"So," asked Phoebe as they ate dinner, "why the interest in tracing down your family tree?"
"Miranda is trying to find her father," said Alexander.
"Yes," said Miranda. "My mother died in childbirth. My father did the best he could, I'm sure. He just didn't know how to raise a daughter alone. And I'm afraid I didn't help matters much. I was more than a bit rebellious in my youth."
"Really?" questioned Prue, glancing over at Phoebe. "I hear that's a bit of a problem in most families at one time or another."
"I know," said Miranda. "But when I was about fifteen I'd just had enough. So I ran away from home. One night I climbed out my bedroom window and didn't look back. I thought I knew everything."
Prue and Piper glanced at Phoebe. That was exactly what had happened in her vision.
"And now you want to find your father again?" asked Leo.
"Oh, I've tried before," said Miranda. "When I was twenty-one or so I decided to go back home. But my father had moved and no one seemed to know where he was."
"I even hired a private investigator but he wasn't able to find him," said Alex. "We figured we would never find him."
"So what changed?" Piper asked. "Why start looking for him again now?"
"It's not just him," said Miranda. "I'm hoping to find any of my biological relatives. I was recently diagnosed with a medical condition that's going to get progressively worse. The doctors say a bone marrow transplant will probably help."
"But Miranda has a very rare blood type," said Alexander. "The doctors say the best chance for a match is from a blood relative. I've all ready been tested and they say I'm not a good candidate. So she decided to see if she could trace her family tree. Maybe she can find some relatives she didn't know about before."
"And maybe they'll know where my father is," said Miranda. "After all these years, I'd really like to find him again."
"Sounds like a tall order," said Prue.
"It also sounds like she could use some help," said Phoebe, looking at Prue, Piper, and Leo. "We do have some experience tracing family trees. And it would increase her chances of finding him."
"Would you?" asked Miranda. "It would mean a great deal to us. And we'd be more than happy to pay for any time and expense you incur."
"Absolutely," said Alexander. "As you can see from our home money is not a problem for us."
"Oh, I don't think that will be necessary," said Piper, glancing at Leo. "We have some resources that might prove very helpful in a situation like this. I think you might find we have a sort of knack for finding lost people."
"Which doesn't guarantee anything," said Leo, looking sternly at Piper.
"It can't hurt to try," said Prue. "Now, we'll need everything you can remember or have all ready found on your family members. Including any information on your mother you might have."
"My mother?" questioned Miranda. "Why? I'm looking for my father. As I told you my mother died when I was born."
"Mutual friends they might have had," said Phoebe. "Your father's friends and family might not have any information on him but a friend or family member of your mother might. You just never know where information is going to lead you. The more information we have, the better our chances of find him."
"Okay," said Miranda. "I'll get together everything I have before you leave."
"You know," said Prue, "it is possible your father is no longer alive. You should be prepared for that just in case."
"We are," said Alexander. "The private investigator told us the same thing. We've talked about it at great length. We'd like to know what happened to him regardless of what that is."
"We'll do our best," promised, Phoebe.
"I don't know how to thank you," said Miranda. "It's almost like fate that we met at the bookstore today."
"Yes, isn't it," said Piper coyly.
"I'll get the information," said Alexander. "And no matter what you find out or don't find out, thank you so much for you help. This means so much to Miranda and me."
"It's our pleasure," said Prue. "Now, Miranda. While he gets the information, why don't you tell us what you can remember about your father before you ran away fro home?"