Disclaimer: I still don't own Charmed. Darn!

A/n: Sorry, this is a very short chapter, but it's also the real catalyst to the next part of the story, so hopefully it's good. I have the next five chapters or so written already, so updates should be quicker. In fact, I plan to update this when I get home from work tonight, so look for chapter seven to be up around midnight (eastern time) or so.

Also (as a shameless plug), please check out my new story "What's in a Name?" It's just a bit of Charmed fun that I wrote on a whim, but I think it's enjoyable. That story will be updated nightly, so there will be no long waits!

Thank you all for the feedback! I hope you continue to enjoy the story.

Katie

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

Six: The Truth

Mariella had done nothing to begin dinner after she fled to the kitchen. She'd been sitting at the kitchen table when Paige came in to announce that she and Henry were going on a walk, and she was still sitting at the table when the door opened again nearly a half hour later. Piper walked into the kitchen, took one look at Mariella's face and immediately seemed to change her mind about her decision to enter the kitchen. Mariella couldn't quite blame her.

"Oh—uh—sorry," said Piper. She put up her hands in a placating gesture, as though Mariella was going to attack her. "I just needed to…uh… You know what? I'll just get it later. Sorry."

For some reason, Mariella called out, "Wait, Piper." Perhaps she knew that if she didn't speak now, she would never. Perhaps she just felt guilty about the way she had reacted earlier. She honestly wasn't sure.

"I'm sorry for the way I acted earlier. I know it must have seemed crazy."

Piper relaxed slightly. "It's okay," she said. "I…well, I can't say I understand, but I'm sure there's a perfectly good reason. I mean—"

"It was my brother's name," Mariella said abruptly. She knew that it was rude to interrupt, but Piper sounded as though she might go on for awhile. When Mariella looked up, however, Piper looked as though she had seen a ghost; all of the color had drained from her face.

"Oh?" said Piper. The word came out as a squeak.

"He died," said Mariella. "Years ago. During the war. Of course the names are just a coincidence, but it threw me for a moment. You understand, right? I mean, Paige told me about your sister."

"I…" said Piper; her voice sounded strangled. "I need to sit down." Piper crossed the room to a chair across from Mariella and collapsed into it looking faint.

"Oh dear," said Mariella. She hadn't meant to upset Piper so. She knew how hard it was to lose a sibling; she had lost her brother over sixty years ago and she still missed him. Of course Piper must feel similarly, and for her the wound was more recent. "I'm so sorry," she said.

Piper shook her head jerkily. "Don't apologize," she said. "You didn't do anything wrong." She laughed, but the sound was high-strung and anxious. "If you really knew…"

"What is it?" asked Mariella. She couldn't help herself. She'd always been curious.

Several times, Piper opened and closed her mouth, clearly trying to decide what to say. Or how to say it; Mariella wasn't sure. Then, to Mariella's disappointment, Piper said, "Would you tell me a little bit about your father?" which was clearly not any version of the truth.

"My father?" asked Mariella. "Why? What's going on?"

Piper shut her eyes for a moment. "Never mind," she said. She sighed loudly and looked Mariella directly in the eye. "I want to tell you something, but I'm going to sound crazy. And if I tell you this one thing, I'll have to tell you something else. It's a whole can of worms that could ruin everything. Not that it matters." Piper laughed again and it sounded even more hysterical. "You're going to find out everything as soon as they get back from the airport."

Mariella's stomach dropped. She suddenly felt as anxious as Piper sounded. What was the big secret? Somehow, she thought that she couldn't even begin to imagine the truth. "What is going on?" she asked again.

"I… It's crazy. I don't even want to believe it."

"Believe what?" she asked harshly. She was tired of dancing around the subject and she wanted a straight answer, however horrible it was. Judging by Piper's face, she understood Mariella's impatience.

"I think," said Piper slowly. "I think that you're my sister-in-law."