A/N: It's been too long! But I'm finally trying to finish all my unfinished stories. So I'll be updating this along with "Déjà vu Never Again." Once I finish those two, I have two others to do, then I want to do some new stuff.

I'm sorry for the long wait and I hope you guys don't hate me!

PS: I didn't have a chance to reread this before I posted, so please forgive any mistakes.

Please enjoy and please review.

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"I-I-I-" Piper spluttered, eyes wide with worry. What was going to happen now?

"Explain yourself," Maryanne Saunders demanded.

Piper gulped, her throat dry. She opened her mouth to reply when there was a knock on the door.

"Enter." Maryanne glanced at the doorway. One of the orderlies stood their looking grim.

"Ma'am, we found another girl out of bed. Paige Matthews. She had a letter opener and she was cutting herself."

"Miss Matthews isn't a cutter," Ms. Saunders said.

"She's been cutting herself in places that the doctor doesn't check – under her undergarments," The orderly confirmed.

Ms. Saunders fixed her stare on Piper. "Do you know anything about this, Miss. Halliwell?"

Piper gulped. Should she rat Paige out, or lie and get in trouble herself?

"Kind of. Paige snuck in here and she-she took me to this closet and showed me the letter opener," Piper began nervously.

Ms. Saunders' eyes swept over Piper's arms.

"I didn't do it. I told her no. I was going to try and convince her not to do it, too, but I didn't know if she'd listen. I was going to get help, but I didn't want to get anyone – myself included – in trouble and-" Piper looked down, half ashamed. Why hadn't she gotten help?

"I see," Maryanne Saunders said slowly, but her expression had become slightly kinder. "Thank you for being honest, Miss. Halliwell. We'll deal with Miss. Matthews from here. For now, you get some sleep."

With that, Ms. Saunders followed the orderly to wherever Paige was being kept.

Piper climbed into bed, but she was no longer sleepy. Instead, she stared up at the ceiling for a long time.

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The next day, Piper didn't see Paige anywhere; She wasn't in the re room or the café. Her name wasn't call when it was time for meds. Piper's stomach clenched uncomfortably as she wondered what they had done to her.

But she didn't have long to wait. Soon after lunch, she was taken to her 'psychiatric evaluation' – or, more commonly known as her appointment with her therapist. But it wasn't the rude man who twisted her words. This time, it was a kind looking woman who smiled and shook Piper's hand.

"Piper, my name is Louisa Diaz. I'll be taking over for Dr. Bradbury from now on. So, I've looked over you records and caught up on the case." She smiled kindly. "Where would you like to start?"

Piper shrugged. She shifted on the couch.

"Why don't you tell me about your family? We'll start basic and then, once you're more comfortable, we'll move on to the real reason we're here."

Piper nodded. "Well, I live with my Grams. My mom died when I was really little and my dad left when I was only a few years older than that. I have to sisters. Prue is two years older than me, and Phoebe is two years younger than me."

"So you're the middle child?" Mrs. Diaz asked, smiling. "I was the middle child, too. But I have an older brother and a younger sister. Do you get along well with your sisters?"

"Most of the time," Piper replied. She reluctantly added, "Sometimes it's annoying though because Piper's the pretty, popular, older sister who gets to do everything before me, and everything I can't do. And Phoebe's the younger one who gets all the attention because she acts out. Then there's me, stuck in the middle. Not popular, can't do everything first, but isn't babied either."

"It's frustrating, I know. And with me, my older brother was always so protective," Mrs. Diaz laughed.

"So's Prue. She kind of acts like surrogate mother to me and Phoebe. "

"How's school?" Mrs. Diaz asked, changing the subject.

"Horrible. It's what drove me to –" Piper paused. She looked down. "School's bad. I'm always getting teased and bullied. Everyone's always calling me nerdy and stuff."

Mrs. Diaz wrote something in her notebook. "Would you like to tell me what school drove you to do?"

Piper, without looking up, shook her head.

"Next session maybe," Mrs. Diaz said gently. "Our half an hour is almost up, believe it or not."

It was true. A few minutes later, Mitch came to bring Piper back to her room, where, grateful Julia was off somewhere else, she sat on her bed, reviewing everything that had happened in her appointment, everything that had led up to her coming to the nut house, and everything that had been in her life before she'd started cutting. She missed it and she wanted to go home so badly. But she'd only there for about three days and grams had told her she had to stay for almost eight weeks. Eight weeks! But maybe if she got better, she'd be allowed to go home sooner. How she longed to go home!

"Hiya, Piper!"

Piper looked up to see Paige in her doorway. Without waiting for an invitation, Paige came in and sat across from Piper on Julia's bed.

"Where have they been keeping you?" Piper asked.

"In Isolation," Paige replied, rolling her eyes. "They checked me for cuts and found the places where I did it. Now they've changed my medication and have narrowed down the places I can go and things I can do and they took away everything sharp. Their watching me like a hawk to make sure I don't cut again."

"Sorry," Piper replied, feeling slightly guilty."

Paige shrugged. "They've put me in Isolation before. I'm used to it. How 'bout you?"

"I got a new Therapist. She's nicer than that other one I had. I just want to get out of here, though, I want to go home."

"We all want to go home. But I don't have a home to go to, unless I find my birth parents and I dunno if I will," Paige replied. Suddenly, she seemed the sanest she had ever been.

As if she had read Piper's mind, Paige said, "I'm not as crazy as I seem. The drugs were just a phase. I don't really need them anymore. But I kind of keep up the crazy act just to spite them. No one believes me when I say I don't know how I got out of the car when my parents died. All I can remember is a bunch of blue and white lights and that's all."

Piper nodded. "So why the cutting?"

"It's just a way to act out, you know? They took away my drugs and my freedom and they don't believe a word I say. Plus life took away my parents. So it's just one thing I can do that no one knows – well, knew – about. Now that's even been taken from me."

"Paige?" Piper said.

"Yeah?"

"Promise me you'll stop cutting, maybe even act a little saner. If we both try, we could get out of here. And if that happens, maybe you could come to live with me and my sisters and Grams."

Paige's eyes widened. "Really? You think your Grams would let me come and live with you?"

"I don't see why not. She takes care of three teenage girls. One more can't hurt, right?"

Paige nodded, eyes wide with hope. "Thanks."

From then on, the two girls were seen together every time they got the chance. They ate lunch together, spent time in the rec room together, and went into each other's rooms.

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Two weeks passed and things were looking up. Piper had been there for a grand total of almost three weeks and she was getting used to being ushered everywhere, including the bathroom, and was used to the weekly doctors visit. She really enjoyed her visits with Mrs. Diaz.

Paige and Piper continued to spend time together and Paige reported that she hadn't cut in a long time, and she was slowly starting to act sane. She had been told that if she kept it up, she'd get out soon.

One day, Piper left Paige to go, unescorted, to Mrs. Diaz's room. She didn't have an appointment right now, and if she were caught sneaking around, she'd be in trouble. But she wanted to go and she just prayed she got there before she was found out.

Outside Dr, Diaz's room, Piper knocked. On being told to enter, she opened the door and then closed it behind her.

"Piper?" Mrs. Diaz asked, shocked. "We don't have an appointment. Is everything okay?"

"Yeah, sorta. Can we talk?" She sat down in front of the desk.

"Of course," Mrs. Diaz replied, listening.

"I really want to go home. I can't stand it here any longer. I've gotten better and I have no desire to cut myself again. Is there any way I can get out of here sooner?"

Mrs. Diaz frowned. "I don't know. I'd have to speak to Maryanne Saunders and your grandmother."

"And-and there's something else. Paige Matthews. She's been doing better and I want her to come home with me and live with me. I know my grams wouldn't mind."

"Again, I'd have to speak with your grandmother and Maryanne Saunders. I'll see what I can do and we'll talk during our next session, okay?"

Piper nodded grimly.

"Let me call for an escort to take you back to the rec room." Mrs. Diaz picked up the phone and dialed.

Piper slumped in her seat and waited for her escort.