A/N: This is the sequel to Destinies so if you haven't read that, I recommend you do. It has been three months since Destinies took place so the first Source has been vanquished by them and now Cole is the Source but none of the sisters know. Phoebe and Cole are engaged. It is set somewhere between 'The Three Faces of Phoebe' and 'Marry-Go-Round'. Sorry that it's been like 3 and a half years since I wrote Destinies – I just couldn't get the inspiration to write this. Enjoy!
Chapter One: Officially Sisters
Piper and Paige were in the Manor, loudly discussing their plans for the day.
"It makes sense if I take her to Social Services Paige, it's easier for me because it's closer to P3," Piper insisted.
"But Piper, I work there, I don't want to go all the way to the clinic just to have to go back to work when I could just go straight to work," Paige replied.
"Paige, why do you always have to be so difficult?" Piper asked her sister.
"Me? Difficult? You're the one being difficult," Paige answered.
"You're both being difficult," Paris interrupted, coming into the kitchen and sitting down at the table. She helped herself to a slice of toast.
"I agree," added Phoebe, following Paris into the kitchen and making some coffee.
Cole, who had been standing listening to their argument the whole time, decided he should probably intervene.
"You do realise the clinic are going to phone with the results, right? You don't have to go all the way there," he said, matter-of-factly.
"How do you know that?" Paige asked suspiciously.
"Paige, don't go there," Phoebe snapped in her fiancé's defence.
"Well, yesterday the clinic phoned and were going to give you the results but no one answered so they said they'd call back today," Cole explained.
"What? And you didn't tell us?" Piper yelled angrily.
"I'm telling you now aren't I?" Cole asked innocently. As if by magic, the phone started ringing. Paris' stomach clenched and she wished she hadn't eaten that slice of toast. But why should she be nervous? She knew the answer already.
Piper picked up the phone. "Hello?" Phoebe and Paige crowded round her, trying to hear what the person on the other side was saying. "Yes thank-you" Piper continued. "Right…" "Yeah, okay. We're ready,"
Paris held her breathe. All of a sudden, Phoebe and Paige started squealing in delight. Even Piper was smiling a little. "Thank-you, goodbye,"
Piper, Phoebe and Paige all rushed over to Paris to hug her and tell her the good news.
"I knew it!" screamed Paige. "Ever since I laid eyes on you, I knew you were our sister. We didn't need a clinic to confirm that,"
"But they had to Paige, it's the law," Piper said, sternly.
"So, who's taking her to Social Services?" Cole asked, crushing all their happiness with his words. How could they forget? They still needed permission to look after Paris, even if they were sisters.
"We all will," Phoebe decided. Piper and Paige nodded in agreement. Paris couldn't keep the smile off her face, her three sisters were willing to go to Social Services and they all wanted to be there for her.
"Right then," Piper said. "Let's go. We'll take my car. Paige, you can orb home after work can't you?"
"Yeah," Paige answered vaguely, she was getting nervous. But, she was Paris' social worker. It was up to her where Paris went. Or was it? Maybe Mr Cowan would think it was too personal or biased. Paige would choose what she wanted, not what was best for Paris. But living at the Manor was best for Paris; she could be safe from any demon attacks that way. But Mr Cowan didn't know that.
"Paige?" Paris asked. "You coming?" Paige snapped out of her trance and realised her three sisters had already walked out of the door.
"Yeah," Paige replied, grabbing her coat and bag and shutting the door behind her.
~~PO4~~
When the Halliwells arrived at South Bay Social Services, Piper tried to park as close to the entrance as she could.
As they all got out and headed for the main door, Paris hung back a little. Paige noticed her gesture and could tell that her sister was nervous.
"What's up?" Paige asked Paris as happily as she could manage.
"I'm scared Paige; what if they don't let me live with you? What if I go to a foster home and a demon attacks? What if—" Paris rambled, letting the fear show in her voice. Paris was no longer troubled by Paige knowing what she was feeling or when she was scared. She still didn't trust Piper and Phoebe but Paige was certain that Paris would eventually.
Paige cut her off mid-sentence. "Paris, you don't have to be scared. I'm your social worker; it's up to me where you go," she explained with false certainty. As much as Paige feared she would not have a say in her sister's future, she could not let Paris know. She was scared enough already.
The fear however, must have shown in Paige's facial expression though because Paris still wasn't convinced.
"But how do you know, Paige?" Paris insisted.
"Darryl will be there too. He knows that it's important for you to live with us; for your protection and for the Power of Four," Paige replied, trying just as hard to convince herself as well as Paris.
"Come on guys!" Phoebe called impatiently from inside. Paris and Paige could see Piper looking angrily in their direction and Paris, who was still slightly wary of her, sped over to where Phoebe and Piper were standing. Paige however, strolled casually towards the entrance as if she didn't have a care in the world. Of course, she did but she was just trying to annoy her sister even more.
~~PO4~~
"Ahh, Miss Halliwell," Mr Cowan sighed, looking at Paige. "And…" he paused, taking into account the rings on Piper and Phoebe's fingers.
"Mrs Halliwell," Piper filled in, just as Phoebe said:
"Miss Halliwell," Mr Cowan nodded in understanding.
"And of course, Paris," Mr Cowan finished.
He put a comforting hand on Paris' shoulder. Paris didn't want it there but if she had shrugged it off, it would have been rude.
"Right, Inspector Morris is already waiting so if you would follow me," Mr Cowan said. He finally took his hand off of Paris' shoulder and led the way to his office.
Although Paige had worked here for a good four years, she still felt like an intruder as she wondered how Paris was feeling.
Paris was nervous; she just wanted the meeting to be over and done with. She wanted to live with her sisters at the Manor and help fight demons like she had done for the past three months. She just wanted to forget everything about her demonic 'mother'.
~~PO4~~
They all made their way into Mr Cowan's office and saw Darryl sitting and waiting for them. Mr Cowan got chairs for Piper, Phoebe, Paige and Paris and sat down in his own chair behind his desk.
"Let's get down to business, shall we?" Mr Cowan asked the five people sitting in front of him. Without waiting for an answer, he continued, turning to Paris who sat between Darryl and Paige. "It has come to my attention that your adoptive mother, Joanne Lacey, has been missing for the past three months," he started.
Paris nodded but did not look up, so he continued talking. "I am very sorry to hear this and I am glad you have found your biological family but that does not automatically put you in their care,"
"What if we want to look after her?" Phoebe insisted.
"That doesn't matter, obviously you need to want to look after her but there are other factors. Paige, I thought you would have explained this to them," Mr Cowan replied, disappointed.
"Don't start blaming Paige for not telling us your stupid rules!" Piper yelled, losing her temper.
"Now, Miss Halliwell—" Mr Cowan started, trying to calm her down.
"It's Mrs Halliwell," Piper snapped rudely.
"I apologise but you have to look at this from an outsider's point of view," he tried to reason.
"Why? What good will that do?" Phoebe shouted. She was getting frustrated; how were outsider's supposed to know about demons and warlocks? This was getting them nowhere.
"Mr Cowan, I'm Paris' social worker, so surely it's up to me where she goes? I have to decide what's best for her," Paige said finally.
"Not necessarily Paige, you know that. When it is this personal, other people have to—" Mr Cowan stopped mid-sentence and Paris realised Piper had frozen him.
"Piper!" Paige shouted, she had also noticed. ""You could have blown him up!"
"I can control my powers now Paige," Piper sighed as she unfroze Darryl only.
"Piper!" Darryl exclaimed, surveying the scene before him.
"What? I wasn't going to blow him up!" Piper replied, annoyed.
"Someone could walk in at any moment!" Darryl said, exasperated. He quickly stood up and rushed over to the door to pull the blind on it down.
"He was getting on my nerves. Is this guy seriously your boss, Paige?" Piper asked.
"He's not that bad," Paige insisted.
"He's just very passionate about his job. How is he supposed to know I'll die if I don't live with you guys?" Paris added.
"What?" Darryl questioned, shocked. "Why didn't you tell me?"
"Look, can you just unfreeze him?" Phoebe pleaded.
"Fine," Piper sighed in defeat. She flicked her wrists and Mr Cowan unfroze.
Darryl, who had realised the Halliwells needed to look after Paris just as much as they wanted to, decided to get down to business.
"Mr Cowan, my partner and I have looked at all the possible evidence of Joanne Lacey's whereabouts. We have searched high and low for any clue to where she has disappeared to but we still have not found her. I believe that Piper, Phoebe and Paige Halliwell will be able to care and look after their new found sister until we have any further information regarding where Miss Lacey is," Darryl explained.
Paris looked down at her lap, she didn't want to catch anybody's eye; it would make her more nervous than she already was. Mr Cowan thought for a moment before replying.
"I can see where you are coming from Inspector and agree with what you are saying: I believe that Paris' three sisters should be able to look after her and I have decided that they will," Mr Cowan said, breaking the deathly silence.
Piper and Paris both let out a small flicker of a smile, delighted at what they had heard. Paige and Phoebe let out long sighs as they realised they had been holding their breaths the whole time Mr Cowan and Darryl had been speaking. Darryl was pleased for the sisters; they deserved some happiness after all they had been through.
"However," Mr Cowan started. "You have to understand that this is temporary: once your mother has been found, you will go back to living with her. Of course, if Joanne does wish for you to keep in contact with your sisters, you will be able to," he finished.
Paige nodded gleefully, a wide grin on her face. "Thank-you Mr Cowan, thank-you so much!" she said happily. Piper's small smile had turned into something more noticeable; it showed the happiness she felt. Phoebe squealed in delight and leapt up to hug Paris.
"Paris!" she shouted. "We're officially sisters!"
Yeah, thought Paris to herself, truly happy, officially sisters. She returned her sisters' grins and for one moment, forgot about everything that had happened to cause this. She forgot about meeting Paige for the first time, she forgot Leo healing her, she forgot about vanquishing her mom. She was truly happy.