Chapter 9: Ties severed; Paige torn.

I do not own Charmed or Charmed characters

A/N: The story has one more chapter after this. This one ended up being longer than anticipated!

A PAIR OF DARK, BLANK eyes stared back at her from the mirror. The edges of them were rimmed with a mess of red soreness and sooty make up smudge. Usually, her skin was pale but it seemed to have taken on a stone-coloured hue. Even her lips were shadowed with a greyish tinge. Weathered and wild, she scraped her hands through her hair in an attempt to tame it. She quickly gave up. It was too painful to focus on her own reflection. All she could see were her three sisters: she could not escape her sisterly similarities and even more painfully, she was now aware of the pale-faced, dark-haired, pretty-cheekbone similarities that she shared with Prue.

Knowing that she wouldn't be alone in the Manor for very long, she had to hurry up before they came back, before they stopped her. She knew that time was ticking as she raced upstairs.

She stopped at the attic first. Tearing a page from one of their many notebooks, Paige quickly scribbled on it, folded it carefully and safely tucked it into the pocket of her jeans for later. Tentatively, she approached the Book of Shadows for the last time. Opening it gently, almost reverently, she ran her thumb over a few of the pages soaking in the memory of the ancient book. Aside from its powerful magic, it really was a beautiful thing. She drew in a sharp breath as she came across one of the spells. The name of the demon was written in Grams' artistic handwriting followed by an intricate drawing.

It was Shax.

Although she'd seen this page many times, curious as to how Prue was lost (she usually read it in secret to avoid upsetting Piper and Phoebe), it now had new meaning. Instead of just hearing about her through memory or gazing at her in photographs, her sister was real to her. She'd always missed her oldest sister; now the pain was even greater.

The face of the demon that had killed Prue made her shiver.

The flash of grief bought her back to her senses and she closed the book with a violent thud. Soon she'd be able to forget…

THE PEACEFUL SURROUNDINGS did nothing to still all of their thoughts. They seemed to be back in the same place as earlier. Helpless. Piper couldn't help but pace frantically, unable to keep still. Occasionally, she would sigh heavily in an attempt to keep her bubbling emotions in check. In contrast, Phoebe sat on the bench, hugging her knees closely to her chest. Her gaze was fixed far into the distance and yet she wasn't really looking, just thinking, feeling and wondering where her baby sister could be.

Leo stood, eyes closed. All his strength was focused on sensing Paige's energy. Her energy was half that of a normal whitelighter. Because of this, it was slightly more difficult and took longer to sense. Leo feared it might be too long.

SHE WANTED TO TAKE WITH HER as little as possible. Paige wanted no painful reminders of this time in her life. An ancient (last used in high school), but large duffle bag was dug out from the back of her closet. Quickly, Paige ransacked drawers, cupboards, shelves and old boxes for the essentials that she needed. She packed everything she needed to start over and with plenty of experience of starting over; she managed it with record speed.

With a hardened resolve, the youngest Halliwell decided there was no room and no time for sentimentality. Childhood trinkets, treasured possessions and photographs were abandoned without a second glance. One object, though, stopped Paige in her tracks. Once she felt the softness of the fabric, she hadn't the heart to toss it aside to join the rest of the chaos on the floor. Even though it was frayed at the edges and faded in colour, as the only object she had that was given by her birth parents, it was her only tangible link to them. She found the corner with embroidered letter P, tracing it with her finger.

She had to be ruthless. As a link to her past, to her sisters, it had to be left behind. But not before she folded it gently and laid it on the bed.

It was time to go.

It was time to leave this life behind.

It was time to end this pain.

The aged floorboards on the landing creaked as she headed towards the stairs. Piper's bedroom door was left ajar, the room neurotically tidy except for a pair of Leo's boots on the floor. The poor guy will feel the heat for that later she thought. This was a room which she had entered countless times and yet, never had that object drew her attention so closely.

It was Prue's dressing table.

The antique piece of furniture was kept by Piper and Phoebe after their sister died. Mainly, it stored Prue's belongings from which they could not bear to be parted. The dresser itself (Paige had heard the story many times) had been rescued from a rubbish tip and lovingly restored by Prue and some of her expert colleagues from Buckland's. It was a one-off piece: dark wood with burnished silver handles, sturdy drawers that stood on top of delicately bowed legs and sat on top of this was a large, elegantly framed mirror. A truly glamorous object, it looked out of place among Piper's traditional furniture.

Even though she had seen the dresser a thousand times, now that she had actually met her oldest sister, Paige was drawn to it. Curiously, she crept through into the bedroom as if pulled towards the object. A heavy chair was pushed up to the dresser. On the back of it, hung a jacket made of soft black leather. Prue's jacket. A jolt of loss surged through the younger woman; it settled in her stomach, causing it to somersault heavily as she touched the fabric.

Paige sat at the dresser. Placed neatly on the top, were a number of photograph frames: some were family shots of the Halliwells (minus herself of course); others contained artistic landscapes, panoramic cityscapes and beach scenes. Looking more closely, Paige could see that some of these pictures bore the signature of her talented older sister. Hiding behind one of these frames was a pretty glass bottle, inside it swirled a small amount of a pink scented liquid. Bringing the bottle to her face, Paige tried desperately to get a trace of the scent. As the scent drifted up to her senses, one of her recent memories flashed back to her. Cradled by the older witch, soaking up the comfort that she provided, she had been enveloped in this sweet-floral scent. Paige's eyes pooled wetness at their corners.

The overpowering fascination combined with the desperation of wanting to know the older woman compelled her to open every drawer. It was a treasure trove for Paige: stacks of letters and more photographs, childhood trinkets and toys, what must have been Prue's favourite CDs, a high school yearbook and it didn't end there. The discoveries were endless. Each item could tell its own story of the older woman. It hurt Paige, made her ache in fact to realize that she would not be able to find out. It hurt even more to think that Piper and Phoebe had never thought to show her, to help her know and love their lost sister.

Carefully, she replaced every item. Moving to the bottom row of drawers, she slid them open one by one until the last one…

It was stuck!

Vaguely, she recalled an overheard conversation between Piper and Leo about this broken drawer. It seemed even more unusual to her that Leo would have left it unfixed.

It couldn't be this. It couldn't be this that Prue meant. Now she thought she understood.

"If you didn't mean this," Paige whispered to herself, "Then this is an advanced apology!"

Before she started, she gave the handle one last hopeful tug. No luck. She even called for the drawer, hoping her powers would separate it from the dresser. Screwing up her face in a wince, she drew her foot back. At full force, her foot came into contact with the edge of the drawer. "Three kicks. One. Two. Three." Paige still whispered under her breath, "One tug."

Like it was set on a spring, the dresser drawer flew open with such an unexpected force that it made Paige's heart pound heavily in her chest. Eagerly, she grasped for the contents. She found only one thing: a yellowed envelope. The sides, corners and flap were creased, showing that it had been opened many times. Almost as much as she wanted to see what was inside, something made her almost fearful. With care, she pulled out the contents.

A photograph? Paige had seen many like this before. They were all over the Manor. A young Prue, all dark hair and piercing eyes, striking even as a young child smiled for the camera; next to her, a wide-eyed Piper sat with a shy smile on her face. Phoebe, with a cheeky grin on her face, framed by her pigtailed hair was gazing towards Prue at something that wasn't there. Paige swallowed hard at yet another reminder of her absence from this family.

A wave of disappointment crashed through her excitement. She turned the photograph over. Patty's looped handwriting spelled a message. "Mom?" Paige whispered as she traced the looping letters with her finger. Underneath that, somebody else had added to it…Prue? Paige read both out loud, keeping her voice just above a whisper.

All my girls, love Mom xxx

This was followed by All of my sisters…

With a blinding flash, some orb-type lights completely covered the photograph in a bright haze. Paige squeaked with surprise, feeling it heat up in her hand. It didn't last long and when she looked back at the other side of the photograph, her legs wobbled with shock.

"Patty. As I said before, I hardly think we have time for this," Penny Halliwell chastised her daughter. It wasn't that she wished to criticize her but she was in fear of what could happen if they didn't hurry. There was also the risk that her daughter, being in such a fragile emotional state, could change her mind.

Pale and exhausted, the younger woman shot a pleading look towards her mother. This should have been a joyous day but instead it would be one of pain, sadness and regret. It was a day no mother should have to go through. She covered her clammy face with shaking hands and swept them both through her dark-brown waves. She let out a breath which was at first shuddery, but steadied as she tried to force a calm feeling.

"Please let me do this. Before we…" Her voice faded to despair and she couldn't even finish what she wanted to say.

The stern expression of the older woman softened and she nodded her permission. Her daughter smiled back, "Have you got the girls ready?"

"I'm not sure we should have the girls there. They will know too much."

"It's their only chance to be together. I'm sure you'll only be to happy to whip up something to mess with their memories. Are they ready?" As usual for a Halliwell, Patty was not short of some feisty stubbornness when it was required.

"Yes," Penny sighed, "But quickly now. Prudence is asking too many questions and Phoebe is… being Phoebe!"

Patty gave a half smile at the thought of her daughters, "And our Piper?"

"Good as gold of course!"

"I'll go and get her then. Remember what to tell them?"

"It won't matter what we tell them after the dust."

"Remember?"

"Yes darling. I remember."

The two witches parted. The older woman went to join her three grandchildren in the sunroom. Sitting, as they had been told, on the large wicker chair, they waited.

"Gwams!" Three-year-old Phoebe leapt excitedly from the chair landing awkwardly on all fours. Hauling herself up, her pigtails bounded with every step she took. Impatiently, her Grams scooped her up placing her between her two older granddaughters. Phoebe fidgeted and swung her legs. Prue, sensing her grandmother's anxiety and irritation, placed an arm around her little sister. The unspoken gesture stilled Phoebe.

Eight-year-old Prue, eyed her grandmother with a puzzled look, "Where's Mom? You said she'd be back soon…"

"Prudence…" The reply was stern in its warning tone and was enough to answer the raven-haired girl's question. Penny continued softly this time, "She's here my darlings. She has asked for you to sit here to wait. She's brought a friend with her for you to meet."

As soon as Penny had finished speaking, Patty appeared in the doorway. Piper's squeak of delight was shushed by a glance from her mother. Pale-faced, Patty crept softly towards the girls clutching a mass of blankets. The edge of the out blanket dangled, showing a delicately embroidered letter 'P'. Suddenly, a pink fist grasped at the air. A gurgle escaped. Patty's face was tinged with grief that she quickly suppressed and managed to hide from her three daughters; it was not hidden from her eyes.

"Girls, I want you to meet somebody."

She lowered the blankets to reveal the tiny face. Huge, deep brown eyes, still with their newborn-grey tint fluttered open. The baby squirmed and cooed, whilst tiny fingers clenched and relaxed. A rosy-pink thumb drifted towards pouting lips.

"Baby?" Phoebe questioned with a quizzical smile on her face. When Patty had lowered the blankets far enough, Piper stroked the baby head softly, running a finger down a chubby cheek and holding a tiny hand. Patty moved to her oldest daughter, "Will you hold her Prue?"

The strangeness of this situation was not lost on the young girl. Her blue eyes searched for the answers to all of the questions buzzing through her. Her mother's face, normally full of warmth, was inscrutable; she couldn't take her eyes of the mass of blankets. When Patty finally looked at her, Prue obediently held out her arms.

The young Prue looked at the tiny baby in her arms with wonder. Unable to suppress her curiosity she looked up at her mother as her lips began to formulate a question.

"Mommy…wh..?" She hesitated. As Patty looked back at her eldest daughter, her deadened, empty gaze shocked the words from her lips.

"Girls, girls…" Penny interrupted impatiently. "For goodness sake Phoebe, sit still! Right, girls, we need to take a picture of you…"

"With baby?"

"Yes Phoebe, with the baby. Now, hold still…quickly!" Their grandmother clicked the button a couple of times, winding on the film in a great rush.

"All done girls. Stay here please." In a great rush, Patty took the small child back into her arms and was ushered out of the room. Confused, Prue remained still. "Prue? Prudence? Take your sisters through to the lounge. Wait there for me please." The young girl did as she was instructed. Piper followed happily and Phoebe toddled behind, chirping happily about seeing the baby. It didn't occur to the younger two that this was strange and they were too excited to see that their Mom was upset. However, Prue could not forget the emptiness of her gaze. Cold and blank, it frightened her.

Later, all three of them would remember nothing.

Sinking back into a sitting position on the bed, grasping the photograph in both hands, Paige blinked in disbelief. She couldn't tell whether it was fresh pain or joy that she felt, just that it rolled freely in wet trails over her cheeks. The photographs showed her in the arms of her oldest sister. Paige could see her tiny infant fist wrapped around Prue's little finger, could see that Piper beamed with happiness and Phoebe gazed in the happily fascinated way that a toddler sees a newborn.

Surging with a vengeance, anger and bile rose in her throat. It was too late for this. She never got to be in this happy family as a little girl; she certainly didn't exist in it now, she couldn't imagine how this could be fixed, or even if she wanted it to be fixed. She had to let go. With one last look at the image, she tossed it aside and heaved her bag onto her shoulders. The force of this made the envelope flutter to the floor and unseen by Paige, an extra scrap of paper flew out.

This was it.

Paige stood on the steps of the Manor. She reached around into her back pockets to retrieve a piece of paper. Unfolding it slowly, her eyes never wavered, her stubborn, Halliwell resolve was set.

The spell was uttered. Ties severed.

Forever.

Or so Paige thought…