Third Time Charmed

Enter the Witch (Part 2)

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After Piper's departure, Paige tried to stay focused while working on her potion basics. Inevitably, though, her mind wandered. Granted, she had read, or at least skimmed, a good few magic-themed books of late, but Piper's notes were hardly Harry Potter.

Paige just wasn't a big reader. She was a doer, or a 'kinesthetic learner,' as a college advisor had once told her, a smart-sounding phrase she was keeping in her back pocket, ready to trot out the next time her boss asked her to summarize a research study on a Friday afternoon.

Abandoning the notes, she moved on to some practical magic, chuckling at the mental reference to a movie favorite with strange new relevance. She measured out some herbs and heated a pan of water atop a spider burner. When the water boiled, she began adding the ingredients for a standard brew.

When the liquid turned cloudy gray and began to emit spirals of steam, Paige stood back to admire her handiwork. This concoction formed the base for a lot of different potions, and she appeared to have followed the recipe correctly. She looked at the wall clock. Piper hadn't been gone all that long.

Deciding that she could produce something more challenging and perhaps earn a few brownie points from her tutor, Paige began adding more herbs. She wasn't a big fan of cooking, but mixing up a potion wasn't all dull. She could feel a tingle of magic in the air as her innate power activated the ingredients, changing the mixture's color and consistency with each addition.

There was a creative element to it that resonated with her. With some practice, maybe she could be Wicca's answer to Jamie Oliver? Okay, that wasn't likely, especially with former chef Piper around. Paige wasn't usually a fan of watching cooking, either, but had tuned into The Naked Chef expecting something quite different, then discovered that the exuberant—and cute—British TV chef made it interesting.

With him in mind, she began throwing new herbs into her bubbling brew with gusto. "Next up, some powered toadstool. Bam!" she said with a clap of her hands for effect, mimicking Jamie's mannerisms. "Let's kick it up one more notch!"

"Whoa, what are you doing?" Leo asked as he entered the kitchen, wearing a blue polo and beige slacks, lured by the unmistakable scent of a potion at work.

"You know, just preparing for the Source," Paige answered airily.

"Oh, is he coming over for dinner?" Leo jested.

"No, Piper's got me mixing potions," Paige explained, acknowledging the joke with her eyes and responding just as playfully. "Why, I don't know. Prue gets to play detective and fight bad guys. Prue gets to Astral Project and throw demons around with her mind. I...? I get to cook!"

Grabbing a bottle of water from the fridge, Leo faced Paige with an understanding smile, "Well, you know, your sisters' active powers took a long time to develop. They're both still working on mastering their secondary powers, and Prue's been studying martial arts for a while now."

"Yeah, but we're magic," Paige reasoned. "We should be able to skip over all that crap."

"Well, there are no shortcuts. Even with magic," said Leo wisely, taking a swig of his water.

Paige folded her arms over her chest and moved across the kitchen, taking the opportunity to quiz Leo. "So, when will I get the hang of my powers? I can't choose when I get a Premonition, I can barely Orb... When will I be ready to fight?"