Lacey: The mute orphan Chapter 2, a Charmed + Parenthood Crossover fanfic

Previously...

Lacey once again wrote down, Um no thank you. I can walk by myself. I actually prefer to be alone. Then Lacey handed the paper to Julia and ran away as fast as she could, she ran and ran and ran, until an hour later she ran into someone she really wanted to avoid, and thought she would be able to for the rest of her life.

Lacey ran away as fast as she could, she ran and ran and ran, until an hour later she ran into Julia, who was about to walk into the building where she worked when Lacey zoomed by in front of her.

"Lacey?" Julia asked looking confused.

Lacey then backtracked and stopped in front of Julia without moving she was too stunned and too scared to even write anything down. From the front that Lacey always puts up most people think she is brave and mature, but the truth is just a scared ten year old girl who has been hurt emotionally.

"Lacey, I though you were staying with your aunt and uncle?" Julia asked again

"I...um...opps." Lacey stuttered and then covered her mouth looking frightened, she ran and hid afraid of being hurt for talking.

Julia was stunned to hear Lacey talk that she didn't even notice Lacey go hid, but then she looked in front of her and noticed Lacey was gone.

"Lacey? It's ok, don't be scared. I won't hurt you if that's what you are afraid of" Julia said softly

"I'm sorry. I'm sorry." Lacey quivered while still hiding

"For what?" Julia asked confused

"I talked" Lacey said timidly

"You can talk, it's ok." Julia reassured her. "Did your mom tell you, you couldn't talk?" Julia asked curious as to why Lacey was afraid to talk.

Lacey shook her head, "I lied, I don't have a mom. My mom and dad died when I was two." Lacey explained

Then Julia asked, "Who told you, you couldn't talk?"

"It's more complicated then that." Lacey replied

"Oh, I see" Julia said. "Maybe you would like to come inside my office and explain why you are afraid to talk" Julia suggested

Lacey shook her head and replied, "No thank you, I should probably get going." Lacey had already said more than she had said in a long time and she didn't want to talk anymore, so she started to walk away from Julia.

"Where will you go? I'm assuming you lied about your aunt and uncle too. Am I correct?" Julia asked

Lacey shrugged to show that she didn't know where she would go, and then she nodded to show that she did lie.

"I'm also assuming that you ran away from the foster system" Julia said to which Lacey just nodded

"Well Lacey, you can't live on the streets" Julia told the girl.

Then Lacey took a paper and a pen from her pocket and wrote down, You don't know what the system is like. It sucks. My life sucked. It hated it, and I had to get away. I have been running for a year. Please don't make me go back. After she was done writing she handed the paper to Julia who read it.

"Lacey, you can't just live on the streets. I won't let you live on the streets, but I won't take you back to the foster system either." Julia stated as Lacey started to wonder what Julia was going to do.

"How would you feel if I adopted you?" Julia asked

Lacey just shrugged her shoulders. She had been adopted before and each time the mom would either return her or she would be removed, even if the mom was nice. Although Lacey did like Julia and would love for Julia to be her mom, she didn't think it would last so she didn't get her hopes up.

"Well, I have to go to social services to legally become your mom, but as soon as it is finalized I will be your mom and my husband Joel, will be your dad. You can meet him tonight." Julia explained.

" Would you like to come to my office with me?" Julia asked and Lacey knowing she had no where else to go and Julia probably wouldn't take no for an answer she just nodded her head.

Once they were in Julia's office, Lacey wrote down, Julia, can I use the restroom? Then Lacey handed the paper to Julia.

"Yes, you may. It is just down the hall." Julia stated and then Lacey said thank you in sign language.

Lacey didn't really have to use the bathroom, she just needed to sing, so Lacey started to sing her favorite song.

"You are my sunshine, my only sunshine. You make me happy when skies are grey. You'll never know, dear, how much I love you. Please don't take my sunshine away. The other night, dear, as I lay sleeping, I dreamt I held you in my arms. When I awoke, dear, I was mistaken, so I hung my head, and I cried." Lacey sang. "I miss you mommy." Lacey said, talking about her foster mom that she had from age four to almost five.

Then she left the bathroom and walked back to Julia's office. In Julia's office, she sat quietly on the couch and cuddled with her stuffed bunny from her bag. Hours later, Julia said that she was ready to go home to which Lacey just nodded her head. Once Julia arrived at her house and open the front door she walked in while a scared and nervous Lacey preferred to walk behind her.

"Joel! Sydney!" Julia yelled.

"Hi Jules dinner is on the table." Joel called from the kitchen.

"Hi mommy" nine year old, Sydney said running to hug her mom.

"Hi sweetheart." Julia replied

"Mommy, who is that girl behind you?" Sydney asked.

"Syd, this is Lacey. Why don't you take her into the living room and get to know her while I talk to your daddy?" Julia suggested.

"Ok, come on Lacey, follow me." Sydney told Lacey and Lacey followed Sydney.

Julia walked into the kitchen as Joel asked, " Julia, who is that girl with our daughter?"

"Her name is Lacey. I saw her yesterday when I was dropping Sydney off at school. Then Sydney noticed her in the alley across the street from our house this morning. And when I was going to work this morning she ran in front of me. She doesn't have anywhere to go. She hardly ever talks, so she writes down what she wants to say. Her parents died when she was two and she has had a horrible life in the foster system. She wrote down that the foster system sucks. Joel, I can't send her back. I was thinking we could adopt her. We can go tomorrow and start the adoption process." Julia explained

"I think that is a wonderful idea, Jules. You are so nice." Joel replied

"Sydney, Lacey, dinner." Julia called to her daughter and soon to be daughter, who she had already fallen in love with.

"So Lacey, how old are you? And have you ever been to school? " Joel asked

Lacey didn't yet feel comfortable talking to either Joel or Sydney so she wrote down, I'm 10 years old and no I have never been to school. Bye the time I reached school age I had the bad foster parents and they told me I was too stupid to go to school, because I didn't talk. Once she was down writing she handed the note to Joel.