Prue unlocked the door, and ushered her sisters inside.
"Do you want something to eat or drink or anything?" she asked Portia awkwardly.
The little girl shook her head. "No thanks. I'm okay." she said quietly.
"Okay." Piper echoed. "Then do you want to see your room?"
Portia nodded. The four marched upstairs, to a large room that was next to Prue's and across from Phoebe's, diagnol from Piper and Leo's.
"This used to be Grams' room." Phoebe said. "We kept most of the furniture, and the decorations and stuff. We figured you'd like to fix it up yourself."
Portia put her purse and the small backpack she'd been carrying down on the bed and looked around. "It's nice." she said after a long pause.
"You can paint it, put posters up, whatever you want." Prue said.
"Yeah, and if you want to change the furniture around, you can get Prue to help." Piper added. "Between the two of you, you can have the whole room rearranged in under a minute."
Portia cracked a smile, but stayed quiet. There was a long, tense pause.
"Um, do you need help unpacking or anything?" Phoebe asked to break the silence.
"Sure." Portia said. She pointed to the backpack. "That was all I brought on the plane with me, plus a few things that Daddy checked, but the guys took those."
Piper checked her watch. "Where are they, anyway?"
"I think they wanted to give us some sister-time." Phoebe said. "I heard Leo and Cole talking about maybe leaving us alone tonight."
They heard the click of the front door swinging open. There were some whispers, the sound of footsteps, and then the door being shut again. The girls went downstairs to investigate, and sure enough, the few suitcases that they'd picked up at the airport were piled near the front door, with a note from the guys saying not to expect them home.
"Okay, well, now that we don't have to worry about them..." Prue started.
"So, do you want to eat and then unpack, or do you want to unpack and then eat, or do you want to blow off unpacking until tomorrow and have dinner in front of the TV like normal people...?" Piper suggested.
Portia shrugged. "Whatever you guys want to do."
"What's in the backpack, sweetie?" Phoebe asked, noticing that the girl had brought the bag downstairs with her.
Portia opened it, pulling out two inhalers and a bottle of perscription medication. "I've got asthma." she explained.
Piper, Prue, and Phoebe exchanged glances. Their father had forgotten to tell them this.
"Oh. Okay, well if you want, you can put all that in the kitchen. Do you know what time you have to take your medicine, and when to use your inhaler, and all that?" Prue asked.
The little girl nodded. "Yeah. I've been handling this myself since I was seven. Daddy worked a lot, you know, so most of the time I was the one reminding him when I needed it."
"Allright then." Prue replied. It comforted her to know that her sister could take care of this herself, but she felt bad that their father had left her to her own devices at such a young age.
Wordlessly, they proceeded into the kitchen. Phoebe showed Portia where to put her medication, and Piper started cooking dinner.
"Dad told me your favourite food is spaghetti. Right?" Piper asked, turning around to face her baby sister.
Portia nodded.
Piper smiled at her. "Mine, too. Do you want meat sauce, garlic sauce, garden sauce, or plain tomato sauce?"
Portia chose the garden sauce. "I'll make it." she volunteered.
Piper's smile grew even wider. "You cook?" Portia nodded again, and Piper hugged her tightly. "We are going to get along so well."
Portia laughed. "You like to cook?"
Piper exchanged glances with Prue. "You could say that." she replied.
"Piper used to be a chef." Prue explained.
"Grams kind of pushed me into it." Piper told the youngest Halliwell.
"You were born for it." Phoebe countered.
"Are you still a chef?" Portia wanted to know.
"No." Piper answered. "Now I own a night club, P3."
"That is so cool!" Portia exclaimed.
Piper's eyes narrowed. "Don't even think about it, missy, it's 21 and over."
Portia frowned.
Phoebe pulled her to the side. "Don't worry about it," she whispered in her ear. "I'll get you in when the Big Bad Big Sisters aren't looking."
Portia grinned excitedly.
"Okay, what was that?" Piper asked suspiciously.
"What was what?" Phoebe asked innocently.
"What was that thing you just whispered in Portia's ear?" Prue clarified.
"Can't a girl talk to her baby sister without a full inquisition?" Phoebe asked.
"She's my sister, too." Piper retorted. "Portia, honey, what did the crazy lady say to you?"
Portia stepped back. "I'm not getting in the middle of this. I'm new, no fair making me the mediator yet. Or, yanno, ever."
Piper tilted her head to one side. "Smart kid." she remarked. "Why do I let myself get pulled into fights between you two again?"
"Because you're the middle child and it's your job." Phoebe replied.
"Oh, but now you're the middle child, too." Prue pointed out.
Phoebe looked in alarm between Prue and Portia.
Piper snorted. "Sucks, doesn't it? Just wait until their first fight."
Prue pulled Portia to her. "We're not going to fight. We're going to be bestest friends. Well, maybe the occasional arguement, just to piss Phoebe off, but that won't be fighting, that'll be fun." she declared.
"Hey!" Phoebe objected.
Portia put one arm around Prue, returning her older sister's embrace, and used the other hand to stir the sauce. "I think dinner's ready." she said.
Piper stirred the spaghetti one last time. "I think you're right. Okay, all of you. Dining room. Now."
They all did as told. Now that the ice had been broken, for tonight, anyway, they had a pleasant meal, laughing and teasing each other. When they finished eating, the moved into the living room to watch TV. However, it was getting late, and they were all tired.
Leo and Cole came home some time after midnight, to find the four sisters asleep, cuddled together on the floor with pillows and blankets they'd taken from the hall closet. High above their heads, just under the ceiling, there was a small circle made of four dim, white lights.
"Do you want something to eat or drink or anything?" she asked Portia awkwardly.
The little girl shook her head. "No thanks. I'm okay." she said quietly.
"Okay." Piper echoed. "Then do you want to see your room?"
Portia nodded. The four marched upstairs, to a large room that was next to Prue's and across from Phoebe's, diagnol from Piper and Leo's.
"This used to be Grams' room." Phoebe said. "We kept most of the furniture, and the decorations and stuff. We figured you'd like to fix it up yourself."
Portia put her purse and the small backpack she'd been carrying down on the bed and looked around. "It's nice." she said after a long pause.
"You can paint it, put posters up, whatever you want." Prue said.
"Yeah, and if you want to change the furniture around, you can get Prue to help." Piper added. "Between the two of you, you can have the whole room rearranged in under a minute."
Portia cracked a smile, but stayed quiet. There was a long, tense pause.
"Um, do you need help unpacking or anything?" Phoebe asked to break the silence.
"Sure." Portia said. She pointed to the backpack. "That was all I brought on the plane with me, plus a few things that Daddy checked, but the guys took those."
Piper checked her watch. "Where are they, anyway?"
"I think they wanted to give us some sister-time." Phoebe said. "I heard Leo and Cole talking about maybe leaving us alone tonight."
They heard the click of the front door swinging open. There were some whispers, the sound of footsteps, and then the door being shut again. The girls went downstairs to investigate, and sure enough, the few suitcases that they'd picked up at the airport were piled near the front door, with a note from the guys saying not to expect them home.
"Okay, well, now that we don't have to worry about them..." Prue started.
"So, do you want to eat and then unpack, or do you want to unpack and then eat, or do you want to blow off unpacking until tomorrow and have dinner in front of the TV like normal people...?" Piper suggested.
Portia shrugged. "Whatever you guys want to do."
"What's in the backpack, sweetie?" Phoebe asked, noticing that the girl had brought the bag downstairs with her.
Portia opened it, pulling out two inhalers and a bottle of perscription medication. "I've got asthma." she explained.
Piper, Prue, and Phoebe exchanged glances. Their father had forgotten to tell them this.
"Oh. Okay, well if you want, you can put all that in the kitchen. Do you know what time you have to take your medicine, and when to use your inhaler, and all that?" Prue asked.
The little girl nodded. "Yeah. I've been handling this myself since I was seven. Daddy worked a lot, you know, so most of the time I was the one reminding him when I needed it."
"Allright then." Prue replied. It comforted her to know that her sister could take care of this herself, but she felt bad that their father had left her to her own devices at such a young age.
Wordlessly, they proceeded into the kitchen. Phoebe showed Portia where to put her medication, and Piper started cooking dinner.
"Dad told me your favourite food is spaghetti. Right?" Piper asked, turning around to face her baby sister.
Portia nodded.
Piper smiled at her. "Mine, too. Do you want meat sauce, garlic sauce, garden sauce, or plain tomato sauce?"
Portia chose the garden sauce. "I'll make it." she volunteered.
Piper's smile grew even wider. "You cook?" Portia nodded again, and Piper hugged her tightly. "We are going to get along so well."
Portia laughed. "You like to cook?"
Piper exchanged glances with Prue. "You could say that." she replied.
"Piper used to be a chef." Prue explained.
"Grams kind of pushed me into it." Piper told the youngest Halliwell.
"You were born for it." Phoebe countered.
"Are you still a chef?" Portia wanted to know.
"No." Piper answered. "Now I own a night club, P3."
"That is so cool!" Portia exclaimed.
Piper's eyes narrowed. "Don't even think about it, missy, it's 21 and over."
Portia frowned.
Phoebe pulled her to the side. "Don't worry about it," she whispered in her ear. "I'll get you in when the Big Bad Big Sisters aren't looking."
Portia grinned excitedly.
"Okay, what was that?" Piper asked suspiciously.
"What was what?" Phoebe asked innocently.
"What was that thing you just whispered in Portia's ear?" Prue clarified.
"Can't a girl talk to her baby sister without a full inquisition?" Phoebe asked.
"She's my sister, too." Piper retorted. "Portia, honey, what did the crazy lady say to you?"
Portia stepped back. "I'm not getting in the middle of this. I'm new, no fair making me the mediator yet. Or, yanno, ever."
Piper tilted her head to one side. "Smart kid." she remarked. "Why do I let myself get pulled into fights between you two again?"
"Because you're the middle child and it's your job." Phoebe replied.
"Oh, but now you're the middle child, too." Prue pointed out.
Phoebe looked in alarm between Prue and Portia.
Piper snorted. "Sucks, doesn't it? Just wait until their first fight."
Prue pulled Portia to her. "We're not going to fight. We're going to be bestest friends. Well, maybe the occasional arguement, just to piss Phoebe off, but that won't be fighting, that'll be fun." she declared.
"Hey!" Phoebe objected.
Portia put one arm around Prue, returning her older sister's embrace, and used the other hand to stir the sauce. "I think dinner's ready." she said.
Piper stirred the spaghetti one last time. "I think you're right. Okay, all of you. Dining room. Now."
They all did as told. Now that the ice had been broken, for tonight, anyway, they had a pleasant meal, laughing and teasing each other. When they finished eating, the moved into the living room to watch TV. However, it was getting late, and they were all tired.
Leo and Cole came home some time after midnight, to find the four sisters asleep, cuddled together on the floor with pillows and blankets they'd taken from the hall closet. High above their heads, just under the ceiling, there was a small circle made of four dim, white lights.