Regina woke up the next morning, and quickly showered and dressed. When she got downstairs, Prue was waiting for her with a full spread of eggs, pancakes, and French toast for breakfast, same as every year.
"Hey, you," she greeted, leaning over to give her foster-daughter a kiss. "You look taller."
"No, you're just shrinking," Gina teased. This exchange was as much a tradition as their morning meal. However, this year she really did feel different. She mentioned this to her foster mother.
"Of course you feel different," Prue reasoned. "It's your Sweet Sixteen. You, my darling girl, are officially on your way to becoming an adult." Then, to hide the real reason she knew was behind Gina's odd feeling, she pretended to get all misty-eyed. "My little girl is getting older. It seems like it was just yesterday that you were four years old, jumping into my arms every time I walked through the door... And now, you're all grown up..." She let out a heavy, exaggerated sigh.
Gina nudged her. "Hey, who says I'm going to grow up? I could turn out just like you, yanno..."
"Is that a compliment, or a threat?" Prue questioned. Gina just smiled.
"I think it's a bit of both."
Prue and Gina turned to see their handyman, Colin Coutts, letting himself in through the back door. Prue had gotten the Elders' permission to hire Colin on the grounds that houses as old as hers - even houses protected by magic, as the manor most certainly was - always had something falling apart, and if Prue used her powers to fix everything, sooner or later Regina was bound to get suspicious, especially since mechanics was not one of Prue's many talents. Over the years, Colin had grown quite close to the small family. What the Elders didn't know, however, was that to Prue he was more than just a family friend. She smiled at him, and gave him a hug, making sure to keep it brief just in case she was being watched. He didn't seem to notice, as he turned his attention to the birthday girl.
"Happy Sixteenth," he said, giving Gina a peck on the cheek.
"Thanks, Col," she said. "You hungry? Prue's cooked too much, as usual."
"Oh, be quiet, I only get to do this once a year," Prue said.
"That's because you hate cooking," Gina reminded her.
"Ohhh, right," Prue agreed, nodding as if she'd just realized this. She turned to Colin. "So, you hungry?"
Colin smiled at her. "Sure. Just promise me it's not poisoned."
Gina sucked in a deep breath. "I dunno, it could be kinda dicey..."
Prue elbowed her. "Oh, come on, I'm not that bad. Am I, Colin?"
He put up both hands and took a step backward. "Oh no, I am not getting in between the two of you."
"And what is so bad about the two of us?" Gina asked in mock defensiveness.
"Nothing, aside from the way the two of you fight like hell one minute and can't be pried apart with a crowbar the next."
"We're close. Sue us," Prue replied.
"I would, but then I wouldn't get any breakfast," Colin responded, sitting down at the table. Prue and Gina exchanged rolling eyes before joining him, and the three proceeded to dig in.
-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-
Everything else about Gina's day went normally, and she temporarily forgot about the sinking feeling she'd had earlier. However, it returned full-force as soon as she got home.
"Hey, honey," Prue greeted, breezing down the stairs as Gina came through the front door. "How was school?"
"Pretty good," Gina answered. "Alex and Hallie remembered my birthday. They decorated my locker and everything."
"Sounds nice," Prue mused.
Gina shrugged. "Yeah, but the real surprise was when Alex jumped up on one of the desks in homeroom and started singing 'Happy Birthday'. He says it was to get me back for going into the principal's office and announcing his birthday over the loudspeaker."
Prue raised her eyebrows. "You did what?"
"I thought Hallie told you about that," Gina said sheepishly. "She kept threatening to. Don't worry, I didn't get caught."
"And that's supposed to be reassuring?" Prue questioned.
"Oh, don't even try to tell me you didn't do the same thing in high school," Gina warned.
"I did no such thing," Prue denied. "And besides, what I did in high school is irrelevent, because it's ancient history."
"It can't have been that long ago," Gina countered, studying her foster mother. Prue didn't look a day over 29. In fact, aside from a few minor changes in clothing and hair styles, she hadn't changed at all for as far back as Gina could remember. She shrugged, chalking it up to good luck.
"Trust me," Prue said, "It's been a while."
Gina sighed, deciding not to press the matter. Any time she'd ever tried to find out anything about the woman raising her, Prue would deflect the questions and change the subject. Aside from the fact that Prue's own mother had died when Prue was just a little girl, a fact that Prue had let slip when she'd first come to live with Gina in order to commiserate with the small child, Gina knew absolutely nothing about Prue's past.
Prue knew how much this fact bothered Gina, but there was nothing she could do. It had been hard enough getting custody of her in the first place, considering she'd been dead for several hundred years by then. Prue couldn't risk anyone finding out who and what she really was, not even Gina herself, which meant avoiding discussion of her life entirely, lest she break down and confess everything.
Gina glanced at the grandfather clock in the hall, and saw they'd been standing there for a quarter of an hour now. "So, um, should I go get changed?"
Prue nodded. "Yeah. I made early dinner reservations for us at that Italian place you like. If we don't hurry, we'll be late."
Gina stepped around her, rushing up the stairs.
"Hey, Regina," Prue called softly.
A wistful quality in her guardian's voice made Gina turn around, stopping dead in her tracks.
Prue looked up at her charge, already filled with a deep remorse for what was going to happen later that night. She hated the idea of Gina going through this alone, but as the Elders explained to her many times, it had to be this way. Prue wanted nothing more than to tell Gina everything. Instead, she simply said, "I love you."
Regina paused, troubled, unsure of what had brought this on. One look into Prue's eyes told her that it had something to do with the forboding feelings she'd been experiencing lately. Another look told her not to ask, so instead she replied, "I love you, too," and, knowing nothing about what was to come, hurried back upstairs.
* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *
A/N: A few people have e-mailed me requesting updates for this one, so here you go. I wasn't planning on updating this one for a while, because usually the fics that get the most reviews are the ones that get the most attention, and this ones really far behind compared to my other fics, so if you want to see more of this one you need to let me know. Review, pretty please?
"Hey, you," she greeted, leaning over to give her foster-daughter a kiss. "You look taller."
"No, you're just shrinking," Gina teased. This exchange was as much a tradition as their morning meal. However, this year she really did feel different. She mentioned this to her foster mother.
"Of course you feel different," Prue reasoned. "It's your Sweet Sixteen. You, my darling girl, are officially on your way to becoming an adult." Then, to hide the real reason she knew was behind Gina's odd feeling, she pretended to get all misty-eyed. "My little girl is getting older. It seems like it was just yesterday that you were four years old, jumping into my arms every time I walked through the door... And now, you're all grown up..." She let out a heavy, exaggerated sigh.
Gina nudged her. "Hey, who says I'm going to grow up? I could turn out just like you, yanno..."
"Is that a compliment, or a threat?" Prue questioned. Gina just smiled.
"I think it's a bit of both."
Prue and Gina turned to see their handyman, Colin Coutts, letting himself in through the back door. Prue had gotten the Elders' permission to hire Colin on the grounds that houses as old as hers - even houses protected by magic, as the manor most certainly was - always had something falling apart, and if Prue used her powers to fix everything, sooner or later Regina was bound to get suspicious, especially since mechanics was not one of Prue's many talents. Over the years, Colin had grown quite close to the small family. What the Elders didn't know, however, was that to Prue he was more than just a family friend. She smiled at him, and gave him a hug, making sure to keep it brief just in case she was being watched. He didn't seem to notice, as he turned his attention to the birthday girl.
"Happy Sixteenth," he said, giving Gina a peck on the cheek.
"Thanks, Col," she said. "You hungry? Prue's cooked too much, as usual."
"Oh, be quiet, I only get to do this once a year," Prue said.
"That's because you hate cooking," Gina reminded her.
"Ohhh, right," Prue agreed, nodding as if she'd just realized this. She turned to Colin. "So, you hungry?"
Colin smiled at her. "Sure. Just promise me it's not poisoned."
Gina sucked in a deep breath. "I dunno, it could be kinda dicey..."
Prue elbowed her. "Oh, come on, I'm not that bad. Am I, Colin?"
He put up both hands and took a step backward. "Oh no, I am not getting in between the two of you."
"And what is so bad about the two of us?" Gina asked in mock defensiveness.
"Nothing, aside from the way the two of you fight like hell one minute and can't be pried apart with a crowbar the next."
"We're close. Sue us," Prue replied.
"I would, but then I wouldn't get any breakfast," Colin responded, sitting down at the table. Prue and Gina exchanged rolling eyes before joining him, and the three proceeded to dig in.
-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-
Everything else about Gina's day went normally, and she temporarily forgot about the sinking feeling she'd had earlier. However, it returned full-force as soon as she got home.
"Hey, honey," Prue greeted, breezing down the stairs as Gina came through the front door. "How was school?"
"Pretty good," Gina answered. "Alex and Hallie remembered my birthday. They decorated my locker and everything."
"Sounds nice," Prue mused.
Gina shrugged. "Yeah, but the real surprise was when Alex jumped up on one of the desks in homeroom and started singing 'Happy Birthday'. He says it was to get me back for going into the principal's office and announcing his birthday over the loudspeaker."
Prue raised her eyebrows. "You did what?"
"I thought Hallie told you about that," Gina said sheepishly. "She kept threatening to. Don't worry, I didn't get caught."
"And that's supposed to be reassuring?" Prue questioned.
"Oh, don't even try to tell me you didn't do the same thing in high school," Gina warned.
"I did no such thing," Prue denied. "And besides, what I did in high school is irrelevent, because it's ancient history."
"It can't have been that long ago," Gina countered, studying her foster mother. Prue didn't look a day over 29. In fact, aside from a few minor changes in clothing and hair styles, she hadn't changed at all for as far back as Gina could remember. She shrugged, chalking it up to good luck.
"Trust me," Prue said, "It's been a while."
Gina sighed, deciding not to press the matter. Any time she'd ever tried to find out anything about the woman raising her, Prue would deflect the questions and change the subject. Aside from the fact that Prue's own mother had died when Prue was just a little girl, a fact that Prue had let slip when she'd first come to live with Gina in order to commiserate with the small child, Gina knew absolutely nothing about Prue's past.
Prue knew how much this fact bothered Gina, but there was nothing she could do. It had been hard enough getting custody of her in the first place, considering she'd been dead for several hundred years by then. Prue couldn't risk anyone finding out who and what she really was, not even Gina herself, which meant avoiding discussion of her life entirely, lest she break down and confess everything.
Gina glanced at the grandfather clock in the hall, and saw they'd been standing there for a quarter of an hour now. "So, um, should I go get changed?"
Prue nodded. "Yeah. I made early dinner reservations for us at that Italian place you like. If we don't hurry, we'll be late."
Gina stepped around her, rushing up the stairs.
"Hey, Regina," Prue called softly.
A wistful quality in her guardian's voice made Gina turn around, stopping dead in her tracks.
Prue looked up at her charge, already filled with a deep remorse for what was going to happen later that night. She hated the idea of Gina going through this alone, but as the Elders explained to her many times, it had to be this way. Prue wanted nothing more than to tell Gina everything. Instead, she simply said, "I love you."
Regina paused, troubled, unsure of what had brought this on. One look into Prue's eyes told her that it had something to do with the forboding feelings she'd been experiencing lately. Another look told her not to ask, so instead she replied, "I love you, too," and, knowing nothing about what was to come, hurried back upstairs.
* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *
A/N: A few people have e-mailed me requesting updates for this one, so here you go. I wasn't planning on updating this one for a while, because usually the fics that get the most reviews are the ones that get the most attention, and this ones really far behind compared to my other fics, so if you want to see more of this one you need to let me know. Review, pretty please?