66Disclaimer: I own none of the Charmed characters.
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"Paige!" The youngest of the Charmed Ones stopped chewing on her pencil, and flipped the magic book shut in annoyance.
"Great, hormonal Piper," she muttered, with a roll of the eyes. "Just what I need." Lately, she'd been feeling the need to catch up with her sisters in the ways of the Wiccan, and apart from a few Power of Three spells, and a glamour to hide the zit she got on her chin, she hadn't done all that much enchantment-wise. She'd been sitting down, and leafing through the magic book, to see if there was anything small that she could attempt solo.
"Paige," Piper called, in irritation. The redhead sighed.
"Coming!" she called, orb-ing down to the kitchen. Piper and Leo stood head to head.
"Are the Elders ever gonna realise you need time off?" Piper demanded. Bad timing, Paige thought, with a little grimace. Piper alone, you didn't argue with. Pregnant Piper was the uber-witch, things tended to blow up when it didn't go her way.
"Honey, I have other charges as well," Leo reasoned. He looked distinctly antsy, Paige knew from experience that when the Elders wanted you, then the call got gradually more annoying until you answered it. Okay, she'd been up there maybe twice, but still-
Piper sighed. "Fine. Fine. Leave your wife and unborn child," she emphasised, with a look designed to make Leo feel totally guilty.
"Hey guys," Paige decided to step in. "What's up?"
Leo shot her a grateful look, as Piper's attentions were turned away from him.
"Bye, sweetie," he said quickly orb-ing out.
"Why I oughta-" Piper whirled around, folding her arms across her chest. "We aren't finished here, Leo! You wait until you get back, you sneaky-"
"Uh, Piper? I was kinda in the middle of something. You wanted me?" Paige interrupted.
The eldest of the three nodded. "Yup. You were gonna go shopping, remember?"
Paige winced. "Sorry. I forgot. I'll go now."
Piper shook her head, dismissing it. "Nope, it's okay. I just need you to grab me a couple of ingredients while you're there."
Paige raised one perfectly plucked brow.
"Spell ingredients? I thought Leo was wanting you to ease back on the magic?" she asked folding her arms. Piper nodded.
"He does. But one teensy little spell won't hurt. It's not even a spell, more a potion. And this morning sickness is driving me crazy," she complained. Paige laughed.
"Okay. What do you want?"
"Tarrowroot, and tansy," Piper read off a scrap of paper. "I found it in the book, in Grams' writing. I guess morning sickness is a big Halliwell thing." Her eyes softened slightly.
"Still no luck with the summoning spell for Grams?" Paige asked, sympathetically. Piper shook her head.
"Normally, she'd be around, and bugging me until I popped. But it isn't working," she tried to shrug nonchalantly. Paige saw the pain in her elder sister's eyes, though, and could guess at Piper's feelings. Grams had been there when Piper had grown up, telling her about the next generation of Halliwells would be important to her.
"Okay, well, tarrowroot and tansy, added to my list," she said, trying to sound upbeat. "You okay to hold the fort here?"
Piper nodded, smiling. "Fort holding, I'm already doing it."
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Restless, Piper made her way up to the attic, and looked around. Hundreds of objects she remembered from when she'd been a little girl, and things that Grams had shown them from when she'd been a little girl- She rested her hand on her still-flat stomach, and smiled softly.
"Hey, Halliwell," she greeted her baby.
She wandered across the room, to the magic book, lying open on the stand. She took a breath, and lifted the page, hoping that they would move magically to the perfect spell, that Grams' spirit would be standing behind her, guiding her. The page fell back to its place.
She flipped through the pages herself, and then, came to a blank page. Why not? Why did there have to be a spell for it? Thinking fast, Piper recited the spell as it came to her;
"Generation past of Halliwell
Across the time and space
New child blessed of Charmed line
Soon be in this place
So she can see the past and future
I ask that you come to me
Winds of shape, and sands of time
As I say, so mote it be"
She closed her eyes, feeling the magic go through her, not seeing the blue light haloing her as she finished the spell, nor the words moving silently across the blank page, writing her spell.
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Paige handed over the tansy, pulling out her wallet.
"That'll be twenty dollars, please," the cashier said with a smile. Paige felt something whoosh through her, and closed her eyes for a second, feeling dizzy.
"Are you okay?" the cashier asked, looking at her with concern.
"I'm fine," Paige waved her away. Just I felt like I was doing magic, when I wasn't, she thought silently.
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"Hey, Phoebe, new sacks of letters," the mail guy waved. She nodded, and picked up her pen, thinking of the latest response. A wave of headiness swept over her, and she took in a little breath, as her whole body tingled with magic.
"Okay, what was that?" she whispered to herself, opening her eyes.
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Piper opened her eyes, hoping against hope, but no Halliwell stood before her. With a disappointed sigh, she left the room, shutting the attic door behind her.
The dark haired little girl, who materalised a few seconds later looked around with bright blue eyes, and frowned.
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A/N: Next chapter, how do the girls deal with mini-Pru?
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