Disclaimer- I own nothing.
A young boy stood on a wooden chair, leaning over a hot stove. The steam puffed in his young face. The smell of burnt eggs wafted through the air. The young boy bit his lip- hard- as tears filled his blue-green eyes. He glanced over to his dad, who was strung out of the coach a beer in hand. Daddy was going to be mad. The young boy didn't mean to burn his daddy's eggs, he didn't want to be punished.
"Boy, are you ready yet?" The dad grumbled from his spot to the couch. His voice was hard; the young boy stiffened.
"N-no."
The dad slowly lifted himself from the couch, muttering, "Good for nothing brat." He was a bull of a man, 6 foot 5, 200 hundred pounds. His dark glaze pierced the young boy, almost making him fall of the chair. "I gave you an hour! How are you not done," he growled.
"S-sorry," the young boy trembled as his dad stumbled forward. He knew that when his father drank from that brown bottle, everything was worse. He gripped to stove to steady himself, screaming out in agony when it burned him.
"What did you do now?" The father spat as his son held his injured hand to his chest, his face streaked with tears. As the father grew nearer, he could smell the burnt food. His face grew darker, his black beady eyes flashing with drunken anger. He kicked the chair from beneath the boy, laughing gruffly as the boy landed with a thud on the laminated floor. The sobbing started up a second later. "Stop it. Stop crying." The silence was almost instantaneous. "Finally, you can do something right," The father stumbled to door, harshly kicking his son on his way out.
Finally alone, the child cried. His hand screaming in pain, the rest of his body not far behind. "Wyatt," he sobbed, wanting the only figure that could make everything better.
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"What if a demon attacks," Piper Halliwell, questioned nervously leaning into her husband's arms. Leo kissed her head; she could feel his soft laughter.
"A demon hasn't attacked in five years, Piper." Piper and Leo have been trying to get pregnant for ten years now. It was emotionally heartbreaking when the doctor told them it wasn't possible pregnant. Now, they were resorting to adopting a child. Actually, two- both of whom Paige swears are so incredibly sweet and need a good home more than anybody.
"I know, it's just that- you know." Piper said breaking out of Leo's hold and beginning to pace.
"Yeah, but Piper. They're kids- abused, terrified kids- and if they don't open up to you right away, it's okay. They will eventually. Piper, I know you- better than anyone -and I know you will be a wonderful mother. Just- don't worry." Leo said, gently taking her hand and pulling her next to him.
"I just want everything to be perfect."
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Nine year-old Chris Johnston clutched his big brother's hand. He shivered slightly when he laid his eyes on the huge house in front of him. He was scared; scared that these people would be just like Dad and Uncle Jim.
"Shhh Chris. You're okay." 11-year-old Wyatt whispered, squeezing his brother's much smaller hand. Chris has always been short and ever since Wyatt's growth spurt a few months ago; there had to be a foot difference between them.
Wyatt was protective, by nature and by unfortunate circumstances. He wasn't the one to stand back and watch his six-year-old brother being beaten to a bloody pulp, instead he fought. He fought with 6- foot grown adult father everything he came swinging a fist at them- at Chris. He would do anything for his brother.
"Okay guys," Paige, their social worker, announced as she grabbed their meager luggage from the trunk, "Are you ready?" Chris shook his head frantically as he burrowed his head into his brother shoulder. He didn't want to stare at the house and wonder 'what if' anymore. All he wanted was his brother's warmth. He didn't see why he couldn't just live with Wyatt; alone.
"Oh sweetie, you'll be fine. Piper is one of the nicest women I know. And she happens to be my sister- so I know what I'm talking about."
"Yeah, Chris, Don't worry about it." Chris looked up to his brother, not missing the slight tremble in his voice. Wyatt was wearing a very broad and very fake smile- trying to fool his brother into thinking everything was alright. Chris was nine for God's sake, he wasn't a little kid anymore; he knew that his brother was scared.
"Yeah, okay," Chris returned the fake smile, but it flattered quickly as he looked to the house. It was the normal looking ones that were the scariest inside.
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"They're here," Piper shouted grabbing onto her husband's arm. The pure anticipation has been killing her for the last few weeks, ever since she was approved for adoption. "I'm getting the cookies, don't say anything until I get back!"
"Sure," Leo said absently peering at the window. His heart broke at the sight of young Chris burrowing into his brother. Could anyone do that to a kid? Leo had spent the last week reading their file- one could digest it all at once. Their father was a monster. He was reported to have tied the kids in the attic for days on end- only coming up to give them food, water, and their "punishment". The uncle was worst- when they kids were being "bad" then they would be sent up to him for a week. In that time, they would get absolutely no food and would have to suffer a tremendous amount of non-stop abuse. Even from inside the manor, Leo could see the bruises that marred the boy's face. No doubt covering their sullen, boney cheeks.
Piper rushed back in, almost sliding on the hard wood floors. In her hand was a brown basket filled to the rim with five different kinds of cookies. Chocolate chip, sugar, cinnamon, peanut butter, and sugar free. "Are they here yet?"
"They're outside." The second the words left his lips, the doorbell rang.
"Oh God," Piper said.
Leo- being the calmer of the two- opened the door.
"Hey, guys," Paige said, "guess who's here!"
"I have cookies," said Piper thrusting the basket into her new foster kids face. The little- Chris- flinched as if he been slapped and quickly press closer to his brother. Piper retracted her hand immediately, hurt by the reaction. Her eyes landed onto Wyatt, who was skinner than any 11-year-old should be, his face held a heated glare directed at Piper. Piper didn't know how this skinny, hurt, boy managed to look scary, but he did. Piper's heart broke for him.
"Thanks, Piper," Paige said tightly as she grabbed a cookie from the basket that Piper now had pressed against her torso. She didn't eat it, she held it in her hand as she continued, "Let's go to your room."
"Yeah," Leo voiced, "I'm sorry, but we only have one room available, but the other is a fun room. You'd like it, there's tons of games and computers." He looked to the boys. Wyatt held a guarded expression, looking around for any threats. Chris simply looked terrified, his hand tightly clutching Wyatt's. His head was down, allowing his silky brown hair to play as a veil, covering most of his face. Neither of them said anything.
The group walked into Phoebe's old room, which had been transformed from a pink princess palace into a manly blue sports room. The décor all centered around various sport; basketball, baseball, football and soccer. Indigo bunk beds where the focal point to the room, Piper knew from her own childhood that bunk beds were "the bomb" when it came to kids.
"So what do you guys think?" Paige said trying yet again to engaged the children in conversation.
"Cool," Wyatt muttered. Truthfully, he couldn't identify half of objects that line the wall, but he didn't care as long as he and Chris had a bed to sleep in. Chris, on the other hand, was in awe.
"This is all for us?" Chris asked excitedly. The room he and his brother shared at his old home was as large as a closet with moldy walls and well-used twin sized bed for the both of them. It still smelled like urine from the last time their father locked them in there for three days.
"Yeah" Piper said softly smiling to herself, looking toward the two boys- hopefully her boys.
What do you think? Good? Bad? Okay? I would love a review.
