudden inexplicable breeze, all the windows in the office were closed. As she stood, perplexed, she saw the newspaper clipping floating on the breeze. She watched it land on the floor in front of her. She bent down to retrieve it, the color left her face as she quickly skimmed the paper.

"Paige, you find that study yet?" Asked Mr. Cowan, her boss.

"Sorry," Paige said absently, "It's in the printer. Uh, I've got to go."

She walked around her fuming boss and gave him an apologetic shrug. She couldn't explain, so she simply fled. She realized once she got into her car that she still clutched the newspaper section. The one with the announcement: "Funeral services for Piper Halliwell will be held today at memorial Cemetery, 11:00 A.M."

(X)

Phoebe felt as though she was floating through a haze. Of grief? No, she didn't think grief had stricken her yet, she was still mired in the denial and disbelief stage. She headed into the sunroom and saw her father, Victor, slumped in a chair. She crossed to him and laid her hand gently on his rounded shoulders, "Can I get you anything, Dad?"

He only shook his head at her and gave her a forced smile.

She kissed the top of his head and headed into the kitchen.

"Phoebe."

Andy's voice pierced her haze. She looked up, expecting to see her brother-in-law, and gasped in surprise when she saw that he was not alone.

"Cole," she breathed, sinking wearily into his arms. "I was afraid you weren't going to make it to the funeral."

"I shouldn't. The Source has bounty hunters after me. Saving you makes me a traitor, something the Source doesn't appreciate." He stated wryly, "He won't stop until I'm found and I don't want anything to happen at Piper's funeral."

"We'll protect you," Phoebe insisted.

"You can't."

"Why not? We're still witches, aren't we?" She demanded.

"But you're not the Charmed Ones anymore," Cole blurted.

His words sliced through her like a knife. "I thought it was harder for demons to track you in a cemetery," she looked beseechingly at Cole, "You have to be there. Cole, I need you with me."

She watched as his eyes softened, then he nodded.

(X)

Upstairs, Pru was dressed in her black funeral clothes. When she left her bedroom, she met Leo in the hall. Pru was confidant in almost any situation, but as she looked at her grief-stricken brother-in-law, she felt unsure. Instinct took over and she hugged Leo.

"How are you holding up?" She asked concern in her blue eyes.

"I just can't believe she's gone…I keep expecting to wake up and discover that it's all been a bad dream and Piper is lying beside me. But every morning I wake up and she's not there." His voice broke on a sob. He straightened up and squared his shoulders.

"How are you holding up?" There had been times when, as a husband, he had almost resented the sisters' closeness, but as their white-lighter, he respected and admired their bond. He knew that Piper's death was a great blow to her sisters, and as their white-lighter, his duty to them had to come first. After all, he had already asked the Elders to allow him to join Piper; they had agreed, but he had to help her sisters first.

"The same as you. Hoping it's all been a nightmare." Pru gave him a watery smile. "Piper always mediated between Pheebs and me," her voice broke, "I'm the big sister, Leo, I should have protected her. It was my job to keep her safe."

"No, Pru, it was our job to keep her safe."

"Why didn't the Elders allow you to save her?" Pru asked anger in her voice.

"They couldn't allow it. They don't have that kind of power."

"Then what the hell good are they?" She swiped angrily at her tears, "After all we've done, all the good we've accomplished, why have they let it end this way?"

In answer, Leo gathered Pru in his arms and let her sob.

(X)

"Hey," said a rumbly voice behind Phoebe. She turned to see her dad leading Darryl Morris into the sitting room. Phoebe rushed to give Darryl a hug.

Where would they be without Darryl? She thought as he sadly kissed her on the cheek. He was a detective with the San Francisco Police Department, Andy's partner, and one of their strongest mortal allies. Darryl was like a brother to the girls. His pain over Piper's death was written all over his face. "How are you holding up?" he asked Phoebe.

"Okay," she replied. "Sweet of you to stop by."

"Had to," Darryl said softly. "She was family."

Pru entered the sitting room and headed straight for Andy. Her husband, he was so strong and today she needed to borrow a little of his strength.

(X)

Meanwhile, in the Underworld, the Source was having a very interesting conversation with his Seer.

(X)

Phoebe blinked and looked around, trying to absorb the reality of where she was.

If ever an occasion was surreal, this was it.

She was sitting between Cole and Pru in a mausoleum. Behind them was a throng of mourners, and in front of them was the beautiful ivory-colored closed casket that held the body of her older sister.

As Phoebe glanced at the ivory-robed priestess who was preparing her ceremonial accessories on an altar behind Piper's casket, Phoebe felt a twinge of gratitude. Pru had convinced her that giving Piper an appropriate – that is, Wiccan – send off was what Piper would have wanted.

"Do you think it's a mistake," Phoebe had asked Pru tearfully, "to have a witch priestess do the funeral? We don't want to risk another exposure."

"No," Pru had insisted. "They'll just think she's New Age-y. This is California, after all."

"That which came from the earth has returned to earth," the priestess was saying, gazing at the crowd through the glow of three burning candles. Phoebe was dimly aware of a hush in the mausoleum, punctuated by more than a few stifled sobs. "That which belonged to the spirit has returned to the Ancient Ones. As life is day, so our sister has passed into night."

On this word, Phoebe felt Pru grab her hand. She gave her a grateful squeeze.

(x)

Soon Phoebe found herself numbly standing in a receiving line, caught up in the hugs of friends and family and many people she barely recognized. Funny, Phoebe thought dryly, how it sometimes takes a death to realize how full someone's life was.

At last, the mourners had diminished to a trickle. Wearily Phoebe looked around, flinching as her eyes scanned Piper's coffin and then came to rest on a plaque in the wall with Piper's name on it. Within hours, Piper's body would be laid to rest behind that plaque.

Phoebe squeezed her eyes shut at the thought.

When she opened them, she saw a young woman in a cream-colored vintage jacket. Phoebe noted the Snow White-pale skin, the glossy black hair, the full lips, and fine cheekbones. Her eyes were a dark brown, like Phoebe's own eyes. She couldn't have been more than twenty-four, two years younger than Phoebe. Something about this young woman was captivating. Phoebe couldn't stop staring at her until Darryl broke her reverie with a hand on her shoulder. Peeling her eyes from away from the girl, Phoebe sank into her friend's big bear hug.

Next Darryl wrapped his arms around Pru.

"Thanks for being there for us, Darryl," She said.

"We're family, Pru, always will be."

That was when the young woman – the one with the translucent pale skin and the big, scared eyes – appeared before her.

"I'm…so sorry for your loss," she said in a sweet shaky voice.

"Thank you," Phoebe said. "How did you know Piper? From work?"

"Uh, no, no," the young woman replied. Looking shifty eyed. "Just from around, you know."

Phoebe couldn't shake the strange feeling that this girl gave her. She squinted at her, "Have we met before?" She asked. As she spoke, Pru walked over. Phoebe glanced at her sister and noticed that she was checking out this mysterious mourner with the same intensity.

"You, me?" the young woman said. "Uh, no, not really…at least, I don't think so. Anyway, my condolences."

Phoebe shrugged. People always acted weird at funerals – she'd quickly learned that this day. Nobody knew what to say, what to do. The only thing one could do was absolve them by shaking their hand and sending them on their way. So Phoebe reached for the girl's slender hand.

"Thank you," Phoebe said. But as her fingertips touched the woman's palm, she gasped. She felt her knees buckle as an image shot into her brain. Phoebe was having a premonition.

In her vision, she saw her worst nightmare: Shax, the demon who had killed Piper. This time the assassin was on a skyscraper's rooftop. He was bearing down on this young woman, who crouched, screaming, next to a red helipad. Then Shax struck, throwing a lethal, concussive blast at the girl.

But before Phoebe could see what would happen next, she was sucked out of the vision. She emerged with such force that she was flung to the ground.

"Phoebe!" Pru screeched. Blearily, Phoebe saw her sister rush over to her. Leo, Cole, Andy, Darryl and her father surrounded her as well, their faces contorted with concern.

"What did you see?" Pru demanded grimly.

"I saw him," she announced, hearing her voice quaver. "I saw the demon who killed Piper."

"Shax?" Leo asked. "What was he doing?"

"Killing that girl," Phoebe whispered, waving her hand weakly in the general direction of the mysterious young woman. She watched Cole glance around the mausoleum.

"What girl?" he said.

Phoebe lurched to her feet and looked around the empty room, feeling her heart sink. The young woman had freaked and bailed. "That girl," she insisted, "The one I was just talking to."

"We've got to find her." Pru stated, steel in her blue eyes.

(X)

Once back at the manor, along with Pru, Cole, Leo and Andy, Phoebe tried to find a way to find the girl.

"You said she was attacked on a rooftop?" Leo asked.

"Yes, one with a helipad," Phoebe confirmed. "It wasn't a tall building, though. There were a lot of taller ones around it."

"Okay," said Leo, "So we've just got to figure out which one it is before Shax does."

"And do what?" Andy demanded. "You can't defeat Shax," he said to Phoebe and Pru, "Not without the Power of Three."

"Maybe so," said Phoebe, sticking out her chin, "But I got that premonition for a reason, Andy. That makes her our innocent, which means we have to try to save her."

"He has a point," Cole said, "You don't have the power to vanquish Shax."

"I don't know where we go from here, but I do know we can't just let that girl get killed – especially not by the same demon who killed Piper." Pru stated in her best don't-mess-with-me voice.

"The question remains," Cole said, "how are you going to stop Shax without the Power of Three to say the vanquishing spell?"

Phoebe looked at Cole, hopelessly. As she stared into his rugged face, she realized that she had her answer. "I'm hoping maybe a demon and a couple of witches fighting together might be enough. Interested?"

Cole raised an eyebrow, then shrugged, "Why not? It's better than sitting around waiting for the next bounty hunter to attack."

Phoebe grabbed Cole's hand and smiled.

"I hope you don't think that you're going without me?" Leo asked. "Two witches, a demon and a…"

"White lighter," Pru finished.

"No, a husband." Anger blazed in Leo's usually calm green eyes.

(X)

While Cole was busy blinking with Phoebe to locate the rooftop, Pru felt true anger kick in. She ran up the stairs. Her goal: The Book of Shadows. It may have failed Phoebe the night before, but today she was going to get some answers.

She stormed into the attic and tk'd the door shut behind her; the force of her fury enhancing her power so that the door slammed with a concussive bang!

"I'm a witch, damnit! I've summoned people before, and I AM going to summon Piper now!"

"Hear these words,

Hear my cry,

Spirit from the other side.

Come to me, I summon thee,

Cross now the great divide."

"Hello, dear."

"Grams?" Pru asked.

"How are you?" Grams said, gazing at Pru with sympathy.

"How AM I? Are you kidding? Why didn't you come when Phoebe called?" Pru asked angrily.

"I couldn't Pru, I was busy." Grams said sadly.

"Busy?" Pru cocked a brow at her Grams.

"I was with Piper." Grams stated.

"Oh, that makes sense. How is she?" Pru asked.

"Your mother and I are helping her through it. Darling, you have to stop trying to summon her. Seeing Piper right now- speaking to her- keeps her alive for you. And that keeps you from being able to move on with your life, to continue with your destiny."

"Destiny? What destiny, Grams? Without Piper, there is no Power of Three. Without the Power of Three – poof- destiny aborted."

"I know sweetie, I know," Grams soothed, "But if you've learned anything in the last three years it's that there's a reason for everything. Which means that there's a reason for this, too. Your destiny still awaits."

(X)

Just as she'd been compelled to go to Piper's funeral that morning, she felt drawn to Piper's club, P3, that night. When her boyfriend had asked her out on an impromptu date, she had suggested her favorite club immediately.

What is it that keeps pulling me towards those sisters? She wondered.

"So this is your favorite club?" Shane was asking her.

Paige flashed him a smile, "I've been coming here for about a year now, on and off. Ever since…"

"Ever since what?" Shane asked.

"Never mind, it's boring." Shane gazed at her with eyes that said he found her anything but boring. "All right," she took a deep breath and started, "So, my sad story is, I'm adopted. Only it's not so sad, because I loved my parents, God rest. Still, I always had this feeling inside of me that I was somehow…different, in a way that I could never figure out. So, I started searching for my birth mother, hoping to find some answers. I went to the police, and found the church I got dumped at. I figured whoever she must have been had lived near there, so I checked around. Thought for a minute I might have been related to the Halliwell sisters. Then I found out that their mom died a long time ago, so I gave up."

"Did you ever meet the sisters?" Shane said, glancing at the P3 sign. "Did you ask them about it?"

"Yeah, right. 'Hi, I think your mother might have abandoned me at birth, what's for dinner?' I don't think so."

"That still doesn't explain why you keep coming here," Shane said.

"Well," Paige said with a shrug, "you know, Piper owned the place, so I guess I feel somehow…connected. I don't know. That's why I went to the funeral today, too. I just felt like I had to go." With that, Paige decided to ditch her pesky introspection for the rest of the night. She grinned at Shane and led him to the dance floor. Pretty soon, she and Shane were grooving to the music. And her head was momentarily –blissfully- empty.

Paige looked at Shane. Call it trust, she thought, or just call it lust. I think this guy might be worth a shot. The idea made her want to get out of there – right then.

Grinning at her boyfriend, Paige said, "I want to show you something," and practically dragged him to the door. She couldn't wait to show him her secret.

(X)

Pru, Phoebe, Cole and Leo stood on the roof of the skyscraper that Phoebe and Cole had decided on as the perfect watchtower.

Scanning the horizon, Phoebe but her lip in indecision. "It looks like it might be the right place. But maybe we should try one of the other rooftops…"

Cole put his finger under her chin, drawing her face around until she was looking him in the eye, "Or, we could just follow your first instincts and stay right here."

"But what if I'm wrong? That girl will get killed."

"You can't save every innocent and you can't stop every demon." Cole cautioned.

Phoebe looked to her big sister, Pru.

"We need to stop this one," Pru said with icy resolve. At that, both sisters picked up the binoculars they'd brought looking through them. They searched for their innocent and the Demon they hated almost above all.

"Looks like your instincts were right," Pru stated, waving to a rooftop not far from where they stood.

Phoebe shifted to face the same direction. There was the girl. She wore high heels and a very short dress, and she wasn't alone. Trailing behind her was one very cute dude. Just the sort of guy Phoebe would have gone for in the not to distant past.

"We've got to shimmer over there," Phoebe said.

Leo shook his head, "And tell her what? A demon's going to attack? I think we should wait."

Pru looked back into her binoculars. The mysterious young woman and her date were making out like crazy. For the first time that day, Pru felt a moment of levity. It felt nice to see some happiness, even if seeing it made her feel like a voyeur.

Suddenly the woman screamed, "Shane!"

"Oh my God," Phoebe said. She spun just in time to see Shax; he was hurling a tornado like blast at the boyfriend. Shane flew backward through the air, while the young woman screamed again. He hit the vestibule wall and slid slowly to the ground.

Phoebe let out a scream of her own as she watched Shax wave his arm towards the shrieking woman. A blast emanated from his palm. They watched the young woman throw her hands over her head and cringe in anticipation of the same blow that had just leveled her boyfriend.

And then something happened.

An instant before the woman was blasted across the roof, a flurry of white lights began to swirl around her body. As the lights flared out the woman disappeared.

She disappeared in exactly the same way Leo did every time he dashed off to the heavens. But that didn't make any sense. Leo was a Whitelighter. An angel.

As soon as Shax's blow had passed, the young woman reappeared in another shower of white lights.

"She orbed!" Phoebe gasped, "She orbed! Did you see that?"

"Come on!" Cole Said, grabbing Phoebe to shimmer, seconds after Leo orbed Pru over to help.

The familiar lightweight sensation, a shimmer, Phoebe disappeared from one roof top and reappeared with Cole on a catwalk inside the building the young woman had led her date to.

"Where'd you come from?" She shrieked. Then looking beyond Phoebe and Cole, she screamed.

Phoebe glanced back and saw Shax gearing up to throw another blast at her innocent. Cole was working up an energy ball in retaliation, giving Phoebe a few seconds to focus on the girl.

"Hurry! Get out of here!"

With another squeal of terror, the girl took off.

Cole's first energy ball had barely fazed the demon assassin. Through gritted teeth, Cole commanded, "Say the spell!"

Pru and Leo came running up behind Shax. Together Pru and Phoebe chanted,

"Evil wind that blows,

That which forms below,

No longer may you dwell.

Death takes you with this spell."

As they spoke the last word, they saw Shax's head rear back in agony. Shax disappeared in a stream of foul vapor.

They all gazed toward the stairwell. The young woman – whoever she was – was gone. Which meant that she was still in serious danger.

(X)

"It just doesn't make any sense," Leo was saying.

"Why not?" Cole asked.

"Why would Shax try to kill a Whitelighter? We're all already dead."

"Maybe Shax didn't know she was a Whitelighter." Cole proposed.

"Is it possible that she doesn't know she's a Whitelighter?" Phoebe mused.

"No," Leo answered, "Why?"

"She sure seemed surprised when she orbed out," Pru stated.

"That doesn't make any sense either." Leo insisted.

"Then why don't you ask the elders what DOES make sense," Pru suggested, "before we go risking our lives again."

"Good idea," Leo agreed and orbed away.

(X)

An hour after the weirdest rooftop tryst of her life, Paige walked into San Francisco General Hospital, feeling as though her heart was never going to stop thumping. Every corner she turned and every door that opened made her gasp. She kept expecting that monster that had tried to kill her to appear, ready to finish her off.

What had happened to her? She'd sort of…disappeared. It was just for an instant but she was sure of it. Paige had freaked.

Quietly, she slipped inside the turquoise tiled, antiseptic scented room. Shane was sitting up in bed, looking really cute in his baby blue, hospital issue jammies.

"Paige," his face lit up when he saw her, "What happened to you? I was worried."

"Shane," she said crossing to his bed and sitting down to stroke his cheek, "I feel so bad. I just got scared and ran. Are you all right?"

"It's no big deal," he assured her, "It's just a little concussion. I'll be fine." Seeing the doubt on her face, he continued, "They wouldn't be releasing me in the morning if I wasn't, right?" I'm just glad that you're okay, too."

"Well, physically, maybe," Paige said, biting her lip.

(X)

Phoebe shook her head and sighed, gazing at her only surviving sister. "It doesn't seem real, does it?"

"No," Pru stared into the fire. "What are we going to do with all her stuff? Her jeep, the club?"

Phoebe winced, were they doing this already? Dealing with Piper's 'effects'? "I don't know." She answered.

A flurry of white swirled into the room. In a second, Leo appeared.

"Well?" Pru demanded, standing.

"The Elders say they don't know anything about her. She's definitely not a Whitelighter.'

"Then why can she orb?" Phoebe narrowed her eyes.

"They can't explain it," Leo shrugged.

Suddenly, Cole shimmered into the room next to Leo.

"Did you find out anything?" Pru demanded.

"Oh, yeah," Cole said, looking grim. "The Source doesn't think she's a Whitelighter at all. He thinks she's another Charmed One."

Phoebe flashed Pru an incredulous look, "What?" she yelled.

"That's why he's got Shax on it," Cole explained, "He thought he ended the Power of Three. Now he's worried this girl can somehow reconstitute it."

"But that's not possible," Phoebe said softly. She looked at Pru and wanly added, "Is that possible?"

Something inside Pru went rigid. Forget losing it, she thought in a rage. I'm getting answers. She clenched her jaw and stalked out of the parlor.

"Pru?" she heard Phoebe call, but she was too upset to explain. She heard Phoebe, Leo and Cole following her as she headed to the attic. She went straight to the Book of Shadows, finding it still open to the spell she'd used to summon her grandmother earlier.

"Pru? What's going on?" Phoebe asked bewildered.

"I'm gonna ask Grams what the hell she knows about all this. That's what's going on." With that Pru threw back her head and began to chant the incantation:

"Hear these words,

hear my cry,

Spirit from the other side.

Come to me, I summon thee.

Cross now the Great Divide."

Instantly a small tornado of mist swirled into the circle formed by the sisters, Cole and Leo. And then there was Grams.

"Pru, why are you…"

"Grams," Pru's voice overpowered that of her grandmothers. "Why does the Source think the Charmed Ones can be reconstituted?"

"I, I don't know what you're talking about," Grams stuttered.

"You were a terrible liar when you were alive, but you're worse as a ghost," Pru said.

"Grams," Phoebe said gently, "if you know something, you've got to tell us. We deserve to know."

"I can't say," Grams insisted, "I was sworn to secrecy."

"By who?" Pru asked.

"By me." The sisters heard a voice, like a dream they'd had long ago. Now their mother, Patty, was standing in the circle next to Grams. "By me," Patty said again.

"Mom!" Phoebe gasped.

Her mother nodded, "When you were very little something… happened. We didn't tell anyone because we were afraid you girls would have been denied your powers, your birthright,' she said. "It happened after your father and I were divorced, when Sam and I were together. You were both toddlers, you just thought Mommy got a little fat. You never knew I was pregnant."

"I was the only one who knew," Grams said.

"And Sam, obviously," Patty added. "We wanted to keep the baby, but mom convinced us it would be disastrous."

"Before Leo and Piper, it wasn't just forbidden, it was unthinkable for witches to be with Whitelighters, let alone have children with them."

"That's why we had to" Patty choked on a sob, "why we decided to give the baby up. Sam and I took her to a local church as soon as she was born. We asked a nun there to find her a good home. She found one, too. A very good home."

"That explains why the Elders didn't know about her," Leo stated.

But Phoebe was freaking. "Hold it. Let me get this straight. That girl, our innocent, is really our...sister?"

"Your baby sister," Patty confirmed.

"Their baby half-sister," Grams corrected.

"But from my half," Patty countered, "which makes her a sister witch. Well, actually, not yet. Not until all three of you are together by the book, just as on the night you two and Piper became witches."

"Charmed…again," Grams said simply.

Pru looked blindsided, Phoebe was trying to catch her breath.

"And I thought my family was screwed up," Cole scoffed.

"I'm sorry." Pru said, "But this is all too much for me to handle right now. Way too much."

"Nobody can blame you for being angry, sweetie," Patty said.

"I'm not angry, Mom. I'm confused. This is crazy. You don't just waltz into our lives after all these years, on the same day that we buried Piper, and say, 'Oh by the way, I forgot to tell you, you've got a baby sister!"

"I know it's a lot," Patty said, sounding choked again, "More than anybody should ever have to deal with. But you have to deal with it. Losing Piper, learning about another sister…this is your path, your destiny. Be angry at it, cry over it, but don't fight it." She counseled.

"Come on, Patty. The rest is up to them." Grams said putting a hand on her daughter. A shower of white lights came and took the two women with it.

Without the reassuring presence of Mom and Grams, the room felt empty. Pru looked at Phoebe, "As she said, the rest is up to us."

Then she heaved a sigh and walked to the attic door. The four headed downstairs.

"I can't sense where your new sister is," Leo said as they stepped into the front hall, "probably because she's not technically a witch yet."

This girl has no idea what she's in for, Pru thought grimly. Her thoughts were interrupted, because standing in the doorway of their home was her, their innocent, their sister.

"I'm sorry," she said, seeing Pru and Phoebe's stricken faces, "I shouldn't be here."

She turned and headed for the door, but Phoebe intercepted her, "No, wait. Actually, we were just coming to look for you."

"You were?" said the young woman looking a little terrified.

"Come on in. My names' Phoebe, and this is…"

"Pru, I've seen your work in 415. You're very good."

"Thanks," Pru said warmly. Something about this timid woman reminded her of Piper. While she didn't intend to replace Piper with anyone, sister or not, Pru felt herself reaching out to this girl. "And you are…?"

"Paige," the young woman said, "My name is Paige."

Pru and Phoebe shared a shocked look. Phoebe linked her arm with Paige's, "Another P," she said quietly, "go figure."

Pru reached out to shake Paige's hand, "Nice to meet you," she said with a welcoming smile.

"Thanks," Paige said, "You, too."

The moment their fingers touched, Pru felt a jolt, almost like an electric shock, and a bright beam of light burst from the chandelier over their heads.

"Okay," Paige said tremulously, "What was that?"

"I think that means," said Leo, "that you're supposed to be here."

(X)

A/N I could just continue plagiarizing the shit out of work that's already been done but I prefer to end here. I only wanted to explain how Piper died and the new Power of Three met. Sorry, Piper fans (she's my favorite, too) but she had to die. You'll understand more later.