Charmed Kitten
By Maggie O'Malley
Note: This is "Charmed" Fan Fiction with only a HINT of TG element. Also the powers of the sisters, their physical discriptions and a bit of the stoyline have been altered slightly by the muse.
Paige Matthews wrapped both hands round a steaming mug of herbal tea and eased into the comfy loveseat. Yes, it was California, but it was also San Francisco in October and the winds off the bay had nearly chilled the young beauty to the bone.
Paige sipped the warm sweet goodness and silently prayed it would work its magic on her shivering cold body. “Magic”, she thought.
In the last month she’d learned more about magic than she’d ever dreamed possible. In the last month she’d discovered that she had three half sisters, Prue, Piper and Phoebe, who were real life spell-slinging, demon battling witches. In the last month she’d found out that their shared birth mother had been a witch and that her true father was someone called a White lighter, a person/spirit with healing powers who helped witches on the side of the light. And yes, thankfully, her new family were the good guys, good witches on the side of the light as opposed to those who embraced evil and the dark.
The beautiful brunette smiled as she took another sip of her tea and then looked round the big Halliwell family home that she now called her own. Yes, it had been quite the amazing month: a new family, a new home, witchcraft wielding siblings, and the realization that there was magic lurking somewhere within her own fingertips, but all of this had come at a terrible cost.
To gain two sisters, it ultimately cost her one. Prue had been killed by a demon, and even though Paige didn’t really know the fallen young witch, something or someone had led her to the funeral, just as it had several times earlier to “P-3’s”, the night club owned by the Halliwell sisters.
It wasn’t until she came to offer her condolences at the funeral to Piper and touched her hand, that there was any hint of a connection between Paige and the grief stricken girls. Piper, who has the power of premonition, received a very strong one when she touched Paige. She saw the same demon that had killed Prue, handing Paige the same fate.
The premonition made Piper and Phoebe want to protect this unknown innocent, but when the demon made an appearance and Paige, “orbed out”, much to the amazement of Piper, Phoebe and yes, Paige, who had never performed magic of any kind before, the Halliwell girls knew they were connected to Paige. It wasn’t until Grams (their grandmother), and Piper’s boyfriend Leo (a White lighter) came on the scene that the girls discovered they were long lost sisters.
In the beginning it was a bit awkward for all parties. Piper and Phoebe were mourning the loss of Prue. They wanted their big sister back, not a new half-sister who couldn’t possibly take her place. As for Paige, she was overwhelmed by Prue’s shadow, her own insecurities, and the fact that demons dropped in at the Halliwell home like door to door salesman. The fact that Paige could possibly jockey a broom and join the Witches Union, was just plain overkill.
But it is said that blood is thicker than water, and ultimately stronger than any black magic, or any heartbreaking loss ever dealt out by a demon. It had taken a few weeks, but the girls were starting to really come together as family now, and Paige was really feeling quite at home, and quite happy to be home.
Paige looked up at the grandfather clock and noted it was half three and she hadn’t eaten lunch. However, not feeling particularly peckish, she decided to forgo lunch and just head up to her room for a short lie down. Piper and Phoebe said they’d be back from P-3, around six and then they’d decide if they want to go out clubbing, vanquish a few demons or just knock back a little dinner and stay home to watch old movies.
Paige put down her empty mug on the table and headed toward the stairway. It was then she heard a “giggle”, a little girl’s giggle. Paige whirled round, expecting to see her solitude had been interrupted by a child who had wandered in, or possibly a little girl ghost who’d come to visit. She had discovered quite quickly that when you are a “Charmed One”, you never know who might come to call.
Much to her surprise however, she found nobody, or “no body”, spiritual form or otherwise, to go with the giggle. Deciding that sometimes its just better to let giggles go their own way without further exploration, she headed up the stairs toward her room.
When she reached the top of the stairs she heard the giggle again, but as before, the source was still not in her line of sight. Now she was beginning to feel like she had stumbled into a game of Kitten and Mouse, with no doubt as to who was the mouse.
Paige smiled at her invisible visitor. She didn’t really have any magic powers that told her this entity was a good spirit, at least she wasn’t aware she had that ability, but she did have a very mortal “gut feeling” that there was no malevolence in this child or childish spirit, only play.
“Who are you? Where are you?”, Paige asked softly as she took a step down the hallway.
All was quiet. “I won’t hurt you”, Paige promised. She waited for another giggle or any sign of life, but finding none, she headed down the hallway, hoping her friend hadn’t run off.
When she turned the corner, she didn’t find herself face to face with the invisible giggler but she did have another mystery on her hands, or more aptly, at her hands.
There some three feet from her along the right wall was a doorknob, attached to a door that hadn’t been there this morning on any other morning Paige had spent in her new home.
Curiosity made the mouse reach for the doorknob to investigate, but past experiences from the last month made her pull her hand back. She’d learned enough to know that doors appearing out of nowhere often led to somewhere, and that somewhere was usually trouble, big, bad, demon trouble.
Paige stood at the door unsure of what to do, leaning toward calling her sisters on the mobile and advising them of this unauthorized home remodeling. And that’s exactly what she probably would have done, had she not heard that giggle again, only this time coming from just the other side of the door.
Again she sensed no evil, no demons, just a happy child, and she didn’t need the power of three to deal with that.
Paige grabbed the doorknob and turned it slowly. When she heard the tumblers click, she pushed on the door and it gave easily. As she stepped inside, she saw no presence to go with the giggle she’d heard, but she had no doubt this is where the giggling girl lived.
It was a little girl’s dream bedroom, all done up in pink and white and lace, complete with a canopy bed and loads of fluffies all about. Paige moved about the room, half expecting, and totally hoping a little imp would pop out from under the duvet or from inside the wardrobe, and greet her with a hug, but none came and no further giggles were heard.
As Paige continued to explore, picking up dolls and toys and looking at a too cute collection of play dresses, questions without answers began to mount. Whose room was this? Why had she never seen it before? Why had her sister’s never told her about it? Was this room even inside the Halliwell house, or had she been stepped through the “Looking Glass” and was no longer in San Francisco any more?
Paige went to the window and pulled back the lace curtains. The view from the window that also hadn’t been there before, was clearly the back garden of the Halliwell home. So, she hadn’t left the building, but exactly where in the building had she walked into?
Paige walked over to the bed and ran her hands along the soft duvet, gently caressing the embroidered hearts and kittens on it. She smiled dreamily, remembering when she was a little girl, how she had dreamed of having a bedroom just like this one.
The young witch eased under the canopy and onto the bed. “Ohhhhhh ... that’s so soft”, she sighed as she curled up. Stretching out on a bed made for an eight year old wasn’t a possibility for the long and lean young woman.
Paige knew she needed to get up. It was time to ring her sisters on the mobile, but the comfy bed and warm herbal tea suddenly got the better of her and before she knew it she was drifting off to sleep. With her last moment of consciousness, she heard that giggle once again. She smiled sleepily as she knew the Kitten had won the game and then she was gone.
Three hours later Paige found herself being rather rudely awakened by a pair of sisters, throwing questions at her like they were slinging spells at a fast approaching demon.
“Paige, how did you get in here?” “Are you alright?” You didn’t see anyone, did you? “You didn’t hear anyone, did you?”
When Paige, still more asleep than awake was slow to respond, the sisters turned on each other. “I thought you said she couldn’t break the protection spell? You said the room was magically sealed.” Phoebe pointed an accusing finger at Piper.
“She didn’t break the spell!”, Piper shot back in defense. “And we sealed the room together, just like it said in the Book of Shadows.”
“Well then how do you explain this?” Phoebe spat, as she waved her arms round and pointed at the groggy Paige.
“Well ... ”, Piper shrugged, “I ummm ... can’t, but ... I’m telling you she couldn’t have seen the doorway and she couldn’t have broken in. Someone had to lead her here and ... unlock the door. The question is, who?”
“Or what?” Phoebe added with a shudder.
“It was a little girl”, Paige said softly as she struggled to regain consciousness and sit up in the bed. “I ... I didn’t see her, but ... I heard her…heard her giggle.”
Paige found herself quickly flanked on each side by her two concerned sisters. “Okay, Paige, start at the beginning and don’t leave anything out,” Piper gently pushed.
Paige nodded and started the short story. Piper and Phoebe exchanged knowing glances as Paige told the tale, but both remained quiet throughout. By the time she’d got to the part where she became “Sleeping Beauty”, she was wide-awake and searching for a few answers of her own.
“Okay ... so c’mon. guys. I’ve been a good girl and told you everything I know, so now why don’t you clue me in on the mystery? A good place to start might be just whose room this is.” Paige pleaded.
Phoebe and Piper made silent eye contact When Piper nodded, that was Phoebe’s clue to begin. “This is our big sister’s room.”
Paige sighed sadly as thought of their lost sibling Prue, but then Phoebe’s answer suddenly gave Paige more questions. “Wait a minute ... this can’t be Prue’s room. That’s two doors down the hall and besides, this is a little girl’s room.”
Piper took Paige’s hand. “It’s not Prue’s room. It’s Pana’s (Pawna’s) room.”
“Well actually her name was Panacia”, Phoebe gently corrected, “but we always called her Pana.”
“Pana?”, Paige’s eyes went wide. “Who’s Pana. I thought you said this was your big sister’s room.”
Piper’s lip trembled as she lost the power of speech and Phoebe carried the tale from there. “Pana is our big sister. She was Mom’s firstborn, but before she’d met Dad.”
Paige’s eyes were still wide in disbelief, “Yet another Halliwell sister?”, she thought “And this one a half-sister like me?”, but again, answering one question only prompted several more.
“Wait a minute. You’re saying there’s another Halliwell sister out there? One that didn’t show up at Prue’s funeral, and one that nobody has ever told me about until I stumbled into her room, almost literally? And speaking of which, if she’s your ... ummm ... our older sister, how come she has a room furnished by Kid’s R Us? I won’t even ask why her room had to be protected by a magic spell.”
Phoebe took Paige’s free hand as tears welled in her eyes. “We were going to tell you about Pana, honest we were Paige. But you’ve been exposed to so much so fast, and well ... it’s only been a month since Prue died, and well ... ”
Piper picked up as Phoebe found the going too tough. “We just didn’t want to relive the pain of another loss less than a year old until we were stronger, and we felt you were ready.”
Paige’s heart sank. The sad words and tears in her sister’s eyes had answered several questions. Obviously, Pana had died, possibly even another demon related fatality, but definitely another lost Halliwell sister, which explained why Paige hadn’t met her at the funeral, and why they had gone to such lengths to hide Pana’s room until they were ready to have this talk with her. What it didn’t answer, was why the oldest Halliwell sister, who obviously had to be in her early thirties had a room decorated in Early Primary School, or who the giggling girl ghost was. Those questions and much more would soon be answered.
Phoebe reached into the drawer of the night stand and pulled out a picture. It was a snap of three young women standing on the front steps of the Halliwell house. whom Paige immediately recognized as Prue, Piper and Phoebe. And standing in front of the threesome was a freckled face little girl with emerald green eyes, and red hair up in pig tails. She was smartly dressed in a school uniform and looked no older than 7 or 8.
“P ... P ... Pana?”, Paige stammered in disbelief, “But you said she was the oldest Halliwell sister right?”
“She was ... well at least she sort of was”, Phoebe struggled as she sniffled back tears.
“Look ... in for a penny, in for a pound as they say”, Piper said as she forced a smile. “We were going to tell you in time anyway, so it might as well be now, and the only way this is going to make any sense is to start at the beginning.”
“I’ll put on the kettle”, Phoebe offered as she bounced off the bed and headed for the door.
Piper helped Paige up from the bed and wrapped a sisterly arm around her as they followed Phoebe. Paige cradled the family photo containing her two lost sisters.
Once the tea was poured and the three sisters were cozy and comfy on the sofa, Piper started the tale that had become known in the family as Pana’s story or the story of the Charmed Kitten.
CHARMED KITTEN
Prue stared intently into the computer screen. Frustration was etched on her lovely young face, and a frown tugged at the corners of her mouth. Her chin rested on the thumb and forefinger of her right hand, while her left hand worked from the top of her head, through her thick brown hair, stopping at the base of her neck to massage her aching muscles. Her beautiful brown eyes were tired from hours spent at the computer poring over stacks of reference books. Her chest heaved as she blew out a heavy sigh.
"Twenty first century witchcraft indeed!", she thought. "Great Grandma had it better off with just her cauldron and a magic wand."
Piper walked in from the kitchen. She was a tall willowy blonde, with azure blue eyes, and the skin coloring of a bronze goddess. "C'mon Prue! Take a break for awhile. You've been at it for hours. We'll figure it out."
Prue took a sip of her diet Pepsi. "I need a break, but this thing's got me so puzzled. I just don't understand why Mom would have sent us something like this! It's written in a code that is almost totally indecipherable without the key symbol. It showed up in the mail box three days ago, but the post mark is dated 25 years ago today! Piper, twenty-five years ago I was 6 years old, you were 4 and Phoebe was only 2! Why would she mail us this note then, and where has it been for the last twenty-five years?"
Piper flashed her azure blues. "The US postal service strikes again?"
Prue rolled her eyes, then smiled. Piper had accomplished her objective. "Hey, at least you smiled! That's the first one I've seen from you in three days.
"Sorry Piper, It's just this letter from Mom. I have this feeling that it's really important."
Piper walked over to Prue and hugged her. "So you got a feeling huh? I thought premonitions were my special talent." Piper smiled but Prue's attention had already returned to the computer screen and their mother's letter.
She peered over her big sister’s shoulder and watched her scroll from page to page. "Hey, is that the stuff that Scotty and Rebecca said they would send?"
Prue's eyes flashed at the screen. "Uh huh."
Piper watched a few more pages scroll by as Prue remained entranced.
"Well, what do you think? Is it helpful?"
Prue again answered, "Uh huh."
Piper tapped her long acrylic nails on the computer desk. "Okay, Prudence! Mind reading is one of your talents. You care to share a little more info with your sister here?"
Prue pushed the hair from her face. "Sorry ... I just get so into it ... Uh ... Scotty and Rebecca have pretty much confirmed what we already know. The language Mom uses in this letter is ancient. I mean, we're talking Druids and Stonehenge here! Scotty sent photos of inscriptions found at the Stonehenge site, and they definitely match the symbols in the letter."
Piper's eyes lit up. "Well ... that should make it easier to decipher now, right?"
Prue shook her head. "I wish! The Druids encrypted their writings with one key symbol. Without knowing which symbol that is, it's virtually impossible to discern the meaning of the text." Prue paused a moment. "There's one thing for sure. Mom didn't want us to figure this out easily!"
Piper's blue eyes sparkled as a thought came to her. "Or ... she didn't want anyone else to be able to figure it out, either." Piper began drumming her fingers again as she contemplated the implications of her last statement.
"Piper?"
"Yeah, Prue"
"Umm ... did you have any luck going through the Book of Shadows last night?"
Piper blew out a heavy sigh. "No, I spent the whole night checking, and rechecking, almost every spell, incantation, and reference in the book, but I couldn't find anything that connects to Mom's letter, or my dream."
Prue turned from the computer terminal and stared at Piper. "Dream? What dream? You didn't mention that this morning. Was it a dream, or a premonition?"
"Sorry, I was so tired this morning that I just crashed as soon as you came in. I didn't really think it was worth mentioning at the time. Honestly, I don't know if it was a dream or a premonition. I was so tired last night I kept nodding off while I was going through the book. Anyway, I closed my eyes and when I opened them, I saw a cat. There was this big fluffy, rust colored cat sitting on the window ledge outside this room." Piper closed her eyes as she tried to focus her thoughts. "Prue, you were there too."
"What was I doing?"
"You ... walked over to the cat and reached for it."
"Did I catch it?"
Piper squinted her eyes, and then dropped her head. "I don't know. That's all I got. Damn it! I know there's more though. I just can't focus."
Prue squeezed Piper's hand and smiled. "Hey sis, you might have helped more than you think. Tell me ... Was this cat wearing anything? Like, maybe a collar?"
Piper thought for a moment and then smiled. "Yes!, The cat was wearing a pink collar with a medallion hanging from it."
Prue smiled excitedly. "Piper, I've seen that cat. This morning after you went to bed, I was working on the downloads from Rebecca and Scotty when I heard something. I turned toward the window and there was a cat sitting there looking in at me. I started to get up, but it bolted off the ledge and was gone before I could get to the window. It was a big rust colored cat AND, it was wearing a pink collar with a medallion! I only got to look at it for a moment, but I got some real strange feelings from that cat."
"Okay, so I had a premonition that we'd have a stray cat visit us looking for a saucer of milk. Do you really think that means anything? I mean, anything important?"
"I dunno. Maybe, maybe not. I told you that I got a strange feeling from that cat. I'm not sure, but it was almost as if it was trying to communicate with me. I'll tell you something else. I am sure I know that cat, and I don't mean from the trash cans in the alley either. There was something in its eyes. They were the strangest shade of green." Prue rubbed her temples as the pain in her neck had went to her head. "I can't be sure. Maybe I am so desperate for a clue, I'm seeing things."
Piper considered her sister's thoughts. "Well ... the cat is a pretty big symbol through out the history of witchcraft. Maybe, the cat isn't really a cat. Maybe its symbolic of something else. Could the cat be Mom in another form? Mom did have green eyes, right?"
"Yeah ... but I don't think it's Mom."
"Okay, what about the role of the cat in the Druid culture? Does the cat symbolize anything in their witchcraft?"
"Dunno. I sent Phoebe back to the library with another long list of reference books this morning. I might be able to find something in there."
"Speaking of our little fashion diva, shouldn't she have been back by now?"
Prue smiled sheepishly at Piper. "I did give her a big list."
Piper returned the smile. "Yeah, and for the third day in a row, too! She's spent more time in the university library the last three days, than she did her first two years there as a student!"
The two sister's smiles became full-fledged laughs. Prue was the first to speak. "Well ... if she ever really intends to go back to college, she needs to spend some time in the library. It isn't going to kill her, you know."
Piper smiled. "Try telling her that!"
Sounds of a motor racing and tires barking got their attention. They looked at each other and both said same the same thing, "Phoebe's home!"
Piper turned her attention back to the computer desk and her mother's letter. "Prue, have you heard anything from Grams yet? I gotta believe she could help us with this. If anyone would know what Mom was up to, she would."
"Nope, not a word! I don't understand that, either. She's always been there when we needed her, and boy, do we need her!"
Piper shot her sister a worried glance, "You think something or someone is keeping her from coming? You know, like maybe a demon or something?"
Prue thought about that for a moment before speaking. "I don't think so. It would take a pretty bad demon to keep Grams away!"
At that moment, the door to the room was opened by a large stack of books with a pizza box sitting precariously on top of them.
Piper couldn't resist getting a dig in at her favorite little sister. "Well ... speaking of bad demons!"
A sharp voice came from behind the stack of books. "Can it, Piper! You want to grab this pizza, or wear it? Prue, you want to give me a hand with these books? They're heavy, and they're yours, anyway!"
Piper grabbed the pizza box as Prue began taking the books one by one. She couldn't resist having a little fun with her baby sister either. "Sounds like someone didn't get their nap today."
"You try spending half the day at the library, poring over dusty old books and see what that does for your disposition!"
Phoebe stopped, thinking about her words as Prue took the last book from her. "What am I saying? You'd LOVE to spend the whole day doing that!"
Prue smiled at her sister. "Sorry Phoebe, no more trips to the library, at least not today."
Phoebe smiled back at her, her dark brown eyes sparklimg. Phoebe's dark eyes were the perfect compliment to the raven black hair that fell just below her shoulders. She was slender like her sisters, but at about 5'3", she was more petite. She was seductively dressed in a full body black leather cat suit, and short black boots. Her attire was not the same as it had been when she'd left the house, as both Prue and Piper were quick to notice.
Prue was the first to comment. "Hey, lil sis, where do you get the outfit? I should have known you couldn't spend half the day at the library without a shopping fix."
Phoebe answered her defensively. "Aw C'mon Prue. I deserved it! After three days of library hell, I earned it."
She stopped for a moment and twirled around. "Well, do you like it?"
Prue regarded it while Piper grabbed a slice of pizza. "Actually, I do. I think it suits you. Where did you get it?"
Phoebe smiled proudly. "Sorceresses R Us! They were having a Black Light Special. 50% off!"
Prue nodded. Phoebe's efforts at school had sometimes been less than enthusiastic, but as a bargain hunter, she was beyond compare.
Piper swallowed a bite of pizza, and commented on Phoebe's outfit. "I think it's sharp! You look like a pint-sized version of Diana Rigg in her black cat suit."
Phoebe stared at her, puzzled by the obscure reference. "Who?"
"Diana Rigg! You know, from the Avengers! That British Sci-Fi series that was so big in the 60's. They show it all the time on A&E!"
Phoebe just shook her head.
Piper was obviously miffed, "Well ... if you would ever watch anything other than the MTV House Party, you might know what I'm talking about!"
Phoebe's eyes lit up, and she had to retaliate. "Are you sure you are only two years older than me? I mean, you seem SO much more older at times! Not any more mature, just older!"
The two sisters glared at each other, then broke into giggles.
"Okay Phoebe, I surrender! You win. Let's eat!"
As the three girls devoured the pizza, they discussed the letter, the cat, and what they should do next. Before they finished the pizza, their next move was made for them, as the cat returned.
Phoebe spotted the cat first, as Piper and Prue's backs were turned to the window. "Hey guys, didn't you say that cat was a big rust colored cat with a pink collar?"
Piper and Prue answered simultaneously, "Yeah."
"Well ... it's back!"
The two girls whipped around in their chairs to find the cat sitting in the window regarding them. Piper looked at Prue. "Can you sense anything from the cat? Is it still trying to communicate with you?"
Prue stared at its eyes intently. "I'm getting something, but I don't understand. I don't speak fluent feline. The cat is looking for someone, or something. That much I'm sure of."
Piper started to rise out of her chair. "Do you want me to try and go to the cat, since it ran from you the last time?"
"No, let me go. In your premonition, I was the one reaching for it. I think I should try."
Phoebe whispered across the table. "I could just freeze it right there in the window. At least then it couldn't get away."
Prue thought for a moment. "Better not. Let's just see if I can get it to come to me. It may be nothing more than just a lonely cat looking for a home."
Prue rose from her chair slowly. Her eyes remained locked on the cat as she started toward it. Her long skirt skidded behind her, as she glided, barefoot, across the wood floor. The cat's eyes darted from side to side as Prue grew closer. Finally, she was standing directly in front of the cat.
She talked to it in gentle whispers. "It's okay, sweetie. I won't hurt you. You don't have to be afraid of me." Prue reached toward the cat, and as she did, her crystal necklace fell forward and hung directly in front of the cat. The cat watched the crystal as it sparkled and twirled. It looked up at Prue, hesitated, but for only a moment, and then jumped into her arms.
Prue was startled, but cradled the cat close to her. Phoebe and Piper came up to their elder sister, and began petting and caressing the cat.
They began fawning over it as if it were a newborn baby. Piper ran to get it a saucer of milk, while Phoebe went looking for catnip and a toy. Prue kept looking into its eyes, but she could not make sense of the impressions she was receiving.
She scratched the cat behind its ears. "Who are you, little friend? What are you? Are you a clue, a message, or just a homeless cat? I wish you could talk to me."
Piper sat the saucer of milk down, and Phoebe came with catnip and a toy in hand. "Hey, do you think it will play with a lime green tennis ball. I can lace it with catnip?"
Piper looked at her. "I doubt the cats going to want to play with toys. It's a full grown cat. It's no kitten."
Phoebe frowned and dropped the ball to the ground. The tennis ball bounced, and immediately caught the attention of the cat. It jumped out of Prue's arms and started chasing the ball all around the room. Phoebe smiled triumphantly at Piper.
Piper threw up her arms. "Go figure. It looked like an old cat to me."
Prue watched the cat pounce and play. "That's no "old cat". It's nothing more than an overgrown kitten.
Phoebe sat on the floor, rolling the ball and playing with the cat. Piper watched the two of them playing. "Look at them Prue! Just two kittens playing. So much for your theories and my premonitions, huh?"
Prue shook her head. "Maybe you're right. Still ... I can't shake the felling there's something special about this cat. I mean more than it just being an overgrown kitten. She's ... she's"
Phoebe cut Prue off. "Uh sis ... she's a he! I mean maybe the pink collar fooled you, but I did take enough college biology to know the difference, and this cat is obviously a male."
Prue ran her fingers through her hair and walked over to Phoebe and the cat. She knelt down, picked up the cat and cradled it in her arms. "Look, I know what this cat looks like, but for some reason, I’m feeling she's really a girl. Just like she's really a kitten, even though she's got an adult cat’s body. I can't explain this. Just trust me when I say she's a girl. I'm sure of it."
Piper walked over and scratched the cat behind her ears. "Okay, so she's a special cat. She’s a m ... a gender dysphonic feline, a transsexual tom cat if you will, with a side order of Age Dysphoria.”
“Yeah”, Phoebe chimed in, “She some sort of charmed kitten or something, but we're still no closer to solving this mystery."
The cat pawed at the crystal around Prue's neck. Phoebe raised up to join her sisters. "Well ... 'She', is definitely your baby Prue, and she's crazy about your crystal."
Prue held the cat out in front of her. "You like that necklace huh? It was a gift from my mom when I was a little girl. Did Mom send you to us? I wish you could talk, sweetie."
Prue set the cat down, and walked over to the books Phoebe had brought in earlier. "Okay gang, everybody grab a book. Look for any reference to cats you can find."
Phoebe groaned. Prue pulled rank and glared at her, "Unless anyone's got a better idea?"
Piper and Phoebe shook their heads and each grabbed a book. They had been at it for about twenty-five minutes when Piper glanced over toward the computer. "Hey guys, check it out. Our cat's trying to lend a paw."
The two women looked toward the computer and found the cat standing up on the chair and pawing the computer keys.
Phoebe smiled. "If she can do fifty words a minute with less than two errors, I know where she can get a job."
The three women laughed as Prue got up and walked over to the computer. Picking up the cat, she sat down and looked at the screen. She was greeted by “ppppppaaaaannnnnnnnnnnn”. Prue stroked the cat's fur. "Not bad for a first effort, but I don't think you are ready for the spell check yet."
Piper and Phoebe joined her at the computer desk. "Well girls, what do you think of baby's first words?"
Phoebe regarded the screen for a moment. "Sorry sis, but I'm not hooked on feline phonics. What do you say, Piper?"
"I think I know where you are going with this Prue, but I can't tell you if this is some message from mom, or just paw prints. Assuming there is meaning behind this mess, what do you think is? Obviously if we remove the duplicate letters, we’re left with pan, but pan what, or pan of what?”
Phoebe started sounding out the options. “Pan ... pan ... pancakes. Pancakes with blueberry syrup! Maybe the cat’s hungry and wants to go to IHOP", she added with a giggle.
Prue gave her the big sister glare, and Phoebe quickly canned the laugh track. “Sorry Prue, okay how about ummm ... panda, pandemonium ... pantomime, panhandle, Pandora’s box, Peter Pan, pan of fudge brownies ... oh geez Prue, there’s just too many pan’s out there.”
“Pan ... pana”, Piper took her shot and solving the riddle, “pana ... pawna, pawna!” Piper’s baby blues lit up. “Prue, I know this is a real long shot, but didn't you have an imaginary friend named Pana when you were real little and Mom was still alive?"
Prue smiled warmly. "Yeah, I did. I wanted an older sister so ... bad. No offense to the two of you, but it wasn't easy keeping an eye on you guys. You could be a real handful at times."
Phoebe smiled sheepishly. "Guess we still are, huh?"
Prue reached over and took her hand. "That's what little sisters are supposed to be. Pana was my big sister, and she watched over me. She seemed so real, and then one day, mom took us over to stay with Grams for awhile. I remember asking if I could bring Pana with me, but Mom said she was staying with her. Well ... you guys know the rest of the story. Mom was killed that day, and I never saw Pana ever again. I used to tell myself that she took Pana to heaven with her so she wouldn't be lonely." Tears welled in Prue's eyes, and her sisters hugged her.
Wiping away the tears, she looked down at the cat staring up at her from her lap. She spoke in a tear choked voice. "Is that who you are? Are you my friend Pana? Do you have a message from our mom for us?"
Prue looked deep into the cat's green eyes, and then for the first time, paid careful attention to the medallion hanging from its collar. The medallion had a single symbol on it, and the symbol looked familiar. Prue removed the bobble from the cat’s collar and examined it closer.
Piper watched her eyeing the medallion. "You got something there sis?"
"Maybe ... maybe not, can you get Mom's letter off the table for me.? I think the symbol on this medallion matches one I have seen in Mom's letter. If it does, it could be the key symbol we've be searching for."
Piper smiled as she headed towards the table. She had just reached it, when she fell to one knee, closed her eyes and grabbed her arm. Prue and Phoebe ran to her side.
Phoebe was there first. "Hey sis, you alright? What happened? Premonition?"
Piper couldn't speak but she nodded, her sister had gotten it right straight away.
Prue helped her to the chair. Piper opened her eyes, and continued rubbing her left arm. "Can you tell us what you saw?"
Piper lightly shook her head to clear the fog. "Yeah, and I got to tell you, it wasn't good. The three of us were in the attic room." She hesitated a moment. "Wait, there were four of us. We were with another woman ... no, not a woman, a girl, a little girl."
Phoebe squeezed her hand. "The little girl, did she look familiar?"
Piper shook her head. "No, I don't think so. I can't see her clearly. All I can really make out is her long red hair." Piper hesitated before continuing. "Here comes the bad part. There was someone or something else there; and it was evil. I am talking gates of hell, four-star demon evil! And ... this demon was definitely pissed! The room was shaking, and the windows exploding. Glass was flying everywhere." Piper cringed and held her left arm. "I think I got hurt."
Prue looked at her intently. "Anything else?"
"No, that's it, but I can tell you this ... it's going to happen soon ... Today, I think."
Prue returned her attention to the medallion with a renewed sense of purpose, and compared it to the symbols in her mother's letter. She had been right. The symbols did match. "I knew you were a messenger, kitten!"
Prue looked down to the floor to congratulate the cat on a successful mission, but quickly realized she was nowhere in sight. "Hey guys, anybody seen the cat?"
Phoebe answered. "I saw her dash off into the hallway when Piper fell. It must have scared her. You want me to go look for her?"
"No, I think we better see if we can decipher Mom's letter first, and find out what this is all about. Piper, are you up to it?"
"Yeah, I'm okay. Let's see what we got!"
Prue pulled up the copy of their mom’s letter, as her two sisters flanked her on each side. "Okay, I scanned Mom's letter and I downloaded all text we have on Druid symbols and their meanings."
She held up the medallion. "This has to be the key symbol, so I'll highlight that on the screen. Now we need the sequence number. That will tell the computer how to rearrange the symbols in the order Mom intended and then we should be able to read it. So ... what number would she use for the sequence?"
Piper spoke first. "How about three? Three represents the three sisters, and the power of three!"
Phoebe offered her opinion. "I think it's four. Piper you said there were the three of us, and then one other. That makes four! I got a feeling that it's four."
Prue raised her hand. "A feeling is good enough for me. Let's try four, and see what we get."
Prue imput the four and then hit "Enter". The screen went black for a few seconds and then was replaced by the modern English form of their mother's letter. Four had been correct. The letter was finally readable.
Prue finished reading it first. She dropped her head into her hands and began crying.
Piper stared at the screen. "Oh ... my ... God!"
Phoebe shook her head in disbelief. "Guys, this can't be right. I mean ... that would make the cat our uh ... our uh ... "
An older woman's voice finished Phoebe's sentence. "Your sister!" The voice was followed by a white light that filled the room and soon afterward, an image appeared in the center. The three young women turned to face it and found their Grams smiling at them. She was a beautiful woman, in her early 50's, with ash blonde hair and the same azure blue eyes Piper had.
The image of Grams seemed so real, but it was only a projection from the other side. Grams had died several years ago; however, she would visit the girls from time to time, especially when they needed her. They definitely needed her now.
"Hello my darlings. I'm sorry I couldn't come until now."
Prue wiped the tears from her eyes. "Grams, all these years we had another sister,and you never told us? I thought Pana was my imaginary big sister. Now, Mom says she was real! Why , Grams? Why?"
Piper had questions too. "Grams, I understand Mom turned her into a cat. She said it was for Pana's protection. Protection from who, or from what?
Phoebe added her own questions. "And if this happened twenty-five years ago, where's Pana been all this time?"
Grams raised her hand to quiet them. "Please little ones, listen to me. I don't have much time, and neither do you, or Pana. I will try to explain everything to you, and please keep in mind, that at the time, you mother thought this was the best way to protect Pana and all of you."
Grams looked lovingly at each of their faces and then began. "I'll start at the beginning. Pana is your sister, more accurately your half-sister. Your mother was enchanted by a demon before she ever met your father. It was not her fault. He was ... well to put it mildly, a very powerful force. His name is ... Mordock."
All three girls eyes lit up at the sound of his name and Prue spoke first. "Mordock! He’s the demon that killed Mom, and now you are telling us that Pana is his daughter? Our sister is half-demon? I can't believe that. I would have sensed the evil within her when she was with us, even if she were in cat form."
"There is no evil in her”, Grams calmly assured her. “Your mother and I were able to exorcise the demonic spirit before Pana was born. And she became just the same as you three, another charmed one, and a charming one too”, the older woman added with the warm smile of remembrance. “And shortly after Pana was born, your father met and married your mom.”
“Did Dad know that Pana’s father was a demon?”, Piper cut in.
“Yes, your mom told him everything, she knew she had to, and that included the truth about Pana. Well as you know, I haven’t always seen eye to eye with your father and when your Mom told me she wanted to marry him, I had some reservations, but I have to admit, he really impressed me. When your Mom told him the whole story, he accepted all of it, including Pana, and he loved her every bit as much as he has all of you.”
“Ummm ... Grams”, Prue interrupted, “this all sounds like it should end with all of us living together in a big house and doing the whole happily ever after thing, but we know that didn’t happen, and we know Mordock is the reason why.”
Grams sighed, “You’re right, Prudence. For the first eight years of Pana’s life, it was almost a happily ever after, or as happily as it can be for a demon battling mom and witch. Your father married your mother and each of you came along and we’d almost forgotten about Mordock, but he hadn’t forgotten about his daughter. In fact, he returned to claim her on the “Age of Ascension”, which as you know is the demonic first rite of passage held on the child’s eighth birthday. Well, you can imagine what happened when Mordock returned to claim Pana and found out she was neither a demon or evil, he was ... how do you say that, Piper? Oh yes, "Pissed!" That's the word isn't it?"
Piper nodded and blushed.
"Well, it was quite the battle, but we managed to fend him off the first day, but Mordock was determined to have his daughter even if she could no longer be his underworld princess. And if he couldn’t have her, then he would destroy her and anyone who would protect her. Your mother knew that Mordock would never stop pursuing her as long as she had Pana, but she also knew she didn’t have the power to destroy him. The Book of Shadows did say it was possible to imprison him, so she felt she had to face him and try, even if ment her own death. I ... I tried to persuade her to let me help her but she said she didn’t want to risk both our lives, and all of your being left without one of us to take care of you and guide you to your destiny as the Charmed Ones. "
"Grams”, Phoebe interrupted, “there's one thing I don't understand. If Pana wasn’t evil and couldn't be a demonic princess, why did he still want her or want to kill her so bad? Seems to me like Pana would be pretty useless to him, right?"
Piper answered that question for Grams. "I think I know why. Mordock is one bad demon, and the Book of Shadow's says there is only one way to totally destroy him. He can only be killed by the spawn of his own demon seed. Pana isn't a demon, but she was conceived from the seed of his human form. So, if I’m reading my spells right, that means with a little white magic boost, she could destroy him."
"That's right, Piper”, Grams confirmed, Pana could no longer be the dark princess or be used to destroyed the Charmed Ones, but she could destroy him and as long as Pana was free and alive, she was a threat to him. Mordock knew that and so did your mother. She also knew that should she not survive the battle with Mordock, he would eventually find Pana wherever she hid her. That is”, she paused for effect, “all but one place, the future!"
Prue smiled. "Of course, he couldn't find her in the future, because technically she wasn't there yet."
"That's right Prue. It was the only safe place for Pana."
"Okay, I understand why she hid Pana in the future while she battled Mordock”, Piper started, “but why turn her into a cat, and why send her twenty-five years into the future?"
"Honey, I'm not sure why she chose the form of a cat. I do know that she was going to change Pana's form. Perhaps she felt Pana might be safer as a cat. As for the twenty-five years, your mother knew she might not come back from her battle with Mordock. If she could not care for Pana, she hoped that by the time twenty-five years had passed, you three would be mature enough to care for her when she arrived."
Prue interjected a thought. "If Pana was 8 years old when Mom sent her into the future, then is she 33 now?"
Grams shook her head. "No Prue, time has almost stood still for Pana. To her, it has been just one day, with a very long nap in the middle. In every way save for her current feline form, she's still just an eight year old girl. She doesn't even know her mother's died yet."
Piper nodded. "Well, that explains my premonition of a little red haired girl standing with us, and why Prue sensed a kitten in the cat's body."
"Grams?"
"Yes Phoebe?"
"So why did Mom send us this letter all encrypted in Druid symbols, and why have you never told us any of this before?"
Your Mom coded that letter and the incantation to return Pana to her natural form, so that hopefully only the three of you would be able to decipher it. She would rather have had Pana remain a cat, than have someone else break the spell and have her at their mercy. As for my silence, I promised your mother I would say nothing until this day arrived. Telling you years ago would only have jeopardized the three of you, and Pana. Mordock will know soon enough that she's here. You have very little time before he comes."
"Grams?"
"Yes Prue"
"If she was my real sister, then how come I remember her as my imaginary sister, and why didn't Father ever mention her?"
Grams's heart was breaking. She wished she could hug Prue. "Honey, that's all my doing, I'm afraid. When Mordock killed your mom and Pana disappeared, your father and I made a tough decision. It was going to be hard enough on you to lose your mom, we didn’t want you to also have the pain of losing a sister, a sister we hoped might return to you one day. And since you were all so young, we couldn’t really give you the truth, so we thought it best to remove all traces of Pana’s existence and keep the secret.”
“But Grams, I did remember Pana, only ... I thought she was my imaginary big sister”.
“Yes Prue, Piper and Phoebe were so young it was easy to remove their memories, but you were always a stubborn little thing, even when you were six. Despite my best efforts to remove Pana from your memory, you simply wouldn’t let go, so we gently altered your perception of her.”
Prue nodded as it all started to come together now, “And that’s why I thought she was imaginary.”
“That right, dear, and actually it all worked out for the best. You got to keep some memories, albeit altered for your protection, and those same memories helped you make the connection and be reunited with Pana once again. I’m just sorry I had to put you, all of you, through this. You must think me terribly cruel to have kept the truth from you all these years. I wouldn’t blame you if you hated me.”
Tears welled in all three girl's eyes. Prue spoke first. "We could never hate you, Grams. You raised us after Mom died. You loved us and protected us, and Pana too! You did the only thing you could do, and we will always, always love you."
"Oh, I wish I could hug all three of you, but I can't and I must go. Please, hurry and find Pana before Mordock does. You have the spells to return Pana to normal, and to vanquish Mordock once and for all. But before I go, remember this, you are going to have to win Pana's confidence. She's not going to recognize you as you are now. She hasn't seen you since you were all children. I love you all. Goodbye!"
Grams disappeared in the white flash from which she had come. And she left the girls wondering what to do next.
Phoebe was the first to speak. "There's about a million places in this house a cat could hide. Where do we look first?"
Prue had the answer. "I think I know where she went. Think ladies. Where was the best hiding place in this house when we used to play hide and seek?"
Piper and Phoebe knew the answer. "The attic!"
"Exactly, and Pana would know that, too. I'm sure she's up there somewhere. Piper, do you think you can slip up there without being seen?"
Piper smiled. "It's a snap!" She raised her left hand above her head, twirled it several times, snapped her fingers and faded from view.
Phoebe rolled her eyes. "Piper is such a drama queen! I don't know why she goes through all the hand gestures when all she has to do is just disappear."
A lock of Phoebe's hair raised off her shoulder and then yanked at her scalp. "Ouch! That hurts!"
Piper's voice could be heard echoing through the room. "I do it because it's fun. Kind of like teasing you."
Prue spoke sharply. "Piper!"
"Sorry sis, couldn't resist. I'm heading to the attic."
Phoebe and Prue prepared themselves while Piper searched the attic. Phoebe marked some spells in the Book of Shadows, and then grabbed the book to take it with her. Prue ran the translated copy of her mother's letter off on the printer. She would need it, as it contained the spell to transform Pana back into her normal self.
Piper materialized before them a few moments later. "You were right Prue. She's up there. We shouldn't have any problem getting to her, but how Are we going to convince her that we're her sisters and 25 years have passed?"
Prue tried to remain calm. "I have an idea on that, but for right now let's just get up there and get her changed back. Our sister has been a cat long enough!"
The three women entered the attic, and spied Pana curled up on the window seat, soaking in the rays of the late afternoon sun. Pana watched them curiously as they approached. The women got within about 10 feet of her, and then read the incantation from their mother's letter:
“Grays, and blacks and shades of white, obscure the darkness from the night.
Things protected and hidden from view, will rise from their hiding, and be revealed to you.
Open your hearts, your minds, your eyes.
Be not fooled by visions that lie.
Trust your feelings deep and warm.
Return this child to her natural form.”
A puff of white smoke obscured their vision for a moment, but when it finally cleared, the cat had been replaced by a little red-haired girl in shorts, t-shirt and sandals. Pana had come home.
The girls ran to her, but they frightened Pana and she jumped behind a large steamer trunk. She peered out at them, as they stopped in their tracks.
Prue tried to coax her out. "Hi Pana! It's me, your sister Prue. Look, Piper and Phoebe are here too!" The other two girls smiled and waved, but Pana wasn't about to come out of her hiding spot.
"You're not my sister Prue. And you're not Piper and Phoebe. My sisters are little girls like me, and you are all grown-ups. My sisters are at my Grams's! My momma is here with me. I bet she doesn't know you are here. Momma! Momma!", she cried.
Piper shook her head, "So now what do we do? She's never going to believe us?"
Prue smiled at them sheepishly. "I told you I had an idea, but you're not going to like it."
Phoebe broke in. "Well, we had better try something before someone hears her screaming, and calls the police. I would hate to try and explain that she's our "older" sister."
Prue continued. "The only way she is going to recognize us, is for us to look like we did when she last saw us."
Piper's eyes grew wide. "Prue, I was only 4 years old, and Phoebe was just a toddler."
Prue smiled. "Well think of it this way, when you're 50, you will be glad to drop twenty-five years."
"Okay, I'm in. There is one good side to this. At least at two, Phoebe couldn't talk that much," Piper said with a smile.
Phoebe responded by sticking out her tongue.
Prue thought to herself. "Who needs the spell? We are already here."
Prue took Piper's hand, and she then took Phoebe's. "Okay, let's do the spell and we will be back to grown-up land before we know it."
Her two sisters nodded and the three read the spell from the open Book of Shadows:
“Mother Nature, and Father Time.
Reverse the clock in rhythm and rhyme.
What once was first, now let be last.
Return us to our bodies of twenty-five years past.”
The same white cloud that had enveloped Pana before now enveloped the three sisters, and when it disappeared, three children stood where three women had before.
Piper looked down at her play dress and reached up to feel tight blonde curls. "Hey Prue, it worked!"
Phoebe looked at the little jump suit she was wearing and laughed. "Oh boy, did it work!"
Prue's hair was up in a ponytail, and she was wearing an outfit similar to that of Pana's. "C'mon we don't have much time. The spell will wear off in a few minutes."
Pana peered over the steamer trunk and smiled when she saw the three familiar faces. "Hey! It's really you! How come you were playing like you were old ladies?"
Piper's eyes flared. "Old!"
Phoebe giggled. "Don't mess your pants, sissy!"
Pana climbed over the trunk and looked at Prue. Tears rolled down Prue's face.
"Hey Prue, what's wrong? Did you get hurt or something? You want me to make it better?"
Prue just held out her arms to her long lost sister and Pana pulled her in for a hug. "What's the matter, Prue? Why are you crying?" Pana asked with big sisterly concern.
Prue wiped the tears from her eyes. "I just missed you, that's all."
Pana released Prue and put her hands on her hips. "Gee Prue, Momma just took you and Piper and Phoebe over to Grams's this morning! You shouldn't be such a baby!"
Prue smiled at her sassy sibling. "I'm sorry Pana. I will try to be a big girl, I promise."
"So ... how come you were turned into grown-ups? Did Momma do that to you? She turned me into a cat. Did you see me? It was really cool!" Pana looked around the room. "Prue, where's Momma and Grams? Today's my 8th birthday you know." Pana's eyes grew wide. "I bet they're downstairs with my cake and presents! C'mon, let's go and peek from the stairway!"
Piper and Phoebe stood next to Pana as Prue faced her. "Uh, honey, we have something to tell you, okay?"
Pana looked suspiciously at the three of them. "Is this a game?"
Prue took her hand. "No, it's not a game. It's not make-believe. It's real. Okay?"
Pana nodded her understanding and then whispered. "It's a secret then, right?"
Piper smiled at her. "Kinda, but now we want you to know, okay?"
Pana again nodded as Prue began.
"Pana what's the last thing you remember before seeing us in the attic?"
Pana thought for a minute and then recounted her days events. "Uh, me and Momma took you all over to Grams's, and then we came back here. Momma told me that she was going to have to go away for a little while. She had to go see someone, so I would have to stay here all alone, but she said I was a big girl and I wouldn't be afraid. And I wasn't neither! She said I could play a game until she came back. She said I could pick my favorite animal and she would turn me into that. I picked Mr. Whiskers."
Phoebe smiled and said quite clearly. "I remember Mr. Whiskers, he's our cat!"
Pana stared wide-eyed at Phoebe. "Wow Phoebe, you sure are talking better now."
Phoebe giggled and shrugged her shoulders.
Prue directed the conversation back to Pana. "What else do you remember, Pana?"
Well ... momma gave me a big hug and a kiss and then she turned me into Mr. Whiskers. Wow! You should have momma turn you into a cat. It's really fun. And then Momma picked me up and gived me a hug and a kiss before she left. After that I didn’t have nothing to do or nobody to play with so I decided to hide up in the attic until momma brought you home and then I was going to s urprise you. I remember sitting on the window box and then I got tired. I guess I feel asleep. I don't remember anything else until you woke me up."
Prue looked her in the eyes. "Pana, you believe we're your sisters, right?"
Pana smiled at them. "Of course you're my sisters. You're my little sisters! I take care of you!" Pana reached out and lifted the crystal from Prue's necklace. "See, I got one just like it. Momma gave me one, and she gave you one when you turned six!"
"And sisters don't lie to each other, right?"
Pana nodded solemnly.
"Well ... then you have to believe us when we tell you this, okay?"
"Okay"
Prue tried to choose her words carefully. "Pana you went to sleep for a very long time. You slept so long that we all grew up while you were sleeping. Momma put a special spell on you so that you would stay a little girl until we woke you up. See, we weren't pretending to be grown-ups ... we kind of are grown ups. Well at least most of the time."
Piper felt a strange tingling sensation. "Uh, Prue, I think we are about to be grown-ups right now. The spell is starting to wear off."
Phoebe smiled. "Oh well, it was fun while it lasted. I wished I'd had more time to play!"
Prue squeezed Pana's hand before releasing it and stepping back with her sisters. "Watch us Pana, and you will see us change back to our real forms, okay?"
Pana watched as a cloud of smoke appeared, and the three grown-ups who had greeted her earlier returned. Prue knelt down on one knee and took Pana's hand again. "See? It's really us. We are just big now."
Pana looked up at each of their faces, and suddenly realized her little sisters had grown up without her. She accepted that because she knew her momma was a witch and a witch can do almost anything. She was glad her sisters were here, even if they were grown-up, but where was her momma?
Pana’s lip pushed out and her voice begin to tremble, "Where's Momma, and Grams? How come they let me sleep so long?"
Phoebe took Pana’s free hand. "Pana, remember when Momma told you she had to go somewhere to see someone?"
Pana nodded.
"Well ... she went to see someone who was very bad. He wanted to hurt you, and momma wouldn't let him."
Tears started to well in Pana's eyes. "Did he hurt momma? Where is she? If she's hurt, I can make it better. Honest I can!"
Phoebe was too overcome by tears to continue, and Piper picked up where she left off. "Oh baby, you can't make this better. He did hurt Momma, but now she's alright. She's all better. I promise you she is, only ... she can't come back to us now. That's why she didn't come back to wake you up."
Pana jumped into Prue's arms, and sobbed uncontrollably. In between sobs she would cry out, "Momma, I want Momma!" Prue held her while Piper and Phoebe laid their heads on her shoulders. All four cried. For three of them, they were tears from a wound twenty-five years old, and for one of them, it was an angry new wound, and also the first time she would know life without her mother.
Prue rocked Pana in her arms, and she lightly kissed her cheek. Pana looked up at her as the tears subsided. "Prue?"
"Will we ever get to see momma again?"
"Yes honey, we will. She is waiting for us in a special place, okay?"
Pana nodded. "Prue?"
"Yes?"
"Is Daddy and Grams still here?"
"Daddy doesn't live with us anymore, but sometimes he visits us. Aunt Jan ... lives where momma lives."
Piper wiped a tear from Pana's eye. "But, Grams comes to visit us sometimes too. Would you like to see her?"
Pana nodded and smiled, but then a frown took its place again. "If we don't have momma, or daddy, or Grams, then we are orphans. We don't got nobody to look after us."
Phoebe reached over to Pana, and Pana went to her arms. "Sure we do! We've got each other! We're sisters. We take care of each other, and we know we can take care of you!" Phoebe emphasized the "you" by touching her finger to Pana's nose when she said it. Pana's giggled and hugged her tightly.
When she sat Pana down, she ran to Piper to collect another hug. Piper hugged her and then it was time for the four of them to finish their serious talk. Prue picked up where Piper had left off.
"Pana, do you believe sister's help each other?"
"Yes"
"Well ... we're gonna need your help? Will you help us?"
"Sure Prue, what do you want me to do?"
"The bad man that Momma went to see, the one that wanted to hurt you, and made Momma go away, is coming here. Pana, he wants to take you away with him, because he's ... he's"
Pana finished Prue's words. "He's my real father." Sadness filled Pana's eyes and she dropped her head when she said "father". The three women were stunned. They had no idea that Pana knew. Pana then finished the confession for them. "When Momma told me she was a witch, she told me that Daddy, wasn't my real father. My real father was an evil demon. She said he didn't love me like Daddy did, and that he wanted to hurt me. She said she would never let him get me. That's who she went to see that day isn’t it? He hurt Momma, and now he wants to hurt me. Why Prue? Why did he hurt Momma, why does he want to hurt me?"
"He's evil sweetie. Darkness always tries to destroy the light, but he won't get you. See, the light will always chase the darkness away. We're gonna chase him away forever!"
"Are you all witches just like Momma?"
Piper fielded that one. "We sure are, and if you want, you can be a witch too. Would you like that?"
Pana grinned from ear to ear. Her answer was obvious. She looked over to Prue. "I wanna be a good witch, cause I don’t wanna grow up and be bad like my Father."
Prue smiled warmly. "That could never happen Pana. There's no evil within you, and that's why your father wants to take you away. See, you are the only one who can destroy him, and we can help you do that. Can you be really really brave when he comes?"
Pana threw out her chest. "I can be very brave."
Piper put a hand to her forehead, and then closed her eyes. "Sister's, I think we're about to find out just how brave we all can be! Mordock is here!"
Phoebe grabbed Piper's hand, and Piper grabbed Pana's who in turned grabbed Prue's.
Prue looked down at Pana. "Do you see the Book of Shadow's before you? Do you think you can read it?”
Pana nodded.
“Great! Now all you have to do is say the spell along with us, and he won't be able to hurt you or any of us ever again. And this is very important, no m atter what happens, don't let go of my hand and don't stop saying the spell! You got that, big sis?” Prue added with a wink and a smile.
Pana returned the same, “I got it little sis.” Pana’s words were still in the air when a burst of flames exploded across the attic, and from the center of it stepped Mordock. He was in his human form: tall, slender and with long fiery red hair that matched Pana’s, but his eyes were the windows to his evil, and they burned a bright crimson. His voice roared, and filled the attic. "I have come for what is mine. Give the child to me, or I will destroy you all!"
Prue glared at him. "Listen tall, dark and demon! You're not taking Pana anywhere, and it's gonna be you who gets destroyed!"
Mordock laughed. "By you, and your pathetic little sisters? Really now, Prue, must I destroy all of you. Isn't killing your mother enough?"
Phoebe's eyes lit up. "Why you evil ... " Before Phoebe finished the sentence she glanced to the steamer trunk that Pana had hid behind earlier, and with a wave of her hand, sent it flying at Mordock.
Mordock waited until it was a few feet from him, and then blew out a shallow breath. The trunk shattered harmlessly before him.
"Really, girls, I haven't the time nor the patience for children's games."
Piper stepped forward. "Why don't you go straight to hell, Mordock!"
Mordock smiled at her. "Oh, I intend to, Piper. Just as soon as I pick up my daughter. Come, Pana. It's time to come home."
Pana squeezed Prue's hand. "I don't have to go anywhere with you. I'm not afraid. You can't hurt me!"
Mordock smiled again. "You are brave, and that's such a shame, because you would have made a wonderful princess. I could have given you a kingdom to rule, but those meddling witches have taken you from me. Now you are but an abomination, and I will destroy you as I did your mother."
His eyes then turned to Prue. "You know, Prue, you look an awful lot like your mother. I am still looking for a witch to have my child. You feeling lucky tonight Prue? Hmmm ... what do you say to that?"
Prue pointed to the Book of Shadows. "Here's what we all have to say to you Mordock!"
Pana and her three sisters began reading the spell.
“Darkness and Demon hear this spell The gates are open to the depths of hell The light has triumphed The dark has failed Evil has lost, and Goodness prevailed.
Mordock let out a mighty roar, and the attic began to shake violently again. Winds whipped through the girls hair and the attic window shattered sending glass showering over them. A chunk embedded itself into Piper’s left arm, and she fell to one knee, but still she continued to chant the spell.
We command you by the powers of goodness and light.
You are bound and enslaved by all that is right.
You are destroyed by the power, never again freed.
You are destroyed by the power, destroyed by your seed.
A final scream, and then a blinding white light engulfed Mordock. When the light finally faded, Mordock was gone. The spell had worked.
Pana hugged her sisters, and then looked at Piper's arm. "I think you are hurt bad. Do you want me to make it better? I can do that, you know."
Piper winced a painful smile at Pana. "That's okay, Pana. I can fix it. Are you okay?"
"Yeah, I guess so, but what do we do now?"
Phoebe smiled, "I have some ideas!"
Piper shot her a glance. "Careful, Phoebe, she's only eight years old, remember?"
"Hey, how could I forget! Finally, I'm not the little sister anymore! Halleluiah!"
Pana looked up at Phoebe and pouted. "But you still ARE the little sister. I was borned before any of you, and I’m still the big sister, even if you are kind of bigger, lots bigger."
Piper smiled and winked at Prue. "Pana, I've got an idea. What do you say, you let us be your big sisters for awhile. You know, kinda like taking a vacation. Let us have a turn at being big sisters, and then whenever you want to be big sister again, it will be your turn. How’s that sound?"
Pana's eyes lit up. "Yeah, that would be kinda kewl. I really do need a vacation. It's not easy being a big sister. You guys can be a real handful at times, ya know?"
Prue's own words in an eight year old's voice came back to the three sisters, and they all laughed heartily.
Pana then turned to Prue. "When I grow up, will I really have witches powers like all of you?"
"I think so. We all had to find our own special gifts, and in time, you will too.”
“Can I see all your magic powers? Please ... ” Pana begged.
“Sure, I don’t see why not. Okay, Phoebe, show Pana what you got!"
"Well, you’ve already seen I can move things through the air, like that steamer trunk, but I can also stop time. For example ... " Phoebe grabbed a candleholder from the shelf and threw it high in the hair. Just before it hit the floor, she suspended time and stopped it’s fall. With a another wiggle of her fingers, the candleholder resumed its decent and crashed onto the wooden floor.
Pana’s eyes went wide as she smiled.
"Piper, you’re up!" Prue prompted.
"Well, sometimes I can get visions that allows me to see the future, and, ... sometimes I can vanish right before your--" Piper disappeared before she finished the sentence, and then reappeared behind Pana to finish the line. "--eyes!" Pana whirled round and stared at the smiling Piper with eyes still wide in amazement.
"That's so kewlies! What can you do Prue?"
"Well, sometimes I can read peoples minds, kind of like, I know your favorite food is pizza, and you are very hungry right now!"
Pana eyed her suspiciously. "Aw, that ain't nothing, Prue. You always knowed I like pizza, and you probably heard my belly growling."
Prue smiled at her with mischief in her eyes. "Take my hand 'O ye of little faith'. I also have one other little power. It's not really much, but it has gotten me places."
Pana felt herself lifting off the ground and she quickly realized she was Flying, flying with Prue.
"Wow! You can really fly!"
"Yeah, I can fly, but short trips only."
Prue took her once around the attic and then returned her to the floor.
Pana sighed, "I wished I had magic powers."
Prue reassured her. "Trust me Pana, you will find them, I promise."
Prue then addressed her sisters. "Well, sisters. We all have work to do. Phoebe you want to call the insurance agent about the window damage? There goes the deductible again!” Prue shook head and sighed.
“I wanna help Prue. What can I do?”, Pana begged as she pulled on Prue’s sleeve.
“Okay, you can hold the dust pan while I sweep up some of this broken glass, but be careful not to get cut, okay?”
“Okay!”
“And Miss Piper you better get down stairs and clean that cut. We might have to take you to the hospital for stitches. That looks pretty nasty."
Pana ran up to Piper. "Can I try and make it better sissy? Please? Just one time, please?"
Piper smiled down at her. "Okay, sis, work your best magic."
Pana raised her left hand over Piper's arm, closed her eyes and ran her hand back and forth just above Piper's cut. Piper's eyes went wide as she felt the pain disappear from her arm. Pana then placed her hand on the wound itself and when she lifted it again, the wound was gone. then Pana kissed Piper's arm and smiled at her.
"You don’t really got to kiss it to make it better, I just like to do that cause that’s what Mommy always did. See Piper, I told you I would make it better."
Piper stared in disbelief. "It's ... it’s totally healed, I can't believe it."
“Hey”, Prue lit up, “Somehow Mom must have known all along. Panacea was the name of a Greek Goddess with the power to heal.”
Phoebe smiled. "I think we found Pana’s first gift!"
Prue corralled her sisters into a group hug "You know what, the heck with the house. Let's go out and have that pizza that Pana's thinking about. It is her birthday, you know! And we should have a celebration."
Pana's eyes filled with delight. "I bet I’m the luckiest girl in the whole world. I got three big little sisters who are witches, and I'm going to be a witch too!"
Prue held the birthday girl tight. "That's right, sweetheart. Always remember, you will always be our "charmed kitten."
As Piper finished the story, shen smiled at Paige, “And Prue was right, you know. Pana really was a charmed kitten, so of course we had to do a little manipulating of the facts. We couldn’t bring Pana back as our true sister, so we called in a few favors, got creative with a few documents and officially adopted her from a since closed children’s home. Only Dad knew the real truth. And there was some settling in adjustments”, Piper rolled her eyes and giggled.
“Yeah”, Phoebe laughed, “there sure was. Let’s just say it took Pana a little while to get used to not being the bossy big sister.”
“I’ll say! You should of seen some of the bedtime battles she and Prue had. I’m not so sure that there wasn’t just a little demon left in those red-haired pigtails of her, “Piper teased.
Paige laughed too. Even if she hadn’t known either Pana or Prue, it didn’t take much imagination to see the two “big” sisters squaring off.
“And of course there was the problem of Pana’s gift”, Phoebe sighed. “Getting her first power at such a young age was both a godsend and a curse.”
Paige nodded, “I can think I understand. She probably wanted to go around healing everything she saw hurt or broken, from butterfly wings to skinned knees on her classmates.”
“Exactly!”, Piper confirmed as she took a sip of her tea. “We had some long discussions with her trying to explain why we couldn’t let the rest of the world know we were witches.”
“So did she understand?”
“Oh she understood the rules”, Phoebe said with a grin. “Understanding them was never a problem for Pana. Minding them however, was another story. Actually several stories for another time.”
Paige looked forward to hearing those stories as she knew there would be more laughs to follow, but it was this story she needed to hear the end of, and she knew it was going to be sad.
“What ... what happened to Pana? Did Mordock return or did some other demon avenge his death?”
Paige looked to Phoebe and the youngest Halliwell finished the tale. “No, we vanquished Mordock, he’s one dead demon, and no dark forces took Pana from us. Actually it was just a very mortal, very tragic accident.”
“One Prue never forgave herself for.” Piper shook her head and sighed.
“What happened?”
“Well ... it was a cold March afternoon, pretty much just like today,” Phoebe started again. “Piper and I were up at P-3’s, and Prue was home to collect Pana from school. The bus stops across the street at about 4 and one of us are always waiting to walk Pana to the house. That day however, the bus was early, and Prue was a little later than usual. When she walked out the door she saw Pana trying to cross the street herself. She called out to her to wait, but Pana couldn’t hear her. And Pana being the headstrong little girl she was, thought she could do it all by herself.”
Paige felt her heart sink and her stomach churn, she knew what was coming before Phoebe could say the next words.
“Prue saw the car coming. Pana never did. If Prue could have flown there in time, she would of. If I’d been there I’d stopped time and saved Pana, but there was nothing Prue could do except watch helplessly.”
Tears started flowing from Phoebe’s eyes and Piper had to finish. “It wasn’t the driver’s fault. Pana just darted out. Prue grabbed Pana and ran back to the house and called Leo. He got there as quick as he could, but .. but it was too late. She was gone.”
Piper’s eyes were now filled with tears.
“I’m ... I’m so sorry”, Paige’s own heart was breaking, “but it wasn’t Prue’s fault. She couldn’t have known the bus would be early? Premonitions are your gift, Piper.”
“You’re right Paige, and I didn’t have one about Pana’s death, or I would have been there. Truth is ... some things are just meant to be and not all the love in the world or witchcraft can change it. We knew that and Prue knew that, but she still blamed herself to the very day she died, six months later.”
“I ... I can’t imagine what it would be like to lose a sister, and then to find her, only to lose her once again,” Paige said, tears now in her own eyes.
“Well ... ” Phoebe forced a smile through her tears, “it does hurt, every bit as much as losing Prue, even though we didn’t have Pana as long, but we did have five months together, five pretty happy months for all of us, and we’ll always have the memories.”
“And that’s why you kept Pana’s room like that, sort of a special place to remember her?”
“Uh huh ... we just couldn’t do anything else. We just sort of felt her presence there. I guess it was a way to stay connected.” Piper sniffled back fresh tears. “Prue would sit in there for hours and talk to her. I don’t know if Pana could hear her, but Prue still needed to talk, talk to her big sister.”
“And Paige”, Phoebe took her sister’s hand, “that’s why we sealed the room and didn’t tell you about Pana. We just needed some time, and thought you did too.”
Paige pulled Phoebe in for a hug, “It’s okay sis, I understand now. I really do, but there’s still one thing I don’t understand: that giggle. I heard it downstairs, at the top of the stairs, and in Pana’s room.”
“Yes”, Piper’s azure blues lit up, “And we still don’t know who broke the protection spell on the room.”
It was then all three heard the giggle that Paige had heard earlier. It was the same giggle that Prue swore she’d heard when she’d been sitting alone in Pana’s room, but neither Piper nor Phoebe had heard before, until today.
Piper now playing big sister, grabbed Phoebe and Paige’s hand. “C’mon I got an idea and it’s gonna take all three of us to see if I am right.”
Paige and Phoebe were pulled along like rag doll little sisters as Piper led them up the stairs to Pana’s room.
Once inside, Piper made her confession. “Okay look, I don’t know if this is going to work, but ... I did have a premonition this morning.”
“What premonition? You didn’t say anything about that?”, Phoebe fired at her sister.
“Yeah I know”, Piper hung her head, “Guilty as charged alright, but ... it wasn’t very clear and I ... I didn’t want to get our hopes up.”
“C’mon Piper, spill it!”, Paige pushed her. “What did you see?”
“It was more hearing than seeing. It was that giggle, I just kept hearing it and then ... well ... then I saw Pana’s room and I think the three of us were in there and ... and I think I saw Pana, and Prue, too, but it wasn’t very clear and then it was gone. I’m just not sure okay. I don’t want to get my hopes up like the last time.”
The last time being when Piper tried to bring back Prue using the spell to recall a lost witch. She did succeed in bringing back a lost witch, but it wasn’t Prue and it nearly destroyed the Charmed Ones.
“It’s okay, Piper”, Phoebe hugged her sister. “The important thing is we are here now, and if there’s any chance ... any chance at all we can contact Pana or Prue, we have to go for it.”
“You’re right, but aside from being here in Pana’s room, I don’t know what to do. I don’t know if there’s a spell we should say, or anything”.
“Look, I know I’m pretty new to this and I don’t have your power of premonition, Piper, but I’ve got that women’s intuition thing going again. The same feeling that told me to open the door to Pana’s room is telling me to try something now.”
“Hey, girl”, Phoebe smiled, “Women’s intuition works for me. Let’s go for it.”
“Count me in!”, Piper made it unanimous.
“Okay, here goes nothing”, Paige wished aloud, “Let’s hold hands so we have the power of three, and just open our hearts and our minds and think of Prue and Pana. I know its not the power of magic, but it is the power of love, and that’s been known to be responsible for a few miracles throughout history.”
The three girls then closed their eyes and concentrated on Prue and Pana. Phoebe and Piper relived cherished memories they’d shared with their two fallen sisters, and Paige who’d never had that chance, simply opened her heart and sent out love, welcoming home thge two sisters she'd never known.” A minute passed, maybe two, and then the giggling returned, only this time stronger, and closer than ever before, and when a child’s soft voice called out, “Piper, Phoebe!” the three witches opened their eyes to see a miracle that love, with a boost from magic, had performed.
There, not more than eight feet away stood Prue and Pana, both images smiling and sparkling with the same white light as Grams’s.
Phoebe and Piper called out to their sisters and started for them as Paige stood back letting the foursome have their moment, but Prue stopped them in their tracks.
“Stop ... please don’t come any closer, you might disturb the field. It’s taking nearly all my power, and Grams’s too, just to bring Pana and I through this far. In fact, we still couldn’t have made it without the power of three. Thank goodness you heard Pana and figured it out.”
“Oh Prue, oh Pana, we’ve missed you so much”, Piper cried. “I tried to bring you back.”
“I know, sis, and I’ve missed you too, but I’ve got work here to do. I’m helping Mom, Grams, Grandma and all the Halliwell witches who have passed on. You don’t what we're fighting ... the battle never ends.”
“I ... missed you toos”, Pana sniffled as she reached out toward Piper, but was held back by Prue’s firm grip and that big sister 'look'.
“Oh Pana, we love you very much,” Phoebe cried.
Paige stepped forward, “Prue, Pana ... I ummm ... glad to finally get to meet you. I just wish ... well, you know”.
“Yeah, I know”, Prue said with the loving smile of a big sister, “Me too, but the important thing is that you’ve come home and the power of three is back again. You three have your work on your side, just as we have ours. Together we will defeat the darkness.”
“Paige?”, a soft voice called out.
“Yes, honey?”
“That was me giggling, ya know”.
“Yes, I kinda figured that,” the young woman answered with a giggle of her own.
“I sure wish I could hug you Paige, and you too, Phoebe and Piper.”
Paige sighed sadly, tears welling in her eyes, “I wish you could too, sis. I wish you could with all my heart.”
And then a voice familiar to all the Halliwell girls save for Paige called out in barely a whisper. “Then I think my girls should hug.”
“Mom! Mom, you’re here?”, called out Piper and Phoebe.
“I don’t know how, but she’s here, and so is Gran and ... and so is about every Halliwell witch on this side,” Prue said in disbelief.
Again the soft voice spoke, “Well go on, girls, we don’t have much time, and that means you too, Paige, you’re all sisters.”
The three sisters on their side of the light watched in amazement as Prue and Pana’s forms stopped sparkling and became solid. Pana looked up at Prue, who nodded her permission and Pana pounced into the arms of Paige who was the closest. Paige wrapped her arms round her big little sister and hugged her tightly.
Prue, Piper and Phoebe joined the twosome in an all sister’s group hug, and for that moment, if only for that moment, all the girls were home, and the power of five was complete.
“Welcome home, Paige”, Prue said lovingly to her new sister.
“Yeah, welcome home Paige”, Pana seconded happily and added a kiss for good measure.
Paige could only manage a weak “I love you”, which was echoed by all her sister’s before the love and magic that had made the miracle possible, finally could hold it no longer.
Prue and Pana’s form began to sparkle once again. Prue called out, “I love you sisters ... take care, and watch out for those demons, okay?”
“We will Prue”, Piper smiled through her tears. “And you take care too, alright?”
Pana then stole the show, by stealing the last line, “Don’t worry, I’ll take care of her. I am the big sister, ya know.”
Prue rolled her eyes as Pana blew the threesome a kiss, and then they were gone.
There were no words now, just three sisters feeling the love of two others and knowing that they would never ever really be separated, not even by death.
Piper took Paige’s hand and then Phoebe’s. “C’mon girls, lets get ready. I feel like a night at P-3’s.”
The three sister’s walked out of the room, but Paige quickly returned to shut the door to Pana’s room. She stopped for a moment and took one last look round the room. Saying goodbye didn’t seem appropriate so she just blew out a kiss and said, “See ya later sis.”
Paige thought she heard a giggle as she closed the door, but she wasn’t sure, as Phoebe and Piper were having a very loud discussion over who was the owner of a certain blue dress. Paige giggled and went to join the fun, as things were normal, or as normal as they ever were for three sisters, charmed or otherwise.
HUGGLES ALL!
Comments
Love and Magic
This is like the most wonderfulest episode of Charmed ever! I used to love watching that show and still got lots of great memories of it. I really liked how love and magic was combined in this story, 'specially at the end. I've heard this from a lotta different places said in a lotta different ways: love is the oldest and deepest form of magic.
When you let love fill your heart, almost anything can happen.
Heather Rose Brown :)
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Outside of a dog, a book is man's best friend.
Inside of a dog it's too dark to read.
Groucho Marx