The Quiet - Finished

[mcharmed21]

Author: AliT

The moonlight shown through the small attic window, spreading silver light over the wooden floor, casting long eerie shadows. Paige moved through the room, so different to how it seemed in the day, the light making it seem as though it was only half-there, not wholly real. What had woken her up she wasn't sure, except that she had felt an overwhelming need to go to the attic and look in the Book. She always trusted her instinct. As she had entered the room the shadows had watched her, the pale figure in white moving silently across the hoary space. She came to the open Book and noticed it was open to a blank page; destined to be filled with future spells and potions, destined to be filled in accordance with her destiny, destined to be filled for future generations of witches. She breathed, reveling in the peace of the house, with the deep tick-tock of the old grandfather clock floors below her being the only sound in the silence.

The unnatural silence. Unnatural maybe because she was used to a house full of noise, of laughter and action, of movement and life. But still.....

Paige felt the sudden need to shout, to break the silence, to wake her sisters, but she couldn't find the voice to, feeling as though she had no right to shatter the blanket of quiet. A movement in the shadows caught her eye, and turning she froze in shock. For there in a puddle of light, in the space she had walked across not five minutes ago, was a figure, lying as though thrown to the floor, the instantly recognisable long dark hair hiding her face. But Paige couldn't move, couldn't find the inner energy to move towards her sister... And as she stood there, captured by the moonlight, she saw the open Book of Shadows again, the empty page no longer blank but headed with the words... The Silence

[mcharmed21]

Sunlight greeted Paige, who slowly opened her eyes and found herself in her bright and airy room in the Manor. Safe. There was her new top hanging on her wardrobe, her shoes where she left them on the floor last night after coming in from P3, everything just as she had left it. The world was full of colour and life. But to Paige the memories of the night before dulled the colours, sucked the life out of the picture. Even though she could hear Piper and Phoebe talking downstairs, she couldnt shake the feeling that something was terribly wrong. It had been to real to be just a bad dream. She didn't have the power of premonition. So what had happened?

As soon as she had checked in on her sisters at breakfast - reassuring herself that Piper was in fact alive and well - she slipped into the attic, so completely different to the night before. Perhaps it had all been a dream, perhaps she was worrying about nothing. But as she came to the open Book her hands shook and her heart stopped. For there was proof the previous night's events had occured. There was the same heading on the page that had mysteriously appeared in the moonlight, and as Paige looked up to the empty space where she had seen her sister the room went dark...

[mcharmed21]

Oh, have just found my notes from before i was ill and though i'm sure nobody will notice or read, cant resist adding more just to see how it goes!

It was a pitch black, so dark that Paige couldn't even see her hands, her eyes never adjusted to the lack of light. And she didn't feel stable, she wasn't convinced that there was ground beneath her feet. Slowly, slowly, so slowly that she wasn't even sure that she was seeing what she thought she was seeing small pin-pricks of light began to appear around her, calling her, stretching out in the darkness as though for eternity. And the faintest possible strain of music in the background, like a flute, only softer, rippling through arpeggios.

The sudden realisation that she was floating through stars and that there was indeed nothing beneath her paniced her. The music suddenly lost its smooth melodious style and turned jagged and sharp, filled with accidentals; double sharps and chords that didn't fit. Paige forced herself to breath, and as she calmed her heart beat, so the music calmed, louder than it was before but no longer full of panic. Am i controlling it? she thought How could i be? Paige purposefully thought violent thoughts, about the demon she and her sisters had vanquished last week and was strangely satisfied to hear the music respond ~ the deep percussion, the clash of symbols and the victorious sounds growing around her, as tangible as the silence had been the night before....

"Paige? Paige, where are you?"

Paige heard Phoebe's voice as though far, far away. Forcing herself to concentrate on it she felt as though she was being pulled away from the stars, the music getting faster and faster until

It stopped. And she found herself stood once again in front of the Book of Shadows. Hearing Phoebe shout again, Paige orbed herself downstairs into the living room and was greeting by a gasp from her older sister. For Paige now shone with a silver light that seemed to radiate from her, her hair was now as black as ebony and hung down to the small of her back and her skin translucent and luminous...



Ummmmmm......not sure about this anymore. Well, will see what you guys think!

[mcharmed21]

Thank you so much for being so nice about my story, i hope you enjoy the rest! And yes, i'm feeling a lot better now thanks! So here's the next bit.....


“What happened to you Paige?”

Paige gazed at her in astonishment. Why is Phoebe acting so strange? Why is she looking at me like a ghost? She felt disorientated; she was unsure how long she had been in the stars. For although she felt like she had been floating for hours, the morning sun still streamed through the conservatory windows, making her wonder if her star lit symphony had even happened. Even as she stood there she could feel it drifting her away from, becoming less real every second.

But when Phoebe, seeing her sister’s confusion, turned her to the mirror it all came back to her, like a wave of memory and emotion, more vivid and sharp than it had been even immediately after when she found herself in the attic. She gazed at herself in the glass, saw the transformation that had so shocked Phoebe. And didn’t feel surprise.

Somewhere inside of her, her instinct was asking the questions she knew were important. How was this all connected to what she had seen last night? To seeing Piper on the floor? To that strange addition to the book? She knew she had to tell her sisters about what had happened - they needed to check the Book of Shadows, protect Piper from the fate she had seen, prevent her nephews from losing their mom. But these thoughts were becoming distant as she focused on the eyes of her reflection, and the music she had heard before returned, encompassing her mind as it rose and fell in sweet harmony, a melody that one feels you know but could never recreate in your mind if you tried.

As she stretched her hand out to touch her reflection, Piper entered the room behind where Phoebe stood, happy in the morning sun and humming to herself a tune that had she hadn’t been able to get out of her head all morning. Just in time to take in the change in Paige. And watch Paige’s reflection reach out of the mirror, take Paige’s hand and guide her into the mirror. And disappear in a flurry of tiny lights.

[mcharmed21]

Both Piper and Phoebe felt dazed, the lights that had appeared before them on Paige’s disappearing act had sent their heads spinning and neither of them could focus. Afterwards both would swear that they had heard a distant whisper of music, as though carried in on a breeze. Piper had moved first, as the sun outside went behind the cloud and moved the pattern of light on the mirror that seemed to be mesmerizing them both. Feeling as though she was in a dream, she noticed a lack of panic at her sister’s plight.

However, when she moved around to face Phoebe and looked her in the eyes, both saw in the other the sudden realisation of what had just occurred, and both felt her head suddenly clear.

“What was that Pheebs? Where did she just disappear to?”<br>
Phoebe just shook her head. As Paige had reached for the mirror, Phoebe had had a sudden empathic attachment to her sister, despite the potion Paige and Piper had taken to prevent this, and had felt an emotion she had never quite experienced before, that she couldn’t quite grasp or understand. A feeling of peace, and power, yet infused with a great inner sadness and age. “I don’t know; she just orbed down like that. She didn’t say anything”<br>
Calling for Leo, Piper moved towards the stairs, and again heard the musical murmur, which she strained to place. It was so familiar, yet so hard to capture. She knew though that somewhere she had heard it before, and somehow it may hold the key to finding her sister. Her mind raced over the last few days; the band at P3 last night, the music on the tape that she played to get Chris to sleep, the ice cream van that had stopped yesterday afternoon outside the house. No, it wasn’t any of them, what was it? She stopped as she recognised in it the tune that she had been singing to herself all morning, with additional decoration yes, but the basic pattern of notes remained the same. Where had it come from?

[mcharmed21]

The sisters reached the attic just as Leo orbed in to answer their call, his blue orbs mingling with the summer sunshine. His insides inadvertently flipped when he saw Piper, glowing with the sun and new motherhood. He wished things had been sorted out between them, that he could hold her in his arms again for eternity. But he knew that the time hadn’t come yet, he couldn’t hurt Piper anymore, so he’d have to keep his love and own hurt locked away and continue to be there for the family whenever they needed him and stepping away if she wanted, taking hope where he could. Instead he focused his mind on the problem at hand, seeing the worry etched on the two faces he knew so well.

There was no clue as to what had occurred in what they told; the story covering Paige’s alteration and her vanishing into the mirror held no significance to Leo, there was no hint of what Paige may have become, or how her reflection had reached out of the mirror to her. Instinctively the trio turned to the Book of Shadows, hoping to draw some answers from the thick pages, their feel and texture vaguely reassuring to the touch. As Phoebe touched the Book however, the pages turned rapidly, as though moved by a wind rushing through the attic, though they felt no breeze themselves, and when the leaves of the magical volume came to rest, it was open once more at the page that their younger sister had seen change the night before, the heading clear and sharp against the old paper.

“What’s The Silence? I don’t remember this entry…”

As they stood there, confused by what they saw, not understanding where the inscription had come from, the page began to glow beneath their hands and, swirling and dancing across the page in silver ink, appeared these words…<br>
‘Quies’ sumus
divinitatemque in nobis manis tenemus.
silentium nostrum est
aeternitatique defendatur.
initio temporis fiebamus
adque finitum erimus.
vobis petere nos non est.
cavete – deficemus.

silentium nostrum est

“Leo? What does it mean?”<br>The angel began to make out the Latin, stumbling slightly here and there, for although it was expected for an Elder to know the ancient language, the time spent with his family and protecting Wyatt had prevented him from feeling at ease with it as quickly as he could have. Soon however, he could tell the expectant sisters, growing impatient with their own lack of ability to translate the script themselves, the meaning held secret there;

“We are ‘The Quiet’<br>And we hold great power in our hands.
The Silence is ours
And will be protected for eternity.
We were made at the beginning of time
And will exist until the end.
It is not for you to seek us
Beware – you will fail.

The Silence is ours”<br>

I think the Latin is right in this, though not positive about some of the endings!

[mcharmed21]

Paige hadn’t been able to resist the pull of the music; it had called to her, as though it had always been there waiting for her, and only now had she recognised it. The moment had come for her to reach for it. It was for her alone. All she could see were her eyes reflected in the mirror, but as she gazed they seemed to become deeper and darker, pools of shadows that could drown you, shifting as though moved by a current, inviting her in.

There was no way she could move away from her counter-self in the glass, there was a magnetism that would not let go. She had found herself instinctively reaching out to touch the glass, and had experienced no wonder or disbelief when the smooth surface had rippled before her and she felt a cool hand take hers and lead her forward.

It felt like she had been there forever, as she was welcomed by the song, like water around her, supporting her, and the stars, floating in their sea of shifting darkness. No panic this time, just contentment.

Somewhere, deep inside her, impossible for her to take hold of, yet present on the edge of her thoughts was a tiny acknowledgement of the life she had left, the world of sun and movement, where she had a role to fill, something urgent to tell. But it was growing smaller by the second, as she felt no need to discover what it was, unconsciously letting go of her being and embracing the destiny that seemed as though it had been waiting for eternity. Soon she had no knowledge beyond the stars, no knowledge besides the music that obeyed her and her role to protect.

[mcharmed21]

Phoebe was leant over the table, a crystal dangling from her hand, sending rainbows on to the walls of the attic, as she tried to scry for her sister. Again and again, she sent the gem spinning over the map, again and again failing to locate her, the stone just whirling round and round. Across the room, Piper had returned to the Book of Shadows where she had been turning page after page trying to find another reference to The Silence, or The Quiet, anything to help them. But they remained elusive and shadowy, there was no recognition of their existence anywhere.

As Leo orbed into the room, both sisters instantly looked up. One look at his face and the Halliwells knew that the information the Elders had been able to give about the mysterious inscription was not good. They were silent as the angel told everything he had been told.

The Quiet were a group of ageless beings, who had been made to protect The Silence at the very start of time, when the boundaries and forms of magic were being set out by great powers. The Silence; the precious entity they must protect, a moment in time that occurred once a month; never on the same day, never at the same time of day, or for the same length, so that no mortal or magical being could find it. For in those minutes the magic of the world, both good and evil, was released, and allowed to breath, to prevent its power boiling over and upsetting the universe’s balance. Any being who experiences The Silence could tap into the magic; learn about the deeper and darker magic that runs underneath everything else, a magic even the Elders could not comprehend. Its protection was vital to all.

Leo continued.

Paige must have inadvertently disturbed The Silence that night, her instinct roused by the magic in the air, for that night had been the most important and powerful occurrence of The Silence in many years. And by the rules set down to govern The Quiet, she must join them to protect the secret. The Quiet floated through time and space, instinctively knowing when their charge was in danger. They never communicated with each other, they had no need. Instead each one of The Quiet controlled their own music, personal to them alone, heard by them alone, through which they could act to protect The Silence, as their music held their magic.

The girls sat still, numbed by what they had been told. Each one had been silently assessing the situation as Leo had talked and had realized the difficulties they faced. Even if they wished to try and become a one of The Quiet themselves to rescue Paige, The Silence could not be discovered, and would not occur again for a while; neither were willing to abandon Paige for that length of time. And Leo also warned that Paige would have no memory of her life before becoming one of The Quiet, the power of the magic they held would banish any recollection. It seemed a helpless situation, as The Quiet had warned; It is not for you to seek us, Beware – you will fail.

[mcharmed21]

Finally, Phoebe spoke up, her voice unusually quiet and strained,

“How can they justify breaking up the Charmed Ones though? We’re needed.”<br>
She was thinking of the Cleaners, the way they had pressurized them by reminding them how important the Charmed Ones were for good, and how without them the balance of good and evil would be drastically swung, to the detriment of all. Leo shook his head, looking suddenly world-weary. The Quiet weren’t like the Cleaners, an entity the girls could face and argue with. Only on very rare occasions had any members of The Quiet been seen; they could not be summoned, it was their choice if they wished to encounter any ‘normal’ magical individual. They were powerful, more powerful than the Halliwells could even imagine, created by the one great power who had created all. There was no way that Phoebe and Piper could manipulate this situation in the way they had done before.

Piper suddenly stood up and moving across the room quickly took up the scrying crystal that Phoebe had dropped on Leo’s arrival. For she had suddenly realized that the tune she had been humming that morning was Paige’s personal music, that the power held by the Charmed Ones must have allowed it to infiltrate her mind as well. And surely, if Paige’s music was unique to her alone, then maybe Piper could use it to scry for her. And then perhaps they could convince her that she was needed with them; she could make The Quiet see that she would keep the secret and convince them to allow her to return.

But as she came to the map she realized the flaw in her idea. Where would she scry for Paige? For Leo had said that Paige was floating in time and space, there was no way any map could cover that. The sudden rush of hope, now snatched away, had left Piper feeling even more helpless and desolate. She was not prepared to lose her sister; they had gone through too much to rescue Wyatt to be broken up now.

Leo ached as he saw the pain of Piper, as though it was his own heart breaking again. He wished he could comfort her, hold her and never let go, tell her it would all be okay. Instinctively his hand moved to her shoulder, but he didn’t touch her, leaving it hovering over her for a second, before moving it quickly away again. Instead he turned to Phoebe; his mind turning again and again, trying to find any idea that could offer them both a flicker of hope. And it came.

“Wait, Piper you’re right, i think we can use Paige’s music to find her”<br>
For Phoebe was an empath, and her younger sister’s emotions were now intrinsically connected to the music that surrounded her. If Phoebe could use her empathy power to find Piper in an alternate universe, Leo had no doubt that she could use it to find Paige this way, to focus on Paige through the snippet of music Piper had. None of them dared think about a plan beyond this; this was their only glimmer of hope, as Phoebe nervously took Piper’s and Leo’s hands, listening intently to her sister hum the tune that was hopefully the key to bringing Paige home, and finding that she too instinctively knew the pattern of notes.

As the trio focused all their energy on the song, they suddenly felt a wind whipping around them, there was a burst of light, and then … nothing.

[mcharmed21]

Opening her eyes, which she had squeezed tight shut, the first thing Piper noticed was an amazing sense of freedom, but this feeling was quickly replaced with the realization that she was still holding hands with Leo; as though she needed him for support, she had his fingers grasped tight between hers. Dropping his hand quickly, trying to hide her tendency to look for him for help in times of need, she was suddenly alarmed to find that she, Leo and Phoebe were seemingly floating through nothing. Looking at the faces of her companions, she knew that they too had just had the same explosion of panic and uncertainty in their stomachs. What were they to do now? It took a few moments before Leo voiced his idea, in a tone of awe and hesitation, that they must be being held in the nothing by the Paige’s power, so strong that they could almost feel it in the space around them, electric and constantly shifting, as though they were drifting in a current of magic, supporting them.

Phoebe spotted her first, her shining form becoming clearer before her very eyes, as Paige seemed to appear out of nothing, her eyes glowing with a new, inner power and peace. The empath again felt that strange emotion she had experienced on Paige’s disappearance, only stronger this time, sending her dizzy with the intensity. However, deep inside of her sister she also felt some recollection of herself, Piper, and Leo, though very faint and distant; like a wave lapping on the edge of Paige’s conscious, stirred up by their presence. Paige looked at Phoebe for a long time, her dark hair drifting around her face, moved by an invisible force, and slowly, little by little she smiled and came toward them with her hand outstretched, as though greeting a long lost acquaintance.

At that moment Piper reached out to take Paige’s hand, encouraged by the reaction Phoebe had received, trying to make a connection with her sister;

“We know about The Silence Paige”<br>
The change was practically instantaneous; Paige’s eyes flashed, no longer showing recognition or peace, but great anger. The space around them grew turbulent, reflecting the fury felt by their sister, who was now protecting The Silence, violence and power manifesting itself through her magic, sending the trio in front of her spinning around, being tossed like dolls in a storm. Spinning and spinning, nothing to hold on to, nothing to slow them down; The Silence is ours
And will be protected for eternity.

[mcharmed21]

Phoebe landed with a crash in the hall of the manor, falling into the table and sending the flowers there flying across the polished wooden floor. She lay there winded, not quite sure how she came to be safely home again after that terrifying fall through space. She could not quite believe that change that had occurred in Paige at that moment, how quickly she had lost any connection with her sisters and white-lighter. Nor could she believe the power she had seen there; Leo had told them about the ability of The Quiet, but she had not been prepared for Paige’s magic to be so strong, so awe-inspiring, and so intense it was almost a real entity around them.

Leo orbed in seconds later from where he had landed in the garden, and moved quickly across to Phoebe to make sure she was okay, the table testifying to the force with which she had fallen. Reassuring him that there was no harm done, only a mild breathlessness from the jolt, Phoebe leaned against him to stand up, wishing once more that Leo was still happily with Piper, recognizing the care and love he had for all three of the sisters. She looked around for Piper, thinking that her sister would soon want to go and collect her babies from Darryl’s; the moon was just beginning to shine through the door’s stained glass windows and Piper wouldn’t want to be apart from them for longer than she had to, with the worry she had for her sister so strong and heart-wrenching.

But Piper hadn’t landed anywhere downstairs. Nor in the rooms in the floor above; Phoebe getting more and more agitated each corner she turned without seeing her, each second that passed without her calling out to them to see that they weren’t hurt after their falls. And when she pushed open the door of the attic her worst fears were realized.

For there, lying in a crumpled heap on the moon-lit floorboards, was a motionless Piper, her hair flung over her face, and her hands still clenched as though trying to grab hold of something that wasn’t there.

[mcharmed21]

Paige had watched as the three tumbled back to earth, filled with passion and anger, her instinct taking over all her other sensations, feeling her power manifest itself around her as she strove to protect The Silence. This was her destiny, preventing any being finding out about the secret she had been created to shield. From her vantage point hovering through space, she could use her magic to manipulate her vision, watching to see them fall to the ground. She observed Leo and Phoebe both pick themselves up from where they had landed…<br>
And then saw Piper where she had been thrown down in the attic; instantly noticing how she was not moving, how her body was twisted in such an unnatural way, no breath escaping her lips. The sight of her sister’s lifeless form seemed to open a door in her mind; instantly she remembered how she had seen the same the night before, Piper in the same distorted position, just as lifeless as she appeared now. A reflection of what was to come. And somewhere inside she hurt, the pain cruel and sharp, cutting through the contentment and peace she had been feeling since she joined The Quiet. The music around her hurt her too, its notes no longer reassuring and powerful, but harsh and piercing, piercing her very heart. A solitary tear trickled down her pale cheek. There was only one thing she could do.

Leo had rushed to Piper’s side in an instant, as Phoebe sank to the floor, helpless, tears silently falling down her face. She didn’t even have the power to cry out in pain. Her heart was broken. There was no Piper. There was no Paige. She couldn’t bear to watch as Leo took his beloved in his arms, failing to heal her and willing her to open her eyes, knowing she never would. He had lost his love. His beautiful Piper; who had warmed his life and his heart. And now he had to live an eternity without her. He pushed her hair off her pale face, so serene she could even have been sleeping, and leaning down softly gave her a single kiss goodbye.

Neither of them knew how long they sat like that; Leo cradling his love in his arms and Phoebe curled up on the floor in pain, neither of them wanting to move and face the reality. Neither of them noticed Piper’s eyelashes gently flickering, or her hands slowly unfurling. It was only when she gave a long, shuddering breath, that Leo had looked down in astonishment and disbelief, not understanding, not needing to understand, just drawing her into a deep embrace, which was seconds later joined by Phoebe, shaking with joy as she saw her sister reach out to her.

Paige lowered her hand. It was done.

[mcharmed21]

The sunlight once more shone through the conservatory windows, lighting up Piper sat on a chair with her children; baby Chris lying asleep in the crook of her arm, and Wyatt curled up against her. She didn’t want to let them go, she had come so close to losing them. She loved them so much she thought her heart would overflow. And they reminded her constantly of their father; the happiness they had had together, the love she still felt for him. She remembered how right it had been to open her eyes yesterday and find herself in his arms, the ecstasy she had seen his own eyes. She had tried to live without him, tried so hard for both of them, but at every turn there was something that happened that reminded them of how much they felt for each other and how much they needed each other. But at the same time she knew there was nothing she could do to make the situation right, she knew it was hard enough for him to live without his children beside him constantly, she had no right to make it harder for him.

At that moment, both Leo and her sister entered the room, stopping as they took in the group, smiling at the picture of love before them, though pervading all of their thoughts was a great sadness. For while Piper was alive, Paige was still missing from the family scene. And without her, none of them could be happy.

Although they were unsure how, or why, each of them thought that maybe Paige was the reason behind Piper’s miraculous recovery, for they could think of no other way that it could have occurred than through the great power she held. The chance that Paige had possibly saved her sibling gave a small hope to all, there must still be somewhere inside her a connection to her sisters that meant she could not allow Piper to die, her love overcoming even the instinct of The Quiet.

However, despite this inner connection, the remaining Charmed Ones and Leo had drawn a blank thinking of ways to bring her back, to tap into this deep-rooted, hidden feeling. All night each had hardly slept, running ideas over and over through their minds, twisting each plan again and again to find some way it could work. But all seemed hopeless, all came up against a wall that could not be climbed; the wall of Paige’s new role to protect The Silence that could take over all other senses. Piper stood up carefully, and laid her new-born in the crib beside her, trying to cope with a fear that he would never know his Aunt. Even the knowledge that she was doing something far greater than any of them could imagine or aspire to still made the pain of loss unbearable.

As she took Phoebe in her arms, trying to give some grain of comfort as the two of them were once again faced with losing a sister, they saw the room around them suddenly fade; the colours seeming to seep away, until they were standing in front of three shining figures against a backdrop of silvery gray light, surrounded by thousands of candles, their flickering flames the only movement to be seen.

[mcharmed21]

Two of the figures began to move towards them, not seeming to take steps, but drifting over slowly. As they neared the girls, the light from the candles illuminated their features. To the left, stood a dark-headed man, his hair plaited in a thick braid that hung down his back, emitting the same silver glow that Paige had done, his eyes a bright, brilliant blue that seemed both gentle and dangerous at the same time. Beside him, with a similar-glow, hovered a woman, with hair the colour of silver, swept back off her face in a waterfall of curls around her shoulders, green eyes gazing at them with a gaze that seemed to know all. Both had a timeless quality to their features, if one had asked Piper or Phoebe how old they thought them to be, neither could have, for they looked both young and aged at once.

The girls had no idea how long they stood there in silence, not being able to look the figures in front of them in the eye, too shy and awe-inspired to match their gaze. For they both realized that they were stood in front of two of the most powerful beings there were. Both realized the magnitude of this meeting, for Leo had told them that The Quiet were rarely seen. And they both knew that it was not their place to speak or to move. It even seemed disrespectful to breath.

Finally, the third figure, which had so far remained behind the other too, hidden in shadow, came forward, the wavering light highlighting her dark hair, and her shimmering pale skin. Both of her hands were taken by the figures in front of her, and they led her towards Piper and Phoebe, placing her hands in theirs and moving back. Instinctively, Piper took Phoebe’s hand, so the three sisters formed a circle, never-ending, no-one first or better, but each equally important.

The man spoke, the first noise that had been heard since finding themselves there his voice deep, seeming to send vibrations through the air, breaking the silence.

“We can never feel love in same way that you three do for each other, that inner connection that transcends all things, even the calling to guard The Silence. The deed of our fellow protector yesterday has shown that her love is stronger than any power we, as the Quiet, may have. Because of this, we realize how incorrect it is for us to separate her from you to protect our secret.”<br>
His companion continued, her voice as powerful as his, but as soft as a breeze.

“Our decision is not due to the role for good you have as the Charmed Ones, for those issues do not need to concern us or because in saving you she acted out of line with our destiny. No, it is purely out of a deep respect for your sisterly bond, a bond that is closed to us. It is not even our place to break that. Her destiny is with you.”<br>
With that, they both raised their right hands towards them, and the girls saw colours begin to seep in around them, as the figures gradually disappeared before their eyes. And soon they found themselves in the sunlit conservatory once more.

[mcharmed21]

That evening, Paige stood alone in the attic, watching the colours of the sunset paint the room in a glow of orange and gold, warm and beautiful. Her favourite part of the day. When the world seemed to stop and she could appreciate the life destiny had given her.

The Book was open. Open at the page that had drawn her and her sisters into a journey that one could never even imagine possible. She knew that the entry would disappear, and her memories along with it, as those of her family had done almost immediately. The Quiet had allowed her to remember for a little longer, but she knew that is almost time for her also to forget. She wished she would be able to recollect The Quiet; the glimpse of a magic beyond her understanding, the knowledge of the world beyond the daily battle between good and bad, a chance to remember a power that went beyond anything she knew, a higher calling to protect.

But this was her destiny. Yes, fighting demons were common occurrences, seeming vaguely mundane after her experience, their lives were often in danger, and would never be normal, but this was what she had always been destined to do. Destined to be here with her sisters; they were a family of power fighting for good, as generations had done before them, and, more importantly, a family of love. The love that binds them together, that had not let her go. A love that comforts and strengthens, and connects them whatever they may face, and wherever they may go. That love was as eternal as The Quiet themselves. And none of the Halliwell sisters would ever forget that.

Leaving the Book open, Paige walked slowly out of the attic. The light was beginning to fade now; the long, night shadows appearing. As she turned back to glance at the Book one last time, she gave a small smile as she saw dozens of tiny white lights dancing over the page she had just been standing over. And then, shutting the door silently, but firmly behind her, she made her way downstairs, where her sisters were laughing and playing with her nephews in the living room, their voices echoing through the house, the sounds of love and laughter. Leaving The Quiet to fulfill their own destiny.