AN: Hey guys! As promised, I'm trying not to let huge gaps of time pass before an update. Truthfully, this fic is a big mystery to me. I have no clue where I'm going with it, or how or when it will end. I feel like this could be a long one. There are so many characters and so much to flesh out.
So hopefully, as I muddle my way through, it does not end up boring you all more than anything! And suggestions are welcome! I always take the ideas of readers into consideration – some of my best chapters have come out of a reader saying "Will XYZ happen anytime soon?" So if you have any fun advice or idea, let me know!
Guest: Mmmm... CharmedOpal? Did you just not log in? Lol. No, no handbag beating! – Hides!. – Honestly, several years back, when I first began writing fanfic, my cliffhangers were so evil, I had lines of people wanting to strangle me. So, I guess being beaten by a handbag isn't so bad... Haha.
Lizardmomma: Same! I did toy with the idea of Corrine full-out blowing up on Becca. Just screaming until she couldn't scream anymore, and she burst into tears so Becca just felt bad for her. But the way I ended up doing it felt more real for the characters. Because at the end of the day, Corrine is the "big sister" of the group, and she needs to stay strong for everyone – though she's kind of playing Piper's role from the original script in Charmed Again and taking Prue's loss hard. So we'll see how it all plays out as time goes on.
Okay, so here's this chapter. I hope you enjoy! I've already got my idea for the next chapter, so I'll be writing that as you're reading this (hopefully)! And it should be posted by tomorrow. So, enjoy!
(PS: Don't let this first opening paragraph confuse you. Piper says it's barely been a week since Prue, but that's in general; only a few hours have passed since Chapter 11)
...
"They'll be okay."
Piper glanced up at Phoebe, doubt in her expression. "I hope you're right... This isn't easy, for any of us." She looked down, rubbing her temples and wincing. It had barely been a week since Prue had died... She couldn't believe it had only been a week, and yet it felt like forever ago since her big sister had last stood in the kitchen, smiling over a cup of freshly brewed coffee; or since she had rushed out the front door, refusing to be late to work, and promising to try to make it home for dinner.
Piper blinked back tears. "The girls will be okay," she parroted Phoebe, her voice flat. She glanced up at her sister. "But will we?"
Phoebe frowned, sitting beside Piper. She played with Piper's hair, absently, as she asked, "What do you mean?"
"I mean," Piper began with a sigh, "So much has happened, so quickly. I feel like we haven't had a chance to mourn Prue. I feel like I've kept it all bottled in, and any minute, it's just going to explode."
"Sweetie, we lost our sister," Phoebe soothed. "Nothing will ever make that okay."
"We have to be strong for the girls," Piper interrupted, glancing at Phoebe through tears in her eyes. "But what if we can't be strong much longer? What if we can't hold it back? What will they think? And Corrine..."
Phoebe embraced Piper in a tight, comforting hug. "Piper, we need to mourn Prue. But we also need to remember the good times, keep her alive in our memories."
Piper nodded, sniffling.
"And the girls need to know," Phoebe added, "that it's okay to cry, and to miss her. We need to remind them of that, too."
Piper nodded, her lip quivering. She couldn't hold it back any longer; she cried, and Phoebe held her and let silent tears escape.
...
"Well..." Piper swiped a tissue under her eyes. "Now that that's out of my system..." For now, she thought. "We should check on the girls and Paige."
"Where is Paige?" Phoebe questioned, realizing for the first time that their half-sister had disappeared on them shortly after Leo had explained that Corrine, Melinda, Katelyn, and Rebecca were the next generation of Halliwell Witches – The Power of Four. When the Charmed Ones were done fulfilling their destiny, and the Cousins came into their powers, they would take over the fight against evil. They would be just as strong, if not stronger than the Charmed Ones. It was their destiny.
Paige had not taken this information kindly. It was one thing for her to find out that she was a Charmed One, and she had to fight with her newly discovered sisters. But to know that her daughter would have to deal with this, too? It had proved to be information overload, and Paige had insisted she needed air. She had left the room, and not come back. That was now over an hour ago.
Piper shrugged. "She could be upstairs with Becca. Or, trying to convince Becca to come out of Katelyn's room."
"Speaking of," Phoebe said with a frown, "where are Corrine, Melinda, and Katelyn?"
It seemed as though everyone had disappeared on them. Phoebe wondered if it wasn't for the better; She and Piper had barely had two minutes alone, time they needed to mourn Prue and gather themselves. At the same time, a quiet Manor was never a good thing.
"We better go look." Piper stood, giving Phoebe a hand up.
Just as they made their way to the stairs, Melinda and Katelyn came around the corner and headed down.
"We were just coming to look for you guys," Phoebe commented.
"We were checking on Corrine and Rebecca," Melinda replied. "They need to know about that whole Power of Four thing." She seemed unsettled by the information, and did her best to avoid looking Piper or Phoebe in the eye.
"They locked themselves in Corrine's room," Katelyn informed them. "They won't let us in. No clue what they're talking about. But at least my room is finally free."
Piper and Phoebe exchanged concerned glances. It was good that Corrine had convinced Rebecca to come out of Katelyn's room, but what could they possibly be discussing, locked in Corrine's room now?
"And have you seen Paige?" Piper questioned her daughter and niece.
"I think she's in the attic, looking at the Book of Shadows," Melinda replied, finally making eye contact with her mother. "I wasn't sure if she was allowed... But I guess it's her Book, too, right?"
"Why don't you girls go order some take-out for dinner?" Phoebe suggested, after a quick glance at Piper. "Pick whatever, my purse is on the table in the sunroom. We'll go check on everyone."
Melinda and Katelyn nodded and watched Piper and Phoebe disappear upstairs.
...
"I feel like an intruder," Rebecca admitted. "You lost your mom, and here my mom and I are, getting in the way of it all."
Corrine shrugged, blinking back tears; ever the big sister type, she felt the need to put on a brave face for her younger cousin. "It isn't your fault. I shouldn't have gotten so angry before. It was just the idea of someone coming and replacing my mom... But I realize now, Paige could never replace her; she's family, and she belongs here with us, you both do."
Rebecca smiled gratefully, then frowned again. "Still. We're new to the family. I feel like you haven't even had a chance to mourn her, and now you all have to deal with a new aunt and new cousin, and d-demons are already attacking because of me."
She stumbled over the word 'demons.' It was still hard to believe it, even with everything she had seen.
"Well," Corrine said, trying to smile, "welcome to the life of being a Halliwell. Demons are just the beginning."
Rebecca winced at the idea. "Have you, Melinda, and Katelyn fought many demons? Or do your Aunts fight most of them?"
Corrine shrugged. "We take on the lower-level demons and stuff. Just to practice. We're still coming into our powers, so we aren't allowed to do the hard stuff. Aunt Piper teaches us how to do potions, and Aunt Phoebe teaches us how to write kick-ass spells and, well, how to kick ass."
"And..." Rebecca hesitated. "And Prue? What did she help with?"
Corrine fought the urge to snap at Rebecca for bringing up Prue. It was the last thing she wanted to talk about. But she bit back the words.
"My mom was amazing," Corrine finally replied. "Well, I guess I'm biased and I would say that. But she really was. She was a strong witch, and a great mother. She was kind of like the leader, so she helped out with everything."
Rebecca wanted to ask more, but she felt as if she shouldn't; it was obvious Corrine didn't want to talk about it.
"I wonder what my powers are?" Rebecca mused out loud.
"Well," Corrine said, thinking it over. "You can probably orb, since Paige is half-Whitelighter. That's usually a given."
"Orb?" Rebecca asked, scrunching her nose up in confusion.
Corrine nodded. "Yeah, like transporting yourself from one place to another in just a few seconds, tops."
Rebecca pondered this for a few minutes. "It sounds cool, but I think I'll stick to the easy stuff for now."
"What? Scared?" Corrine teased.
"Yes," Rebecca admitted. "I might be tempted to orb into the boy's locker room, and then regret it."
Corrine couldn't help it; she burst into giggles. It was contagious, and soon Rebecca was laughing so hard, she couldn't stop.