Thanks to everyone who reviewed. Btw, Kayleigh I have another Piper and Leo story going on right no, it's called Never Alone.
Chapter 7 - Question Answered
Patty's POV
"Blood to blood, return to me." Mum was crying, sliding the knife further and further down her arm and letting the blood drop into the bowl in front of her. Dad gripped her wrists and she let the atheme drop onto the table.
"It's OK." He said, sitting next to her, still holding her wrists. "It's OK."
"Where is she Leo?" She asked weakly. "Where is she?"
"I don't know." He breathed. "But we'll get her back, I promise you. Piper I will move heaven and earth to get her back." He hugged her, and I felt the lump in my throat get bigger. This is when I was kidnapped, by Dan's brother. I never knew how upset mum was. But she just keeps crying and crying ...
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"Are you blaming yourself?" Mum asked aunt Phoebe and Paige.
"Well ... of course we are." Aunt Paige said after a while. "We're her aunts, we're supposed to protect her."
"I sort of feel like I - I let her down." Aunt Phoebe added. "Like I didn't do enough to stop it, to save her."
I didn't know this either. I actually feel kinda sorry for them all. Especially mum ...
"I - I had no idea. I guess I didn't realise you felt the same." Mum was saying.
"The same? As you?" Aunt Phoebe asked, and mum nodded, looking like she was about to cry again.
"You might be her aunts, but I'm her mother. When we were with Dan, it was me and her, together. And them I ... moved on with it, had Wyatt and Chris and -" Mum put a hand lightly on her teeny baby bump (she's pregnant with Cassie). "And I ... did I push her out?" Mum asked quietly.
"What? No, of course not!" Both aunts cried, and I was furiously shaking my head. She didn't, she never, ever made me feel like I wasn't improtant, or didn't fit in or ...
Or that I wasn't loved.
"I was so worried about who my dad was ... I never stopped to about who mum is." I whispered to myself.
And then I was spinning, faster and faster, and I started to feel car-sick - and then I landed on the floor outside the kitchen.
"Am I home?" I murmured to myself. I heard voices, and my name mentioned. I got up and walked towards the kitchen, stopping just outside the door as I recognised mum's voice.
"It's not right Leo, she's god only knows where in some other time! All alone! Because she couldn't just come and talk to me ... Am I that bad a mother?"
"No!" Dad said quickly. "Of course you're not. Sometimes ... people just want to do things on their own, espectially at her age."
"We were so close, Leo. She was all I had for years, and I ... I thought that that would never change. She is one of the most important things in the world to me." Mum sounded close to tears now. "I love her so much, but she can't just ... talk to me?"
"I'm sorry mum." I whispered, stepping into the kitchen.
Both of their eyes widened, then they were on their feet and hugging me tightly.
"You're home." Mum muttered. Then she let go of me - finally, I can breath again - and stepped back. "Where the hell have you been!" She only sounded a little mad, and I knew - now - that I could tell her anything.
"I'm sorry. It really was the only way, though." I said, hoping she wouldn't ask me the question, but knowing she would.
"To find out what? Where have you been?" She repeated.
"I ... travelled through a few things." I replied. "Your past. My past."
"Why?" This was going to be the hard part. I knew now that she did love me - regardless of the fact that Dan was a physco. I knew she'd be hurt ...
"I had a few issues." I replied, hoping I could leave it at that. No, her face is telling me I can't.
"About Dan." I muttered. "I just thought ... well ... I wondered how you could even look at me after what he did, never mind love me." I said in a rush. Her eyes widened, her face softened, and did look hurt - but more worried.
"I'm sorry." She whispered, stroking my hair.
"For what?" OK, aren't I the one who's supposed to be apologising?
"For not talking to you about him properaly."
"It's OK. This is the only way I could have got my answer, really. I know ... how you feel."
She smiled at me. "Yeah? What did you see that told you how much I love you?"
"Just ... you were always trying to protect me and stuff." I muttered. "And ... your main concern was always me, before you." I felt myself going red now. "Thanks." I added. She hugged me again.
"Tee!" An exited voice yelled, then I felt three canonballs hit me. Well not really cannon balls - my brothers and sister, actually. But they sure feel like cannon balls when they smack into your abdomen at about 100 miles per hour.
I hugged them though, I didn't even complain when I heard a clicking noise - aunt Prue had walked in with her camera.
"Patty's home!" She called out - and then my cousin were hugging me too.
"Maybe I should go away more often." I said.
"No!" Wyatt cried.
Don't ever go away again. Ever." Chris said loudly.
"You were gone for months and months!" Cassie announced. Shocked, I looked up at mum.
"Two days." She half-laughed. Relived, I laughed too. It doesn't matter who Dan was, or what he did. He's not my dad, he's not my family.
Leo is. And these people are.
