A/N: Oh my gosh! I am so sorry for not updating sooner! This term has been so dammed busy, and yeah... I guess writing fanfiction didn't get much thought given to it. But hey! One more week of school and then two weeks holidays! I promise I will write a couple more chapters over the holidays! Yeah... it's not really progressing like I had hoped it would. Piper and Melinda were meant to leave in this chapter... but then I got sidetracked and decided that some issues needed to be dealt with. So um yeah... most questions I've sorta left unanswered throughout the story will be dealt with next chapter. Okay, not most. Some questions. And yes, Kaitlyn is still important to the story, you'll learn more about her 'destiny' in the later chapters. There will be someone else with an equally important 'destiny' whom we will learn more about too... soon... I actually forshadowed this person in a previous chapter. So... yeah. Anyway! On with the story! And on with hoping that my muse comes back from her holiday and helps me write the next chapter. Well, as always, please read and review! Oh, and I know, this chapter has hardly no plot to it... but yeah... it's still necessary.

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Barely three days later Piper was being released from the hospital. Her sisters had visited her many times while she were still there, but every time they came, if Leo were around he'd tell them that Piper didn't feel up to seeing them, and if he weren't, Piper pretended she were asleep.

See, truth be told, Piper didn't want to talk to her sisters. She didn't want to face them. She couldn't face them. It hurt to think about. It hurt her just knowing that they did, and probably would do again if the need arose, give up Kaitlyn. Piper trusted her sisters beyond everyone. Especially Phoebe. But now… Piper just didn't know anymore.

Then there was the whole ordeal with the Shrock's. So far, nothing had been found in the Book of Shadows. On top of that, the Elder's seemed to know zilch about them.

Reluctantly, Piper allowed Leo to lead her through the hospital carpark. In her arms, wrapped in a warm blanket, was baby Kaitlyn. Beside them her eldest daughter Melinda trotted along happily, the little girls pigtails bouncing around in the breeze.

When they pulled up at Halliwell Manor, Piper cringed inwardly. Running down the steps towards them was little Bekky, closely followed by Phoebe, and then Paige, Sophie bouncing up and down in her arms, a huge smile spread across the toddlers face. Cole trailed along behind, his eyes fixed on Piper, staring intently into her eyes. A memory stirred in the back of her mind, a sick feeling in her stomach. She was pretty sure she'd let slip to him the other night about whom Kaitlyn really belonged to. From the moment that Piper left the sanction of the car, she knew this was it. She'd have to face her sisters now.

'Oomph!' Piper temporarily had the wind knocked out of her, as Phoebe engulfed her in a hug.

'Well uh… it's nice to see you to, Pheebs, but do you mind not crushing me?' asked Piper, trying to loosen her sister's grip.

'Oops, sorry Piper!' chirped Pheobe, letting go, her spirits obviously high. She quickly reached over, taking Kaitlyn from Leo, before turning and heading back towards the house cooing at the baby. 'Come and meet the house Kaitlyn! House, this is Kaitlyn, Kaitlyn, this is House.'

Piper shook her head, rather amused at her sister's antics. Part of her was happy to be home, she mused, as she watched Bekky and Melinda dash off to the tree house out the back of Halliwell Manor. Paige was smiling from ear to ear.

'Welcome back,' commented Paige.

'Nice to be back,' came Piper's reply. She felt Leo's arm wrap around her waist, leading her towards the house. Paige stepped into line beside her. Everything seemed perfect, yet Piper was troubled. Cole kept looking at her. He didn't say anything, he was just staring at her, as if trying to discover more to her words. As if trying to discover the truth.

Piper quickly smiled at him, as she realized her facial expression had dropped while thinking. He smiled back briefly, before turning his attention to Pheobe, who was currently in the process of introducing Kaitlyn to each and every flower that lined the front gardens. Avoiding me came Piper's bitter thoughts.

A short while later, when Piper was settled nicely on one of the comfy chairs in the lounge, lazily watching TV, Paige announced she was going food shopping so that the Halliwell household didn't starve.

'Can you get some extra stuff, Paige?' asked Piper, handing her a list of ingredients for the recipe for the meal Piper planned on making that night.

'Sure.' Paige smiled warmly, while pulling on her coat. 'You take it easy, okay?'

'Yep.'

Shortly after Paige's departure, Pheobe and Cole walked in. Sophie was in Cole's arms, and Bekky and Melinda ran in behind them. Melinda ran over to Piper, sitting down beside her. Piper smirked at the sight of her daughter, wearing Cole's dark and rather imposing sunglasses. Piper also noted the extensive amount of dirt covering her daughters face, but decided against asking where that had come from. Instead she focused her attention to Pheobe and Cole, who were discussing something or rather with each other. A triumphant look crossed Phoebe's face, and she turned to Piper.

'Cole and I are going to take the kids down to the Kiddy's Playland. We should only be a few hours. Is that all right with you?'

'Yeah, sure, except I want to catch up with my big baby, so if you don't mind, Melinda is going to stay here.' A brief flicker of disappointment crossed Melinda's face, but Piper pretended not to notice.

Pheobe shrugged. 'Okay.'

'Does Uncle Cole get his shades back?' Cole asked Melinda, one hand on his waist, trying to appear daunting. Melinda giggled, jumping down off the couch and running over to him. She threw her arms around him in a hug. He responded by ruffling up her hair.

'Hey! Not my hair!' cried Melinda in a small protest. Sophie giggled, reaching down to imitate Cole. Melinda jumped back. 'Not you too!' cried the child exasperatedly, trying to fix up her hair without pulling out the ribbons around her pigtails.

'Shades please,' said Cole, trying to make it sound like more of an order then a request. Melinda looked up at Cole, putting on her most innocent expression, complete with pout and all.

'Okay, okay! Just wipe that silly pout off your face. You can keep the shades, for now.'

'Yay! Yay yay yay!' exclaimed Melinda, running back over to Piper before Cole could change his mind. He turned to Phoebe.

'Shall we?'

'We shall.' Phoebe responded curtly. 'See you guys later then!'

Yeah, mused Piper, see you later.

After they left, Piper and Melinda settled back to watch 'Loony Tunes' and talk about Melinda's week. Before long, however, Leo coming down the stairs with a distraught Kaitlyn in his arms interrupted them.

'Looks like someone wants her mummy,' said Leo, passing the baby to Piper. She cradled the baby for a short while, rocking Kaitlyn back and forth until the sobs subsided.

'Looks to me like she just wanted someone who knows how to take care of her,' came Piper's comment, icily.

'Piper…'

'Save it, Leo, nobody cares,' she cut him off bitterly.

'Fine.' His tone sounded blank, unmoved, but the look in his eyes told Piper otherwise. He moved to sit down next to Melinda, but Piper stopped him short.

'Can't you see we're having some mother-daughter bonding time here?' she asked, glaring at him. He looked at her, before his gaze dropped to the ground. A split second later he had orbed out.

Melinda gazed up at Piper. 'Why is mummy mad at daddy?' she asked, her voice small and timid. 'Poor daddy…' she added as an afterthought.

'That's it,' snapped Piper, lost in her own world and trail of thoughts. She rose quickly from the chair, Kaitlyn still in her arms. 'We're leaving. Melinda, go and pack your travel bag.'

'But…'

'Now.' Piper moved towards the staircase, her mind set on the task at hand. All the anger the past few weeks had caused her was suddenly coming loose, bringing with it new determination.

'But mummy I don't want to leave!' Melinda yelled suddenly, from where she was still standing in the lounge room. 'I'm not leaving!'

What happened next surprised them both. Piper stormed back into the room, and promptly slapped the child hard across the face. Melinda cried out in pain and shock, her eyes wild with fear. She backed away from her mum, bringing her hands up in preparation for what looked like another blow. But inches from Melinda's face Piper's hand stopped. Piper's eyes opened wide, and she let her hand drop.

'Oh baby… I'm sorry.'

'I'm not leaving' Melinda whimpered.

'Of course, of course. I'm so sorry baby… here come and sit down, you can watch TV…' Piper flicked the TV back onto cartoons while Melinda sat down, her eyes not straying from Piper.

'What will you be doing then?'

'Oh… oh, Kaitlyn and I are going to go have a nap okay sweetie? If you need anything come and wake me.' Melinda nodded, seemingly satisfied, before turning to watch the cartoons.

Leaving her daughter in the comfort of the mindless cartoons, Piper headed up to her room to pack.