[Author's Note: I've cleaned up the Warren lineage and their powers a little to make this story possible.]
June 23, 1930 - Boston, Massachusetts
"Gordon! I am about to have this child, there is no time to go to the hospital!" She yelled from the bed covered in lush silk bedding.
"Paula, don't worry the doctor is on his way. I was able to get a hold of him using the hotel's lobby phone." Gordon said as he rushed back into their hotel room. He sat next to his wife's side and tried to relax her by running his hand over her head.
Paula snorted and said, "I swear, this will teach us to take a romantic weekend away. Thankfully...AHH!"
Another incredibly painful contraction hit Paula. She had talked to her doctor every month since finding out she was pregnant. It had been a rough few years. First the hole mess with Anton and her late cousin Pearl, then the raid on the Manor from those pesky police, and of course the various demons and warlocks who either tried to kill her or take the power of the Nexus.
"Shhh...It'll be alright." Gordon said as he soothed her, "Yes, thankfully Phoebe was willing to reschedule her gala and watch over the Manor for us."
"Phoebe is always there and ready to take on the evils. I truly think she enjoys it." she said as she grunted through another contraction.
Gordon laughed and said, "You enjoy it to, just not as much."
"True. And if not for my potions she would have run out of cold air to blow years ago."
The night continued much like this, the two of them joking and laughing through the pain. Her doctor finally did arrive after another hour. Once he assessed the situation, he was very concerned. It became obvious that her child was breech. As they were not in the hospital he did the best he could. After a long while, many screams, and a lot of blood, the baby was out. Paula however wasn't faring very well.
"I'm sorry Mr. Johnson, but there has been a lot of damage, we're going to need to get her to the hospital as soon as possible. Otherwise I'm not sure she'll survive." The doctor said as he dried his hands.
Gordon was stunned. He wasn't ready to loose Paula. There had to be another solution, and he may have one.
"Can I see her?" he asked the doctor.
The doctor smiled and said, "Yes, of course. The ambulance should be here in twenty minutes."
He nodded to the doctor and walked from the living room to the bedroom in the hotel suit. He had an idea and he only prayed that it would work. When he opened the door to the bedroom, he saw Paula. She was laying comfortably on the bed...the bed covered in blood from the operation. In her arms was the sleeping infant, his daughter.
"Hello darling." Paula said.
"Hello moonbeam." Gordon said.
The two stared at one another intensely for a moment, neither wanting to say what lingered in the air. After Paula gave a shallow cough, Gordon knew there wasn't any time to waste.
"Paula, we need to get you better." He said flatly.
She looked up at him tiredly but slightly amused, "Yes, that is a good idea. I think..." she fought sleep then continued, "...the doctor has called an ambulance."
"No, that's not enough. We need to get you help now. We need magic."
Paula's eyes grew wide and said, "No, that's not allowed. Magic for personal gain only brings problems."
Gordon furrowed his brows and said, "Not if you're healed. You know it's an exception to the rule."
"Gordon, I don't know, it still may not be allowed." Paula said as the exhaustion became worse.
"Yes, but sweetheart, if we don't try...I'm afraid of what might happen." He paused to kiss her forehead, then said, "Please, call for her."
Paula shifted a little and tried to regain her strength, holding tightly onto her sleeping daughter. She cleared her throat and said as firmly as she could, "Jo Anne! Jo Anne I...need you!"
A moment later a shower of angelic blue and white lights danced down from the ceiling of the bedroom. They quickly formed into the form of a plain, unassuming woman in her early 40s. She was dressed simply and could have been mistaken for a school teacher.
"Oh Paula!" Jo Anne said as she took in the scene.
Gordon didn't waste a moment as he said, "Can you heal her?"
Jo Anne looked to him and said, "Gordon, she wasn't harmed by evil you know the rules for..."
"Damn the rules!" Gordon shouted. That only caused his new daughter to scream in her mother's arms. "Paula has done so much for your bosses! She vanquished countless demons, created potions for anyone who needed them, and ended the threat of Pear and Anton!"
"Gordon..." Pear said softly.
"I can't lose her. Our daughter can't lose her." Gordon whispered.
Jo Anne gave a small smile and said, "I'll try my best, I promise."
She sat down on the edge of the bed where the sheets were still cleaned and held her hands over Paula's abdomen. For a few breathless moments, nothing happened. Jo Anne seemed to concentrate, or say a silent prayer and close her eyes. Then, slowly the golden light from the heavens appeared. The warm glow spread over Paula, the baby, and the bed. Second by second the blood was magically erased from the bedding and Paula appeared to get stronger. Soon it was as if nothing had happened other than a simple and surprisingly clean home birth.
"Thank you Jo Anne." Paula said with a broad smile looking at her friend. "I will admit that I was very scared there."
"Yes, thank you...and I'm sorry for being so aggressive." Gordon said sheepishly.
Jo Anne nodded, then placed a hand on Paula's shoulder and said, "No apologies necessary Gordon. You are a good man and Paula is lucky to have you in her life." She then softly touched the baby's face and noticed her red hair.
"She's beautiful. I'll be watching over her as well now." Jo Anne said, then she orbed out after hugging Paula.
As their newborn baby began to fuss Gordon looked concerned.
"What do we do about the ambulance and doctor? They'll want to know why you aren't in danger anymore." Gordon asked realizing they might have a problem.
Paula smiled down at their daughter and said, "Don't worry. Jo Anne left us a little memory dust."
March 20th, 1952
Penny Halliwell, nee Johnson was standing in the attic of the Manor. She was dressed in a simple paisley blouse that hid her large tummy and white capri pants. Her fingers were flicking above the large, green leather tome. With that simple action the pages of the book moved by an unseen force.
"Penny, darling what are you doing?" called the voice from the doorway.
She looked up from the book and the pages stopped flipping.
"Mother! You heard the doctor, you should be resting." Penny said as she ushered towards the middle aged woman.
Paula looked at her and couldn't help but smile. Her 22 year old daughter was a strong willed young witch. Married at age 19 and a mother at age 20, the new Matriarch of the Warren line was everything her mother could have hoped her to be.
"And I told that quack that I'm fine. You know that Jo Anne healed me." She said walking over to the Book of Shadows.
Penny rolled her eyes and said, "Yes, but even Jo Anne recommended you rest. That Grimlock knocked you down very hard. I'm going to get the potion ready and vanquish him in a few hours when Aunt Phoebe gets home."
"You darling are eight months pregnant. You are the one who should be resting, not out hunting demons." Paula said opening the book.
"Yes mother, but I'm not a China doll. I was vanquishing demons while pregnant with Patty." Penny walked behind her mother and said, "Besides, Allen is stuck at the accounting office and Patty is napping. I can make a simple potion."
Paula opened the book to the Grimlock's page and began writing down the potion recipe. She sighed and said, "Grimlocks go after children to steal their sight. You're better off staying here and protecting Patty. Your power is stronger than mine."
Penny snatched the potion from her mother's grasp and said, "Yes, and as my power is stronger than yours I should face the Grimlocks. You and your potions are more than enough to protect Patty. Plus, Aunt Phoebe will be home soon. If things get too hot she can help." And with that Penny Halliwell walked out the attic door and headed to the kitchen.
Paula looked up to the ceiling and said, "Gordon, that girl is too much at times" and followed her daughter to the kitchen.
Four hours later and the sun had completely fallen into the night. Penny Halliwell burst through the manor's door calling for her whitelighter.
"Jo Anne! I need your help. Please!" Penny called stumbling to the couch.
Her mother and aunt came running into the living room. Both of them with faces stricken in fear.
"Darling, what happened!" Aunt Phoebe called out as her mother sat beside her.
She held her stomach and said with a wince, "Grimlocks are vanquished, but they didn't go without a fight." She moaned in pain and said, "I think, I think I'm in labor."
"Jo Anne hurry!" Paula called out.
Within a moment, the whitelighter in question orbed into the room.
"I'm sorry the Elders held me in a meeting about the Grim...what happened?" Jo Anne asked seriously.
Paula rolled her eyes and said, "My daughter is in labor Jo Anne! Those damn Grimlocks hurt her and now she's in labor early."
Another contraction hit and Penny screamed out. The frequency was increasing and she knew it. This was all too soon.
Phoebe took charge at that moment. "We need to get to the hospital, now." She paused then looked to her cousin and said, "Paula, call Janice to watch over Patty. Jo Anne, we'll need you to orb us to the hospital. It'll be faster than me driving us all there."
Jo Anne looked uncomfortable. She had bent the rules a few times in the course of working with the Warren witches. Nothing too serious, but it was something that she wasn't too proud of. However, The Elders haven't made a big fuss about it. Each time she did, like healing Paula when Penny was born, giving her the memory dust, or orbing the witches to/from a vanquish all served a greater purpose. This would be no different than any other time that the Warren witches did what needed to be done, despite the rules.
She nodded and said, "Of course."
"We should try and call Allen, he deserves to be there." Penny said as she tried to get comfortable.
Ten minutes later the doors to the manor opened and in walked Janice Halliwell, older sister to Allen Halliwell. The woman was stunning with pale skin, green eyes and raven black hair. She wore a smart black pencil skirt and a white blouse.
"Ok honey, I'm here. Where's the little one?" Janice asked as she tossed her bag onto the armchair.
Phoebe spoke up and said, "She is sleeping in her room, she's been down for about half an hour."
Janice nodded and said, "Has anyone been able to get ahold of Allen?"
"Not yet, his secretary did say that they were working on a big client all day long." Paula said rubbing Penny's back.
Janice sighed and said, "I see. Well, when my stubborn brother does come home I'll tell him to drive straight to the hospital." She looked to Jo Anne and said, "Go, take care of our girl. I'll place the crystals around the home and watch over Patty."
Jo Anne smiled at Janice and said, "You're a remarkable practitioner Janice. The crystal network is a wonderful tool. Good luck!"
Janice blushed and said, "Thank you. I might add it to the Book of Shadows while you're gone."
With that Jo Anne grabbed hold of Paula, Phoebe, and Penny then orbed away.
One Week Later
"Allen! I need your help!" Penny shouted from the kitchen.
It was a warm Sunday morning and the young family was busy around the manor as usual. For the last six days the Warren manor has been home to Paula the family matriarch and her cousin Phoebe, Penny and her husband Allen, little Patricia Anne and her new sister Polly Janice Halliwell. Polly was born after nine hours of labor. Thankfully she was born healthy and happy, not requiring an extended stay in the NICU.
Allen came into the kitchen with a towel still in his hands. His hair was visibly wet and he was only wearing a simple pair of denim jeans and a white undershirt.
"Yes sweetheart, what may I do for you?" He said sweetly as he walked over to the basement door. There he tossed the towel down the stairs and turned back to his family.
Penny was exhausted, it had been a rough six days.
"Patty needs her diaper changed and I need to feed Polly." Penny said as she bounced the infant in her arms.
Allen nodded and said, "Yes ma'am. I'm on it. I'll take the little princess upstairs for a changing and a bath. That'll give you time feed Polly and put her down for a nap." He picked up his two year old daughter then said, "And once that's done, you need to get cleaned up yourself. It'll make you feel better. We'll take the morning easy, then Janice will be arriving for lunch."
Penny sighed, "Yes, thank you for the reminder. I love your sister as if she was my own. She's a strong practitioner, but I can only teach her so much. That girl has the idea that a protection potion is actually possible."
He chuckled and said, "She could be right. She surprised you with that sleeping potion. If my memory is correct, that potion helped with the jackalope."
Penny started to walk away and said, "Fair dear husband, very fair."
February 14th, 1978
In the years that followed, so much had changed. Allen Halliwell was murdered by warlocks in '67 leaving the Warren women to mourn him and Penny to walk away from their hippy ways and raise their two daughters. Thankfully she had the support of her family...for a time. In January 1969 Phoebe Bowen died at the age of 74. She fought until the bitter end having saved a young witch from an upper level demon. He however, the solder of fortune in the underworld killed her in the process. Later the same year, 19 year old Patty had eloped with Victor Bennett.
Then, ten months later Patty herself became a mother. The little girl, Prudence was born on October 30th, 1970. That same year Polly graduated high school and went off to USC, studying mathematics planning to be an accountant like her father. Unfortunately she had to come home in the fall of '71 when her grandmother died of a heart attack. That was a blow to the family as it made Penny the head of the Halliwell (nee Warren) line. Then came the summer of '72 when Patty had her second child, the curly haired Piper. For two and a half years the Halliwell family consisted of Penny, her sister-in-law Janice, Polly, Patty, Victor, and the two children. Then in November of 1975 Patty gave birth to her third child, Phoebe, named for her favorite Aunt. To be fair, Polly was closer to Janice so it worked out just fine.
With the three girls born the family knew that the great prophecy had come to pass. The Charmed Ones were complete, the dream of Melinda Warren finally realized. The blissfulness was however only skin deep. Penny and Victor argued over how to raise the girls. Polly wanted her independence, and Patty wanted to keep the peace. After a year it all came to a blow when Victor gave Patty and ultimatum, move to New York with him or her would leave her and the girls. He just couldn't take the constant battling, both with his mother-in-law and the demons. Yes, he had an ally in his sister-in-law, but when push came to shove, Polly Halliwell did as her mother wanted.
In the winter of 1976 Janice Halliwell died of a stroke. Penny was wracked with grief, Patty struggled with her divorce and found comfort with the family's new whitelighter Sam, and Polly had found herself and came out as a lesbian once she finally finished her degree in accounting. Not long after Janice's death came the new birth, a forbidden birth. The child of Patty Halliwell and Same Wilder was born on August 2nd, 1977. She lived in Halliwell manor for 48 hours, just long enough for Penny to hold her wiccaning. Then she was sent to a local church where a friend of Polly's was a new nun.
Now, a week later and Patty was in the attic of the manor looking in the Book of Shadows with her sister Polly.
"Polly, what did you see in your premonition?" Patty asked while flipping the pages.
Polly sighed and scratched at her short brown hair. then she said, "I don't know exactly Patty. I was meeting with Melissa at Camp Skylark..."
"On a date?" Patty questioned
"No. Not a date, just a hangout." Polly clarified
Patty rolled her eyes and said, "Whatever little sister. Continue."
"As I was saying, I saw children playing in the lake, then children screaming, that's all." Polly said as she sat down on Aunt Pearl's couch.
"That's not very helpful Polly."
"Hey, that's not my fault. You know it's the Powers that Be who give me my visions. I much prefer my other power." Polly said with a large smile.
Patty glared at her sister and said, "Yes, you are the first Warren witch in over a century to develop a secondary power. Too bad you can't make a potion or write a spell worth a damn." Patty chuckled as she was a good spell writer and a decent potion maker. "How is that suggestion power going?"
"Oh it's great! It comes in real handing when I get a parking ticket." Polly quipped.
"Well, hopefully Sam can find out something up at the camp." Patty stopped, her heart caught in her throat. "We have to save those children." Patty said sadly.
Polly walked to her sister and put her arm around her. Then she said, "Don't worry Patty, we'll protect them. We won't lose another child in this house."
February 28, 1978
Dead. Her sister was dead and there was nothing she could do about it. She was drowned by that damn water demon. However if Polly was honest with herself Patty was dying ever since giving up her youngest daughter. Polly just sat down on the floor with the fire going for what seemed like hours.
"Polly, dear. Prue is finally asleep." Her mother said as she walked into the living room.
Polly looked away from the fire, her eyes stained with tears. Penny's strong willed, honest to a fault daughter was heartbroken. She too was heartbroken. Her eldest daughter was dead. Patty was always headstrong, lived by her heart, and because of that she died. Her heart lead her to Sam and it was her heart that made her freeze him. Penny didn't blame the whitelighter. Truth was, she liked him...as much as she could like any man after Allen. More than that though, she respected Sam. After Jo Anne accepted the offer to become an Elder, she personally assigned Sam to the Halliwell family. He was an experienced whitelighter, a teacher in life who helped keep many troubled teenagers on the right path, and he loved her daughter. Yes, Penny knew he loved her from the moment he saw Patty. Then though, she was in the process of a messy divorce and was trying to raise three little girls. Sam was there for her, for them all. Then he gave them all a wonderful gift, her youngest grandchild. Penny Halliwell grieved not just for her daughter, but also for the man her daughter loved because he would never forgive himself.
"Mom, mother!" Polly said again. That tone she took broke the spell Penny was under from the memories of the recent weeks.
Penny shook her head slightly and said, "Sorry Darling. What did you say?"
"I said, what do we tell the girls?"
"We tell them the truth, well mostly. We tell them that their mother is dead, that there was an accident at the lake. Anything else, we know they will learn in the future." Penny said sadly.
Polly nodded then said, "Yes, that's right. Their trip from the future was very eventful. I could tell Phoebe wanted to talk to Patty badly. This must've been why."
October 7, 1998
"Girls, listen to me. This is your destiny." Polly said to her nieces as they sat at the dining room table.
In the twenty years that followed Patty's death, Polly stepped into the role of their mother. The once independent witch knew it was up to her to care for the three children. Her mother and she agreed to share the responsibilities, but honestly Penny did more of the heavy lifting as a witch while Polly was the move maternal figure. It surprised her, she never wanted children. Being a lesbian meant it wasn't likely to happen by accident anyway. However after Patty's death she did what needed to be done, for them.
Now at 46 years old, Polly Janice Halliwell was guiding her children into the craft. Her mother died six months ago. The stubborn woman was preparing a power stripping potion. The heart attack was destiny ensuring The Charmed Ones had a chance, she knew that. She was almost certain that her mother knew that too. One day when she is ready to summon her mother she would ask her.
"Aunt Polly, you can't be serious!" Piper said with desperation in her voice.
Polly looked at her middle child and said flatly, "Dead serious."
"Why was this kept from us?" Prue finally asked.
"Yeah, it's too cool. I could've used magic in high school." Phoebe chimed in as she came in from the kitchen with a tub of ice cream and four spoons.
Polly signed an said, "You girls were in danger as children. Because of that you mother, grandmother, and I decided to bind your powers. You see, while each of us had one of the Charmed powers we weren't The Charmed Ones, that was you three." She paused thinking briefly of her youngest niece. Polly took a breath then said, "Not long after that, your father and mother divorced. Now before you go into him Prue, he had his reasons to leave. In the end, your mother and father were just not compatible. If situations were different, they may have remained friends."
"That doesn't excuse..." Prue began to say.
"Prudence." Polly interrupted her.
"As I was saying. We were all together and more or less happy then. However, I had a premonition that showed there was danger, innocents in trouble. As my powers are passive, it needed to be mother or Patty to face the demon. Mother was going to go, however Patty was insistent this was her demon." Polly lowered her voice slightly and said, "She gave her all, but in the end the demon got the better of her. However she did succeed in keeping the camp closed, saving all those children and YOU GIRLS in the process."
Phoebe looked shocked. Prue looked stunned. Piper looked furious.
"Is that was our destiny is, to die? I don't want to die!" Piper nearly yelled to her aunt.
Polly shook her head then held Piper's hand and said, "No. Your destiny is to save the innocent. To beat back the powers of darkness. Not every Warren witch is killed by evil. Your grandmother had a heart condition. My grandmother had a heart attack too. My great aunt Phoebe was killed by a demon. Your grandfather was killed by a warlock, and Aunt Janice died from a stroke."
"Gee that's a great outlook for our future." Piper shot back.
Polly rubbed her temples and said, "My point Piper is that anything can happen. Hell, anything will happen. The point is that you might find your end at the tip of an athame, or an energy ball, or from a blood clot, or from a quarter dropped off a building! No one knows how their life will end, not even me or now Phoebe. What matters is the life we live before that day. The end will come for each of us...someday."