Author: Wiccan Wolfe

E-mail: pandawolf@excite.com

Website: www.angelfire.com/weird2/tigerwolf

Rating: PG13/R for language and implied issues.

Disclaimer: I don't own the CHARMED ONES but I do own Kim and her family. I had to pay a gypsy for them but she's mine now. =P

A/N: Any kind of feedback is welcomed. Can't improve if I don't know what I suck at.

Bringing Work Home:

Part One

Paige watched through the glass at the teenage girl inside. The girl was slumped over the table, asleep. She was tired after spending the whole morning in the police's custody. Paige was working on finding out what had happened, but the girl was so tired that she felt sorry for the teenager and let her sleep. A hand came up to touch Paige's shoulder causing her to jump slightly.

"Sorry, sometimes I hate this job." Tom, her boss, said. "Here are the papers on her. The neighbors said that they didn't know about her, she was kept inside the house all her life. This is the first time that she's ever been outside." He sighed and went to the door. "Come on, I want you to help me with this one."

Paige followed after him into the room. The girl never moved from her spot. Paige sat down across from the sleeping figure, watching Tom slowly approach her. He laid a hand on the child; the moment that he did she woke up and jumped from her chair and looked at Tom. He reached his hand toward her to show her comfort but she ran to the corner of the room so that her back was against the wall and sat down on the floor. She pulled her knees up to her chest and looked nervously at the two people in the room.

Tom looked like a deer caught in headlights, he stood there not sure if he should reach out to her or wait for her to get up on her own. Paige stood up suddenly causing the girl to flinch. Paige spoke softly and lovingly to coax her back to her seat.

"It's okay, he didn't mean to scare you. We just need to talk to you about your parents." The girl looked like she was calming down and relaxing. She stood up slowly and pulled a seat away from the two strangers. Once the seat was pulled away from the table to the corner, she sat down.

"Kim, I'm Tom and you remember Paige from this morning?" She nodded slowly, unsure as to why she was there. "Do you know why you're here?" She shook her head. "You're being put into foster care because you're parents have been bad to you."

"No they haven't. My parents love me, even though I'm a bad girl." Paige knew that the girl was 14 but to a blind person she could have been mistaken for an eight-year-old just by her voice.

"Is that what they told you, that you've been a bad girl?" Paige's heart was getting broken by the day from this job. Kim simply nodded her. Paige took a deep breath and asked Tom to step outside for a moment.

"Look," Paige began "let me talk to her. She needs to talk to another female. From the things that I've read on her file, the last thing she needs right now is a male in the room to remind her of her father." Tom nodded that he understood and walked off feeling a sense of relief that he didn't have to deal with this.

As Paige was about to turn to go into the room, two familiar voices called her name happily. She looked to see her sisters approach her with what looked like good news.

"What's wrong sweetie?" Phoebe asked. She always treated Paige like a toddler who couldn't handle herself.

"I have this really horrible case to work on. It's sad really." Paige fought back the tears in her eyes.

"Do you want to go for lunch?" Piper asked, playing her big sister card.

"No, I'll probably be late for dinner too, so don't wait up. I've got to find a place for this girl but I'm not too sure that she'll stay anywhere that I put her. She's libel to take off after her parents." Paige waved goodbye and entered the room. Her two sisters stood on the outside, looking at their young sister through the glass.

Piper looked at the young teenager. She's reminded the witch of someone but she couldn't think of who.

"You know..." Phoebe's eye brows were furrowed together as she eyed the girl in the room. "She sort of looks like Prue."

That was it, that's who the girl reminded her of, Prue. Kim's hair was the same dark brown, almost black looking hair that Prue's was. Her eyes matched that perfectly of their older sister. The thoughts started to confuse Piper.

"Come on let's go. Where do you want to eat lunch at?" Piper pulled her younger sister with her.

"The Mexican place around the corner?" Phoebe pleaded.

"God Phoebe, that's the third time this week!" Piper hated the place.

"Please?" Phoebe stuck out her bottom lip in an attempt to pout.

"Fine." Piper gave in.

Paige sat down at the table taking into notice that Kim was still on the other side of the room.

"I-I-I'm s-sorry f-for jump-ping earlier." Kim managed to stutter out. "When c-can I-I go see m-my parents-s?"

"We're putting you into foster care for now Kim. The problem is that we can't find a home at the moment, we're still looking. But for the moment, I just want to talk to you." Paige was noticing that she was sounding mature. She was finally growing up.

"Why can't I go home? I should get home, my dad is going to want his lunch soon and I don't like to make my dad mad."

Paige sighed; this was going to be harder than she thought. "You won't ever see your parents again. Kim the things they've done to you were wrong. You're going to get a home were no one would ever do those things to you again."

Kim scooted closer to the table until she was facing Paige directly. When she spoke, it was a whisper. "You don't understand I'm not like the other kids. My parents are the only one's who can deal with my...differences." Her voice, to Paige, seemed different. Instead of that eight-year-old girl she was a few moments ago, she was the 14-year-old girl that she should be.

"What do you mean you're different?"

Kim looked around the room as if there were spies around. "I have special powers that I was born with. Daddy says that I'm a witch."

"Really, what kind of powers do you have?"

"I can move things with my mind."

Part Two

Paige emerged from the small room after two hours of being in there talking. She had discovered a lot about Kim. Still, she had nowhere to send the child. The young witch sat down at her desk staring at the picture of her and her two sisters. It was taken a month after she had moved in, right when they were all getting along together. The three witches were smiling from under the frame.

What was she going to do? The child couldn't go back to her parents, but she couldn't go to an orphanage either. They all said that they were either full or that she was too old. There were no local foster homes that were willing to take a teenager.

But what if Paige herself took the girl home? Sure she wasn't suppose to do it, but if she did without telling her boss then it would be okay. The girl needed a place to stay a place off of the streets. And this way Paige could watch over her and make sure that she wouldn't run off back home.

There was only one problem with the idea, her sisters. There was no way that they would let this girl into their home and it was their home after all. But that was something that Paige decided to worry about when she got home.

"Come on Kim, get your stuff. I've got a place for you to stay." Paige stuck her head in the door. The teenage girl stood up and walked towards Paige. Together they walked to the parking lot and got into Paige's car.

They rode in silence to the manor. Once the car stopped, Paige wasn't so sure of herself. At first this seemed like a good idea bring the child home, save her from harm until she got another home. But now the thought of Piper yelling at her made her nervous.

This was really the first family that Paige ever had. She tried her best to not disappoint her sisters cause this is all she had left anymore. Her adoptive parents were dead, her real mother was dead, her real father was someone that she hadn't really met before.

Piper looked out the kitchen window to see who had pulled up in the driveway. She could see a passenger but couldn't tell who it was.

"Phoebe, can you tell whose in the car with Paige?" Her sister came over to look.

"Isn't that that girl Paige was talking to at work? You know her new case?"

"Yeah, but why would she bring the kid here? Unless she is being chased by demons." Piper thought of all the reasons as to why the kid could be there.

"Not demons, just normal, evil parents." Paige walked into the kitchen with the kid following close at her heels. She showed the girl where to sit and took her sisters out into the living room.

"Paige what is going, why is she here?" Piper asked.

"Before you get mad, I had no choice. She can't go home because of her parents and she didn't anyplace to go. I felt sorry for her, please let her stay for the night?" Paige spoke quickly.

Piper didn't know what to say. But Phoebe did. "Paige you can't do that. It's against the rules at your job plus against ours. What if we have demon problems?"

"That's no problem, she's a witch too. She can move things with her mind."

The last sentence gave Piper an instant image of Prue. It still hurt her to know her older sister was dead. But she was better now. There was no more complete sadness over Prue, just momentary mourning periods that usually lasted for two minutes.

Paige went back into the kitchen with her sisters following. Kim watched the three girls closely.

"Okay, ask her anything you want to about the Book of Shadows." Piper and Phoebe's eyes went wide when Paige mention the Book of Shadows.

Part Three

Kim shifted under the eyes of the three girls. It made her nervous the way that they watched her as they asked her questions about the Book of Shadows. Once they were satisfied, all the answers were correct, they relaxed.

"Your parents kept you inside all your life?" Piper asked from her position at the counter.

Kim had requested that everyone keep a distance from her. They may have trusted her but she still didn't trust them. "Yes, but I don't see why everyone gets so upset over it. He did what he thought was best for me."

"What he did was keep you from being a kid. You spent your whole life as an only child. Did you ever have any other kids come over to your house and play games with?" Phoebe asked.

Kim hesitated for a moment. "No, but that doesn't mean that I grew up wrong. I wasn't meant to be around other kids. I'm not normal, the other kids just wouldn't understand. And it's not like I didn't do some of the things that other kids did. I have video games, I watched TV, but I also read and memorized a lot." Kim was getting agitated that they didn't understand her.

"But your father beat you a lot didn't he?" Paige's voice was getting stressful.

Kim flinched when the sentence was asked. She looked down towards the floor, giving them the answer that they knew. "I was a bad girl." She whispered, slowly rocking back and forth in her seat. Her voice was back at that young age and Paige knew that it was time to back off for a little while.

She looked over to her sisters and gave them a pleading look. Both knew what was up and made mental notes of all their questions for later.

The three sisters left the distraught teenager in the kitchen while they headed towards the living room. They stood, neither one knowing what to do or what to say next. Paige was the first to speak.

"You see what I mean? I needed to bring her somewhere where I could keep an eye on her. She doesn't trust males right now." Paige sighed as she ran a hand through her hair. She leaned over slightly so that she still had a clear vision into the kitchen at Kim. She watched the girl slowly come out of her state of shock that she was left in. Soon the girl was back to her normal state.

"What are we going to do?" Piper wanted to help the innocent whenever she could.

"I'm not sure yet. But for now she's going to stay here." Paige answered with disinterest.

Small flecks of blue and white light caught her eyes. She quickly walked into the kitchen to see Leo appearing. Kim tensed up, watching the spots of light shape into a man. Paige put a hand on the girl's shoulder only to make her tense even further. When Leo had finally made his appearance fully, Kim let some of her tension go. She still felt uncomfortable with Paige touching her but before she could say anything, the witch moved her hand.

"Hi guys." He said happily, taking his wife into his arms.

"Leo this is Kim, she's going to be staying with us for a while." Piper announced to her husband. She still wasn't happy with Paige making a decision without her consent.

"Look guys, its getting late and I'm sure that Kim is tired. She's going to stay in my room for the time being." Paige motioned for the girl to follow her. Kim stood, still keeping a watch on the rest of the houseguests as she followed Paige out of the room.

They entered the room that Paige had called hers since she moved in. Originally it was Prue's but now it was hers. Little things in the room still belonged to Prue. Like the bedspread, and some pictures of the family. Paige just didn't have the heart to put them away. She didn't know this sister after all, and this way her way of being close to the sister that she never knew.

"You can sleep in here for now. If you need anything at all, you come and find someone. Piper, Phoebe, Leo and I'll all be here somewhere in the house if you need something. Don't hesitate to come and find one of us okay? I'll come by and check on you during the night." Paige turned to leave but stopped when she heard Kim say something.

"Hey. Thanks for letting me staying here. I know that I'm imposing on all of your lives."

"You're welcome. I'm going to make sure that you get a good home with parents who love you." Paige smiled at the young girl and left.

Paige walked down the stairs, blowing out a long breath of air. She ran her fingers through her black hair and wondered briefly how she was going to deal with her sisters. There, at the bottom of the stairs, her two sisters and Leo stood waiting for her.

"What are we going to do?" Piper asked with that motherly tone in her voice.

This was enough to send Paige over the edge for her day. "We aren't going to do a damn thing. I'm going to take care of this." She headed off into the kitchen. Knowing that it was of no use, they would just follow her anyway.

"Paige, you're taking on a job that you can't handle. You're putting us all at risk, even this girl." Leo was like the father figure of the house. Him and Piper mother and father.

"I know that, I've thought about all the possibilities and I don't care. She needs somewhere to stay somewhere where at least one person will show her that they care." Tears were welling up in her eyes. She kept saying all day that she knew what to do, but it came to her at that moment that she didn't. She was completely lost and she couldn't ask for help.

Maybe she had made the wrong choice by bringing the girl home with her. At the time, it seemed like the perfect idea. For some reason she felt like the world would end if she didn't help her. Of course she just chalked it up to the fact that she hates seeing kids with tough lives. She had a bad life too. A part of her wished that she would've had someone that did for her what she's doing for this girl.

"We are not discussing this tonight. I'm going to be the one taking care of her. She needs sleep tonight. Tomorrow I'm taking her to get her things from her home. Good night." Paige climbed back up the stairs to her room. She opened the door slowly, so she wouldn't wake up Kim if she were asleep. But the lights were still on in the small room. And there, on the bed, laid Kim, crying. She made no attempt to move when she heard Paige enter the room.

The young witch sat down on her bed, wondering what to do next. She was afraid of touching the girl, fear that she might jump. Paige had never been a situation like this before and she was completely clueless. Her best bet now was to go on instinct. And her instinct was telling her this girl needed comforting.

Paige slowly changed into her nightclothes. Her every move wasn't known until after it was done. She seemed to be controlling herself without knowing it. She sat back down on the bed with the crying girl. Kim shifted over to give Paige some space to lie down. It was a silent plea for Paige to hold her. The young witch got comfortable and pulled Kim towards her.

Part Four

Paige didn't sleep much that night. Her mind raced with images form the day before. Everything seemed to be moving too fast before she could comprehend it. Had she really insisted on this girl staying her sister's house without their permission? Maybe her job was causing her to have a lapse in judgment.

Stress, Paige thought while she lay there in bed. That's what all this is. Stress. I've gone completely mental and I'm going to have to pay for it. God, Piper and Phoebe are going to kill me today.

Kim was stirring in her sleep. She was unaware of where she was at first. The teenager sat up straight in the bed, looking around furiously.

"Hey." Paige said in her worried mother tone. She could tell that she was getting too attached to this kid.

Kim looked at her and began to relax a little. She held a tense look on her face as she spoke back. "Sorry."

Paige got out of the bed and headed towards the door. "Once you wake up, come down stairs and I'll fix you some breakfast."

The young witch came down the stairs slowly. A headache was forming in her brain. She rubbed her temples slowly, hoping that it would relieve the tension that was there. Inside the kitchen stood her two sisters along with Leo.

"Good morning, where's the kid?" Leo shoved a piece of toast into his mouth.

"She's getting up. I've got to take her to get some clothes from her house." Paige grabbed a cup of coffee. She looked up to see her brother-in-law and her two sisters staring at her like she had just turned into a demon. "What?"

"Since when do you drink coffee?" Piper said from the table.

Paige looked down at her cup. Since when did she drink coffee? It was just another piece of proof that she was going insane.

Sounds of footsteps came into the kitchen. Kim was there, dressed in her clothes, not sure what she should do now. The same look was in everyone else's eyes too. Leo felt that it was his exit to leave. He looked at his wife and nodded towards the door. She got up to follow his lead.

"How is Paige going to get into Kim's house without the parents noticing?" Leo was concerned for both the kid and Paige.

Piper gave a deep sigh. "I'm not sure, honey. I'm just not sure."

In the kitchen, Kim had taken a seat at the table. The two sisters said nothing, just watched her every move. Something seemed different about the kid today. She seemed off her balance.

Even though Phoebe didn't know the girl, she could feel that something was terribly wrong. Kim kept rubbing her forehead like she had a headache. She kept her eyes tightly closed the whole time. Her body started rocking back and forth in the chair slowly.

"Are you okay?" Phoebe asked the girl.

"I-I n-need," She was breathing kind of hard, almost panting now. "M-my, uh," She was lost on the words. "My m-me-med-medicine." Finally she got the sentence out.

This worried Paige, she wasn't told that the girl was on medication. Franticly she searched her brain for any traces of this said medication. "What medicine Kim?" Paige walked over to Kim.

"I h-ha-have...." She stopped talking. The look on her face was almost as if it hurt her to speak. She took a deep breath even though it pained her and quickly said, "I have ADHD."

What was she going to do now? It was necessary for her to have her medication, but it wasn't life or death either. Yet another headache was forming in Paige's brain. She began to wonder how much she would end up investing on Advil.

"Well, eat your breakfast and then we'll get ready to go by your house. Try to think up anything that you absolutely need for the next couple of days. When we go you'll need to get everything that we can before your parents come back home." Paige smiled down at Kim as she handed the teenager her breakfast plate that Piper had cooked.

I really should eat something too. Piper has been feeling a little ignored when it comes to her cooking lately. Paige considered for a moment. It did make Piper mad when she spent time to cook lengthy meals just to have no one eat it. But the young witch decided against it, she had far too much work to do to worry about Piper's feelings at the moment.

When Paige left the room, Phoebe decided to follow. There were questions that needed to be asked. And if Piper wasn't going to do it, then she would.

"Paige how are you going to get her into her house? I thought you said that her parents were dangerous?"

"Her parents are going to be tied up in court all day long. They won't be home until at least five o'clock. Its not like it can wait Phoebe, you heard her she needs her medicine." Paige was getting frustrated with everyone's attitude towards this girl. Its not like she was a demon, but yet they treated her like one.

"I should go with you. You don't need to go alone. It could be a dangerous situation for you to be in alone." Phoebe laid a comforting hand on Paige's arm.

"Fine do what you want too. We're leaving in a few minutes." Paige took off for her bedroom.

Piper came into the kitchen to find no one but Kim there. She wasn't sure on what to say to the troubled teen. The oldest witch took into notice that Kim was actually eating breakfast.

"Is it good?" Piper asked softly.

The girl looked up at the woman. She smiled briefly before nodding yes. She finished off a few more pieces off her eggs before gathering up her plate and glass to put into the sink. Kim then grabbed a towel and wiped off the table where she had been sitting.

Piper watched her every movement like it was her last. Something about this girl reminded her of Prue. And not bad memories either, but the good ones. Like how Prue was a little neurotic about cleaning when she was young. The teenager moved about with the same grace that Prue did.

What is it about her that reminds me of Prue? Piper asked herself in her mind. She sighed and decided on that it was just her missing her big sister and thought nothing more of it.

Kim turned to Piper and started to ask her a question but quickly found that she couldn't speak without stuttering. She waved to catch Piper's attention. She made motioned with her hands like she was writing on a piece of paper.

"What?" Piper wasn't sure what was going on with the girl. Soon she caught on to watch the teenager meant. "Oh you want a pen and paper." She searched in a nearby drawer until she found them.

Kim quickly wrote down the reason why she couldn't ask out loud for the utensils. Now she had to make a list of the things she needed from home. Piper casually stood at the counter away from the girl but still in a clear view of what she was writing.

1) Medicine

2) Clothes

3) Books

4) BOSS

Kim put the final touches on her paper before tearing it from the pad to fold up. By this time Paige was ready to go with Phoebe right on her heels. The youngest witch was beginning to understand why Kim shied away from people; they could be down right annoying. Especially if they were related to you.

"Kim are you ready?" Paige called from the front door.

Kim stood up and waved to Piper as she left the kitchen. She approached Paige with her arm outstretched and the note in hand. Paige took the note and looked at it before giving it her approval.

"Come on kid, we got to get in a get out in case your folks decide to make a stop at home." Phoebe started to put a hand on the kid's back but was stopped by Paige.

"Don't freak her out anymore than she has to be right now." Paige said to her sister after Kim was out of hearing distance.

Kim took her seat in the back seat. She felt weird being in someone else's car. Everything of late was weird to her since she came into contact with Paige. But in her heart she knew that it was the right thing. She really needed to be away from her destructive household.

The car came to a stop leaving everyone inside of it feeling sick. Paige and Phoebe exited the car and waited for Kim to get out too. But the teenager simply sat inside the car, staring at her house through the window. Paige opened the door slowly so to not startle the girl.

"Kim?" Paige asked.

TBC....feedback please. pandawolf@excite.com