A/N: I don't normally upload on a Saturday anymore but as there was no upload yesterday here you go.

Chapter Thirty-Six

Josephine Visits

Mildred was spending the day at Cackles that next Saturday as she wanted to leave the sisters in peace. Their nan was coming to visit for the first time and they were all very excited. The woman had not been well for months, which is why she had not been able to take the girls in, knowing Julie was not a witch and was not used to having people transfer into the flat the woman had the common sense to knock. Julie answered the door with a smile knowing who she was the second she saw her.

Her hair was long and grey and tied back in a long ponytail and she was dressed in purple robes, like most of the Hallows dressed. The woman looked so much like Ethel and Julie beamed.

"Mrs Hallow, please come in" Julie told her stepping aside to let the woman step in. The older woman smiled before speaking.

"Please call me Josephine" the woman said in the same southern accent all her granddaughters had, different to Mildred and Julie's northern ones.

"Okay then please call me Julie" the woman said and she was shocked when Josephine offered her her hand to shake, she had never seen a witch do that. Julie shook her hand and Josephine smiled and gripped it gently.

"Thank you for taking in my granddaughters" she told Julie and Julie smiled liking the woman already. She was not cold like her foster daughters mother, she honestly thought she would be.

"Of course they are lovely girls, come through" she told the woman leading her to the sitting room. The second she entered the room Esmie and Sybil jumped up and ran to hug her. Julie left them alone to go and get refreshments.

"GRAN" they both shouted as she hugged them both tightly. Ethel slowly made her way to her grandmother. The woman fussed over Ethel and Sybil and gushed over how big they were. Ethel was unable to run and waited until her sisters had pulled away before walking to her.

"Grandma" she said as she hugged her gently. They hugged for a while and when they pulled away and Josephine saw her granddaughter with a bump, heavily pregnant, her eyes filled with tears.

"Sorry, it is just so hard to see you like that sweetheart" Josephine said flicking her fingers making a tissue appear in her hands and wiping her eyes with it.

"It is okay, I am looking forward to having the baby now" Ethel told her and Josephine forced a smile. When she had found out Ethel had been raped it had honestly broken her heart, she loved the girl just as much as her sisters, it destroyed her.

"What your parents did to you…..I was disgusted...I am sorry I let you down sweetheart but I was to sick to look after you" Josephine told Ethel as she held her close, feeling guilty. When she found out Mr and Mrs Hallow had disowned Ethel as she had decided to keep the baby she knew she was done with them both.

"I know Grandma, please don't be upset" Ethel said not liking to see her grandmother upset over her.

"How are you feeling Gran?" Esmerelda asked trying to change the subject from the fact that her sister had been raped.

"Better darling, though I am sorry, I don't think I will be strong enough anytime soon to take you all in, a young baby is difficult to look after, I am afraid right now I don't have the strength" the woman told them feeling like she was letting them all down.

"Oh grandma, we know you have not being well, it is okay Julie and Mildred are looking after us well" Sybil told the elder Hallow sweetly.

"Mildred?" Josephine asked wearing a look of confusion.

"Julie's daughter, she goes to Cackles too, she is in my year" Ethel explained quickly. Josephine nodded and looked around and gasped when she caught sight of a framed photograph.

"Is that Mildred?" she asked and Esmerelda nodded "You are acting like you know her" Esmerelda said thinking her reaction was strange.

"I met that girl in the mists of time, she took Nightstar from me to give back to you Ethel, she told me she knew my granddaughter, it is strange how small the world is" Josephine told the three of them.

"Yes, she is at school today but maybe next time she can come to meet you too" Sybil said with a smile and Josephine nodded.

"Yes that would be nice" she said as she hugged her granddaughters. "How are things Ethel with the pregnancy?" Josephine asked wanting to make sure the girl was getting all the care she needed.

"It is okay Grandma, I am struggling with sleeping a bit now because the baby keeps sitting on my bladder but it has gone smoothly I suppose, I am nervous about the birth though" Ethel said looking at the floor slightly as she spoke. Josephine reached forward to take her hand.

"You will be just fine darling, when you first see your baby you will forget about everything, it is a magical moment, do you have any names in mind?" Josephine asked and Ethel sighed at that.

"What is wrong?" Josephine asked and it was Esmerelda who decided to be helpful and reply.

"Ethel has looked at hundreds of names, both boys and girls as she doesn't know the gender, and she doesn't like any of them" Esmerelda told the woman.

It was true. The last few weeks Ethel had been focusing more than ever on names for her child. Julie had brought her books of baby names and Mildred had shown her how to use the internet to search for names on there. Ethel had looked through every book and website she had found but she had not liked any of the names she had found and would not even consider it. Julie had joked the baby would be baby Hallow at this rate as they would have no name.

"It has to be perfect, none of the names I have found are perfect enough" Ethel replied. She would not just give her child any old name. It had to be classy, perfect, and beautiful, it had to be fit for a Hallow and it had to be one people would remember.

"Ethel is right a child's name is important" Josephine replied and Ethel smirked that her grandmother was on her side.

"But you will have to choose one Ethel, the baby will be here sooner than you know it" Josephine told her seriously now as she knew how indecisive Ethel was.

"I know grandma but it is just so hard to find one" Ethel told her and the woman nodded.

"It will come to you honey, something will click and you will think of the perfect name" Josephine told her. She wasn't surprised, Ethel was such a perfectionist when it came to everything, of course she would be choosing her child's name too.

"I hope so" Ethel said with a sigh.

"I took ages to name Mildred too, I couldn't decide either" Julie said overhearing their conversation, coming back into the room with the coffee. She handed one mug to Josephine and offered the girls juice which they took happily.

"How did you choose in the end?" Sybil asked as she sipped her orange.

"I came across the name Mildred in a magazine I was reading just after I had had her, as soon as I saw it I knew that was going to be her name, it just spoke to me" Julie replied telling her story.

"I hope that happens for me" Ethel said as she was starting to worry her child would be nameless too.

"It will do" her grandmother reassured her.

Josephine stayed for hours enjoying spending time with the girls. She had not seen them in over a year so she very much enjoyed spending precious time with them before the baby came, she got ready to leave around seven when Ethel went of to bed exhausted.

"That was lovely, thank you for inviting me over" Josephine told Julie as she stood up to leave the flat after she had said goodnight to her girls.

"My pleasure, the girls adore you, they were so happy to see you" Julie replied knowing how much each of them had been looking forward to seeing their grandmother.

"Thank you for looking after them, I can tell how happy they are here and how amazing the care they are receiving is, I hope you don't feel badly of me for not taking them in" Josephine said with a sigh.

"Of course not! You have not been well, you are welcome to visit anytime you wish" Julie told her not feeling bad at all.

"Yes….it might not happen often though...I am still plagued by this illness" Josephine told Julie with a sad smile, looking tired. Clearly the day had worn her out.

"Hopefully you recover soon" Julie told her as she opened the door for the woman to leave.

"I am not so sure about that" Josephine said with a small smile as she walked out the door and Julie thought maybe she was just seeing things but she could swear she saw a tear fall down the woman's face as she turned away from her to leave the flat.