Disclaimer - I don't own them. Occasionally, they come out and play with me, but I get them back before Grams has to go looking for them, so all is well. I do own Pollux, but she's not the real moneymaker. She's not bitter that her sisters are famous, she's just going to live off of them for the rest of her life.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Piper Halliwell sat in the manor's attic, mixing a potion. She wore a distraught look on her face and it was obvious she had been crying. A potion flashed in the bowl and Piper looked up expectantly. After nothing happened she began flipping through the Book of Shadows once again. She settled on the To Call A Lost Witch spell. Piper expertly mixed the ingredients together then began her chant.
"Powers of the witches' rise
Course unseen across the skies
Come to us, we call you near
Come to us and settle here"
Piper pricked a finger on her left hand with an athame and added her blood to the previous mixture.
"Blood to blood, I summon thee,
Blood to blood, return to me."
The entire scene had an eerie Deja Vu` feeling to it, right up to the point where Phoebe walked in.
"Piper?"
"Paige?" Piper looked up and upon seeing Phoebe looked immediately crestfallen.
"Piper, honey, it's four a.m. We have to go to Paige's funeral in the morning."
"No. I lost Prue, I will not bury another sister."
"Piper, you tried this with Prue and it didn't work. They're not going to let you bring Paige back, either."
"I refuse to go through this again. Anyway who gets to decide . . ."
Piper's sentence was cut short by the white lights that started appearing in the attic. A moment later, the lights were gone and Piper's husband Leo was left standing where they had been.
"Piper, the Elders . . ."
"I don't care what the Elders say! Why do they get to decide who you can and can't save?!?! What makes them . . ."
Leo and Phoebe never got to hear the end of that sentence. Piper was encircled by white lights and when the lights were gone, so was Piper.
"Leo? Leo, where did she go?"
"Apparently the Elders wanted a word with her."
"Well, bring her back."
"I can't. The Elders will return her when they're finished explaining things to her."
"Leo . . ."
"I'm sorry, Phoebe."

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

The white lights reformed in front of a semi-circle of hooded figures. When the lights were gone, Piper was left facing them. She looked at her surroundings quickly. In addition to the people in the hoods, Grams, Patty, and Prue stood off to one side.
"Prue!" Piper was estatic. It was the first time she had seen her big sister since her death eight months ago.
Prue stepped forward and hugged her, "Piper, it's good to see you again."
"You too. But where am I? And where is Paige . . . she should be with you."
"Mom's getting ready to go be with her again. She just wanted to come see you."
"Am I dead?"
"No. The Elders just wished to discuss something with you."
Patty stepped forward and embraced her daughter. "Sweetie, you need to listen to the Elders."
"How's Paige?"
"She's trying to cope. It's been a little rough on her. I need to get back there."
"Can I see her?"
"You know you can't, sweetie. Now, listen to the Elders." Patty Halliwell walked away from her daughter and went to be with her youngest child. Grams stayed off to the side and Prue remained at her sister's side.
"Piper Halliwell!" One of the Elders' voices boomed.
Piper was too pissed at them to give a damn about their powers. She held her head high and remained standing like a statue. "Yes?"
"You must cease trying to call you sister back to you. That is not what is destined."
"Then what is destined? And who gets to decide the way our destinies play out?"
"It isn't for us to question."
"It is for you to question. You get a say in who your whitelighters save and who they can't. How do you know you've made the right choice."
"Because the destiny . . ."
"Look, all I know is that this destiny that you're so eager to not question, has robbed me of my mother, my Grandmother, two of my sisters, and broken the power of three - not once, but twice. How can you even pretend that there isn't the slightest possibility that we'd be better off, had it not been for destiny? I mean this destiny kept Paige away from us for twenty-five years! Prue never even got to know her little sister! Phoebe and I haven't even known her for a year and you're ripping her out of our lives! Not to mention the people you ripped out of hers before she knew us!"
The Elder starts to speak again when another Elder clears his throat and motions the first Elder over. The two Elders stand looking over a sort of glowing mirror for a moment, then the first Elder turns back to Piper.
"You would like to know what your destiny had been had it not been this one?"
"It can't get any worse."
"Very well then. We will drop you into a possible alternate reality. A reality where you don't have magic and your mother didn't give up Paige. We will show you what your destiny may have been, then you tell us which is the better scenario."
"Finally! A say so in my own life!"
"You will be the only one who knows that the universe isn't real. You'll be the only one who's aware the world doesn't exist this way. So you can make a fair comparison, of course."
"Of course."
"I warn you. Some things will have only slightly changed, while other things will change drastically. Don't expect every person you've lost in this world to be present in the alternate one."
"What does that mean."
Piper's question never got answered. A fierce wind whipped around her, flashes of a life - her life - went through her brain, and then the world grew dark.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

The next thing Piper knew she was walking into the manor kitchen where Prue was on the phone and Grams was holding a newspaper and drinking coffee.
"Grams! The doctor was very clear when he said no caffeine. Here, have some nice tea." Piper starts to get the tea out of the cupboard, when suddenly she realized what was going on. Grams and Prue . . . alive! I know this morning . . . this is the morning . . .
". . . when I move out."
Piper caught the last part of Prue's sentence, which confirmed that Piper did indeed know the morning in question. Wait, I thought the Elders said things would be different. So far, this day's the same.
"Tada!" Grams holding her new camera up brought Piper back to 'reality'.
"A great new camera. Even though it's last years model. What is it? A '96?"
"Well, I just like to just get a picture, you know?"
"Did you say you were moving out?" Piper remembered Prue's phone conversation.
"Yes, I did. We can't all live here with Grams forever."
"Yeah, uh, maybe just a couple of quick shots, you know, candids." Grams was trying to pull her granddaughters out of the impending fight.
"Uh, when was this decided?"
"Oh, I don't know. Probably when I was proposed to."
Grams grabs her chest. "Um, maybe later."
Both girls rush to her, Piper grabbing her first. "Grams? Please sit down."
"You only just got back from the hospital."
"Okay, I'll take it easy." She looks up as the doorbell rings. "After I get that."

Prue and Piper follow Grams into the foyer. Piper hears the television on in the living room and looks over to see Paige vegged out on the couch watching TV. Well, that's different.
Grams opens the door. Two policemen, Phoebe, and a teenager who looks like a cross between Paige and Prue when they were younger are standing there.
That's weird. I feel like I should know her, but . . . Piper's train of thought is cut short by Phoebe.
"Oh, you guys didn't have to get out of bed for little old me."
"Mrs. Halliwell?" An officer addresses Grams.
"Can I at least hear what they did before I answer that?"
"This one was caught shoplifting."
"Oh, that is so not true," Phoebe began. "I just forgot to pay for them. Grams, the store isn't even pressing charges."
The officers, Grams, and Phoebe finish their conversation. Piper is more intent on Prue, who has grabbed the teenager from one of the officers and pulled her into the manor.
"What did I tell you about hanging out with Phoebe?"
The teenager exhales deeply. "Not to do it."
"Why?"
"Because it will get me into trouble. But, Prue, she's my sister . . . just like you."
Sister . . . did she say sister? Wait a minute! That can't be right.
"Not just like me . . . I won't get you into trouble."
Phoebe walks between Grams and Piper headed up the stairs. This is not missed by Prue. She shoves the teenager towards Piper.
"Here! She at least pretends to listen to you. I'll go deal with Phoebe."
Piper stood very confused watching Prue stalk up the steps after Phoebe.
"So, Piper, how much trouble am I really in?" The teenager's voice snapped Piper back into reality.

Piper stared blankly at the teenager. "Uh, uh, "
"Riiiight . . . well, while you're thinking about it, I might as well make myself a sandwhich."
Piper watched as she headed off towards the kitchen. The sound of Paige's voice made her jump.
"Piper?"
"Uh, uh . . ."
"You just gonna let her walk away?"
"Uh, uh . . ."
"Are you okay?"
Piper shook her head, blinked, and looked at Paige. "Yeah. It's just that Prue wants me to deal with . . . " Piper's mind was racing 'Uh, I'm guessing I should know this' she thought to herself.
". . . Pollux." Paige slightly moved her head forward and stared wide-eyed at Piper.
"Pollux" Piper said the name slowly and as if it were foreign to her.
"Right. Pollux." Paige nodded her head up and down. "Like you disciplining her is a surprise?"
Piper decided to try and cover. "Of course it's not a surprise. Why would it be a surprise. I was just wondering why Prue assumes I'll discipline her?"
Paige looked at Piper strangely, but decided to play along with her big sister's display of temporary insanity. "Because the last thing Mom said before she died was 'Piper, take care of Pollux.'? Because you two take that seriously . . . because unless she's done something really horrible, that she needs to be placed into solitary confinement for, you've always done it."
"Of course. See, I was just testing to make sure you knew the story."
"Riiight. Next you'll be telling me you don't remember Mom died because of complications from Pollux's birth."
'Well, that is new.' Piper saw Paige staring at her like she was insane. "Of course, I know that. How could I not know that?" Piper made a mental guess at the girl's age seperations and made a huge leap, trying to get more information. "Just like I know that Mom was probably only telling me that because she knew she was dying and she was trying to keep me calm. I mean I was only like . . .
". . . Five." Paige finished.
"Right. Okay, you go back to your television, I'm going to deal with Pollux."
"Are you feeling okay?"
"Yeah, why?"
"Well, it's just that usually, by now, you're nagging me to get to my homework . . . that freshman year of college is tough. Even though it's Saturday."
"Well, then. . . Get to your homework. Freshman year of college is tough." Piper waved her hand at Paige as she headed towards the kitchen to deal with this newfound little sister.
"Never would have figured Piper was making 'special' brownies." Paige mumbled under her breath before heading off to the television.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Piper walked to the kitchen's doorway, hanging back to watch Pollux and Grams, the latter of which was sitting at the table drinking coffee.
"Grams, I thought Piper said you weren't supposed to have anymore caffeine."
"Let's remember who is the granddaughter and who is the grandmother here."
"Let's remember who has a heart condition."
"How about remembering who was just brought home by two police officers."
"You win. But Piper's gonna tell you the same thing when she comes in here." Pollux returned to making her sandwich.
"I know how to deal with your sister."
"Really, Grams?" Piper stepped into the kitchen. "And how is that?"
"Piper! We were just talking about you."
"So I heard."
Pollux laughed slightly to herself and turned to the refrigerator to search for more sandwich ingredients. As long as Piper wasn't yelling at her, all was right with the world.
"Piper, darling, it's just one cup of coffee. Are you really going to deny an old woman something she enjoys so?"
Piper thought a moment. If this morning in this reality was the same as this morning in her reality - there was no point. Piper could only hope this day didn't end like that one, but she had a funny feeling. At any rate, she was going to make it a point to spend as much time as possible with Grams that day.
"I don't suppose so. Especially when I apparently have a little sister to deal with."
"Oh God, here we go." Pollux mumbled as she turned back to the counter.
"Excuse me?"
"Nothing." Pollux spoke up quickly.
Piper balked a moment. She knew that this was her responsibility and that she had to do it, but she also had no idea to go about it. She barely knew who Pollux was, let alone her character traits and what would be effective. Was this something that happened often, or was this a one time occurrence? She resolved to treat her just like she was Phoebe or Paige.
"The person who was escorted home by the police, does not reserve the right to develop the attitude."
"Then I certainly hope Phoebe isn't giving Prue an attitude - since she's the one who was 'escorted' home by the police."
"You both were!"
"Technically." Pollux threw an empty plastic bag on the counter. "We're out of turkey."
"We're not discussing turkey. We're discussing the police."
"Not a bad band - for the eighties."
Piper stared at Pollux like she was growing antlers. Piper was trying to talk about her run-in with the law and Pollux was acting like it happened everyday.
'Well maybe it does.' Piper mused to herself. "What part of 'brought home by the cops' is difficult for you to understand?"
"What part of 'I was just with Phoebe' is difficult for you to understand?" Pollux slammed the top slice of bread onto the sandwhich.
"The part where I told you not to." Prue's voice resonated off the kitchen walls
Pollux looked towards the doorway. Upon seeing Prue, she dropped the sandwich that was on its way to her mouth, back to the counter. "Prue." Pollux's earlier fire left her body, she was now staring at Prue wide-eyed.
"What did I tell you?!? Not even two days ago - what did I tell you?"
"Uh . . . uh, not to hang around Phoebe anymore?"
"You do remember! Good! Now would you care to tell me why you were with Phoebe after I had told you not to be?"
"She called . . . asked me to go shopping with her."
"Do you remember what the word 'no' means?"
"Prue, she's my sister."
"Doesn't mean she's a good influence on you. Doesn't mean you should be left alone with her. Pollux, she's out of control. I have no idea where she's going to end up if she continues on this path."
"Prue, you're still angry about the whole Rog . . ." Pollux stopped, realizing what she was about to say.
Piper also realized the word 'Roger' was about to cross Pollux's lips. Piper knew how upset Prue had been after walking in on him and Phoebe. Phoebe had sworn Roger had seduced her, and Prue had come to realize she was telling the truth. Of course, that was a different reality. In this reality, it still looked like a sore subject. Piper stepped in between Prue and Pollux.
"Prue . . . wait." Piper wasn't sure why she was defending Pollux, she just knew she felt as if she had to.
"Prudence . . . " Grams was now an active participant in the conversation.
Prue's eyes bore a hole into Pollux's soul "What were you going to say?"
"Nothing." Pollux moved closer to Piper's back.
"That's what I thought. Now go to your room." Prue watched as Pollux carefully edged away from Piper and quietly and slowly made her way towards the kitchen door. Prue watched until Pollux was almost out of the room before delivering what she believed to be her final blow. "What do you know, she does know when to behave."
Apparently, in addition to looking like Prue, Pollux also possessed Prue's fierceness and determination - with just a sprinkling of Phoebe's not always knowing when it's best to leave well enough alone. Pollux turned back around rapidly. "I was going to say that your fiance is a first class jerk!"
"What did you say?"
"Oh, I'm sorry. What I meant was that your fiance is a first class asshole!!! We all know he seduced Phoebe, not vice versa."
"You are in so much trouble, young lady."
"Oh don't young lady, me! You're my big sister . . . not my mother!"
"Well thanks to you I had to take over the job!"
Tension hung thick in the air. Pollux looked defeated - yet rage filled. Prue looked as if she had just had an out of body experience.
"Oh, Pollux, I'm sorry . . . I didn't mean . . . I would never . . ."
"Go to hell!" Pollux ran from the kitchen. A moment later the front door could be heard slamming.
"Prudence, how . . ."
"You heard her, Grams. She was trying to push my buttons."
Piper looked at the spot where Pollux had just stood. There was a lot about this reality the Piper still didn't know. What she did know right now, was that she had an uncontrollable urge to find and comfort Pollux. Piper headed towards the foyer.
"Piper, where are you going?"
"I have to find her." It was all Piper could manage. 'Even if I'm not exactly sure why.'

Piper had been driving around San Francisco for hours. She had been to every single place she would have looked for Prue or Phoebe at Pollux’s age. She would have looked in the places she would have searched for Paige in - but she wasn’t sure where those were either. ‘Maybe Paige and Pollux would go to the same places. I need a cell phone . . . why don’t I have a cell phone, yet? . . . wait, maybe in this reality I do!’ Piper began digging through her purse . . . no such luck. She pulled over at the nearest payphone and dialed the manor.
“Hello.”
“Paige, it’s Piper.”
“Thank God, you found her.”
“No, actually, I was running out of places to look. I was hoping you could clue me in on some more places.”
“You know her better than I do.”
“Paige, she’s your sister too.”
“But she doesn’t talk to me like she talks to you.”
‘Great job as usual, Elders. Some memories would have been nice here.’
“I just got off the phone with Prue. She can’t find her either.” Paige interrupted Piper’s thought.
“She’s looking?”
“Went out about an hour after you.” Silence, then Paige thought of something. “Piper, have you tried the beach?”
“Beach?”
“Yeah. Down by the rocks where you can just watch the waves roll in.”
The one Prue/Phoebe place she hadn’t checked.
“Call you back soon.” Piper didn’t even wait for Paige to say goodbye. She hung up the phone and jumped back in the car.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

‘Finally.’ Piper had been walking along the beach for just a few minutes when she saw Pollux sitting on the rocks staring out across the ocean. Pollux had her knees pulled into her chest and her chin resting on her knees. She was sitting very still and looked like she was lost deep in thought. Piper stood in front of her.
“Okay, we don’t run out of the house, slamming doors behind us. We stay and talk things out.”
Pollux didn’t move, didn’t even look at Piper. She remained like a statue staring across the ocean. Piper noticed the faint hint of tear stains on both cheeks, and Pollux was shivering slightly; the cold wind blowing off the water, not being combated very well by the t-shirt Pollux wore. Piper removed her jacket, placed it on the teenager’s shoulders, and took a seat on the rocks next to Pollux. They both sat lost deep in their own thoughts for a few moments. Pollux contemplating Prue’s words, Piper contemplating this reality and what it had in store for her. Finally Pollux broke the silence.
“I didn’t mean to kill her.”
“Is that what you think? You think you killed Mom?”
“Prue does.”
“No she doesn’t. Prue was angry. People say things they don’t mean when they’re angry. She’s worried. She’s out looking for you right now. Is that the action of someone who thinks you killed their mother?”
Pollux picked up a loose stone and tossed it towards the ocean. “It’s not just today . . . sometimes when she looks at me, I think . . . nevermind, it’s not important.”
“If you think your big sister thinks you killed our mother, it is important.” Piper stated flatly before thinking to herself ‘Wow that was surreal . . . did I really just acknowledge Pollux is Prue’s sister?’
“She’s right, you know. I’m here. Mom’s gone. If she hadn’t had me, she would still be alive. I killed our mother.”
‘And I thought Paige had issues with being abandoned at the church.’
“Sweetie, you didn’t kill our mother.”
“Didn’t I?”
“Things go wrong . . . accidents happen.”
“In 1864 . . . people die in childbirth in 1864 . . . not the late 1970's for Pete’s sake.”
“Not as often, no, but it still happens. It still happens today. Complications arise, doctors can only do so much, eventually modern science and medicine is overruled by . . .”
“Destiny?”
“You could call it that.”
‘Damn Elders! I guess this reality has its own destiny.’
“So it’s my destiny to be a constant reminder to my big sister that our mother is dead. A reminder that she had to grow up too fast, a reminder of every single thing she ever missed out on because of her responsibilities . . . Responsibilities that began the day I was born?”
“Sounds like she’s not the only one who grew up too fast.”
“It’s just . . . just . . . I don’t know, I can’t explain it. I mean I’m glad Prue loves us enough to have sacrificed so much to help raise us . . . and you, you sacrificed to help raise me, all because of some stupid deathbed promise you made to Mom . . . but at least with you, occasionally, I get to have a big sister . . . sometimes I wonder if I’ll ever know what it’s like to have Prue as a big sister and not a mother. That’s why when Phoebe called . . .” Pollux let her sentence drift off as she stared back at the ocean.
‘Of course. Prue’s like her mother, I’m like her mother . . . Phoebe, Phoebe’s just the cool big sister she can tag along after.’ Piper let Pollux remain lost in thought for a few minutes more, then she looked at her. “Come on. We have to go home, Prue is probably out of her mind with worry.”
“Great. I’m in more trouble.” Pollux mumbled as Piper helped her off the rock and they headed to the car.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Prue practically barreled Piper and Pollux over when they entered the foyer. Paige and Phoebe were close behind her. Within seconds she had a hold of Pollux by the shoulders.
“I don’t know whether to hug you or slap you.”
“I know which one I’m voting for.” Pollux managed weakly.
“What were you thinking? You had us all worried . . .”
“Prue,” Piper interrupted. She was rather certain Pollux had as much as she could take for one day. “Pollux, why don’t you go upstairs and wait for us.”
“Okay.” Pollux headed off up the stairs.
Piper turned back and stared at Prue. “You’re not going to yell at her.”
“Excuse me?”
“Well, that would be my cue to leave. I have homework, anyway. Phoebe, you want to come with?”
“No, you run along, Paige. I think I’d like to be present for this.”
“Oh - Kay. Maybe I’ll check on Grams as I go to my room.”
“Good idea.”
“What exactly do you mean I’m not going to yell at her.”
“Exactly what it sounds like I meant. Prue, she thinks you think she killed our mother.”
“I didn’t mean what I said.”
“It’s not just that. She said that sometimes when you look at her . . . Prue, do you have any idea how much guilt she’s carrying around on those shoulders? She thinks she killed Mom.”
“That’s ridiculous. Mom had toxaemia . . . and she started hemorrhaging after Pollux was born. There was nothing anyone could do.”
“You know that. Phoebe knows that. Paige knows that. Pollux, Pollux still has issues with that.”
“That’s ridiculous! It’s not her fault!”
“I’m not the one you need to be telling this to.”
“Fine. I’ll go talk to Pollux.” Prue starts to storm up the stairs, Piper right behind her. “Where do you think you’re going?”
“With as angry as you are . . . I’m going to make sure you play nice.”
“That’s just crazy!”
“Is it? Do me a favor, stay here, breathe, calm yourself, count to ten . . . better yet twenty, and then go up to Pollux. I’ll be in my room if you need me.”
“Fine!” Prue watched as Piper stormed up the stairs.

Piper hadn’t gotten very far when she heard what sounded like a muffled scream of pain. Seconds later, she heard the sound of something falling down the stairs. ‘No! Not again! Not here too!’ Piper shouted in her head, only to have her worst fears confirmed as Grams’ body hit the floor at the base of the steps.
“Grams! Grams!” Piper yelled as she ran up to her and knelt at Grams’ head. “Prue! Phoebe! Some