DISCLAIMER: This story is based upon the series Charmed. All characters belong to Spelling Productions with the exceptions of Serena and any others that I create along the way.
SEQUEL TO: Protectors of the Innocent & Almost Home
RATING: G
SEESAW, KNOCK AT THE LAW
Serena is seen sitting on the floor in a bedroom, as she colors a picture. The look on this seven-year-olds face is very solemn. It's been about three weeks since Social Services had taken her away from the Halliwells. It's been three weeks, since she's even spoken to them.
Serena's roommate Sara is reading a book while she sits on her bed. The phone rings. Serena gets up and says, "I'll get it!" She walks over and picks up the phone. "Hello?" she says curiously.
On the other line, a woman's voice is heard. "Serena?"
A confused look comes across Serena's face. "Yeah…"
"Serena, sweetie, it's…it's Piper. How's it goin'?"
Serena sighs. "I dunno…ok, I guess." Serena pauses for a moment. Then she says, "Hey, this is the first time we talked since the police took me away. You never called."
Piper's eyes dart downward as she holds the phone against her ear. "I…I know. They wanted to give you a little bit of time to adjust, so they wouldn't let us call. So how is everything there? Are they treating you ok?"
"Yeah…I guess so…but…it's not the same…" Serena's voice trails off. "I miss you and I don't wanna be here!" Serena's voice begins to shake a little.
"I know…but we think it might help," said Piper.
"But why can't I stay with YOU?" asked Serena insistently.
Piper's heart breaks as she hears this little girl's voice pleading. "Honey…"
Serena interrupts and says, "Well if I try to be better, could they let me stay?"
Piper's eyes closed for a moment. "Honey you can't be so hard on yourself. This is not your fault."
Serena's eyes widened a little. "Does that mean…I'm not…EVER coming back?" Her voice diminishes with each word.
"I don't know…" Piper pauses for a second. She then adds, "but I will always love you, this doesn't change that."
Serena looks extremely disappointed. "Well, when can you visit me?"
"Ummm…I'm not sure," said Piper.
"Find out SOON! Ok?"
Piper chuckles a little. "Ok. Listen sweetie, I have to go."
"NO! Please don't go!" Serena pleaded.
"Serena sweetie, I have to. I have to go to work. But I'll be in touch. I'll even have Phoebe or Prue call next time ok?"
Serena's mouth angles to the left a little bit. "Ok."
"Hang in there cutie-pie, ok…"
"I'll try…but it's not gonna be easy!" Serena said surely.
"Everything's gonna be ok…trust me!" Piper said with a half smile.
"Ok…"
"Bye honey."
"Bye," Serena said sadly as she hung up the phone. Serena placed the receiver down. Sara looked up at her.
"That one of the ladies you want to adopt you?" Sara asked.
"Uh huh," Serena replied.
"Well, don't worry, they will" Sara said with a smile.
Serena looked up at her. "You think so?" Sara smiled and nodded. Serena reflected a smile back. It was her only hope to believe Sara. After all, Sara was there longer than she had been. She must know a thing or two about this process…right?
* * * * * * * *
(ONE YEAR LATER…)
The scene opens up at SB Social Services. Paige is at her desk swamped with paperwork. Her boss walks over to her. He is holding the hand of a little girl who is about 8 years old and is dressed in a green shirt with tan overalls. He stops at Paige's desk and clears his throat a little. Paige looks up at him.
"Paige, would you mind keeping an eye on her for a few minutes, I have to talk to the police who found her," her boss said.
Paige looks over to the little girl and gives a half smile; then she looks back to her boss. "Um, sure…is everything ok?"
Her boss sighs. "Yeah, it's just about the millionth time she's been caught running away. DON'T let her outta your sight!" The little girl sits down cautiously on the chair next to Paige's desk; she looks at the ground and avoids eye contact with Paige.
Paige tilts her head a little, "Hey there." The girl hesitates then slowly looks up at Paige. "What's your name?"
The girl shrugs her shoulders as she says shaking her head, "It doesn't matter."
Paige has a caring look on her face. She leans a little off her chair and places her arms on top of the desk. "It matters to me…Come on…" Paige looks down for a minute then back at the little girl. "My name's Paige…"
The girl sighed a little, "Serena…"
Paige nods a little. "So I hear you've run away a lot," she says trying to make small talk. Serena shrugs her shoulders as she looks downwards. "Yeah, I know how it is getting transferred to different foster homes…"
Serena looks up at Paige with wide eyes. "You do?" she asks quietly.
Paige's mouth angles to the left a little bit. She nods.
Serena blinks a few times. She twiddles her fingers a little, then says quietly, "Well, did you ever meet someone…like a family you really liked and wanted to live with forever and have them adopt you?"
Paige empathizes; her head lowers down a little. "That's why you keep running away?" Paige asks sweetly as she squints her eyes a little.
"Mmm hmmm" replies Serena.
Paige glances at her boss who is still off in the distance talking to the police officers. Serena, still very solemn, twiddles her fingers more. Paige looks back at her and says, "Well, what were they like?"
Serena's head popped up as her face lit up. "Oh they were the nicest people ever! Three ladies, Piper was my favorite, she was like my real mom, and…and Leo, he was like my…" Serena hesitates. Paige's eyes squint in disbelief. She can't believe what is coming out of this little girl's mouth. Serena then finishes sadly, "my angel…" Her voice trails off. "But I'm not 'upposed to talk about it," she says sadly as she shakes her head a little.
Paige's boss returns. "K kiddo, you ready?"
Serena turns around quickly. "No!" she says insistently.
Paige's boss chuckles a little. "Cute isn't she?" Paige smiles awkwardly. He tosses a manila folder on to Paige's desk. "Here, add her to your files." Paige glances at it.
Serena gets up. She looks back at Paige and waves a little before leaving. Paige smiles and waves back. "Bye sweetheart." Serena looks up at Paige's boss and reluctantly goes with him. Paige then glances back to her desk and stares at Serena's folder for a moment. She glances around her office cautiously and then back at the file. She opens it. Inside are Serena's documents; her foster visits, documentation of when she was turned over to the state, medical files, and a small picture identifying who she is. Paige then flips through the pages. She then comes across Serena's placement about a year ago: 1329 Prescott Street; foster care with Piper, Phoebe and Prue Halliwell. Paige's mouth widens. She then sees in the distance, the little blond haired girl leaving the building.
* * * * * * * * *
Serena was transferred to yet another foster home. Her social worker, Mrs. Robinson had brought her to Mr. and Mrs. Singer, a high-class couple living in a pretty snooty town outside of San Francisco. Standing behind Serena with her hands placed upon her shoulders, Mrs. Robinson introduces Serena to the Singers. Serena has a scared look on her face and she clings to her stuffed kitten. Her head looks from left to right as she surveys her new temporary home. She's scared and shudders to think she has to live here.
Ronald Singer was a stout man, but strong and determined; a bit standoffish to anyone lower than he was. He also wasn't too fond of children, but in order for his public image to look good, he agreed to allow little Serena to stay with him. Louise was a pushover, but also very into business. She was impartial to kids, and didn't mind if Serena stayed, just as long as she kept to herself and didn't get into any trouble
"You'll call me if there's any problems," Mrs. Robinson concluded to the Singers.
"Of course, but I don't think we'll have ANY problems here," replied Ronald Singer in a dignified and insistent manner. Serena looked up at him with a frown as her eyebrows rose.
"Well it's my job to do what I can in order to make these transitions run smoothly. And it's just temporary foster care so you don't have to worry. So call me if you need anything." Mrs. Robinson places her hand on Serena's head. "Bye Serena."
"Bye," Serena says instantly; it is like the whole world keeps turning against her. She clung to her stuffed cat. Mrs. Robinson leaves. Serena is left standing, innocent, insecure and alone.
A little while later Serena, Ronald and Louise Singer are seated at the dinner table.
"So Serena, you're how old again? Six?" asked Louise trying to make small talk.
Serena looks at Louise seriously. "Seven!" she says firmly. "I'll be eight in 5 months. The Halliwells were going to plan a big party for me. But I'm stuck in this stupid place!"
"Now, now Serena, that isn't very nice" Louise scolded.
"Hey Serena, how would you like it if I told you that you can have EVERY Pokemon card ever made?" asked Ronald.
"I don't LIKE Pokemon, and what I REALLY want are they Halliwells," said Serena very surely as she snapped back at Ronald.
"Well look around you, there isn't anything more precious than what money can buy you. Isn't that right dear?"
"Right shnookims," said Louise with a smile as she scrunched her face up. Serena rolled her eyes.
"Take this. A chestnut tinted authentic mahogany peppershaker - the feeling you get holding an expensive, rock hard wood in the palm of your hand is like nothing else in the whole world. Those book shelves over there came all the way from East India you know!"
Serena thought this guy was NUTS! She gave him a weird look. "I don't care. Louise, I WANT the Halliwells!"
Louise chuckles awkwardly, "Serena, dear, it's MRS. SINGER, and would you PLEASE stop talking about these Halliwells. Look, you haven't even touched your food yet," said Louise trying to break the awkwardness.
"I'm not hungry," Serena said monotonously.
"Oh come, come now, Serena. I had cook prepare this meal special for you. They tell me how much you love frankfurters. He even made it with pasta and his special sauce."
"You mean hotdogs?" Serena questioned, as she looked at him not amused.
Ronald was beginning to get impatient. "Fine then…hotdogs."
"I love hotdogs. I just hate you, your house, your wooden junk and this yucky sauce ON the hotdogs!" said Serena as she picked up her fork and moved the food around her plate.
"Serena…that's not very nice, you don't want to hurt Mr. Singer's feelings now do you?" said Louise in a placating tone.
"Yes, I do!" said Serena again very insistently.
Ronald takes his napkin off of his lap and wipes his mouth. He is fuming with impatience. "That's quite alright. I'm sure she's a SMART little girl and knows what's good for her. That she must accept the INEVITABLE."
Serena's lips press together; she does not like this guy one bit! Then she says insistently, "I'm smart enough to know that I wanna live with the Halliwells!"
"Ok that's ENOUGH!!!" yelled Ronald. Serena jumped and backed into her chair. Suddenly her tough act diminished and she became extremely terrified. Her eyebrows tilt with fear as her breathing increases. "You go to your room this INSTANT young lady!"
"I…I…"
Ronald glares at her. "Quiet all of a sudden? What's the matter, your stuffed cat got your tongue? Hahaha!!" Ronald laughed at his own ridiculous joke.
"Ron…" Louise pleaded. "We never gave her a room."
"Well in that case, put her in the wine cellar! Hahaha!" Serena shuddered with fear. These were obviously NOT the people to act smart with. Her eyes start to welt as her chin quivers a little. Ronald who is lightening up on his joke then adds, "Eh, give her one of the guest rooms on the third floor. And remember kid - MY house, MY rules!"
Serena trembles with fear. Louise and Serena leave from the table.
* * * * * * * *
Meanwhile, back at the Manor, the gang dawdles around.
In the living room Phoebe and Cole are cuddling on the couch and Piper is cleaning up in the kitchen while Leo helps.
"So when ARE we going to start to consider having kids?" asked Leo.
Piper turns around in shock. She's speechless. "Wha…what? Honey, where did this come from all of a sudden?" Piper walks over to Leo. "I thought we agreed that once the Source was destroyed and once we at least get a hold on our lives then we'd definitely just settle down.
Leo goes over to Piper and puts his head on her shoulder. "I know…I just want to have a family with my wife, that's all!"
Piper smiles sweetly. She turns around and kisses him. "We WILL! Trust me…just not right this minute. I mean, I don't even know if I'm cut out for motherhood. I mean, I love children, but there's a lot that goes into raising a child. I don't know if I could cut it!" Explained Piper sincerely.
Leo gave her a huge hug and then placed his hand on her head. "Honey, you are the kindest, most gentlest person in the whole wide world. You have a great heart and you are loving and you are SO the motherly type. Any kid would be lucky to have you as a mother! I mean remember Serena? She totally loves you!"
Piper smiles for a minute as she reflects on the time spent with Serena. Her smile fades a little. "Oh my God! Serena!"
Leo looks confused. "Yeah…what about her?"
"Leo, do you realize how long it's been since I've gotten in touch with her? Ever since Prue's death things just sort of left my mind." Piper is running frantic.
"Piper, Piper honey calm down," said Leo trying to appease the situation.
"I promised that little girl I wouldn't abandon her, and now look what I've done…God it must be about 6 months since I last talked to her…" Piper places her hand over her mouth in disbelief. "I can't believe I did this. God she must HATE me!"
Leo takes Piper's hands in his. "Sweetie, calm down, ok. Now I know for a FACT that she doesn't hate you." Piper sighs a little as her mouth angles downward to the left. She then looks into Leo's eyes. "How bout this. How about we go and visit her tomorrow, ok?" Piper's head nods. And they go into the living room where Phoebe and Cole are.
They actually catch Phoebe and Cole in a long intimate kiss. Piper walks in to catch a small glimpse of it and then immediately places her hands over her eyes and says, "Innocent bystanders coming through! Please put your tongues in their upright positions!"
Phoebe and Cole stop kissing and giggle to themselves.
"Hey Phoebe, remember Serena?" asked Piper.
"Of course, who could forget that little sweetheart!" replied Phoebe.
"You know how long it's been since we've contacted her?" asked Piper.
"Oh my God, it's been like forever!" Phoebe said placing her hand over her mouth.
"I know! Feel up for a visit tomorrow?" asked Piper with a smile as she tilted her head a little.
Phoebe grew a grin. "Yeah that'd be great!"
"Who's Serena again?" asked Cole. The girls look at him. They sit in silence for a moment. All of a sudden the light bulb clicks. "Wait a minute…Serena…she was that little girl with the energy power right?" The girls nod. Cole then realizes something else. "That's the little girl I almost killed..." his voice trails off. "I don't think she'd wanna see me!"
Phoebe places her hand on Cole's chest. "Oh sweetie, you're not that person anymore."
Cole's head shifts downward. "I know…even still I'll stay home. Ease her into the idea that I'm your boyfriend, if it's necessary."
All of a sudden, Paige comes in the house. "Hello family!" she says cheerfully.
"Hey sweetie, how was work today?" asked Phoebe.
"Funny you should ask…" Paige says with a grin as she sits down with the rest of the gang. The others look confused.
* * * * * * * *
Back at the Singer's, Serena is in her new bedroom. Very plain, not at all kid-like, and kind of dreary. Louise had told her that they all had to go to bed early because tomorrow is a business day and her and her Mr. Singer have to go to work real early. But there will be the maid to look after her until they get home.
Serena had to get out of there. She had to make it to the Halliwells even if it killed her! She turned on the light next to the bed and searched for the stuffed kitty cat…one that the Halliwells bought her on one of their outings. It was supposed to be like Kit, their cat. Even the stuffed animal had a collar. She found the cloth collar around its neck and traced the numbers (written in kid-like letters with black marker) 1329 Prescott St. She whispered the address as she traced the figures with her fingers. She knew what she had to do!
* * * * * * *
(A FEW HOURS LATER)
Back at the Manor, all but Piper is present. Piper had to run out to buy some ingredients and herbs they were running out of.
A few towns over, Serena is seen running through the streets. She stops to rest at a corner and then sees a sign with a picture of a bus on it. The wheels in her mind start to turn. She nods to herself. In the distance a bus is heard; her head spins to its direction. But she can't talk to strangers, and she has no money to ride the bus. She runs to the bench anyway as it pulls up. The doors open and inside appears an old man, who looks like a grandpa. She looks up at him and tears start to form in her eyes as she steps up on the bus.
"Why hello there young'n. What are you doing out here all alone this late at night? Isn't it past your bedtime?" he asks sweetly as she gets on the bus.
She starts to tell a sob story, as her voice starts to quiver:
"Please Mister, I'm lost and I really need to get back home, but e'cept I don't have money and I need to get to 1329 Prescott St. And you really have to help me…please mister? Please?"
The old man looks at her sweetly. "Now, now don't cry dear. You trust Ol' Henry. He'll bring you back home. Don't you worry about a thing!" he says as he closes the doors and starts to drive off.
After a little while driving, they pull up to the Halliwells. Serena, who has her head pressed against the window, gets incredibly excited. "This is it Henry!! This is it!!" He pulls over and stops the bus. She runs to him and gives him a great big hug. He chuckles.
"Ohhh…" says Henry in awe. "You better get home, your family is probably really worried about you!"
Serena grins and nods. "Thank you for all your help Henry! You deserve a GAZILLION rewards!"
"Aww don't mention it, Serena. You know, you remind me of my granddaughter. She's about your age, with the same kind of blond hair. Oh what am I talking for? Go…go home to your family!" Serena grins and gives him one last hug and then steps off the bus and runs to the door. The bus pulls away.
Serena rings the doorbell. She waits with a gigantic grin. Cole answers the door. Serena steps back a little. Cole looks down at her confused. "Can…I help you?"
Serena, a little nervous, asks quietly. "Umm, does Piper, Phoebe and Prue still live here?"
Cole still a little confused, says hesitantly, "Yes…umm, here come in."
Serena steps inside. It was just like she remembered. A grin formed as she glanced around the house. "It looks the same!" she whispers to herself.
Cole, still a little confused, says, "I'll, I'll go get Phoebe…you wait right here." Cole then makes his way upstairs to get Phoebe.
Serena decides to make herself comfortable, walks into the living room, and hops on the couch. She can't wait to see everyone.
Piper's car pulls in the driveway.
Coming from the other room, Paige starts to say, "So who was at the…" she stops as she sees Serena on the couch. Serena's eyes squint a little in confusion. Paige recognizes her and says, "Hey sweetheart…what are you doing…"
"I know you!" Serena interrupts. Paige starts to walk over to her. "I'm Paige, remember, we met today --"
"Today at the…at the…AHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!!!!" Serena screams and dashes for the front door. At the same time Phoebe is making her way downstairs. At the sound of Serena's screams, her face frowns and she hurries down the stairs.
Serena dashes out the door and runs down the outside steps. Piper who is on her way up collides with Serena, and the bag she was carrying topples to the ground. "What the --?" Piper starts to say. "Where's the fire? Look you can't just bump into someone like that and not even --" Piper stops mid sentence as she catches a glimpse at the little girl terrified on the ground. Piper squints her eyes a little. Serena tries to scramble up resulting in a crab-like walk on the lawn. "Serena?" Piper says slowly. Serena takes a few very quick breaths and then gets up and tries to dart off.
"Hey! Woah, waoh, woah!" Piper runs after her, catching up and stopping Serena. Piper bends down to Serena's level and is face to face with her. A tear slides down Serena's cheek. Piper wipes the tear away, "It's ok…Serena, it's ok." And within seconds, Serena's arms were wrapped around Piper's neck. Piper returns the hug as she closes her eyes for a while thanking that Serena is still alive and all right. Piper's eyes open and reveal a glassy film over them.
"Come on, let's get you inside where it's nice and warm! OK?"
Serena giggles a little and wipes away her tears. "Ok!"
Piper gets up and grabs Serena's hand and they walk to the house. "And then we can talk about how in the world you got here…"
They enter the house and close the front door.
"PHOEBE!!!!!" Serena practically jumps into Phoebe's arms. "Woah! Some strength you got there kiddo!"
Serena finishes hugging and then says as she giggles, "I know!"
Piper tucks some of her hair behind her ear and then walks over to Serena. "Serena, HOW did you get here?"
Serena looks at Piper sincerely and says, "I ran away…so where's Prue?"
Piper looks at Phoebe. "Serena, sweetie, we need to talk." Piper places her hand out and Serena grabs a hold of it. They all walk over to the couch. Paige comes in with a glass of water for Serena.
"Here Serena, I brought you a glass of water," Paige said as she hands her the glass. Serena takes it cautiously.
"How come YOU'RE here?" Serena asked a little cautiously.
Piper jumps in before there can be an answer, "More importantly, Serena, how come you are here. Don't get me wrong, it is wonderful to see you. But…honey, HOW did you get here?"
"I took the bus!" Serena said innocently.
"The bus…" Piper said slowly as she squinted her eyes.
"Yes. I went on and the driver was a grandpa named Henry. I told him I had to get home to 1329 Prescott St."
"Serena, how did you get our address?" asked Phoebe.
Serena bit her lower lip. "I…uh…" Serena sighed. "I copied it off of Mr. Jessel's desk at the orphanage when he wasn't looking. And look, I put it on Kit!" Serena shows them the cloth license on the stuffed cat.
Piper sighs a little; she looks at Phoebe. Serena senses some disappointment. "I thought you'd be happy to see me…." she says as her voice trails off.
Piper tilts her head a little and says with a sigh, "Honey…we are happy to see you. But you can't run away like this. Something could have happened to you! You could have been hit by a car, or kidnapped for all we knew by the bus driver!"
Serena stared in shock. This was not the welcome party she imagined. "But I…I just wanted to…" Serena tried to explain.
Piper noticed that Serena was getting upset. So she tried to calm her down a little. "Look, I understand that we haven't seen you in a while and that you want to live with us, but honey, you can't keep running away like this. It's too dangerous out there. I just don't want you to get hurt, that's all."
Serena sighed and nodded a little. "I know. And I did a lot of bad things…I talked to strangers, crossed the street by myself, went out after dark…"
"And you know better than that!" said Piper in a motherly tone. She then sighed a little.
"I'm sorry…" Serena said softly as she lowered her head.
Piper places her arm around Serena's back and rubs her shoulder. "It's ok…the important thing is that you're all right. But you have to promise me to never do this again!"
Serena presses her lips together a little and nods. "Ok, I promise."
Phoebe then adds, "And honey, you do understand that you ran away and they're probably going to make you go back."
"NO!! I'm not EVER going back. They're MEAN and NASTY and they HATE kids. Mr. Singer -- all he cares about is money. And the other foster homes weren't nice either. They don't love me like you do. I wanna stay with here…" Serena clutches the stuffed kitty cat.
Paige motions Piper over. Phoebe sits near Serena and gives her a hug. She then starts to talk about the cat asking her if she's been a good kitty the whole time they were gone. Cole watches and smiles.
Off in the corner Paige and Piper talk. Quietly, Paige says, "Piper, I've seen this before. Maybe we can get temporary custody…"
"We HAD temporary custody 6 months ago when she was released from the hospital and they took her away…"
"Maybe…maybe I can pull some strings," said Paige.
"Ever since they took Serena, I…I did a little research on adoption. And before Prue died, I committed myself to finding a way she could stay. But now…I just don't know if it's safe for her to be here. I DON'T want to put her in danger…I mean look what happened to Prue and she's an adult…I can't put a child in that kind of danger."
"Yeah, but Piper, aren't you and Leo gonna have kids one day? So, doesn't that mean that EVENTUALLY a child will have to enter the world you live in? And this little girl is COMPLETELY attached to you. I've been in this business for a while, Piper, and I can tell you, that it's very rare that a child latches on to a particular family. They're normally reluctant at first; they feel like a ping-pong ball being bounced from home to home, wondering if these people will want to adopt them or not. It's very tough…trust me, I should know. And Piper, I see the look in your eyes. Gosh, she hasn't been here more than 10 minutes and I can tell that you guys are made for each other. All we gotta do is pull some legal strings and get a court date…"
Piper sighs, "It's just, there's SO much we'd have to go through in the legal system. Courts, judges, hearings, a trial. And just for the slight POSSIBILITY that we could gain full custody. And since my research isn't complete, I don't know if it will work or if it's in Serena's best interest to drag her all through this. I don't even know if we're perfect parent material," Piper explained sincerely.
"One motto of ours is that 'Children do not need "perfect" parents -- they need one or more caring and committed individuals willing to meet their needs and to incorporate them into a nurturing family environment.' YOU can do that for Serena. If she's going to keep running away, maybe we can show the court that you ARE the right family for her."
Piper smiles modestly. Paige then adds, "It could work. I've seen many cases involving non-traditional families. But since Serena is supposed to be in the foster care of the Singers, right now, if we hold her, it's kidnapping."
Piper shakes her head a little. "But what if she just ran away and we found her and we bring her back to Social Services in the morning and explain the whole matter. Then maybe we could negotiate some temporary care until we get all of the legalities worked out."
Paige shrugs. "It's worth a shot!" Piper presses her lips together and nods a little. They both walk back to Phoebe and Cole.
"Hey you!" Piper says to Serena.
Serena looks up with her big blue eyes. "Is she taking me back?" Serena asks, referring to Paige.
Piper lowers her head a little. "No, not tonight, but tomorrow we have to go and explain what --"
"Nooo, Piper they're not gonna let me stay with you. Phoebe, tell her!" Phoebe shrugs and makes a face at Piper.
"Serena, listen to me," Piper says as she gently grabs Serena chin. "We are going to work this out, I promise you that. It's not going to be like before. Trust me…k?" Serena nods. "Good," Piper says with a half smile.
"So where's Prue? Shouldn't she be home by now?" Serena asked innocently. Piper looks at Phoebe, who reluctantly shakes her head a little in uncertainty on if they should tell her. Piper then looks back at Serena who is glancing at both of them. "Serena, umm…here scoot over." Serena moves over on the couch so Piper can sit down.
Serena's eyes squint a little. "What's wrong?"
Piper takes a breath. "Sweetie…this is going to be hard for me to explain…" Piper sighs a little. "Prue…Prue's NOT coming home…"
Serena a little confused asks, "How come? Is she on vacation?"
Piper's eyes become a little glassy. "No…umm, Serena, Prue…[she wipes her eyes]
Phoebe tries to help Piper out, "Prue is an angel now, sweetie…she's gone to live with the angels."
Serena's eyebrows slant as her mouth opens. She glances at Piper who forces a smile through her tears. "You mean…Prue is with my mommy and daddy…she…died?"
Piper nods through her tears. She wipes her cheeks. "Yeah…yeah sweetie," Piper says sweetly as she places her hand on Serena's head.
Serena shakes her head. "But…but she can't be dead…we're supposed to be the 4 mousekateers! We're all supposed to be a family!" Serena starts to cry and then wraps her arms around Piper.
They hug for a while then Piper regains composure, rubs Serena's back and then lets go. "Uh, Serena, there is something else you have to know. See this nice lady here…the one you met at the clinic. This is Paige…our sister."
Serena's eyes widen. "You're their sister?!?" Paige nods. Serena wipes her eyes and then asks, "How come I never met you before?"
"Well, see I was looking for my family just like you, and we just sorta…found each other…like Magic!" Serena gives a half smile.
"Are you gonna tell on me?" Serena asked quietly.
They all exchange glances. Piper then tilts her head towards Serena and says, "Serena, sweetie, we're going to be going through a lot of…BIG people stuff in order for the police and the lawyers to allow you to stay here. It's…it's more complicated than you just finding our house and wanting to spend the night."
"What do you mean?" Serena asks for she is utterly confused.
"That means we HAVE to let them know you are here, but don't panic, we won't go there until tomorrow, you can spend the night."
"YES!" Serena says excitedly.
"But you do understand we have to go to the clinic tomorrow…" added Phoebe.
"But then what?" asked Serena innocently as she tilted her head.
Everyone glances at Piper. "Then, we talk to the people who are in charge and we try make it legal for you to live with us." Serena smiles and gets excited.
"But you have to understand something. This is going to take a lot of work. That means there might be a lot of things that you may not understand; we are going to have to talk to judges, get background checks, possibly go to court, see a lawyer -- a lot of adult stuff. Now you have to let us know if you are prepared to go though all of this. It's not going to be easy and it may take a while."
"I don't care. Do whatever you have to to let you be my mommy!" Serena said insistently.
"MOMMIES -- emphasize the plural!" added Phoebe as she giggled afterward.
Serena giggles as she crawls to the opposite side of the couch to Phoebe and gives her a great big hug. Paige and Piper smile at each other. But they realize they have a tough battle a head of them.