~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
In the east and in the west
Every bird will seek its nest
Everone will seek its home
Home is where the heart goes
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Prue and Aviva were both released from the hospital a week and a half after the baby's birth. During that time, Victor, Leo, and Darryl managed to convert the spare room closest to Prue's bedroom into a nursery. The three men put the furniture together themselves, and Piper, Phoebe and Janna helped with everything else. By the end of the week, the room had been completely transformed.
Piper and Phoebe couldn't wait to show it off. The day Prue brought the baby home, they led her straight upstairs.
"Where are we going?" Prue asked.
"You'll see," Phoebe replied, covering Prue's eyes when they got to the doorway. Piper took the baby, and opened the door. When they were just inside the nursery, Phoebe removed her hand from Prue's face.
"Wow, this looks amazing," was Prue's initial reaction. She took Aviva from Piper, and started looking around. "What do you think, Viva? Do you like your new room?" The baby yawned, and waved her hand. Prue continued poking around, admiring the beatiful wood furniture, and the lavender and cream colour scheme. "It's beautiful," she declared. She set the baby down in her crib, and hugged her sisters. "Thank you."
Piper kissed her. "Well, we can't take all the credit," she admitted, as Janna came in with her two kids, five-year-old Mikey and one-year-old Kali, along with Leo's grandmother.
"Thanks, Jani, Lily" Prue said, hugging her friends.
Lillian and Janna returned the embrace warmly.
"I'm glad you like it." Janna said. She moved over to the crib with Lily, to coo over baby Aviva. Her children, meanwhile, gravitated to Prue.
"Aunt Prue!" Mikey exclaimed, jumping into her arms.
"Hey, you," Prue greeted, picking him up in one arm and scooping up his sister in the other. "I missed you guys."
"Where baby?" Kali asked.
"Right here," Prue replied, taking them over to their mother, who was cradling Aviva while Lily fawned over the baby.
"Avie!" Kali squealed.
"Hi, Aviva. I'm Mikey," the little boy said.
Children hadn't been allowed to visit patients in the hospital, so both kids had been looking forward to meeting their new "cousin".
"Aunt Prue, can I hold her?" Mikey asked.
Prue thought about it for a moment, before replying nervously, "I guess so. Here, sit down on the rocking chair. And don't forget to hold her head up."
He did what he was told, and Prue placed a few pillows around him before Janna put the baby in his arms. Prue hovered over him nervously, but he held her still, supporting her head the whole time.
"It's okay, Aunt Prue," he said proudly. "I've held Kali lots of times. Right, Kal?"
Kali, who had nestled herself on Prue's shoulder, looked up and nodded when she heard her name, though she wasn't quite sure what she was nodding at, and then settled back down, her thumb in her mouth. Prue and the other adults smiled. Kali was so adorable.
There was a noise at the doorway. Prue looked over, and saw Piper and Phoebe holding the door open for Leo, Darryl, and Victor, who were carrying in a heavy-looking object covered with a blanket.
"We had a bit of extra wood left, after we built the furniture," Leo said.
They put the object down on a table near the side of the room. "She won't be able to use this for another couple of years, but we figured we might as well give it to her now." Victor added.
With that, Darryl removed the blanket to reveal a beautiful hand-crafted dollhouse.
"You guys made this yourselves?" Prue asked, admiring it. "It's wonderful."
"When did you do this?" Phoebe asked.
"And why didn't we know about it?" Janna chimed in.
Darryl shrugged. "We did it at Victor's apartment, when you girls were visiting Prue and Ava in the hospital. We wanted to surprise all of you."
"Well, we're surprised," Piper told him, smiling.
Prue took a closer look at the dollhouse. "This looks exactly like the one we used to have," she mused. Her sisters both nodded.
"It's supposed to," Victor replied. "Amazing how much I remembered about that thing, twenty years since I've seen it."
Prue, Piper, and Phoebe exchanged glances, each shocked that their father had remembered. Phoebe sent her sisters a look that clearly said, 'I told you so.'
A few minutes later, Aviva began to cry. Prue handed Kali to Piper, and took the infant from Mikey.
"She's tired," Prue announced, rocking Aviva. "Why don't you all go downstairs, and I'll meet you down there as soon as I get her to sleep?"
Leo looked at his watch. "I have to go. I've got to... see a patient." He hugged Prue, and kissed the baby, then turned to Piper. "I'll come back later, if I can, okay?"
She nodded. "Okay, and if you can't, I'll call you later."
He kissed her good-bye, and then left. Piper furrowed her eyebrows in thought. Something about the way he'd said it hadn't seemed right...
Shaking her head, she went downstairs with Lillian, Mikey, Kali, and Phoebe. Darryl and Janna were about to follow when Prue stopped them.
"Can you guys wait a second?" she asked, putting Aviva down in the crib. "I want to talk to you. Let's go into my room, so we don't disturb the baby."
They followed her across the hall. She motioned for them to take seats on the edge of her bed, and she sat across from them on her desk chair.
"You know I think of you both as family," Prue started. "After Andy died, and with everything that's happened since, you've both been there for me and I love you for it. Which is why I wanted to ask you..." she paused, half to settle her nerves and half for dramatic effect, "Will you be Aviva's godparents?"
The couple nodded eagerly. "Of course we will," Darryl said.
"We'll be thrilled to," Janna added.
Prue smiled. "Great. Thank you both," she said, hugging them. With that settled, they went downstairs to join the others.
-x-
Leo went straight from Piper's house to Paige's apartment. When she answered the door, he brushed past her quickly, not bothering with the usual pleasantries.
"Leo, what's up?" she asked, getting worried.
"You should sit down for this," he said, leading her into the kitchen. He reached into his jacket, and pulled out a manila envelope. "In here is the name of the Church your adoptive parents found you at."
"Leo, I already knew that. It's Holy Trinity, a few blocks from the house I grew up in," Paige replied.
He shook his head. "There's more. The nun who found you, she got transferred to a different church, right? I was able to find out which one she's at now. It's right across town."
Paige sat up, eyes widening. "Oh my God," she breathed. "This could be it. This could be what I've spent my life waiting for."
****************
~from the song "Love Is The Groove" by Cher~
In the east and in the west
Every bird will seek its nest
Everone will seek its home
Home is where the heart goes
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Prue and Aviva were both released from the hospital a week and a half after the baby's birth. During that time, Victor, Leo, and Darryl managed to convert the spare room closest to Prue's bedroom into a nursery. The three men put the furniture together themselves, and Piper, Phoebe and Janna helped with everything else. By the end of the week, the room had been completely transformed.
Piper and Phoebe couldn't wait to show it off. The day Prue brought the baby home, they led her straight upstairs.
"Where are we going?" Prue asked.
"You'll see," Phoebe replied, covering Prue's eyes when they got to the doorway. Piper took the baby, and opened the door. When they were just inside the nursery, Phoebe removed her hand from Prue's face.
"Wow, this looks amazing," was Prue's initial reaction. She took Aviva from Piper, and started looking around. "What do you think, Viva? Do you like your new room?" The baby yawned, and waved her hand. Prue continued poking around, admiring the beatiful wood furniture, and the lavender and cream colour scheme. "It's beautiful," she declared. She set the baby down in her crib, and hugged her sisters. "Thank you."
Piper kissed her. "Well, we can't take all the credit," she admitted, as Janna came in with her two kids, five-year-old Mikey and one-year-old Kali, along with Leo's grandmother.
"Thanks, Jani, Lily" Prue said, hugging her friends.
Lillian and Janna returned the embrace warmly.
"I'm glad you like it." Janna said. She moved over to the crib with Lily, to coo over baby Aviva. Her children, meanwhile, gravitated to Prue.
"Aunt Prue!" Mikey exclaimed, jumping into her arms.
"Hey, you," Prue greeted, picking him up in one arm and scooping up his sister in the other. "I missed you guys."
"Where baby?" Kali asked.
"Right here," Prue replied, taking them over to their mother, who was cradling Aviva while Lily fawned over the baby.
"Avie!" Kali squealed.
"Hi, Aviva. I'm Mikey," the little boy said.
Children hadn't been allowed to visit patients in the hospital, so both kids had been looking forward to meeting their new "cousin".
"Aunt Prue, can I hold her?" Mikey asked.
Prue thought about it for a moment, before replying nervously, "I guess so. Here, sit down on the rocking chair. And don't forget to hold her head up."
He did what he was told, and Prue placed a few pillows around him before Janna put the baby in his arms. Prue hovered over him nervously, but he held her still, supporting her head the whole time.
"It's okay, Aunt Prue," he said proudly. "I've held Kali lots of times. Right, Kal?"
Kali, who had nestled herself on Prue's shoulder, looked up and nodded when she heard her name, though she wasn't quite sure what she was nodding at, and then settled back down, her thumb in her mouth. Prue and the other adults smiled. Kali was so adorable.
There was a noise at the doorway. Prue looked over, and saw Piper and Phoebe holding the door open for Leo, Darryl, and Victor, who were carrying in a heavy-looking object covered with a blanket.
"We had a bit of extra wood left, after we built the furniture," Leo said.
They put the object down on a table near the side of the room. "She won't be able to use this for another couple of years, but we figured we might as well give it to her now." Victor added.
With that, Darryl removed the blanket to reveal a beautiful hand-crafted dollhouse.
"You guys made this yourselves?" Prue asked, admiring it. "It's wonderful."
"When did you do this?" Phoebe asked.
"And why didn't we know about it?" Janna chimed in.
Darryl shrugged. "We did it at Victor's apartment, when you girls were visiting Prue and Ava in the hospital. We wanted to surprise all of you."
"Well, we're surprised," Piper told him, smiling.
Prue took a closer look at the dollhouse. "This looks exactly like the one we used to have," she mused. Her sisters both nodded.
"It's supposed to," Victor replied. "Amazing how much I remembered about that thing, twenty years since I've seen it."
Prue, Piper, and Phoebe exchanged glances, each shocked that their father had remembered. Phoebe sent her sisters a look that clearly said, 'I told you so.'
A few minutes later, Aviva began to cry. Prue handed Kali to Piper, and took the infant from Mikey.
"She's tired," Prue announced, rocking Aviva. "Why don't you all go downstairs, and I'll meet you down there as soon as I get her to sleep?"
Leo looked at his watch. "I have to go. I've got to... see a patient." He hugged Prue, and kissed the baby, then turned to Piper. "I'll come back later, if I can, okay?"
She nodded. "Okay, and if you can't, I'll call you later."
He kissed her good-bye, and then left. Piper furrowed her eyebrows in thought. Something about the way he'd said it hadn't seemed right...
Shaking her head, she went downstairs with Lillian, Mikey, Kali, and Phoebe. Darryl and Janna were about to follow when Prue stopped them.
"Can you guys wait a second?" she asked, putting Aviva down in the crib. "I want to talk to you. Let's go into my room, so we don't disturb the baby."
They followed her across the hall. She motioned for them to take seats on the edge of her bed, and she sat across from them on her desk chair.
"You know I think of you both as family," Prue started. "After Andy died, and with everything that's happened since, you've both been there for me and I love you for it. Which is why I wanted to ask you..." she paused, half to settle her nerves and half for dramatic effect, "Will you be Aviva's godparents?"
The couple nodded eagerly. "Of course we will," Darryl said.
"We'll be thrilled to," Janna added.
Prue smiled. "Great. Thank you both," she said, hugging them. With that settled, they went downstairs to join the others.
-x-
Leo went straight from Piper's house to Paige's apartment. When she answered the door, he brushed past her quickly, not bothering with the usual pleasantries.
"Leo, what's up?" she asked, getting worried.
"You should sit down for this," he said, leading her into the kitchen. He reached into his jacket, and pulled out a manila envelope. "In here is the name of the Church your adoptive parents found you at."
"Leo, I already knew that. It's Holy Trinity, a few blocks from the house I grew up in," Paige replied.
He shook his head. "There's more. The nun who found you, she got transferred to a different church, right? I was able to find out which one she's at now. It's right across town."
Paige sat up, eyes widening. "Oh my God," she breathed. "This could be it. This could be what I've spent my life waiting for."
****************
~from the song "Love Is The Groove" by Cher~