Disclaimer: I don't own the characters, i just enjoy writing about them!

Prue 10
Piper 7
Phoebe 4

The atmosphere in the Halliwell household was electric. Penny watched as her three granddaughters played together in the living room. She admired the patience the older two displayed for the ever inquisitive youngest. Phoebe had recently turned four, and was constantly bombarding her sisters and her grandmother with questions, wanting to develop an understanding of everything. Christmas was drawing near, and for the first year Phoebe could fully comprehend the meaning. Her grandmother had early instilled in her the reason for the celebration, the birth of baby Jesus. Phoebe seemed to understand this, but was confused as to why her Grams wouldn’t let the baby come over and play with her, arguing that she was a big girl and she’d mind the baby.

Prue and Piper had been in convulsions laughing at their little sister.
“No laugh at me” Phoebe put her arms up, indicating for Prue to pick her up, which she did
“Oh I’m sorry baby” Prue struggled to contain her giggles.
“I not a baby, I’m big girl now”
“I know you are sweetie, but you’re still my baby” Phoebe’s brow creased, she had to think about this, not sure if she was willing to accept the title. Her little head rested on her sister’s shoulder and she stuck her thumb in her mouth, a clear-cut sign of tiredness
“Looks like someone’s ready for bed” Penny tried to take Phoebe of Prue, but Phoebe refused to budge, even at such a young age, she felt safest with her oldest sister.
“That’s ok Grams, I’ll take her to bed” Prue motioned for Piper to follow. She bathed her two younger sisters then tried to get them into their pyjamas. Piper could easily manage, but Phoebe usually needed some help
“No Pwue, I do it by myself” Phoebe pushed Prue away, and proudly dressed herself in her Tigger pyjamas. Prue tried not to laugh as Phoebe put them on inside out and back to front; she didn’t want to burst the little girl’s bubble so she left them like that, deciding to fix it when her sister was asleep. They had story time all together, with Piper reading her one story and Prue another. Phoebe who had yet to start school, loved to pretend she could read, and almost always chose a book, telling the same, memorised story no matter which book she chose.

After Prue had tucked both sisters in and kissed them goodnight she descended the stairs, cuddling up to her Grams on the couch as she always did. They shared this time together every night; it never failed to make ten year old Prue feel grown up.
That night her grandmother helped her to rehearse her lines. Prue was to play Mary in the schools nativity play the following week. She had gotten the part after auditioning against every other girl in her class, and was incredibly proud of herself.
“Grams this time will you hold Phoebe tight?” Prue was referring to the last production she’d performed in, where her character had been hit by another, and her then three year old sister, had taken it personally, squirming out of her grandmothers hold, and toddling through the auditorium to the stage where she harshly pushed the other girl and screamed at her not to hit her Pwue. Prue laughed at the memory, but at the time she’d been mortified.
“Don’t worry Prue, she’ll behave, even if we have to tie her down”
“Thanks Grams” Prue kissed her Grandmother goodnight before going to bed.

Two day’s later Prue and Piper were writing Christmas cards for their friends; Phoebe not wanting to be excluded was making cards for her sisters and her grandmothers. When she seen the festive brightly coloured cards her sisters had she wanted one, Prue addressed one to her and let her put it on the mantle, still the youngest wasn’t satisfied.
“I have another?” She asked Prue, so this time Piper gave her one
“More”
“Phoebe you don’t need another”
“I do, I want to give one to the baby”
“What baby Phoebe”
“Jesus” She told them matter of factly
“Sweetie, you can’t give baby Jesus a Christmas card” Prue told her,
“Can too, you give me one, I give him one, then he be my friend” The girl’s couldn’t be bothered arguing and explaining things to her so they gave her another card.

The next day was Prue’s and Piper’s last day in school before the holiday’s and Prue wore her nativity costume in for a dress rehearsal. Both girls brought sweets and games for a class party
“I go to the party?” Phoebe asked
“Not this one sweetie, but tomorrow Prue and Piper will have a little party at home, just for you” Penny assured the youngest
“No, I want to go with Pwue” Phoebe watched as her sisters ran through the gates of the school, her bottom lip trembling at the idea of being left behind, at the last sight of her sisters, she started crying
“Phoebe, stop being silly, you’re a big girl now and you know Prue needs to go to school”
“But, I want my sister, and I wanna go to party” Phoebe kept crying, although now it was more like whining
“you’ll be going to school soon, and then you’ll be having party’s”
“Tomorrow?” Phoebe’s tears ceased
“No, not until next year,”
“I want to go tomorrow”
“The schools closed tomorrow baby, and do you know who’s coming tomorrow night?”
“Baby Jesus?” Phoebe was obsessed with the mysterious child
“No, Santa Clause”
“Really? Tomorrow?”
“Yes, now come on I have some shopping to do, so you are going to playgroup for a few hours” Phoebe liked her playgroup, so she didn’t mind going, especially when she discovered there was a little party on there today.

That evening, Penny escorted Piper and Phoebe into the front row in the school theatre. The place was alive, with the noise of excited children and proud parents. The flash of camera’s lit up the room. When the curtains opened, Phoebe was thrilled to see her older sister singing Christmas carols with the rest of the stars. When the familiar sound of jingle bells rang out, Phoebe decided to join in. “Dingle bells, Dingle bells” She sang over and over, not knowing the rest of the words. Everyone around her smiled at her cuteness. She watched the nativity, engrossed in the performance of Prue. Afterwards, Piper and her waited rather impatiently for Prue to change and join them. Piper threw her little arms around Prue when she spotted her, congratulating her on her performance. Phoebe looked at her confused
“What’s up Pheebs?”
“Baby?”
“What baby?”
“Prue’s baby” Phoebe looked at her sisters faces, seeing they didn’t understand she decided to elaborate “Baby Jesus, Prue his mommy”
Piper laughed, but stopped when her little sister started to cry, “Oh Phoebe, Prue isn’t a mommy”
“She my mommy” Prue picked the little girl up
“Phoebe I’m your sister, not your mommy” Prue corrected her, glad the subject had been changed
“Where mommy?” Phoebe looked around
“Honey mommy’s up there” Prue pointed to the sky “in heaven”
“I go to heaven?”
“Not for a very long time”
“I want to see mommy” Phoebe began to cry, and Piper wasn’t far behind her
“Girls, I’ll take you all to see mommy tomorrow, we can wish her a merry Christmas”
Prue and Piper knew what their Grandmother meant, but Phoebe thought she would get to see her mommy and she had already been excited about seeing Santa, her little heart was going to be crushed when she realised that she wouldn’t actually be able to see her mom.

Phoebe fell asleep in the car on the way home, Her Grandmother carried her up to bed, and went to say goodnight to her other two Granddaughters.

The next day, Piper helped her Grandmother bake in the kitchen, while Prue wrapped gifts in the living room. Phoebe wandered from room to room, searching for Santa.
“Grams” Phoebe tugged on her apron “We see momma now?”
“Ok, tell Prue to get ready ok?”
Phoebe raced of excitedly.

An hour later, they pulled up at the cemetery. Phoebe was confused, she couldn’t see anyone anywhere. Prue and Piper both carried flowers and little cards for their mother. Phoebe allowed Prue to lead her by the hand. They stopped at their mother’s grave, and Penny, Prue and Piper took turns talking to Patti.
“Phoebe do you want to talk to momma?” Piper asked her gently. Phoebe nodded, and searched around her “Where she?”
“Phoebe” Grams picked the little one up, placing her on her hip, “Mommy’s in heaven”
“You said I see her today” Phoebe whispered, realising she couldn’t see her after all
“You can see her, in you heart, she’s always in your heart, but this is where your mommy is resting so this is the best place to talk to her”
Phoebe was upset and confused, Prue tried to comfort her, but Phoebe clung tightly to her Grandmother. When it was time to go, everyone said goodbye and wished their mother a happy Christmas. Phoebe looked back over her Grandmother’s shoulder as she carried her to the car “Merry Christmas mommy” she whispered so no one but her mother could hear her.

“Pwue?” Phoebe climbed onto her sister’s lap
“Yes sweetie” Prue was watching a movie, but her little sisters eyes were filled with sadness, so she accepted the distraction
“I love you”
“I love you too baby girl”
“Not baby girl, big girl” Phoebe corrected her
“Ok well I love you big girl”
“Are you going to heaven?”
“No”
“Is Grams and Piper going to heaven?”
“No”
“Is mommy still in heaven?”
“Yes, Phoebe that’s where mommy lives now”
“With daddy?”
“No, daddy’s not in heaven”
“Where he?”
“I don’t know” Phoebe seemed to accept the answers and she settled down in her sisters hold.
“Pwue” Phoebe never could stay quite for long “Does mommy miss me?”
“Of course she does sweetie, she misses us all”
“Then why doesn’t she come back?”
“Honey, once you’re in heaven you can’t come back, but I bet she wants to”
“Is heaven a bad place?”
“No, it’s a really nice place”
“Ok”

Penny had watched the interaction between her oldest and youngest granddaughter’s with an ache in her heart. She wished Patti could be there, to see the wonderful people her daughters were rapidly becoming.

Before bed, the girls sat around the Christmas tree, trying to guess the contents of their presents. They munched on the cookies Piper had helped to make, and sipped glasses of milk. Then they left a snack for Santa, before going upstairs.

Phoebe was awake at 5 am, and she wasted no time jumping up and down on Pipers bed. “Piper. Wakey up, we see Santa now” Phoebe happily jumped up and down, on top of an equally excited sister. Phoebe then made her way to Prue’s room, waking her with a sloppy kiss, and tight hug. Then Grams received the same treatment.

All four descended the stairs. For some reason Piper always felt nervous on Christmas morning, She always worried that Santa would still be there and she had been told that if he saw you, you wouldn’t get any presents. She lingered behind her Grams, as Prue led Phoebe into the living room.
All around the tree were presents for the girls. Phoebe’s eyes shot straight to the bike, not a three-wheeler but a two-wheeler like both her sisters had. Her grams helped her open her gifts, while the others examined theirs with delight. Their faces all shone bright with excitement. Penny smiled; glad to see the girl’s so happy.

“Prue go on bike now” It was just seven am but Phoebe felt she had been patient enough, and was aching for her sister to take her out to ride her bike.
“Phoebe first you need to get dressed” Prue and Piper had put on the new outfits they had for Christmas, but Phoebe had been too busy. She got dressed with Piper’s help, then they wrapped her up warmly. Piper put on her new roller blades, and all three went out in the cold wintry weather to play with their new toys. Phoebe fell a few times, but it was against her nature to give up. She tried and tried, until finally she managed a few metres without toppling over. She refused to use the trainer wheels that came with the bicycle, claiming that if Piper didn’t need them she didn’t either. They played outside until Grams forced them to come in, arguing they’d had enough exposure to the cool weather. Piper sat quietly playing with her new Barbie dolls, Prue read her latest Judy Blume book, and Phoebe coloured. After stuffing themselves with turkey, they gathered on the couch to watch Annie. All of them adored the film, laughing and crying. When it ended, they imitated the songs and dancing, each one falling around laughing.

As Grams tucked them up that night, she smiled at the perfect memories the day had presented, happy that for one day at least, her girls had put aside their grief and problems to make it a truly enjoyable day for everyone.

The End.