Becoming The Charmed Ones

[peytonmarie]

In That 70's Episode, Grams states that her death will automatically reverse the binding spell she cast on the girls. Of course, at this point, we already know it was 6 months after her death and they didn't automatically get their powers; Phoebe had to find the Book of Shadows and cast a spell.

So my question is, did Paige's birth have something to do with this?

Three sisters needed to be in the house with the book to unlock the Power of Three. Did it matter which sisters? Theoretically, if Phoebe had stayed in New York and Prue and Piper had met Paige, could the Charmed Ones have been created that way?

It might explain why none of the four sisters received their powers right when Grams died. Did Paige share in their Charmed destiny from birth or was Prue's death not part of the plan? Was she a cosmic spare, only to be used in dire emergency, or did she have her own Wiccan destiny?

Going back to the first episode knowing Paige exists brings up so many new questions for me.

(PS. I know Paige's existence is more of a BTS thing, a necessary detail added in later, but just go with it.)

[Elle Em]

I guess since Paige eventually was able to become a full member of the Power of Three, technically if she, Prue, and Piper had said the spell together while Phoebe was away, it would have worked on the three of them. But I'm also wondering if birth order plays a role here. Prue, Piper, and Phoebe were all alive at one point while Paige was not born, so maybe that means that only the three of them can become the Charmed Ones unless one of them dies. So maybe if that's true, then Prue, Piper, and Paige could not become the Charmed Ones while Phoebe was still alive.

I wonder also about the circumstances necessary for the original three to receive their powers. It took all three of them in the house and Phoebe reading the spell to awaken their powers. Maybe Grams' death only made it possible for that to happen. So it wouldn't be an immediate thing that they'd receive their powers after she died, but rather that it was then only a possibility.

It's interesting to think about their early years if Paige does exist. I wonder about if one of them died earlier than they did what the show would be like.

[Esmeralda]

Nov 23, 2018 8:11:39 GMT -5 Elle Em said:

I guess since Paige eventually was able to become a full member of the Power of Three, technically if she, Prue, and Piper had said the spell together while Phoebe was away, it would have worked on the three of them. But I'm also wondering if birth order plays a role here. Prue, Piper, and Phoebe were all alive at one point while Paige was not born, so maybe that means that only the three of them can become the Charmed Ones unless one of them dies. So maybe if that's true, then Prue, Piper, and Paige could not become the Charmed Ones while Phoebe was still alive.

I wonder also about the circumstances necessary for the original three to receive their powers. It took all three of them in the house and Phoebe reading the spell to awaken their powers. Maybe Grams' death only made it possible for that to happen. So it wouldn't be an immediate thing that they'd receive their powers after she died, but rather that it was then only a possibility.

It's interesting to think about their early years if Paige does exist. I wonder about if one of them died earlier than they did what the show would be like.

Yeah, I think birth order has a lot to do with it, and, more, the fact that Phoebe was just a baby and Paige not born yet when Grams bound their powers - after Prue, Piper and Phoebe already had Melinda Warren's three. I think even if Paige read the spell, it would've been Prue, Piper and Phoebe who would've had their powers unbound and become Charmed.

Since Paige wasn't part of Patty's pact with Nicholas, I don't think her powers were ever bound - proven by the fact that she could orb before they stood under the chandelier - which is why I think she didn't have a Warren power until one of the actual Charmed Ones died. I'm sure she'd pointed at something and said what it was before, but it was very obvious when she pointed and said, "Candle" that that was the first time she'd orbed something. I think if Piper been the one who died, she would've gotten a whitelighter version of freezing or if Phoebe had been, Paige would've gotten a whitelighter version of premonitions at the moment when the Charmed Ones were reconstituted under the chandelier. Even the fact that it was reconstituted that way and not by having someone read the spell shows that she was always just the spare.

I agree that it also had to do with the three sisters already being in the house. I wonder what would happen if Paige had also been in the house at that time...although the spell *does* say "We sisters three"...

This makes me wonder what would've happened had Paige been the oldest and still raised apart from the other three at the time that Grams bound their powers. Would Paige have already had the whitelighter version of premonitions, meaning Phoebe wouldn't get it until one of the Charmed Ones (Paige, Prue and Piper) died? And even if the spell was read, would Prue and Piper not get their powers until Paige was in the house? Or if the Elders didn't know about Paige, would she have only had her whitelighter powers, so it still would've been Prue, Piper and Phoebe who had Melinda Warren's three powers and be Charmed until one of them died?

We obviously don't know - things were done too inconsistently to be able to conclude anything but it makes for interesting speculation.

[peytonmarie]

Nov 23, 2018 8:36:42 GMT -5 Esmeralda said:

Nov 23, 2018 8:11:39 GMT -5 Elle Em said:

I guess since Paige eventually was able to become a full member of the Power of Three, technically if she, Prue, and Piper had said the spell together while Phoebe was away, it would have worked on the three of them. But I'm also wondering if birth order plays a role here. Prue, Piper, and Phoebe were all alive at one point while Paige was not born, so maybe that means that only the three of them can become the Charmed Ones unless one of them dies. So maybe if that's true, then Prue, Piper, and Paige could not become the Charmed Ones while Phoebe was still alive.

I wonder also about the circumstances necessary for the original three to receive their powers. It took all three of them in the house and Phoebe reading the spell to awaken their powers. Maybe Grams' death only made it possible for that to happen. So it wouldn't be an immediate thing that they'd receive their powers after she died, but rather that it was then only a possibility.

It's interesting to think about their early years if Paige does exist. I wonder about if one of them died earlier than they did what the show would be like.

Yeah, I think birth order has a lot to do with it, and, more, the fact that Phoebe was just a baby and Paige not born yet when Grams bound their powers - after Prue, Piper and Phoebe already had Melinda Warren's three. I think even if Paige read the spell, it would've been Prue, Piper and Phoebe who would've had their powers unbound and become Charmed.

Since Paige wasn't part of Patty's pact with Nicholas, I don't think her powers were ever bound - proven by the fact that she could orb before they stood under the chandelier - which is why I think she didn't have a Warren power until one of the actual Charmed Ones died. I'm sure she'd pointed at something and said what it was before, but it was very obvious when she pointed and said, "Candle" that that was the first time she'd orbed something. I think if Piper been the one who died, she would've gotten a whitelighter version of freezing or if Phoebe had been, Paige would've gotten a whitelighter version of premonitions at the moment when the Charmed Ones were reconstituted under the chandelier. Even the fact that it was reconstituted that way and not by having someone read the spell shows that she was always just the spare.

I agree that it also had to do with the three sisters already being in the house. I wonder what would happen if Paige had also been in the house at that time...although the spell *does* say "We sisters three"...

This makes me wonder what would've happened had Paige been the oldest and still raised apart from the other three at the time that Grams bound their powers. Would Paige have already had the whitelighter version of premonitions, meaning Phoebe wouldn't get it until one of the Charmed Ones (Paige, Prue and Piper) died? And even if the spell was read, would Prue and Piper not get their powers until Paige was in the house? Or if the Elders didn't know about Paige, would she have only had her whitelighter powers, so it still would've been Prue, Piper and Phoebe who had Melinda Warren's three powers and be Charmed until one of them died?

We obviously don't know - things were done too inconsistently to be able to conclude anything but it makes for interesting speculation.

True!



I agree with you both, birth order feels like it plays an important part. I guess because the show put so much emphasis on it when Piper and Phoebe got bumped up the line. It's interesting to think how an older sibling might have affected things. A baby Patty had as a teenager that she had to give up, for example. Ooh, and her high school sweetheart turns out to be a warlock! (There goes my inner fanfic writer...)



I really don't get why they wouldn't bind/strip Paige's powers. She was given to non-magical parents with no intention of returning "home." Leaving her with her powers active is kind of asking for trouble, no?


re: one of them dying sooner. Watching Awakened, Piper really did seem meant to die. And again in All Hell Breaks Loose. Piper dies in mortal ways and it's only through breaking the rules that they get her back. Maybe Williamson and Prue die because each time, a death was "owed"? She claimed Leo saved the wrong sister. And knowing now that Paige exists, do you think her death might have been destined?

[Elle Em]

Yeah, I guess the fact that Prue, Piper, and Phoebe did have their powers before Paige was even a concept (even if Phoebe had hers bound at birth), that means that as long as all three of them are alive, Paige can't be a part of the Power of Three. So if Prue, Piper, and Paige tried to activate their powers while Phoebe was away, it just wouldn't work, because all three of the oldest had to be present.

The concept of Piper being meant to die is interesting. She does die the most on the show, and also from mortal ways, as peyton marie said. She's also the one who dislikes being a witch the most.

I've thought before that maybe Piper was meant to die, and that the Elders would think they were rewarding them all by letting her become a whitelighter. But of course Piper wouldn't want to not age along with her sisters, even if it meant having a sort of second chance at life. So maybe she and Leo decide together (because remember, he wasn't supposed to be aging here either) to give up their whitelighter powers and just live together as mortals with no magic. Paige has come along at this point, and doubles as a witch to round out the Power of Three as well as act as a whitelighter to Prue and Phoebe. Piper can still be with her family, but she's not a witch anymore, just like she always wanted.

[summerreading]

Nov 23, 2018 10:44:29 GMT -5 peytonmarie said:

Nov 23, 2018 8:36:42 GMT -5 Esmeralda said:

Yeah, I think birth order has a lot to do with it, and, more, the fact that Phoebe was just a baby and Paige not born yet when Grams bound their powers - after Prue, Piper and Phoebe already had Melinda Warren's three. I think even if Paige read the spell, it would've been Prue, Piper and Phoebe who would've had their powers unbound and become Charmed.

Since Paige wasn't part of Patty's pact with Nicholas, I don't think her powers were ever bound - proven by the fact that she could orb before they stood under the chandelier - which is why I think she didn't have a Warren power until one of the actual Charmed Ones died. I'm sure she'd pointed at something and said what it was before, but it was very obvious when she pointed and said, "Candle" that that was the first time she'd orbed something. I think if Piper been the one who died, she would've gotten a whitelighter version of freezing or if Phoebe had been, Paige would've gotten a whitelighter version of premonitions at the moment when the Charmed Ones were reconstituted under the chandelier. Even the fact that it was reconstituted that way and not by having someone read the spell shows that she was always just the spare.

I agree that it also had to do with the three sisters already being in the house. I wonder what would happen if Paige had also been in the house at that time...although the spell *does* say "We sisters three"...

This makes me wonder what would've happened had Paige been the oldest and still raised apart from the other three at the time that Grams bound their powers. Would Paige have already had the whitelighter version of premonitions, meaning Phoebe wouldn't get it until one of the Charmed Ones (Paige, Prue and Piper) died? And even if the spell was read, would Prue and Piper not get their powers until Paige was in the house? Or if the Elders didn't know about Paige, would she have only had her whitelighter powers, so it still would've been Prue, Piper and Phoebe who had Melinda Warren's three powers and be Charmed until one of them died?

We obviously don't know - things were done too inconsistently to be able to conclude anything but it makes for interesting speculation.

True!



I agree with you both, birth order feels like it plays an important part. I guess because the show put so much emphasis on it when Piper and Phoebe got bumped up the line. It's interesting to think how an older sibling might have affected things. A baby Patty had as a teenager that she had to give up, for example. Ooh, and her high school sweetheart turns out to be a warlock! (There goes my inner fanfic writer...)



I really don't get why they wouldn't bind/strip Paige's powers. She was given to non-magical parents with no intention of returning "home." Leaving her with her powers active is kind of asking for trouble, no?


re: one of them dying sooner. Watching Awakened, Piper really did seem meant to die. And again in All Hell Breaks Loose. Piper dies in mortal ways and it's only through breaking the rules that they get her back. Maybe Williamson and Prue die because each time, a death was "owed"? She claimed Leo saved the wrong sister. And knowing now that Paige exists, do you think her death might have been destined?

The idea of Paige being a child Patty had as a teenager is something I've thought about too. Even having a warlock father.

Yeah that theory on Piper has been brought up on the boards here before. I also remember someone pointed out a way to make sense of Piper acting so different in S5-S8 and Phoebe too than before. Each time a sister died and resurrected, They are never came back exactly the same as before. Even Prue after S2 with the S2 finale, started to change well more so over time. 

Don't forget Coyote Piper. Piper sorta died too here.

Without the time reset. Then Paige is introduced taking Piper's spot. Same with Awakened. I think Paige being introduced as early as Awakened is something I never saw played in a Fanfic before.

[peytonmarie]

Nov 23, 2018 14:09:48 GMT -5 Elle Em said:

I've thought before that maybe Piper was meant to die, and that the Elders would think they were rewarding them all by letting her become a whitelighter. But of course Piper wouldn't want to not age along with her sisters, even if it meant having a sort of second chance at life. So maybe she and Leo decide together (because remember, he wasn't supposed to be aging here either) to give up their whitelighter powers and just live together as mortals with no magic. Paige has come along at this point, and doubles as a witch to round out the Power of Three as well as act as a whitelighter to Prue and Phoebe. Piper can still be with her family, but she's not a witch anymore, just like she always wanted.

Oh my god, that's beautiful. I wish that happened.

[peytonmarie]

Nov 23, 2018 14:15:23 GMT -5 summerreading said:

Yeah that theory on Piper has been brought up on the boards here before. I also remember someone pointed out a way to make sense of Piper acting so different in S5-S8 and Phoebe too than before. Each time a sister died and resurrected, They are never came back exactly the same as before. Even Prue after S2 with the S2 finale, started to change well more so over time. 

That would certainly help explain it!

As much as I don't like their later characterization, I can't say I blame them for becoming the people they did. Everything they went through on a daily basis, then losing Prue, then the chaos of their personal lives... it's bound to take a toll.

[summerreading]

Nov 23, 2018 14:21:48 GMT -5 peytonmarie said:

Nov 23, 2018 14:15:23 GMT -5 summerreading said:

Yeah that theory on Piper has been brought up on the boards here before. I also remember someone pointed out a way to make sense of Piper acting so different in S5-S8 and Phoebe too than before. Each time a sister died and resurrected, They are never came back exactly the same as before. Even Prue after S2 with the S2 finale, started to change well more so over time. 

That would certainly help explain it!

As much as I don't like their later characterization, I can't say I blame them for becoming the people they did. Everything they went through on a daily basis, then losing Prue, then the chaos of their personal lives... it's bound to take a toll.

Hehe! 

That's true. I just wished they stuck to Connie's characters and they were written the same as the original creator had with it based on her and her two sisters. 

Also wished it was like S1 and S2 on the sisters being the main focus and not how they set-up the show later on. Making it about protecting the twice blessed child and letting the men in their lives being more important than saving innocents.

But it's true going through so much does take it's toll. Even if I cannot stand what they became. 

But I'm sure most fans like them as they were later. Especially if S4 or S5 or even S6 was your first season.

[Esmeralda]

Nov 23, 2018 14:16:06 GMT -5 peytonmarie said:

Nov 23, 2018 14:09:48 GMT -5 Elle Em said:

I've thought before that maybe Piper was meant to die, and that the Elders would think they were rewarding them all by letting her become a whitelighter. But of course Piper wouldn't want to not age along with her sisters, even if it meant having a sort of second chance at life. So maybe she and Leo decide together (because remember, he wasn't supposed to be aging here either) to give up their whitelighter powers and just live together as mortals with no magic. Paige has come along at this point, and doubles as a witch to round out the Power of Three as well as act as a whitelighter to Prue and Phoebe. Piper can still be with her family, but she's not a witch anymore, just like she always wanted.

Oh my god, that's beautiful. I wish that happened.

Me, too. That would've been such a better way of handling it. Of course, as long as the three originals were all alive, Paige never would've been introduced, but as an alternate-universe spin-off, it would make a much-better one than the one we got stuck with.

[Esmeralda]

Nov 23, 2018 14:32:37 GMT -5 summerreading said:

Nov 23, 2018 14:21:48 GMT -5 peytonmarie said:

That would certainly help explain it!

As much as I don't like their later characterization, I can't say I blame them for becoming the people they did. Everything they went through on a daily basis, then losing Prue, then the chaos of their personal lives... it's bound to take a toll.

Hehe! 

That's true. I just wished they stuck to Connie's characters and they were written the same as the original creator had with it based on her and her two sisters. 

Also wished it was like S1 and S2 on the sisters being the main focus and not how they set-up the show later on. Making it about protecting the twice blessed child and letting the men in their lives being more important than saving innocents.

But it's true going through so much does take it's toll. Even if I cannot stand what they became. 

But I'm sure most fans like them as they were later. Especially if S4 or S5 or even S6 was your first season.

It's amazing how much when you started watching the show affects your reactions towards it - and also your age when you first started watching.

[pheebs]

Nov 24, 2018 7:25:53 GMT -5 Esmeralda said:

Nov 23, 2018 14:32:37 GMT -5 summerreading said:

Hehe! 

That's true. I just wished they stuck to Connie's characters and they were written the same as the original creator had with it based on her and her two sisters. 

Also wished it was like S1 and S2 on the sisters being the main focus and not how they set-up the show later on. Making it about protecting the twice blessed child and letting the men in their lives being more important than saving innocents.

But it's true going through so much does take it's toll. Even if I cannot stand what they became. 

But I'm sure most fans like them as they were later. Especially if S4 or S5 or even S6 was your first season.

It's amazing how much when you started watching the show affects your reactions towards it - and also your age when you first started watching.

Part of the fun of our re-watches every weekend. To see how many will change going through it.

[pheebs]

Nov 24, 2018 7:24:52 GMT -5 Esmeralda said:

Nov 23, 2018 14:16:06 GMT -5 peytonmarie said:

Oh my god, that's beautiful. I wish that happened.

Me, too. That would've been such a better way of handling it. Of course, as long as the three originals were all alive, Paige never would've been introduced, but as an alternate-universe spin-off, it would make a much-better one than the one we got stuck with.

That would be a fun way of doing it. I actually wouldn't mind an alternate-universe spin-off like this, as long as the three originals are all alive, but it works as an alternate-universe spin-off as you said Es.

To see one sister adjusting to normal life again, while the others keep on being witches, sounds fun. I don't think I've ever heard of a set-up like this before. 

[Esmeralda]

Nov 24, 2018 9:14:03 GMT -5 pheebs said:

Nov 24, 2018 7:24:52 GMT -5 Esmeralda said:

Me, too. That would've been such a better way of handling it. Of course, as long as the three originals were all alive, Paige never would've been introduced, but as an alternate-universe spin-off, it would make a much-better one than the one we got stuck with.

That would be a fun way of doing it. I actually wouldn't mind an alternate-universe spin-off like this, as long as the three originals are all alive, but it works as an alternate-universe spin-off as you said Es.

To see one sister adjusting to normal life again, while the others keep on being witches, sounds fun. I don't think I've ever heard of a set-up like this before. 

Actually I have, although Piper gave up her powers so Prue could live... But I won't recommend it because after many, many years, it's still a Work in Progress (yes, Assassin Witch and Astral Echo, I *still* hope that *SOMEDAY* you guys will finish that thing!) and not knowing what's going to happen next will drive you crazy! But I will tell you that they had twins - Melinda who just had witch powers (because even though Piper's mortal, Melinda is still a Warren...) and Chris who just had whitelighter powers - and it was the fact that they were twins that made them twice-blessed - yup, no Wyatt! Those are more changes I could've gotten into!

But this one - where BOTH Piper and Leo give up their powers and Paige becomes their whitelighter as well as fellow Charmed One, so all four Charmed Ones are alive...oh, yes, that's definitely an alternate-universe spin-off that I could've enjoyed much more than the one we were struck with!

[Esmeralda]

Nov 24, 2018 9:07:29 GMT -5 pheebs said:

Nov 24, 2018 7:25:53 GMT -5 Esmeralda said:

It's amazing how much when you started watching the show affects your reactions towards it - and also your age when you first started watching.

Part of the fun of our re-watches every weekend. To see how many will change going through it.

You are SO right about that! Although unlike most fans, my reactions have hardly changed at all, despite numerous re-watches. I still wish that Leo had stayed gone after Season One and Cole had been the one who died in 'All Hell Breaks Loose', not Prue, even if I didn't wish either of them the first time I watched it - only after I knew what those would've led into.

But I think that has a lot to do with the fact that when it first aired, I was a lot older than most fans. Most fans were in their teens or 20's, while I was in my 40's, feeling more like Patty looking down at my daughters than one of the Charmed Ones.

[CharmedFaith]

I think destiny had Paige around as a magical spare should one of the sisters ever bite the dust since TCO were needed but she was always around to re-constitute if needed.

But it appears that Grams was just really smart and took multiple contingency plans when it came to the Halliwell sisters. Bound their powers, the spell lifts after she dies but only their ability for magic, not their active powers. In order for them to not be caught off guard should she not be around, they'd have to read the BOS so they wouldnt be totally blind sided.

[Esmeralda]

Nov 24, 2018 11:49:47 GMT -5 CharmedFaith said:

I think destiny had Paige around as a magical spare should one of the sisters ever bite the dust since TCO were needed but she was always around to re-constitute if needed.

But it appears that Grams was just really smart and took multiple contingency plans when it came to the Halliwell sisters. Bound their powers, the spell lifts after she dies but only their ability for magic, not their active powers. In order for them to not be caught off guard should she not be around, they'd have to read the BOS so they wouldnt be totally blind sided.

*nods* That all made plenty of sense. Although I wonder if Grams was *really* that smart why she didn't have that sort of contingency plan when they were first born. She didn't do this until they ran into the problem of Nicholas, so originally she wouldn't have at all, until the sisters came back and warned them, since she wouldn't have known that they were going to be Charmed until the sisters came back and told her and Patty. I'd love to know what exactly happened the *first* time through, since obviously the sisters weren't there to warn them the first time around.

Although it *does* make me wonder if indeed she did bind Paige's powers, but only her witch powers (if any...I've seen it elsewhere that it was possible that as the spare she was very, very slight versions of all three - able to move things an inch or two where she probably never even noticed; able to freeze time for an instant or two, again not enough to notice, and had a strong sense of deja vu, with the power that became full force being the power of the sister who died, and that makes sense to me). I doubt if Grams had any idea that because Sam was a whitelighter that Paige would get whitelighter powers or especially not a whitelighter-influenced power.

[Elle Em]

Nov 24, 2018 9:14:03 GMT -5 pheebs said:

Nov 24, 2018 7:24:52 GMT -5 Esmeralda said:

Me, too. That would've been such a better way of handling it. Of course, as long as the three originals were all alive, Paige never would've been introduced, but as an alternate-universe spin-off, it would make a much-better one than the one we got stuck with.

That would be a fun way of doing it. I actually wouldn't mind an alternate-universe spin-off like this, as long as the three originals are all alive, but it works as an alternate-universe spin-off as you said Es.

To see one sister adjusting to normal life again, while the others keep on being witches, sounds fun. I don't think I've ever heard of a set-up like this before. 

I think it would be fun to see Piper and Leo adjusting to normal life again, but still be around all the magic stuff. For instance, Leo would still have a ton of knowledge about magic that he would give to Prue, Phoebe, and Paige when things came up. And how would Piper act with her sisters in danger all the time? It would be a new challenge for her to technically be free of magic, but still be worried about them. Only this time, she can't jump in and fight with them. She's got to let them handle it.

Although she could still help them quite a bit. She didn't need to be magical to make potions, and since she was so good at it, that could be her way of contributing, both to keep her sisters safe and to not feel so guilty about getting to be the only one who got to live a normal life. 

I wonder if she and Leo would move out of the manor if this were the case. I could see them considering it to be safer, as they had no powers, but it might also make Piper feel a bit left out, especially if Paige moved in at some point. 

And it would also be fun to explore her relationship with her sisters and how that changed. Would Prue be jealous, and resent being a witch and still having to be responsible for her family? Would Piper feel even more helpless if Phoebe still became Queen of the Underworld? Would Piper ever get to know Paige much at all, especially compared to Prue and Phoebe? Would Paige resent Piper for taking the only getting-rid-of-powers card there was before Paige even knew about magic? 


All in all, it wouldn't be nearly as simple as Piper would have imagined to not have her powers.

[CharmedFaith]

Nov 24, 2018 12:56:43 GMT -5 Esmeralda said:

Nov 24, 2018 11:49:47 GMT -5 CharmedFaith said:

I think destiny had Paige around as a magical spare should one of the sisters ever bite the dust since TCO were needed but she was always around to re-constitute if needed.

But it appears that Grams was just really smart and took multiple contingency plans when it came to the Halliwell sisters. Bound their powers, the spell lifts after she dies but only their ability for magic, not their active powers. In order for them to not be caught off guard should she not be around, they'd have to read the BOS so they wouldnt be totally blind sided.

*nods* That all made plenty of sense. Although I wonder if Grams was *really* that smart why she didn't have that sort of contingency plan when they were first born. She didn't do this until they ran into the problem of Nicholas, so originally she wouldn't have at all, until the sisters came back and warned them, since she wouldn't have known that they were going to be Charmed until the sisters came back and told her and Patty. I'd love to know what exactly happened the *first* time through, since obviously the sisters weren't there to warn them the first time around.

Although it *does* make me wonder if indeed she did bind Paige's powers, but only her witch powers (if any...I've seen it elsewhere that it was possible that as the spare she was very, very slight versions of all three - able to move things an inch or two where she probably never even noticed; able to freeze time for an instant or two, again not enough to notice, and had a strong sense of deja vu, with the power that became full force being the power of the sister who died, and that makes sense to me). I doubt if Grams had any idea that because Sam was a whitelighter that Paige would get whitelighter powers or especially not a whitelighter-influenced power.

I think even if they hadnt gone back in time she would've been suspicious that they might've been TCO once she found out Patty was pregnant with Phoebe. I dont remember if it ever came up if Patty had any premonitions while pregnant with Phoebe but I would assume she would've since it seems like something that happens with witches and I hate to believe that Piper only had Wyatts powers while in the womb since he was twice-blessed.

I would think that Grams/Patty would bind any powers Paige might've had since it would be very dangerous to give up a baby to mortals that would have powers and not be properly brought up to use them. Though I do think they werent planning on her having whitelighter powers or have a way to bind them since they arent necessarily a witch power.

[Aaeiyn]

Ooo, I think I like that idea, better! Paige there, since the beginning and no Phoebe, instead. I've always fantasized and contemplated the "what ifs", such as a "what if" Prue met Paige? I think the series would've been so much cooler, personally.