A/N

Hello again,

Thanks for the reviews, and thanks to the guest that mentioned seeing Lucy and Piper form a bond. I really like that idea, and have tried to start showing that in this chapter. I wanted to use this chapter to get more of a glimpse into the Vause home life, and expose Piper to the tension between Robbie and Alex. The next chapter will be longer, and be based over a longer period of time.

Cheers.

Chapter 4 – the family

Piper slowly opened her eyes, the early morning sun was creeping though the small window in Alex's bedroom, she looked around the room and noticed that Alex was still fast asleep with her head on Piper's chest, an arm wrapped around Piper's midsection. Piper ran her eyes over Alex's perfect pale skin, and noticed how relaxed she looked. Piper was feeling stiff after lying in the same position for so long, but she really didn't want to wake the brunette.

She started to take in the room itself. There were piles of books on the floor, old CDs and records stacked next to a CD player, and a few pairs of sneakers and boots next to the door. Everything about the room was very Alex. Piper decided she had to stretch her body, and gently ran her fingers over Alex's face, slowly moving her shoulder to the side in an attempt to get up. Alex's body responded and automatically turned over to continue sleeping. Piper swung her legs over the edge of the bed to the floor, but before she could get up she noticed the bedroom door creak open, and Lucy's head poke around the corner. Lucy looked at Piper very carefully before closing the door and walking away. Piper got up and followed the young girl's footsteps into the lounge room. "Hey Lucy, what are you doing up so early?"

"I was just checking if Alex was awake," the young girl turned and noticed the bloody towel still on the coffee table, the one Diane had used to clean up Alex's face the night before. "Is Alex ok?" she asked in a small voice.

"Yeah she's fine," Piper wasn't sure how much detail she should offer about what really happened.

"Did she get into a fight? That happens a lot," Piper was a bit surprised by how open Lucy was being with her.

"Yeah, sort of. But I promise she's ok, she just had a few scratches, that's all."

"Ok, that's good. It's hard to not worry about her sometimes, she's been in a lot of fights, I don't like it." Piper wasn't sure how to respond to this statement, especially considering it came from the mouth of a ten year old. Before she could respond, Lucy spoke again.

"Why were you in Alex's bed?" curiosity lingered in the young girl's eyes.

"Oh, um, I just didn't want her to sleep alone after last night. I thought she could use some company."

"You were worried too weren't you?" Piper was surprised by this, a ten year old shouldn't be this consumed by worry. The kid was obviously switched on, and Piper didn't see any point in not being honest with her.

"I guess I was a little worried, I wanted to make sure she was ok, so I decided to stay in her room."

"That's good, I think Ally needs someone to look after her, mum can't be there all the time."

"Well I promise I'll look out for her," said Piper, and she really meant it.

"Do you think she's awake yet? Maybe we could all do something together today?"

Piper smiled at this suggestion. It was Saturday and she had no plans. "I think that sounds nice. Why don't we go check on her," Piper smiled as she walked with Lucy back towards Alex's bedroom. They slipped through the door quietly, Piper stayed standing near the doorway while Lucy walked up to the bed, still in her purple pyjamas, and gently sat next to Alex. Alex had turned over since they'd left the room before, now facing in Lucy's direction, giving Lucy full view of her split lip and a slight bruise under her right eye. Piper just watched the way that Lucy examined Alex's face, so much thought going on behind those eyes. Lucy leaned in close to Alex and started talking, "Ally, how are you feeling?" Alex slowly started to stir, eventually opening her eyes to look up at Lucy.

"Hey kid," she responded in a deeper than usual voice, trying to wake up, "I'm fine, just a bit of a rough night." Lucy continued to just look at Alex, studying her face, before embracing her big sister in a hug. Piper didn't say a word, just watching the scene unfold. Alex pulled back from the hug, "I don't need another lecture Luce, mum is already pissed at me."

"You said you'd promise to not fight with people anymore."

"I know," said Alex. A silence then fell over the room, which Piper wanted to fill, "So, Lucy asked if we could all hang out today, what do you think Al?" Piper said as she walked towards the bed.

"I think that sounds like a great idea, what should we do?" Alex smiled at Lucy, trying to lighten the mood.

"How about we bake some cookies and watch Frozen?"

"I think we can manage that," said Alex, still smiling. Piper loved watching the two sisters interact like this, it made her wish she had a sister. She got along with both her brothers, but it just wasn't the same as what she saw between Alex and Lucy. Alex slowly started to get up, now sitting on the edge of the bed, "do you need help?" asked Lucy, her previous smile giving way to worry again. "Nah I'm good kid. Why don't you go find your Frozen DVD and decide what type of cookies you wanna bake." Lucy smiled as she walked out of the room, brushing past Piper, who took the opportunity to sit next to Alex on the bed, "You too are so close, it's insanely adorable," said Piper as she smiled at Alex.

"Yeah, we're pretty close. I just feel like such an asshole when she looks at me like that. I know I need to stop getting myself into shitty situations but it's hard. I just see red sometimes and that's it, I can't stop myself. Then she looks at me like someone tried to kill me, even if it's just a scratch," Alex had a wry smile on her face as she spoke.

"She's just looking out for her big sister," said Piper, as she leaned in and kissed Alex on the lips. Her lips were so soft, and that kiss was so gentle, Piper just wanted to melt into it and forget about the rest of the world. Alex slowly pulled away from the kiss, and rested her forehead against Piper's. The two eventually got up, threw on some sweats and jumpers and went to find Lucy. Piper was wearing Alex's sweats, which were about an inch too long. They found Lucy sitting in the kitchen with Diane.

"Morning you two, how did you sleep?"

"Like a rock," replied Alex as she prepared coffee for the three adults.

"And you Piper?" asked Diane, knowing the two had squeezed into Alex's small bed.

"Yeah good, I just always wake up early. I hope you don't mind that I stayed over," said Piper, realising she was just making herself at home in Diane's apartment.

Diane smiled, "don't be silly, you're both adults, and Alex could use someone to keep her in line."

"Thanks for the vote of confidence ma,"

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The afternoon slowly went by, with the weather turning cold and wet. Robbie had gone to work in the morning, leaving the others at home. Diane was on the phone to her sister, while Piper, Alex and Lucy watched movies with Lucy. Eventually, around 4pm Lucy fell asleep with her head in Alex's lap on the couch, and her legs stretched across Piper's lap. They had baked a bunch of chocolate cookies, and were now absolutely stuffed. Piper was about to drift off to sleep when she heard the front door close, Robbie was home. He dropped his keys on the kitchen table and made his way into the apartment. He walked into the lounge and saw the girls on the couch, and fixed his eyes on Alex. "Where's your mother?"

"In your room," replied Alex without looking at him.

"I see the promises you make to your mother mean a whole lot, I heard about your little incident last night. By the looks of it, you didn't fair too well," Robbie was trying to make Alex feel weak, but she just kept ignoring him. "And great example you're setting for your sister there."

Piper could sense the tension in the room, but Alex still refused to respond. Piper knew she should stay out of it, but she couldn't help herself. "Actually, I'm the reason Alex got hurt last night, she stopped some creep from dragging me away. I'm really grateful for it, no one's ever put themselves on the line like that for me before." Piper searched Robbie's face for a reaction, but saw none. He just kept walking past them and went to find Diane. Before Piper could say anything, Lucy woke up.

"Finally! I thought you were gonna have me trapped here all night!"

"Don't be stupid Alex," said Lucy as she smiled. "Is Robbie home yet?"

"Yeah, he's with mum,"

"Cool, I'm gonna go say hi," and with that, Lucy made her way down the hall to Diane and Robbie's bedroom. Alex just sat there, but the pained look on her face did not escape Piper.

"Look, Alex, I know you don't want to talk about it, but what is going on with Robbie? Is there some issue between you guys?

Alex was tired of hiding it, but she wasn't ready to give Piper the gory details. "Look, lets just say he's not terribly fond of me. I'll tell you about it someday Piper, but not today. Please, can we just enjoy the rest of today without talking about him?"

Piper sighed, she knew there was no point pushing for more just yet, "Sure, ok."