Sugar and Spice and Everything Nice

By JewWitch

Okay, I know I have another story that I totally abandoned...I'm sorry! Turns out I'm better with the mushy stuff than actual monster-plot stuff. Anyway, this story just popped out, so I hope those who wanted a sequel to my last sister-story (History Repeats Itself) will enjoy it! Maybe after I get this out of my system, I can finish The Witching Hour. --JW

Summary: Takes place in the same timeline as my other non-AU story, History Repeats Itself, in S5 soon after Cole has been vanquished for good. A well-meaning Paige casts a spell that doesn't turn out quite how she planned, showing her another side of her sisters...

Rating: G

"Wake up, ladybug..." A warm, familiar body was crawling into Phoebe's bed, nudging her insistently, and somewhere nearby was the strong smell of her favorite dark-roast coffee.

"Mmmph," Phoebe sighed sleepily.

"Happy birthday!" another much louder voice squealed, followed immediately by a thud that knocked Phoebe awake with a startled gasp, as her younger sister pounced on her.

"Ouch!" Phoebe whined, rubbing her stomach. She pushed Paige onto Piper and sat up, glaring. "Watch the elbows, Spazzy McGee."

"Sorry," Paige grinned. "Happy birthday!" she said again, throwing herself onto Phoebe and hugging her tightly. "We made you breakfast in bed." Phoebe raised her eyebrows. "Okay," Paige conceded, "Piper made you breakfast in bed. But I would've helped, if she'd let me." Piper looked only slightly abashed.

"Should I let Phoebe cook for you on your birthday?" she asked pointedly.

"Phoebe doesn't cook," Paige pointed out, reaching over to the bedside table and picking up a lemon-poppy scone from the well-laden tray.

"Hey!" Piper smacked Paige's hand before she'd even taken a bite. "That's for Phoebe."

"She can have it," Phoebe shrugged, curling up on her pillow and turning her back to both of them. "I'm not hungry." Piper and Paige looked at each other, and frowned.

"Don't you want to open your presents, Pheebs?" Piper asked, gently stroking her sister's messy hair.

"Mmmm...later," Phoebe mumbled, burrowing her face into her pillow.

"You really should open them now," Paige said, in an unconvincingly casual voice.

"Why?" Phoebe sat up and frowned suspiciously at the pile of smartly wrapped packages at the foot of her bed, then back at her sisters. "There isn't a puppy in one of those boxes, is there? Because I remember being very clear on the topic of pity gifts."

"No puppies," Piper assured her, smiling mysteriously. Phoebe scowled at Paige's giggle.

"Oh, all right," Phoebe groaned. "Give me that coffee."

The first present turned out to be a new bathing suit, a paisley-patterned bikini she'd admired in a store window several months ago. Resisting the urge to comment on the utility of such a gift in November, Phoebe settled for a stiff smile, moving on to a second, much larger package. This time, she couldn't keep the confused frown off her face.

"New luggage?" she whined. "What am I, a middle-aged housewife? What do I even need new luggage for? It's not like I ever go anywhere."

"Maybe you should open this one next," Paige said shrewdly, as she handed Phoebe a card-sized envelope. Phoebe raised a suspicious eyebrow, but took the card her sister was holding out for her, slitting it open so a glossy brochure fell onto her lap.

"What's this?" Phoebe asked blankly.

"That's where we'll be in a few hours," Piper said, a huge grin on her face as Paige jumped excitedly up and down on the bed beside her.

"No way," Phoebe breathed, her eyes going wide as she took in the words Montage Spa & Resort, Laguna Beach. "You...you guys are taking me to a spa?"

"It's not just a spa!" Paige exploded, grabbing the brochure from Phoebe's hands giddily. "Check it out! Five-star oceanfront accommodations! Our suite even has a Jacuzzi in the bathroom."

"Suite?" Phoebe said weakly, looking back and forth between her sisters disbelievingly. "Jacuzzi?"

"Happy birthday, baby girl," Piper grinned. Phoebe looked as if she'd just been hit in the face with something heavy. Then, with a bloodcurdling shriek, she threw her arms around both her sisters, hugging them tightly.

"Oh my god, oh my god!" Phoebe squealed. "I can't believe you guys did this! This is..." Abruptly Phoebe pulled back, frowning. "This is way too expensive. How can we possibly--?"

"Don't worry about it," Piper said dismissively with a wave of her hand. "It's already done. All you need to do is pack your new suitcase, and meet us downstairs in an hour."

"Yeah," Paige nodded enthusiastically. "We'll be traveling by first-class orbs!" Phoebe looked back and forth between her sisters, both of them beaming at her. After everything she'd put them through with Cole...all the vanquishes and false hopes, all the pain and bloodshed, all they wanted was to make her happy. It was this thought that made Phoebe smile, even as her throat constricted and she felt hot tears on her face.

"Oh, sweetie, don't," Piper begged, stroking Phoebe's tears away and kissing her cheek. "What's the matter?" Phoebe shook her head, breathing jerkily as she struggled to control herself.

"Nothing," she sniffled with a watery smile. "I'm just...surprised, that's all. Thank you both, so much. It's the best birthday present a girl could ever have." Paige and Piper beamed. "Well, I'd better get packing, if we're leaving in an hour!"

Leaving their sister to pack, Piper and Paige returned to the kitchen, both having packed their own bags the night before. Paige noticed a far away, preoccupied expression on her oldest sister's face as she sipped her coffee absently.

"Pi?" Paige said tentatively. "Everything okay?" Piper blinked, shaking herself out of whatever place her mind had wandered to, giving her sister a reassuring smile.

"Everything's fine, Paigey. I was just thinking...hoping, actually...that this vacation will help get Phoebe back on her feet. I just hate seeing her so sad all the time..." Piper sighed, staring out the window into the overcast sky outside.

"Yeah," Paige agreed. Privately, she thought they could all use the pick-me-up. The last few months had been hard on all of them; that was why she'd suggested to Piper that a nice, semi-tropical getaway might be just the ticket to shaking off the melancholy that had descended over the Manor.

"I haven't seen her this moody since high school," Piper added quietly. "You should've seen her as a little kid, Paigey...she was always so happy. Grams used to call her our little sunshine." She smiled wistfully. Paige didn't know what to say. Trying to smile back, she came to a decision.

"I'm just gonna go make a final sweep of my room," Paige declared, jumping up suddenly from her chair. "Make sure I didn't forget anything."

"'Kay," Piper nodded absently, sipping her coffee as she stared out the window again at the mottled gray sky. Paige padded up the stairs, passing her bedroom, finding her way to the attic where the Book of Shadows lay open on its pedestal. She flipped through it until she found the spell she'd been considering carefully over the past few weeks, ever since Phoebe had returned from her brief stint as queen of the underworld. But really, she couldn't see how personal gain could be an issue here; this was for Piper and Phoebe, not for her. And they needed it desperately. Fortifying her resolve, Paige knelt on the floor and lit three orange candles, pouring out a handful of crushed lavender and marjoram on the rug in front of her. She closed her eyes, took a slow, steadying breath, and chanted: "Let happiness and joy into my sisters' life; away with the stress, anger, and strife. From all pain and darkness, let them be free; until seven suns set, banish all negativity." When she'd finished the chant, Paige slowly opened her eyes, and blew out the candles. Had it worked? Unlike a vanquish, the spell she'd just cast to give her sisters a temporary mood booster didn't necessarily have any immediate, obvious impact. Only one way to find out, she thought with a shrug, and headed back downstairs.

"Hey," Paige called. Phoebe looked up from the piles of clothes strewn across her bed, and smiled at her younger sister, who greeted her from her doorway.

"Hey yourself," Phoebe answered. "Do you think I should bring this?" she held up a short silver skirt she hadn't worn in months, one of her old favorites for dancing.

"Most definitely," Paige grinned. Phoebe nodded, tossing the skirt on what was apparently the yes pile.

"Paige, I..." Phoebe trailed off, busying herself with the heap of shoes at the foot of her bed. "I hope you know how much this means to me. After what I put you and Piper through..." she broke off, swallowing the slight quaver in her voice. "I'm still kind of surprised you both want to spend any time with me at all."

"Oh, Pheebs, of course we do," Paige said firmly, crossing the room to hug her sister, trying not to show her disappointment that the spell seemed not to have worked after all. I guess I'll just have to cheer them up the old-fashioned way, she thought to herself as Phoebe's arms wrapped tightly around her. She couldn't help noticing, as she hugged her sister, how much her ribs stuck out.

"The first thing we're doing after we check in is ordering room service, and having a massive pig-out...you're getting way too thin, missy." Phoebe snorted.

"You sound more like Piper every day," she said wryly.

"Does that mean you're gonna start listening to me?" Paige deadpanned, eyebrows raised.

"Depends...can we order something chocolate?" Phoebe grinned sheepishly.

Hours later, after they'd oohed and ahhed over the lavish resort and the pristine beaches, had full-body seaweed wraps and deep-tissue massages, they did indeed order an all-chocolate dinner to be delivered directly to their suite: chocolate croissants, chocolate crepes, and chocolate mousse cake were consumed one after the other, until all three of them were groaning contentedly, strewn in a semi-conscious daze across Piper's bed.

"I haven't done anything this decadent since that time I ate birthday cake for breakfast when I was three." Phoebe made this pronouncement without lifting her head from the bed where she lay flat on her back, blinking up at the cream-colored ceiling with eyes half-lidded.

"You remember that?" Piper said curiously, equally motionless with her head hanging off the end of the bed, looking up at Phoebe upside down.

"I think so," Phoebe shrugged. "But maybe I just remember Prue telling me about it." Piper snickered.

"She was just mad that Mom didn't punish you for being such a little piggy." Paige laughed at Piper's upside-down piggy face. Phoebe yawned. "Tired, honey?"

"Mmhmm," Phoebe mumbled, eyes closed. "I'm sooooo relaxed right now...maybe tomorrow we can sail to Catalina...or go sea kayaking..." Phoebe trailed off, and Paige wondered if she was asleep, her own eyes growing very heavy. In a minute I'll get up and go back to my own bed, she thought. She could feel her sisters' even breathing on either side of her, lulling her gently. Phoebe shifted, and her shoulder pressed against Paige's leg, warm and solid. And just like that, her mind went completely, blissfully blank, as the blackness of sleep rolled over her.

Opening her eyes in the dazzling morning sunlight, Paige found herself alone in the middle of the bed. She blinked, stretching out her arms and arching her back; she could hear the sound of water running in the bathroom, and the clinking of dishes in the dining area around the corner. Rolling onto her stomach, Paige let her eyes fall shut again, in no hurry to leave the warm and comfortable bed. Then a loud crash of shattering glass propelled Paige upright, like a tightly coiled spring, bolting toward the noise with the grim certainty that she was about to come face-to-face with some nasty demon bent on ruining their vacation. Rounding the corner at top speed, Paige slipped on the highly polished floor and grabbed the couch to keep from falling flat on her face. As she did so, she found herself coming face-to-face not with a demon, but a little girl in Strawberry Shortcake pajamas. She looked about six, with glossy brown hair tied back in two pigtails on either side of her head, and a slightly guilty expression on her freckle-splashed face.

"I'm sorry," the little girl said quickly. "I didn't mean to break the vase! I just wanted to watch cartoons." She gestured to the remains of a glass vase of fresh flowers scattered on the floor between the couch and the television. Paige gaped soundlessly, her mouth hanging open.

"Pi...Piper?" she squeaked.

"Uh-huh." The little girl blinked innocently. "Who are you?"

Paige was temporarily spared the need to answer by a shriek from around the corner, as an even smaller body came hurtling into the room at top speed, stark naked and dripping soap suds everywhere, dark hair plastered to her face.

"Piper!" she laughed. Too young to have mastered the proper pronounciation of the letter R, what came out sounded more like Pi-pow. "Look! Bubbles!" The naked three-year-old hopped up and down on the spot, splashing huge clouds of foamy suds everywhere.

"Phoebe?" Paige asked, wincing. Little Phoebe looked up, blinking.

"Who are you?" she asked, reiterating her sister's question. "Where's Mommy? And Pwue?" She didn't sound upset, only curious; it seemed she hadn't learned how to worry yet.

"Uhhh, girls, why don't you watch cartoons for a few minutes, and I'll, um..." Paige fumbled with the TV, realizing as she turned around that Phoebe was still naked and shivering slightly in the air conditioning. She wrapped her tiny sister in a large, fluffy towel, and sat her on the couch next to Piper in front of Spongebob Squarepants. "I just, uh, have to take a shower, and then we'll, uh, we'll get some breakfast. Okay?"

"'Kay," Piper nodded distractedly, her attention already captured by the cartoon while Phoebe leaned against her, sucking her thumb contentedly and bouncing her feet off the end of the couch. They both seemed perfectly at ease, while Paige's heart thumped like a bass guitar as she stumbled backwards into the bathroom, barely getting the door closed before hissing, "Leo!!!" Immediately, Leo materialized in the bathroom, a politely inquisitive expression on his face.

"Hey Paige," he smiled. "Having a good vacation?"

"Leo," Paige said quietly through clenched teeth, "do you sense anything...different...about Phoebe and Piper?"

"Different?" Leo frowned. "Different how?"

"If you have to ask, then the answer's definitely no." Paige paced a tight circle in the confines of the marble bathroom. "How about demonic activity? Anything big in the last twelve hours?"

"Not that I know of-- Paige, what's going on?"

"What's going on?" Paige repeated wryly. "Follow me." She took his hand and lead him quietly from the bathroom, tiptoeing to the edge of the bedroom to peek around the corner into the sitting area. When Leo saw the tiny Piper and Phoebe sitting there, laughing at Spongebob and Mr. Krabs, his jaw dropped, but he managed to be silently shocked. Tiptoeing back to the bathroom, Paige turned back to Leo with a now what expression on her face.

"And you have absolutely no idea how this happened?" Leo asked bemusedly.

"Nope," Paige shook her head. "Unless-- I guess it maybe could've been that spell I cast..."

"What spell?"

"It was just a happiness spell, I cast it for Phoebe's birthday to cheer her and Piper up. But it didn't say anything about de-aging 25 years!"

"Paige, you should know enough by now to remember that sometimes spells don't work quite the way you expect them to. What was the exact wording of the incantation?"

"It was just something about removing all negativity and pain...you know, help them forget about the whole, Phoebe being queen of the underworld thing for a while."

"Paige--"

"Don't tell me this is because of personal gain, Leo! It wasn't for me, it was for my sisters. And they needed to be cheered up, and I'm not sorry."

"I wasn't going to say that," Leo said defensively. "I don't think it's a personal gain issue, either."

"You don't?" Paige blinked quizzically.

"Your spell was to remove all negativity and pain...not just the pain of vanquishing Cole. Think about what you actually said, Paige. To fulfill the terms, the spell had to find a way to erase their first, defining pain-- the pain of losing their mother."

"So it took them back to before it happened," Paige finished, staring blankly at the cheerful, ocean-patterned shower curtain. "Oh, fuck me. How do I change them back?"

"I don't think you can."

"Leo," Paige said, her voice strangely calm despite her mounting hysteria, "I am way not ready to be a single mother of two."

"I didn't mean that," Leo chuckled, grinning. Paige was infuriated that he seemed to be getting such amusement from the situation. "I just meant the spell has to run its course. There's a time limit, isn't there?" Paige frowned thoughtfully.

"A week," she said finally. "The spell's supposed to last seven days."

"Perfect." Leo smiled. "By the time you get back from your vacation, it'll be over."

"You cannot possibly be suggesting what I think you're suggesting, if you're suggesting that I stay here all week with them!" Paige hissed. "We have to get them back to the manor right now!"

"Actually, I think you'll be much safer here," Leo said with a shake of his head. "At this age, the girls didn't have their powers, and at the manor you'll be sitting ducks for any demon that happens by. Plus, there'd be a lot of awkward questions to answer. Here, you're anonymous, and safe from most demon activity."

"But...but..." Paige spluttered. "I don't know what to do with two little kids for a week! We don't have any toys-- I don't even have any clothes for them, for God's sake!"

"I'll go back to the manor and orb you their old stuff from the attic," Leo shrugged. "Grams always saved everything."

"What am I supposed to do with them, Leo?" Paige whined.

"Have fun," Leo shrugged. "Wasn't that the whole point of the spell?" Paige pouted and crossed her arms. "We'll just have to figure out what to tell them..."

"...Mommy never said we had an auntie," Piper said suspiciously, as Paige wrangled a wiggly Phoebe into a bathing suit and a large beach cover-up.

"That's because I lived too far away to visit," Paige said vaguely. Try 25 years too far, she thought wryly. "But I'm here now."

"For my birthday!" Phoebe exclaimed, her bouncing causing Paige to accidentally catch her hair in one of the straps of her suit.

"Pheebs, honey, I need you to stand still for a minute, okay?" Phoebe obediently stopped bouncing.

"How come Mommy and Prue aren't here?" Piper asked, a slightly sulky edge to her voice.

"I told you," Paige said patiently, "Prue couldn't miss school, and Mommy stayed home to take care of her. That's why she asked me to take the two of you on vacation." Piper frowned thoughtfully.

"If you're really our auntie," she said slowly, "you should know everything about us."

"That's true," Paige nodded solemnly. "I do."

"What's our doggie's name?" Piper asked, eyes narrowed.

"Rasputin," Paige answered promptly.

"What's my favorite dessert?"

"Blueberry cobbler," Paige grinned.

"What does our Grams call Phoebe?"

"I believe," Paige said slowly, tickling little Phoebe around the middle so she shrieked with laughter, "that this girl...is our little sunshine."

"Come on, Auntie Paige!" Phoebe exclaimed, pulling her hand with all her three-year-old strength. "I want you to build a sand castle with me!"