Thanks for all the reviews everyone. A few people asked about magic, yes, I think there will be some at some point. Sorry I took so long, been a bit busy over the last few days.
Chapter 6 - Back Home
The bus finally ground to a stop, and the girls looked up, startled.
"Already?" Paige said, sounding exited but slightly disappointed. The whole bus ride had been spent talking, as though they'd left the awkwardness behind. And they didn't feel like strangers anymore... Acquaintances. But it was a start.
The four of them jumped down, Piper and Paige smiling sleepily, Prue and Phoebe smiling nervously.
They walked quickly through the streets, and Piper felt like it was something out of a particularly cheesy TV show - the sun shining, the birds singing, everyone smiling a skipping along... well, actually she couldn't hear any birds singing, just the sound of traffic, and no one was skipping, but that whole feeling was there.
They turned down their street finally, and Paige gasped at the sight of the police car outside their house.
"The police?" Piper murmured. "What should we do?"
"Wait." Prue replied. "They'll make us answer all kinds of questions, and right now I don't want to."
"What if someone's staying with her?" Phoebe asked nervously.
"Back door?" Paige suggested, and Piper nodded.
"OK, come on then, this way." Piper said, and started to lead the rest of them.
Prue and Phoebe looked around themselves as they walked, smiling nervously as they looked around their old neighbourhood, their old home... and maybe, now their new home?
"Shh." Piper commanded at the back door, despite the fact that no one was speaking. She opened it gently, stepped forward. Prue gasped as she entered, explained quickly that she remembered it.
"Wait here." Piper ordered the others. "I'll go first and check it out." She disappeared out of the door without another word, and walked quietly through the dining room and into the hall, carefully stepping on the rugs so her shoes didn't make a noise of the hardwood floors. She slipped into the parlour, and peered through the doors that lead into the living room. Grams was alone, thankfully, stood at the window looking out, with her back to Piper. Smiling excitedly, trying to picture Grams face when the four of them made their appearance, Piper hurried back into the kitchen.
"All clear." She smiled, and Paige stepped forward. Prue and Phoebe, however, hesitated.
"What if she doesn't want to see us?" Prue asked awkwardly, voicing both sisters' fears.
"What? Of course she will!" Paige hissed. "You're her granddaughters... you should hear how she talks about you, she misses you just as much as mum did!"
"Come on, we can't stand her forever." Piper said.
"We'll go in first." Paige decided.
"While you two wait outside the room." Piper added.
"Then you can walk in and surprise her." Paige finished.
"You've thought this through." Phoebe commented.
"For about four years." Piper nodded. Then she turned than started walking, Paige next to her, Prue and Phoebe a step or two behind. They were almost at the living room door when Grams walked out, startling them all and ruining the plan.
"Girls." Penny stated, barely noticing the two others, who had shrank further back instantly.
"Uh, we're home." Paige said, nervously. Grams stepped forward quickly, hugged them both tightly, then stepped back and eyed them sternly.
"Do you know how worried I've been?" She said her voice quiet and steady, but angry. "How could you go off like that in the middle of the night, all alone? You didn't even tell me where you were going!"
"You'd have stopped us -" Piper began, but Grams cut her off, obviously building up to a long rant.
"Of course I would have! Two teenage girls going for a little trip in the middle of the night? I shouldn't have had to stop you, you should have known better! A note, just a note, telling me not to worry or call the police, that you'd be fine and you'd be back as soon as you could, no details! Of course I had to call the police, you - you -" Piper had turned, grabbed hold of Prue's arm and pulled her forward, along with Phoebe.
"Grams please stop shouting and let us introduce you." Piper said calmly. "Meet Prudence and Phoebe Halliwell, you're long lost granddaughters."
Penny froze, looking at them. She's known, she just known this was why they'd gone, that they had some kind of reason to believe they knew where Prue and Phoebe was, but she'd never expected them to bring them home...
But they had, and she recognised them instantly. Sure, they were bigger, older, but there was no mistaking their faces, their eyes...
"Prue... Phoebe..." She murmured.
"That's right." Paige said. "You always said they'd be home some day."
"You... you did it." Penny whispered, then reached out and hugged them tightly, tighter than she had Piper or Paige, unable to believe it, that they were really home.
They did it, Patty, they're home.
---
"You wont find him." Prue said solemnly to the officer in front of her. "He'd managed to hide from you for thirteen years, with two kids with him. Alone, he can do it forever."
"Ms. Halliwell, we've already alerted L.A.P.D, they're on their way to his address as we speak."
"He'll already be gone." Phoebe told him. "Probably in another state right now."
"Don't you want them to catch him?" Paige asked, curiously, not sounding judgmental.
"Look, he might not have made the best choices, but he's still our dad." Prue said. "I wont be upset if you catch him... but I wont be if you don't, either."
"It doesn't matter." Piper nodded. "It doesn't matter if they catch him or not. They're home now, that's all that matters."