Their unique circle of witches and Darklighter reappeared in the conservatory of Halliwell Manor. Blake actually had to squint to adjust her eyes to the sheer sunlight that was pouring in through the large open windows. This house was the exact opposite of her own. Everything was bright and open. The walls and furniture were stark white, yet everything was still kept clean and tidy. Blake couldn't help but wonder how much money this family must have behind them.

"So I've got a question," said Phoebe, breaking Blake out of her almost reverie. "How come you didn't freeze under Piper's power earlier?"

Blake regarded her uncertainly. "What do you mean?"

"The pot that you threw at us," Piper explained. "When I froze it, you should have frozen too."

"Oh. I'm sorry, I don't know," Blake confessed. "I've never met anyone with a power like that before."

"It was strange," Paige agreed. "It's worked on every other Darklighter we've come across."

"Oh, well, I..." Blake hesitated, unsure of how much she should share about herself. But the sisters were all watching her now curiously. And she couldn't deny that they'd given her the benefit of the doubt when nobody else would have. "I'm not actually a full Darklighter... My mom was a witch. Maybe that's why?"

"You're right. My power doesn't work on witches," Piper confirmed, suddenly sounding more interested. She sank onto one of the couches and gestured for Blake to do the same. "That also makes sense why you're not like other Darklighters. You must follow your witch side."

Blake shrugged and awkwardly perched herself on the edge of an armchair, very aware of the pristine piece of furniture beneath her dusty clothes. "I guess so. I don't really follow my mom in particular though. She wasn't a very good witch..."

"What was her name?" Phoebe asked, just as interested as Piper.

"Patience Wicker."

"Huh, another P," Paige commented.

"Not one I've heard of though," said Piper. "I guess there are still lines of witches that we don't know about... Do you remember your grandmother?"

Blake shook her head. "I never met her, but her name was Priscilla... Tracey, I think?"

"Hmm... I can't say I've heard of her either, but it's definitely the same pattern," Piper mused.

"Pattern?" Blake repeated, making it a question.

"Family tradition," Phoebe explained. "Every girl in our family has a name beginning with P."

"Oh..." Blake then realised what that meant they were considering. "Wait, you think we might be related?"

"It's a possibility," said Piper. "A lot of witches are related to one another somewhere down the line - that's probably how the magic stays strong. But the ones in your family don't sound familiar."

"Do you know of anyone further back?" Paige asked.

Blake frowned in concentration, trying to remember the old forgotten family tree that she'd found amongst her mother's things as a child. She'd certainly looked at it enough in the past, wondering if there had ever been any good witches somewhere back along her ancestry. "I don't know the first name of my great-grandmother... All that was written on our family tree was P. Bowen."

"Bowen?" Phoebe echoed, the name finally striking a chord of familiarity. "Hey, that was Prue's name in the past!"

"But according to our family tree, P. Bowen never married," Piper pointed out.

"It says on ours that she did. To somebody called Miller. I think," said Blake. She felt excited for the first time since she could even remember. That meant that these witches were related to her - they had to be if they had the same name on their family tree. They even followed the same naming pattern. Maybe there was some good in her family after all. "So we really are related. Aren't we?"

"Very distantly," replied Phoebe. "It would make your great-grandmother our great-grandmother's... cousin? I think? I wouldn't even know what label to put on that."

But Blake didn't care about labels. Somewhere along the line, these witches had the same blood as her. And they certainly didn't seem like bad people. For the last few years, one of Blake's biggest fears had been that she'd end up turning evil and becoming just like her parents. The idea still plagued her nightmares every night. But maybe now, she could still have hope.

"So that means there's a whole branch missing from our family tree," said Piper. The revelation didn't seem to be as surprising to the Halliwells. Blake guessed that they'd probably already come across plenty of other witches in their lives. And like Piper had said, most witches were related in some way.

"Well, it's never been entirely accurate, has it?" Phoebe added. "Paige wasn't even added to it until recently."

"We could always ask Leo to help us get it updated again," Paige suggested.

"No," Piper replied a little too quickly. "He's an Elder; I'm not going to bother him with something small like that. We'll do the research and we can fix it ourselves."

"You're gonna have to start seeing him more, Piper," Phoebe said gently. "He really has been trying lately. And you know we're going to have to ask him for advice right now anyway."

"I know, I know," Piper sighed. She turned back to Blake, who seemed a little awkward by the turn in conversation. "Sorry. Our family's a bit of a dysfunctional one."

"That's okay," said Blake quickly. She definitely knew a lot about dysfunctional families. "Um, our family tree should still be back at the house. I can get it for you if it'll help you with updating yours?"

Piper's expression softened slightly, touched by the simple gesture. The young Darklighter seemed like a completely different person now that she was away from the house. More uplifted. More normal. It was, of course, still very early days, but she had a feeling that Phoebe may have been right about Blake not having a bad bone in her body. Still, baby steps... Though she was empathetic enough to feel sympathy for her, Piper still knew better than to trust so easily.

"Thanks, but it's nothing urgent," she assured. "Right now, our priority is figuring out what we're going to do with you. I'm guessing you don't have a job or much money of your own?"

Blake shook her head. "I barely have anything. There wasn't even electricity or hot water at the house."

"Is the house under your name?" Phoebe questioned. "If we can find you a temporary place to stay, then you could get it put up for sale. It may need one heck of a cleaning job, but it's a big house - real estate are sure to snap it up."

But Blake suddenly started shaking her head more frantically. "I can't. I can't risk mortals living there. Demons still turn up there even now. It was my family home - people believe my parents still live there."

"What happened to them?" Phoebe asked, pressing to know more about the Darklighter's background.

"I don't know," Blake confessed. "I ran away when I was little. I only went back a few years ago, but by then, they'd both disappeared and the house was empty. I haven't seen them since the day I first left."

"Why would you go back if you ran away in the first place?" asked Paige.

"Because I didn't have anywhere else to go," said Blake simply. "I don't remember a whole lot from back then... But apparently, a couple found me wandering around and got in touch with social services. The same couple then came back one day to foster me themselves. I went to live with their family. But..."

"But you weren't happy?" Piper guessed.

"No, I mean, yes, of course I was happy! I practically grew up with them - it's the only time I remember actually being happy..." Blake trailed off wistfully. "But as I got older, demons started to show up more and more. I don't know if my parents sent them or if they could somehow find me because I'm a Darklighter, but I couldn't risk anyone hurting my foster family. And I was scared what they'd think if they learnt the truth, so... I left. When I was eighteen. I went back to my parents' old home, because I didn't know where else to go. Nowhere else where I wouldn't put other mortals at risk."

"So that's why you've been there on your own all this time," Phoebe said slowly. "You didn't want to put anyone else in danger."

Blake nodded. "I can't change who I am, but I can at least stop it from affecting anyone else."

It was that which cemented Piper's decision. "Well, you won't have to worry about being alone anymore - you can stay here. At least until we can find you somewhere safe of your own."

Though she'd insisted earlier that she didn't want Blake in the house, Piper couldn't help but feel that maybe this was actually the best place for her. For now anyway. Unwanted visits from demons weren't exactly uncommon here. They could use crystals and have vanquishing potions at the ready to hopefully deter at least some of them. Wyatt had his force-field and there would be three witches and one, maybe two Whitelighters around - if she could swallow down some of the issues caused by her and Leo's divorce - to keep an eye on Blake until they were certain that she could be trusted.

Plus having a Darklighter on their side could certainly be beneficial in their aim to cross off any other potential threats to Wyatt. And if Blake really did turn out to have no interest in evil, like she said she did, then Piper didn't want to think that she hadn't done everything she could to help an innocent.

Blake's eyes widened in disbelief. "What?"

"There's a spare room at the club I run that you could maybe use later on," Piper continued, already formulating ideas. "But I'm guessing you won't want to be around lots of people yet if demons are still following you?"

Blake quickly shook her head. "No, I..."

"Maybe we could check the Book of Shadows and see if there's some sort of cloaking spell we could use," Phoebe suggested.

"Yeah, if there was a way to mask her signature, then no demons would be able to find her," Paige jumped in.

"Exactly what I was thinking," agreed Piper. "And if we do find something that works, then we could also maybe look at getting her a job somewhere..."

"Wait, wait!" Blake interrupted, recapturing their attention. "I'm grateful for the offer, but I'm sorry; I just can't stay here. In fact, I'm beginning to think that maybe I should just go back to the house after all."

"What are you talking about?" Paige frowned.

"I was a fool to think I could ever get away from there." Blake dropped her gaze to the immaculate white floor. "I really am grateful - you have no idea how much it means that you actually want to help me - but don't you get it? I can't be around people; it's just too dangerous. Even you. I can't repay you for your kindness by bringing danger to your home."

"Hence looking for a cloaking spell," Paige pointed out.

But Blake was shaking her head again. "But what happens until then? Or what if you can't find a spell like that? I'm sorry, but I should leave. Every second I'm here is a risk to your family."

"Oh, that's a new one; having our family at risk," Piper cut in pointedly. When Blake stared at her, confused, she added, "We fight demons almost every day, including in our own home. I'm sure that your presence won't make a largely noticeable difference to that."

Blake was taken aback by that. It wasn't an argument she'd expected. "Really?"

"Yeah, we're the Charmed Ones," Phoebe joined in. "It's kinda part of the package."

"The Charmed Ones?" Blake repeated in surprise. She'd heard of them before. Who hadn't? They were infamous amongst the magical world - to both good and bad alike.

"I take it you've heard of us," Piper guessed.

Of course, their stature didn't matter to Blake. What mattered was that they were willing to allow her into their home, in spite of the prejudice that she usually faced. "I have heard of your greatness, but of your goodness, I never knew," she quoted lightly.

"Hey, Harry Potter," Paige commented, recognising the quote.

"That's right!" For the first time, Blake actually smiled. The difference was quite astonishing - it lit up her entire face as that smile shone through all the dirt and dust.

"So as you can see, your being here won't put us in anymore danger than usual," Piper concluded. "And if any demons do turn up, I'm sure it'll help in having an extra set of powers to get rid of them."

"Yes, of course! I'll help. I'll help in any way I can," Blake insisted immediately. She realised then that this was it. She was out of that horrible house and she'd never have to live there again. And, even more amazingly, she wasn't alone anymore either. There were absolutely no words to express her gratitude and she found herself bowing her head to the Halliwells. "Thank you. Thank you so much. I'll do whatever I can for you."

Piper managed to keep the smile from her face. It seemed almost impossible to believe that this girl was actually a Darklighter, but even though she'd agreed to help, she couldn't let herself get completely taken in without knowing for certain that Blake could be trusted. "I'm glad to hear, because we are going to have to lay down some restrictions."

"Of course," Blake replied earnestly, still unable to believe this phenomenal hand of fate that she'd finally been dealt. "Anything."

"Well, firstly you have to understand that although we're allowing you to stay here, it doesn't mean that we trust you," Piper pointed out. "It's nothing personal, but we've been burned in the past - including by Darklighters - so we just have to be careful."

Blake nodded solemnly, trying not to look upset by that. She had to accept that she was part Darklighter and that she'd always be judged for it, no matter how nice some people might be. Plus it was a small price to pay in response for what they were giving her. "I understand."

"So we won't be leaving you in the manor unsupervised at any time," Piper continued. "The three of us have jobs, so we can't always be here, but if we aren't, then one of our Whitelighters will be."

Blake felt like one of those nodding dogs that her foster mother had used to have on the dash of her car. The idea of supervision didn't matter to her. If anything, at least it would mean she'd have company. Something she hadn't had for a long time. "Of course. That's fine."

"Also I have a one-year-old son," Piper added. "His name's Wyatt and I don't think I need to iterate how important he is to me. Under no circumstances are you to go anywhere near him without supervision."

"Got it," Blake agreed readily. She'd never had anything to do with babies before, so that was fine with her.

"And... I guess that's all," said Piper.

"...That's it?" Blake asked, surprised. She wasn't sure what she'd expected to hear, but she'd at least thought they'd come down on her much stricter than that. That she was only allowed downstairs or that she couldn't leave a room after a certain time... Something like that.

Piper looked amused. "I can give you a curfew if you'd like? Did you think I was going to give you a list of chores or something?"

"I don't know," Blake admitted. "But I'd be happy to do chores for you."

"God, no, we don't run that tight a ship," Piper laughed. "We're lucky if the manor even stays clean!"

From the current condition of the conservatory at least, Blake found that hard to believe. "I think your house is wonderful." Once again, she was very aware of getting dust on the lovely furniture. "Um. Well, it probably was before I showed up anyway..."

Piper looked sympathetic. "Paige, why don't you and Phoebe go with Blake back to her old house to help her collect her belongings? I'm assuming she'll have clothes and things that she'll need. Then show her where the bathroom is so she can wash up."

"Good idea," Paige enthused. "We'll give you a grand tour too."

Blake looked to Piper, as if she was asking if that was okay. Piper seemed to be the one who ran the house more - Blake was guessing that she must be the oldest sister - and since she had a young child, she was easily the one with the most reason to distrust her. Blake found that she wanted to earn that trust, at least some day.

Piper seemed to understand her unspoken question. "It'll only be a temporary thing for you to stay here, but still feel free to make yourself at home in the meantime."

Home. The word had become so foreign to Blake's ears that it would have been as dusty as her if it had had its own substance. It sent a delicious tingle down her spine. The manor wasn't actually going to be her home as much as temporary lodgings, but it was still that stepping stone that she'd so sorely needed for the last few years.

"What about you?" Phoebe asked their older sister. "You're not gonna come too?"

"No, I'm gonna see how Wyatt's doing," replied Piper. "Maybe make the most of spending some time together whilst things are still fairly quiet."

"Together, huh?" Paige caught on. Leo had come to collect Wyatt for the day earlier that morning. Maybe it wasn't just her son who Piper suddenly wanted to spend some quality time with.

"Yeah, yeah. Let's not make a big deal out of this, okay?" Piper dismissed the comment.

Since their divorce, Piper had tried to avoid seeing Leo whenever she could help it. Something which certainly wasn't helped by Leo's more recent attempts to try and reconcile some of what they'd lost. She'd thought it would be easier on Leo and his being away from home if they didn't keep blurring the lines between them, but apparently her ex husband wasn't in the same mind. Not anymore anyway.

And after hearing just a little of Blake's disastrous family life, Piper was suddenly feeling the need to try and make amends with her own.

"No deal at all," Phoebe agreed happily, eager to see that her sister may have changed her mind after all. "You go. And we'll go. Give Wyatt a big kiss from his Aunt Phoebe."

Piper confirmed that she would before migrating to the kitchen. Blake heard her soft call of, "Leo!" as the door was closing behind her. She was curious to follow, never having met a Whitelighter before, but Paige lightly touched her shoulder - her other hand already linked with Phoebe's. "Ready?"

Blake turned away from the kitchen door. "Ready."

They orbed out together - Blake disappearing into a swirl of black lights, Paige and Phoebe into white. They appeared back in the abandoned house in the same upstairs room that they'd found Blake in before. Blake retrieved a large duffel bag from inside the bottom of the broken wardrobe - the same one that she'd used when she'd left this house the first time - and quickly stuffed it with a meagre selection of clothes that hadn't fared much better from the dust. Paige and Phoebe realised that this dingy room must have once been her bedroom.

They jumped in to help as she moved on to add several tatty books, a ring-binder, an outdated MP3 player and a mains charger that was so beaten up that half of the wire was showing through tears in the casing. Even after adding the final item - a patchwork teddy bear that looked pristine compared to everything else she owned - her bag was still pitifully empty.

"Cute," Paige commented as she packed the teddy bear, not sure what else to say about the Darklighter's lack of personal belongings.

Blake gave her a small, sheepish smile. "I'm not really a fan of teddy bears, but my foster parents bought me this when I was eleven, so I always kept it. I couldn't bear to leave it behind. It's the same with my books - they're all from my foster family too."

Paige couldn't help but notice that Blake kept referring to them as her 'foster family'. She'd been fostered too when she was young, but she'd always accepted her adoptive parents as family. She wondered why Blake didn't seem to, but she didn't ask. It was too personal a question. Maybe another time.

However, Blake seemed to notice that Paige was watching her oddly. "What is it?" she asked uncertainly.

Oh well, or now could be as good a time as any. "I just noticed that you keep referring to them as your foster family," Paige said hesitantly. "I was wondering if you ever called them just family?"

Blake looked surprised by the question. She took several moments to answer. "It's not that I didn't accept them or anything... They felt more like my real family than my actual parents ever did. I told myself that I was part of their family. I even took their name - Rodriguez isn't actually mine. But I just knew that I'd always be so different to them. I'd never be normal, no matter how much I wanted it."

Blake hadn't meant to go into quite so much detail, but the words and emotions just seemed to keep spilling out before she could stop them. "I guess I was just scared to let them know the real me. I was afraid of what they'd think if they knew the whole truth. I never meant to keep them at a distance. It just sort of happened."

Paige listened to every word solemnly. When she laid a hand on Blake's shoulder again, it was much more firmly than before. "If it's any consolation, I think that's just a natural feeling for anyone who's fostered, not just a unique Darklighter like yourself. Sometimes distancing yourself is just easier than accepting."

"But you don't have to worry about that with us," Phoebe added gently. It wasn't just Blake's words that she'd heard - it was her feelings too. And feelings that deep just couldn't be faked in any way. "If anyone's abnormal, we are."

"Yeah, you'll fit right in with our family," Paige teased lightly.

They were trying to cheer her up. Blake couldn't remember the last time somebody had tried to cheer her up. Flashes of memory flickered through her mind as she tried to recall that feeling. Sophie Grennan calling her a freaky Goth kid in the lunch hall, sulking outside the school gates by herself, Pauli insisting he'd steal one of the frogs from the biology lab and put it in Sophie's locker as revenge, Joey promising to detour them to KFC on the way home, but that they couldn't tell Ma or she'd scold them for spoiling their dinner...

Blake actually managed a small laugh. The memory made her happy yet sad all at the same time. But it did help her realise one thing. She'd been a fool to think she'd always been alone. She'd had a family that had genuinely cared about her. And now she had these sisters - these kind-hearted sisters who knew exactly what she was, yet they were still willing to look past that and take her under their wing. What right did she have to complain?

She turned the laugh into a bold smile and faced both sisters. "Sounds good to me. I'm ready - let's go."