Accidental Exposure

I ushered her through the front door, pulling it closed as gently as I could. The house seemed a little too quiet for it to be the Manor. I lead her to the living room. I figured she'd be safe there.

"Stay here. I'll be right back," I told her, heading towards the stairs. I found Piper and Phoebe in the attic, pouring over the Book of Shadows.

"What's going on?" I asked, making Phoebe jump. She clutched her chest for a second before letting out a breath.

"No, everything is fine. We're just you know….looking at the Book," Phoebe answered.

"I know I haven't been a witch very long but don't you generally look at the Book when something is wrong?" I pressed.

"Sometimes but we don't know everything that is in here," Piper answered.

"It's really nothing to worry about," Phoebe added.

"Oh…well my kid is here. Do you want to meet her?" Paige informed her sisters.

"Yeah…she has a name right?" Phoebe answered, starting to follow Paige downstairs.

"Yes she has a name," Paige retorted. Thankfully she found the girl still in the living room.

"Piper, Phoebe, this is Bree," I introduced.

"Bree, these are my sisters Piper and Phoebe Halliwell," I concluded, gesturing back the other direction. Bree stood up, not making eye contact with the two women before her.

"It's nice to meet you, Bree," Phoebe said, extending her hand. The girl just shrugged. Phoebe retracted her hand, raising her eyebrows.

"Ok, how about we get you settled upstairs. I think Piper is about to start dinner," I suggested.

Bree picked up her suitcase and Phoebe and I led her up the stairs and into the spare room. So it was really Prue's room. I know how hard it was for Piper to move all of Prue's stuff up to the attic. I couldn't imagine losing a sister. I saw Phoebe look around and sigh a little. Bree didn't seem to notice Phoebe's demeanor change.

"Well the bathroom is down the hall and Piper's room is across the hall. I'm just that way if you need anything tonight," Phoebe told Bree.

"Ok," she muttered. At least it wasn't 'whatever'. Phoebe gave Bree another smile and headed down the hall.

"So I only have to stay here one night?" Bree asked me once Phoebe was out of hearing range.

"Hopefully. I mean I'll find a new place as soon as I can," I told her, sitting down on the bed.

"Can you make me a promise?" I asked once she'd sat down next to me.

"Maybe," the thirteen-year-old mumbled.

"Can you try and stick it out in the next place?" I asked.

"I know it's hard when they're not your real Mom or Dad," I began.

"No you don't," she shot back.

"Actually I do. I was a foster kid too," I told her defensively. She looked at me in shock.

"Really?" she breathed and I nodded.

"Sorry," she muttered.

"I guess I can try," she added almost as an afterthought.

"Thank you," I sighed, patting her on the arm lightly.

I left her there, hoping she would get it together enough to be a little pleasant at dinner. Half an hour later she came down, hands shoved in her pockets. Leo had gotten home, from wherever it was he'd been. Thankfully Cole was nowhere to be found. I didn't want him around right now. He always seemed to bring trouble.

"Bree, could you pass the corn please?" I asked, snapping her out of her daze. She reached for the container, sliding it my way. I gave her a smile as she turned her gaze back to her dinner. She was never this quiet and withdrawn. Maybe my little lecture in the car had scared her more than I thought. Or perhaps she was this quiet with strangers. The meal continued on without interruption until suddenly, Bree slammed her fork down on the table. We all looked up at in her in confusion.

"Is something wrong?" Phoebe asked.

"No," Bree answered. Her hands suddenly disappeared into her lap. She still had a decent amount of food on her plate.

"Is the food ok?" Piper asked. No one ever left her food untouched, even if they didn't really like it, they ate it.

"It's fine," the thirteen-year-old mumbled. She looked at her glass of milk and gasped as it started to rise without anyone touching it. She quickly shut her eyes, the glass 'clanking' down instantly. I exchanged a look with my sisters. What was going on? Silently, Piper got up and Phoebe followed. When she motioned for me to join them, I shot Leo an apologetic look. We retreated to the living room.

"Did she make that glass levitate?" Phoebe asked in a hushed whisper. Piper nodded.

"Wait….that's not possible….is it?" I stammered.

"Well…I mean I suppose she could be a witch. Looks like you've found your first innocent," Phoebe said. She almost sounded excited.

"Wait…why wouldn't I have figured this out earlier?" I asked.

'Well it's hard to see an innocent when you don't know what you're looking for," Piper told me.

"Ok…so maybe she is an innocent. But what am I supposed to save her from? The big bad foster system?" I retorted.

"Well that's what you need figure out. I mean you found this girl for a reason. We'll help you figure out what the reason is," Phoebe answered. Just then there was a shriek in the kitchen.

"Piper! Get in here," Leo bellowed. We all went running to see all of the dishes and silverware from the table levitating several feet in the air. Our footsteps must have startled Bree because it all came crashing down, shattering on the floor. Bree quickly turned and sprinted past us and up the stairs.

"That was good china!" Piper shouted.

"She's just a kid,' Phoebe breathed, bending down to start picking up the broken plates. I could tell that Piper was not happy. Leo stood up starting to help Phoebe clean when all of a sudden he blew up in little tiny orbs. He materialized and glared at Piper.

"What was that for?" he asked his wife.

"Sorry…I just needed to blow something up," she grumbled.

"I think…I'm going to go talk to Bree," I said, excusing myself rather quickly. I didn't want to suffer Piper's wrath right now.

I headed upstairs to find the door to Prue's room shut. I hoped she hadn't locked herself in. I also hoped that she wouldn't try and jump out the window. I tested the handle. It was still unlocked. I knocked a couple times.

"Bree, can I come in?" I asked through the wood.

"Just go away," she responded. Her voice was scratchy so she'd probably been crying.

"I want to talk to you. I promise nothing is going to happen," I assured her. Footsteps sounded on the other side of the door and she pulled it open. I walked in and joined her on the edge of the bed.

"She hates me," she sniffed.

"Piper doesn't hate you. She just…is a little attached to her dining ware," I replied.

"I didn't mean to do it…it just happened. I swear," she protested, looking very scared.

"I know what it feels like…to have this power inside of you and not know what to do with it," I said gently.

"Another symptom of foster care?" she asked.

"No…a symptom of being in this family," I murmured.

"Is this why you've been bouncing between so many foster homes? They catch you doing this?" I probed. She nodded.

"It's nothing bad, Bree. You're a witch," I explained. After hearing the words pass through my lips I realized it probably didn't sound too good.

"That's supposed to be good?" she asked.

"Yeah…actually it is. It's a gift you've been given. And I think I'm here to help you learn to control it," I answered.

"I just found I was a witch a few months ago. It's pretty scary," I sighed.

"Yeah. Mrs. Masters said I was possessed," Bree mumbled.

"I know…she told me. But don't worry, you're not possessed," I reassured her. We fell into silence but for the first time since I'd met her it wasn't completely uncomfortable.

"Knock, knock," Phoebe called, banging her hand on the door frame.

"Can I come in?" she asked and I nodded. She crossed the threshold.

"I just wanted to let you know that everything is ok. There's nothing to worry about. Your secret is safe with us," Phoebe whispered to Bree, bending down to her eye level.

"Are you one too?" she asked softly.

"A witch? You bet. And so is Piper. But you can't go around telling people, ok. We have to keep our identities a secret," Phoebe answered with a smile. Bree looked over to me.

"Are you sure this is a good thing?" she asked again.

"It's a great thing," I promised her, squeezing her shoulder.

"And we're here to help you with whatever you need," Phoebe added calmly. Bree bit her lip but nodded and once more we headed downstairs.