Death isn't always a bad thing

Set in the beginning of Series 4 when Paige is still trying to be accepted by Piper and the sisters are grieving over their loss of Prue.

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"Phoebe!" Piper yelled as her sister fell to the floor, the athame still implanted in her chest. Piper quickly blew the crap outta the last couple of slime demons, not caring how much gunk it covered her in.

She ran over to Phoebe's side. "Phoebe? Phoebes? Come on hun...please?"

"Piper..." Phoebe choked out.

"It's okay...you'll be fine...Leo!"

Phoebe shuddered and began to shake.

"Phoebe? Please...don't do this to me...LEO!" Phoebe began to take short, shallow breaths. "Please Phoebe, I can't do this...I've already lost Prue, don't make me lose you too..."

"Piper...I'm sorry..."

"Why? You've got nothing to be sorry for?"

"Yes...I do...I've caused you so much grief and I'm sorry...I know you've had a lot to deal with..."

Piper's eyes began to fill with tears. "No Phoebe, not at all...it's me who should be apologising to you...I've been a bad sister...I should have seen you were in pain, I've only been caring about my own grieving and not yours..."

"It doesn't matter..."

"Yes it does...we both lost Prue...not just me...and I should have taken account of it..."

Phoebe began to smile but then she began to shake. Her body convulsed in pain and Piper clutched Phoebe to her. "LEO!" She screamed "LEO!"

Finally, when she stopped, Phoebe opened her eyes but they were dull. "No... Phoebe..."

"He's not coming..."

"He will!"

"He's not coming Piper, accept it, he's too busy trying to find Paige..."

"NO! Phoebe, just hang in there...please...please...for me..."

The energy from Phoebe's body seemed to be draining out of her and she was becoming weaker every second.

"Leo..." Piper whispered.

Then the twinkling orbs appeared behind her and immediately she swung her head round to look as her husband appeared, Paige beside him.

"Leo..." Piper's voice was cracking as she hugged Phoebe to her. "Please..."

Leo gasped and ran round, kneeling quickly beside Phoebe and pulling out the athame in her chest and places his hands over the wound, waiting for the golden healing light to appear.

Phoebe's eyes had slid shut and Paige stood in awe and shock at the scene before her.

Leo drew his hands away from the still unhealed wound, a sad look on his face. Piper looked up at him, the desperation on her face and in her eyes. "No...Leo..."

"It's too late Piper..."

"No..." Piper shook her head, not wanting to believe it.

"I'm sorry..." Leo whispered, reaching out to touch her. "No!" She screamed. "You have to try again! I refuse to lose another sister Leo!"

"Piper..." Leo hung his head, not knowing how to comfort his wife, losing Prue was one thing but Phoebe too, this could totally destroy her. Paige had only just got her to accept Prue's death, and that had been hard enough, I mean she had to be possessed before she would actually accept it. How could they make her accept that she'd lost Phoebe too? And what would happen to the Power of Three? Leo was certain there wouldn't be another sister to fill the place in the trio and even if there was, Piper would never accept two new sisters.

Paige couldn't speak, she'd felt great loss with Prue, even though she'd never known her. She felt it as soon as she saw the obituary in the paper. It hit her as a great sense of longing and sadness welling up inside of her, but then again it had also reunited her with her sisters and she thanked Prue for that. That was why she had to talk to Piper now, help her.

Paige slowly placed a hand on Piper's shoulder and she shrugged her off, violently. Leo had moved round to one side of her and Paige knelt at the other. Piper was cradling Phoebe's body in her arms and rocking back and forth, sobbing.

There was the tiniest bit of blood at the edge of Phoebe's pale, dead lips. Paige moved her finger across it and wiped it away.

"Oh god...oh god, oh god! GRAMS!" Piper screamed up at the ceiling of the attic. "GRAMS!" There was no response for a moment and then a shimmer started before Grams appeared before them, her figure shiny and transparent.

"Is she there? Please? Tell me, is there anyway she can come back..."

"Hunny..." Grams took a step forward and as she did materialised and came to Piper.

"I don't care Grams! I just want her back! Don't you understand that!"

"I can't do anything...it's out of my hands..."

"Grams, don't you dare say that to me! Don't you dare!"

Suddenly, another shimmer started. "Oh, now who's coming? Mum?" Piper asked, sarcastically, the pain echoed in her voice. She watched and noticed it took a bit longer for them, whoever it was, to appear and then she saw, with a mop of blonde hair, Phoebe appeared.

"Piper..."

"Phoebes..." Piper ran towards the shimmering figure, but she held out a hand. "I can't materialise yet but I convinced Mum to let me down here."

"Phoebe...no...how could you do this to me? You can't leave me! Come back to us, to me...please go back...I need you..."

"Piper...I'm so sorry...but I couldn't hold on anymore...you can survive without me, you've always been able to before...go on...go...look after Paige...she's your only responsibility now..."

"I don't mind sharing..." Paige said, quietly and both Phoebe and Piper looked at her. Phoebe smiled. "It's okay...but thanks."

Then Phoebe went to stand beside Grams and as Grams took her hand she became her original shining, transparent self and then they both dematerialised and disappeared together. Piper collapsed to the floor, crying and Paige slowly got to her feet and went to Piper's side and as she put a hand on Piper's shoulder, Piper turned and buried her head in Paige's shoulder, sobbing. Paige looked up, 'Thank you Phoebe. Thank you for everything.'