Mysterious Midnight - Hate to break it to you, but you weren't first to review last time either. I'm sorry! But you still get to be first on my little list because you've reviewed the most, so be happy! Your reviews mean as much to me if I get them the hour after I post, or three days afterwards, so don't worry!
hazza123 - I'm glad you liked the ending of the last chapter. This one isn't so good, but then I know exactly what happens after this one ends, so the next chapter should be up soon!
piperleo4eva - I'm glad you finished it! Don't get too tired honey, reading my fic, save your energy for IMing all of us! Thanks for reviewing, anyway!
Pruedence.Halliwell - I'm usually more interested in the new person too, and the characters' reactions to them. Don't worry; there will be a lot of that in chapters to come! But first I want to get things a little more settled, I always get annoyed with fics where things just seem to happen, without any input, so I'm sorry if I go into too much detail! Tanks for your review, as always!
Stephanie - Yep, Nicki was asleep that whole time! Remember she'd just come over from England, which is six hours ahead of San Francisco, so six pm in San Fran is like eleven to her! Plus I needed people to be able to talk about her, and that seemed to be a good way to do it! Thanks for your review!
--Chapter Ten--
Nicki woke up the next morning at four o'clock. It took her several seconds before she realised where she was, she lay still, as if afraid that there was someone else in the room with her. When she was satisfied about where she was, she unfurled her legs and sat up, glancing at Phoebe's electronic alarm clock; 04:07. It feels around midday, I guess the jet-lag affected me more than I thought. She shrugged the blankets off from her shoulders, and pushed her long, black hair out of her face. Switching on the bedside lamp, she reached down for her backpack and pulled out her hairbrush. She brushed her hair back and tied it into a high ponytail, securing it with one of the two hair-ties she'd kept on her wrist. She plaited it down, until near her waist, before tying it off.
Getting out of bed, she went over to the window to let the morning light in. When she pulled back the curtains, she noticed that it was still dark, although the moonlight lit up the back garden and the city of San Francisco sprawled back away from her. Nicki stood, just looking out of the window for several minutes hugging herself, before she noticed that her right leg was cramping up. She walked back over to the bed and picked her backpack up, setting it down onto the blanket. Someone had laid a clean pair of jeans and a hooded sweatshirt beside her shoes, and she picked these up as well. She took some clean underwear out of her bag, the only clothes she'd brought, and changed quickly out of Piper's pyjamas. The jeans were too big for her; she'd always been small for her age, so she folded the bottom of the legs into four inch turn-ups. The sweatshirt wasn't as big; she hid her hands in the long sleeves. The words 'The Goo Goo Dolls' were emblazoned in navy blue across the front of the light blue hoodie, and she pushed up the sleeves as she put her bag back onto the floor, and made the bed. As she straightened the duvet and folded the blankets, her eyes were once again drawn to the photo on the bedside table.
She placed the pillows back as she'd found them; even Piper wouldn't have been able to tell that someone had slept in the bed. She folded the pyjamas and placed them neatly on the bed, and then sat with her back against it, sinking onto her knees, holding Phoebe's photo on her lap. Tears rolled unchecked down her face, as she traced Prue's face with her fingertips.
'My mother…' she sobbed, dropping the photo on the floor and cradling her head in her hands, rocking back and forth. 'My mum…'
Nicki didn't know how long she'd sat there, but Wyatt's crying jolted her and she noticed that her feet had gone numb. She slowly got up, shaking life back into her legs, and put the photo back onto Phoebe's bedside table. She folded her dirty clothes up small and put them at the bottom of her bag, lifting everything else to the top. Her precious photo, a small tin containing the few treasured objects she'd kept from her old life in England, and the bottle of water, which she drained and then put into the bin by the door. Slinging her backpack onto her shoulder, she quietly opened the door to Phoebe's bedroom, switching off the bedside lamp as she left.
She closed the bathroom door very quietly behind her, and turned once again to the mirror. Do I even look a little like her? Nicki examined her reflection, trying to see aspects of Prue's face in hers. She had the same little beauty spot under her right eye, and the same striking blue eyes, the same slight build. The rest of her features were slightly different. For one thing, her hair was curlier than Prue's and longer, even though they shared the raven colour. Her skin was a little paler, her lips slightly fuller. Now that she'd seen Phoebe's photo, she wasn't sure if the resemblances were there, or if she was desperately hoping that they were. Looking away from her reflection, she reached for the toothbrush she'd used last night.
After brushing her teeth and washing her face, Nicki carefully opened the door. Although she'd been awake for hours now, it was still dark, and she didn't want to wake up any of the other members of the household, at least now that Wyatt had seemed to settle down again. She slowly crept down the stairs, and headed to the kitchen, to see if she could find another of Piper's cookies to last her a while. After all, now that I know that my mum's not here, it's not like I have any reason to stay. These people don't want me around, no-one ever does. Nicki pushed open the kitchen door, to find Phoebe and Paige sitting at the table drinking coffee and reading the paper, Leo feeding Wyatt, and Piper flipping two last pancakes onto a towering plate. All of them were in their pyjamas except for Piper, who was wearing some black trousers and a brown halter-top, and Wyatt, who'd been dressed in a red t-shirt and a pair of blue dungarees, and was happily throwing pieces of banana at Leo.
'Come on, little man,' Leo said, wiping some banana off of his chin. 'I know you want to eat this, don't you? Be a big boy for daddy now,' he pleaded as he once again tried to push the spoon into his son's mouth. He took his opportunity as Wyatt let out a giggle, but soon found that the banana was back down the front of his shirt.
'Here honey,' Piper said, turning around with the plate carrying the wobbling pile of pancakes. 'Oh, hey,' she added, as she spotted Nicki, who was now hiding in the doorway. 'Come in, sweetie. Do you want some breakfast?'
Nicki looked apprehensive, but came and sat down next to Phoebe when both she and Paige had given her encouraging smiles. Leo was too busy trying to both feed Wyatt and clear up mashed banana from his hair. Piper set the plate of pancakes down onto the table, along with a bottle of maple syrup, and then went over to take over from Leo. She gently took the spoon from his hand, grinning as she handed him a washcloth.
'Here you go honey,' she said, and she expertly wiped Wyatt's face and the table of his high chair with another cloth. 'I'll let you into the secret, look…' She loaded the spoon half-full with banana, and made a choo-choo sound as she fed Wyatt. 'Here comes the choo-choo train,' she said, popping the spoon into his mouth. Wyatt swallowed and then giggled, not dropping a bit. 'See?' she said, grinning at Leo.
'You make it look so easy,' he said, as he put the washcloth into the sink and sat down at the table. 'How are you this morning, Nicki?' he asked, putting several pancakes onto his plate and dousing them in maple syrup.
'Fine, thank-you,' Nicki said nervously. She flinched as Phoebe touched her shoulder.
'Hey,' Phoebe said, her eyes clouding over with concern. God, she's so scared. I don't even need to be empathic to realise that. She met Paige's eyes across the table with a worried look. 'You okay?' she asked, her eyes searching Nicki's face for some clues to why she was so afraid.
Nicki almost visibly pulled herself together. 'Yeah, sure,' she said, lifting her eyes from the tablecloth to meet Phoebe's. 'I'm fine,' she added, a little more confidently.
'That's good,' Paige said, through a mouthful of pancakes. 'It's good that you're fine.' She too smiled at Nicki. 'Want some?' she offered, holding out the plate of pancakes to her.
'Sure,' Nicki said, and Paige slid three onto her plate and covered them in syrup. 'You guys have pancakes for breakfast?' she asked, looking slightly puzzled. 'We only used to have them at Lent,' she added, by way of explanation, 'after dinner.'
'Good old America,' Phoebe said, handing the paper over to Leo and offering Nicki some orange juice. 'Pancakes are a breakfast food, along with muffins and bagels and lots and lots of coffee,' she said, pouring herself another cup.
Piper gave Wyatt the last mouthful of banana, wiped his face and hands, and gave him his pacifier. Turning his high chair around so it faced the table, she sat down and began to eat. 'Don't mind Phoebs,' she said, smiling at Nicki, as she pecked Leo on the cheek, 'she's not really a morning person.'
Phoebe smirked at her across the table, causing Piper to giggle. The whole tense atmosphere seemed to lift, and Nicki took a bite of her pancakes.
'These are really nice,' she said, looking at Piper, 'thank-you.'
'That's okay,' Piper said, as she went to pour herself some coffee too, only to find the pot empty. 'I do the food, you wouldn't want to eat anything that the other two make,' she said, as she got up and put the coffee pot back into the machine and turned it on.
'I'd like to say 'hey',' Paige said, running a hand through her tousled hair, 'but I think you actually have a point there.' She yawned slowly, shrugging her shoulders, and rested her head on her palms.
'You tired there, Missy Paige?' Phoebe asked, cradling her hot mug in her hands.
'Mmm hmm,' Paige mumbled, her eyes closed. Suddenly, she shook herself off and stood up. 'Gotta go get ready for work,' she said, as she put her empty mug down onto the table. She stretched her hands above her head and suddenly looked a lot more awake. 'Speaking of,' she said, looking pointedly at Piper and Phoebe, and nodding in Nicki's direction. Nicki, who was cutting up her pancakes, didn't notice.
'Me too,' Phoebe said, getting up. 'How about we take quick showers this morning Paige, and then we can have a nice family chat before we leave?'
Piper nodded at them, her eyes silently telling them to be quick. 'Sounds good to me,' she said, taking the freshly brewed pot of coffee over to the table and sitting down. 'See you guys in a little while?'
'Yep,' Paige replied, already halfway out the door.
'I'd better go and get dressed too,' Leo said, getting up from the table and putting his, Phoebe's and Paige's dishes into the sink. 'Will you guys be okay?' he asked, looking at Piper and indicating to Wyatt and Nicki.
'Sure, we'll be fine,' Piper said, taking a bite of her pancakes. 'Give us a chance to have some girl talk,' she said, smiling at Nicki, who smiled slightly back.
'Okay then honey,' Leo said, kissing the top of her head. He left the kitchen, giving Wyatt a quick cuddle as he went.
Piper and Nicki ate in comfortable silence for a few seconds, neither really sure what to say. It was Piper who spoke first.
'So,' she said as she finished off her plate, 'blue is a good colour on you.' She indicated to the clothes that Nicki had found at the bottom of the bed.
'Thank-you for these,' Nicki said, putting down her knife and fork politely.
'No trouble, honestly,' Piper said, smiling. 'Don't stop eating on my account, there's plenty left.' She gestured to the plate of pancakes, which still had two on it.
'Thanks,' Nicki said, taking up her cutlery again and helping herself to another pancake. 'Are these clothes yours?' she asked, reaching for the maple syrup.
'No, they're not mine,' Piper replied, handing her the elusive bottle and watching as Nicki poured a small amount onto her pancake. 'They're some of Phoebe's from a couple of years back; they're the smallest I could find.'
'They're a little big for me still,' Nicki said, swallowing her mouthful. 'But most of my clothes are a little big for me anyway,' she added, as if afraid she'd offended Piper.
'Well,' replied Piper, obviously not offended in the least, 'You're a bit smaller than us, I guess. I put them there when I got home from the club last night, around two. You were fast asleep. Did you sleep well?' she asked.
'Oh, yes, thank-you,' Nicki replied, finishing off her pancakes and laying her cutlery flat.
'Good,' Piper said, clearing up the remainder of the dishes and filling the sink with hot, soapy water.
'Here,' said Nicki, standing up, 'let me help you,' she offered, carrying over the large plate with its one solitary pancake and some glasses, one still half full with juice.
'Thanks,' Piper said, taking the dished from her. 'Don't worry about it sweetie,' she said, as she put the pancake into the trash and the maple syrup into a top cupboard. She carefully carried the hot coffee pot back over to the machine and put the orange juice back in the fridge.
Nicki went back to the table, which was now cleared, and neatly piled the place settings at one end. She sat on the table, facing Piper, who now had her back to her and was doing the dishes. Wyatt was facing Nicki, and looking at her with his big blue eyes. He dropped his pacifier onto the table of the high chair, and started to cry.
Piper sighed. 'It's okay, baby, mommy's coming,' she said, drying her hands on a dish-towel and turning around to comfort him. She stopped, with a small smile playing about her lips.
Nicki had stood up and was standing over by Wyatt, and she'd picked the pacifier up and returned it to him. She was now playing peek-a-boo with him, giggling to him, and he was giggling back. Piper stood watching them. It seemed as if Nicki just, belonged with them. I can't see our future without Nicki, my niece, in it, and to be honest, I don't think I want to.
--End of Chapter Ten--
Please review! I will give you lots of cookies and ice-cream (vanilla flavour, the only one worth having). Also, can someone tell me which grade Nicki would go into in September, if she would be fifteen then? I'm not so familiar with the American school system…