Disclaimer: Sadly, I don't own Charmed. I wish I did, but I don't.

A/n: Thanks for the feedback! I hope you continue to enjoy this story.

Setting: November/December 2006

Coming Home

"You can never go home again, but the truth is you can never leave home, so it's all right."

Maya Angelou

Five: Strange and Unusual

Paige practically jumped as Henry rounded the bend in the road and Grammy's house came into sight. The house looked the same as it had the last time Paige had been there: the same porch with the swing; the same whitewashed color with the green shutters; the same rose bushes near the stairs. The sight was almost dream-like; the last time Paige had actually been to her grammy's house she had been ten. She hadn't thought that after all these years the house would actually resemble what she remembered, but it did.

"That's it!" said Paige, pointing out the obvious. The house was the only one around as it used to be a farmhouse; clearly it was the right place.

"It's pretty," said Piper from the back seat. "I just hope that Leo, Phoebe and Coop can manage to find it."

"They'll be fine. They can always call for directions," said Paige as Henry parked the car. As soon as he came to a stop she opened the door and hopped out, practically skipping to the front door. Henry laughed at her eagerness and was kind enough to help Piper get the kids out of the car. Impatient, Paige rang the doorbell while rubbing her gloved hands together; she felt like she was ten again.

Piper was climbing the stairs with Chris balanced on her hip when Grammy finally opened the door. "Grammy!" said Paige, throwing her arms around the older woman and hugging her tightly.

"Oh! Hello, sweetie," said Grammy. She patted Paige on the back and Paige stepped back to actually look at her grandmother. Unlike the house, Grammy looked a little worse for the wear compared to when Paige had seen her last. She was still about as tall as Paige, her posture had not weakened in her later years, but she looked much thinner than she had five years ago. Most strangely, around her eyes she looked tired; when last Paige had seen her those eyes were alert and dancing. The sight depressed Paige's spirit, but only for a moment. After all, now that there would be family in the house, Grammy was sure to get life back in her quickly.

Paige stepped into the house, followed closely by Piper and Henry with the kids and Grammy shut the door as soon as they were all inside. "It's cold out there," she said, wrapping her arms around herself.

"Colder than San Francisco," said Piper.

"That's certainly true," said Grammy with a smile. "So you're Piper or Phoebe?"

"Oh, I'm sorry, Grammy," said Paige. "This is Piper and this," she wrapped her hands around Henry's forearm, "is my husband Henry. Guys, this is my grandmother, Mariella."

"Hi," said Henry a little sheepishly.

"My, you're handsome," said Grammy. "You picked a looker, Paige. Family trait of course; my John was a looker too."

"Uh, thanks," said Henry. He glanced over at Piper who glanced back with mirth in her eyes.

"Let me take your coats," said Grammy. She immediately began to help Paige out of hers. "Where is everyone else?"

"Still at the airport," said Paige. "They lost some of the luggage, so they stayed behind to fill out forms or find it or something."

"Oh dear," said Grammy. "Well I hope they find the place okay. It's a bit confusing."

"Told you," said Piper who had finally maneuvered out of her coat and was now helping Chris out of his.

"They'll be fine," said Paige again. "Phoebe's got her cell phone with her."

Grammy began to hang up the coats in the hall closet and Paige assisted her. Once they were done, Grammy turned and did what Paige supposed she had been holding off on doing for as long as she could: held out her arms towards Chris. "Now who's going to introduce me to these little darlings?" asked Grammy. She scooped Chris away from Piper before Piper could say anything and Paige was pleased that Piper's look of annoyance was only fleeting.

"Well that's Chris," said Piper.

"He's adorable," said Grammy. "How old?"

"He just turned two."

"Quite the young man then," said Grammy. She turned her attention to Wyatt who Henry had put down to take off his coat. Wyatt wrapped an arm around Piper's leg nervously. "And this little gentleman?"

"This is Wyatt," said Piper, laying a hand on Wyatt's head. "He's almost four."

Grammy faltered for a moment, as though she had been caught unaware. "Wyatt. What an interesting name. You don't hear that too often."

"He's named after Leo, Grammy," said Paige after a moment. "Piper's husband, Leo Wyatt. I thought I told you that."

Grammy looked down at Chris, the blood draining from her face. "No. You never told me that, Paige," she said. She pushed Chris back into Piper's arms. "If you'll excuse me," she said. "I have a lot to get ready for dinner."

"Do you want any help?" offered Piper, obviously trying to distill the sudden tension. She glanced at Paige anxiously.

"No thank you, dear. I'll just be…" Grammy gestured down the hall towards the kitchen and walked away without another word.

"Okay…" said Paige as soon as Grammy was out of earshot. "Well that was bizarre."

"You don't think…" said Piper nervously. She shook her head. "No. That's crazy."

"What?" asked Paige and Henry at the same time. Paige smiled at that, in spite of the situation.

"I was just going to say, you don't think she knows Leo, do you? I mean from before he died."

"No!" said Paige. Denial seemed instinctive. "I mean, she couldn't, could she?"

"She certainly reacted to the name," said Henry astutely.

"How old is she?" asked Piper.

"Eighty-four," said Paige. "I mean, yeah she was alive then. And she was living in San Francisco, but… No. You don't think?"

"I really hope not," said Piper, shifting Chris' weight to her other side. "Or we're going to have a problem when Leo gets here."

Paige groaned and then shook her head. "No," she said. "It would be too big of a coincidence. I don't believe it."

"I thought you guys didn't believe in coincidences. I thought everything was fate," said Henry.

"Well I believe in them right now," said Paige stubbornly. "We're just blowing this all out of proportion. It's nothing. Grammy's just old and frail and tired, that's all."

Henry shrugged; Piper bit her lip anxiously. "Look," said Paige. "Let's just get the luggage in here and then go on a walk. Cool our heads."

"All right," said Henry, sounding pleased. Piper, however, shook her head.

"You guys go," she said. "I've got to get the boys down for a nap. And I'll stick around in case Phoebe calls for directions."

"Are you sure?" asked Paige.

"Yeah," said Piper. "Go. I'll be fine."

Paige raised an eyebrow; she had a feeling Piper was going to do some snooping and Paige wasn't sure she approved. She had no way of proving it or preventing it, though, so instead she just nodded. "I'll go tell Grammy what's going on," she said.

Paige just wished she knew what was going on with Grammy.