The Elder

Henry Mitchell tried to reorganize the files on his desk, but his wife interrupted him. "What?"

"Honey, that thing with HJ…"

"Like I told you this morning, my hands are tied. If I check on this case, they'll…" pointing to the Sargent's desk," will begin to question why. We got a lot of questions when he was first born, and we were able to cover ourselves. I just can't risk this."

"Not even a name?" Paige pleaded.

"Fine! But if this gets questioned…"

A couple of clicks on the keyboard and he printed the page. He grabbed the page from the printer and shoved the paper into Paige's hand. "Happy?"

"Kimberly Clark, age 19." She kissed him on the cheek. "Thank you, Honey." She walked out of the precinct.

Paige decided to use a little magic to hide her snooping. She glamoured into an inspector that she knew worked with Henry. The last known address was an apartment complex, and she hoped the superintendent still remembered Kim after almost thirteen years.

"Hi, I'm Marla Draper, an inspector for the San Francisco Police Department. I'm looking for information about a young girl who rented here several years ago, a Kimberly Clark."

The man straightened his tie and cleared his voice. "Yes, a tragic story. That kid lost her life just after her mom died a week earlier." He sounded kind, but to Paige, he had sleazy weasel vibe to him.

"Anything else you can tell me. A Father? Other relatives…"

"Came from Ohio to pursue a career in business. She began to hang out with a rough crowd…nothing else. I tried to make her stay more comfortable but didn't appreciate my…company."

Paige swallowed slowly. She never could deal with these people daily. "Thank you…that's all I need."

Paige spent the next five hours trying to get more information on Kim. Everything turned out to be a dead end. HJ would love some information on his mother, but all the information that turned out to be from the scumbag superintendent.

She decided to go back to what she was comfortable with-magic and the book. The book also meant going through Piper, but she could risk that. Piper's and her relationship have been evolving since meeting her the first time after Prue's death. Unfortunately, she was the constant reminder that Prue was gone, and Prue's last appearance left Prue every powerful with the Nexus and the Power of Three was tested. By the end, Prue knew she didn't belong in this world, and she returned to the heavens with Grams and her mother.

Paige missed Prue. She didn't have a lot of time with her, but the idea that she was able to meet and interact with her eldest sister was a dream of hers since she found out who she really was. Prue was unlike her other sisters; she was intense all the time. Based on what Piper and Phoebe had said, it didn't seem Prue had a choice. She never had the opportunity to relax and kick back like she and her sisters were able to from time to time.

To spare Piper's nerves, she drove to the manor and entered through the door. The living room had plastic on the floor with Leo's tools and pieces of the banister scattered. To the neat freak Piper, this probably was driving her insane. But since Leo became mortal, Piper had been more flexible with Leo's work and hobbies. She knew he had given a lot to be with her and the family, and he needed to use his handyman skills.

"Hey, Leo."

"Paige, what's up?"

"Nothing, just looking something up in the book."

Leo looked concerned. "Is there something wrong?"

"No, nothing. I'm working on this HJ thing."

Leo tilted his head and frowned. "I thought you were going to work on this on the mortal side before using magic."

"I did. I did. I spent all today working on this side and got a lot of dead ends. I thought the book could direct me somewhere else. Maybe Grams could direct me or something."

"All of your answers can't be magical based. I know it's hard. I've been mortal for fifteen years, and it's still hard that I can't use magic, but it's getting easier. I've had to rely on my own abilities and the resources I have here before I turn to magic."

"I know. I know. I will go back to the grind after I check the book, okay?"

"Don't be disappointed if nothing comes out of it."

To avoid the mess, she orbed to the attic and found the Book of Shadows. She began to flip the pages to Grams' page. "Grams, need your help. I need to help HJ, but I don't know where to turn—please help your Great Grandson."

An orb of lights came into the room. Paige immediately thought it was Grams answering her call, but it was an Elder. She didn't trust Elders; they had played too many games with her and her sisters.

"Hello, Paige."

"Not the person I was calling for."

"We know. We want to give you some information on the girl."

"How did you-never mind—"Paige took a deep breath. "Okay, what would you like to share?"

"Kimberly Clark was slated to be a future whitelighter, but her destiny changed after her choices became more dangerous. After she died, we decided to place her somewhere so she could work on her issues and be ready to be a whitelighter later."

"That's the reason why I couldn't contact her?"

"Correct. I'm afraid it will be difficult to contact her now."

"Why?"

"She's in purgatory."

"Purgatory." Purgatory was a place she had read in mythology. She didn't think it was a real place. She didn't know much about the real one and wanted to reach for the book.

"Be careful, Paige. The rules are different there. It's risky to think about going, let alone returning. Even the Power of Three may not be successful. You might have to save yourself before saving someone else." The Elder disappeared.

"PIPER! PHOEBE! LEO!"