Piper walked cautiously along the road heading back to the manor, wondering if it was too soon to return. The birds were singing, enjoying the early morning sunshine, but Piper’s mood was far different.

She had spent the night on the floor of P3, not having anywhere else to go. Between her job, her kids and saving the world, she didn’t have a lot of time left to make friends. The only people she had to talk to were her sisters but they didn’t understand. She needed someone to talk to who wasn’t so involved.

Spending the night on a cold, beer stained floor was her idea of luxury but it had given her time to think. And cry. She had finally realised what her mess her life was and that she needed to fix it.

She didn’t really need to think about it. She knew everything Phoebe was telling her last night was right, but she was too stubborn and proud to admit it to anyone else. She had been neglecting her precious little girls. That thought made Piper hurt more than when Leo had died.

Kate and Poppy were the two most important people in her life now, and she couldn’t bear to think how she had acted, ignoring them and concentrating only on her won grief when all they needed was a hug from their mother. And reassurance that everything was going to be ok.

It wasn’t, of course, and she used to think lying to her kids, no matter whether it was for their own good or not was wrong, but now she felt that she owed it to them to be there to tell them what they wanted to hear.

She paused when she turned the corner. The manor was in sight, and she had a sudden twinge of guilt about running out last night and an overwhelming feeling that maybe she shouldn’t go back, not yet.

She sat down on a garden wall, staring down the street at the bright red house and wept. Holding her head in her hands, running her fingers through her messy, unwashed hair, the only thought that was in her mind was; what if they don’t want me back?

* * *

“Aunt Phoebe!” Poppy came running into her aunt’s bedroom and leapt up onto the bed.

Phoebe groaned and rolled over, turning to face the little girl.

“Where’s Mommy?” she asked seriously, obviously worried but not overly distressed, more curious.

Phoebe sat up and sighed, pulling her niece into a hug. “She had to go to work, honey. She didn’t want to wake you” she lied. “She’ll be back soon.”

Phoebe kissed her wispy, jet-black hair. Looking up she saw Kate standing at the door. She scowled at her aunt then ran down the corridor and slammed her door.

Poppy looked at the door too. “Is Katie sad?” Poppy asked, but didn’t wait for an answer. “Hey, can we have waffles for breakfast?”

Phoebe chuckled at the four year old and lifted her off the bed, swinging her legs over the side, putting on her slippers. “Sure. Why don’t you go and wake aunt Paige and I’ll go and see your sister, ok?”

Poppy raced out the room and down the hall. She heard Paige’s complaints when the hyperactive little girl attacked her in her bed and she smiled. She really had no idea of the full extent of what was going on. For that, Phoebe was thankful.

* * *

“Kate? Are you all right?” Phoebe pushed the door open slightly. Kate shuffled uncomfortably on the chair by her desk and didn’t speak. “Come one sweetie, talk to me.” Phoebe placed a hand on her shoulder but she shrugged it off. Stubborn, like her mother Phoebe thought with a sigh.

“Kate…” Phoebe prompted again.

Her oldest niece picked up a magazine and started flicking through the pages absently. “Leave me alone” she grunted. “Mom doesn’t care, why should you?”

Phoebe looked at her shocked. “How can you think that? You’re Mom loves you very much.”

“Oh yeah?” she replied, “where is she then?”

Phoebe opened her mouth to speak but she was interrupted harshly. Not that she knew what to say anyway, she wasn’t sure if anything could be said to make things right.

“Don’t even try” Kate said, “There’s no point. Mom made everything perfectly clear last night when she stormed out and left us.”

* * *

Piper climbed silently up the front steps of the house. She reached into her jacket pocket for her keys but stopped.

She couldn’t just breeze back inside like nothing had happened. She didn’t feel she had the right to just let herself in. Paige and Phoebe had every reason not to let her back.

She had stormed out in the middle of the night, leaving her kids with them. She knew deep down that that’s not why they would be so annoyed but she hadn’t exactly been easy to live with these past couple of months.

Piper lifted her and a poised it, ready to knock. She took a deep breath and tapped lightly on the stained glass window in the door.

She waited a moment then heard footsteps. She breathed a sigh of relief when she saw Paige’s figure come towards the door. She couldn’t face Phoebe right now.

“Piper!” Paige said in a hushed voice as she opened the door. “I was so worried.”

Piper nodded, noting her choice of words. I, not we. Only Paige, not Phoebe. Although Piper didn’t really expect it to be any different.

She walked slowly and shyly into the living room. “Listen” she began. “I’m sorry…”

Paige stopped her. “Don’t be, you were upset. It’s not like I’ve never run away from an argument before. You reacted like anyone else might’ve done.”

“Yeah, well, I don’t think Phoebe will see it like that.” Piper muttered under her breath. Paige didn’t appear to hear. Either that or she chose to ignore it.

“I’ll go and make you something to eat” she offered, and disappeared into the kitchen without waiting for an answer.

Poppy was asleep on the sofa. A cartoon blared out in the background and Piper reached over and switched it off with the remote that was lying on the table.

She knelt down at one end, by her daughter’s head and stroked her hair, simling. Poppy stirred but settled back down.

“I’m sorry” Piper said in a small voice. “I didn’t mean to leave you. I was just upset, you know.” She bent down and kissed the top of her head. “I love you.”

She paused for a moment and watched her baby sleep soundly, noticing how beautiful she really looked, lying there peacefully. She stood up and made her way to the stairs, preparing herself for what was no doubt coming.

Talking to her youngest daughter when she was fast asleep was one thing but facing her angry younger sister and her upset teenage daughter was another matter all together. She knew that facing Paige and Poppy would be the easy part, Kate and Phoebe would be the hardest.

Kate felt so betrayed, so alone. She needed her mother there and Piper ran away. She had every right to be upset and angry. And Phoebe, she was there before. Piper had put her and Prue through this all before. She swore to herself that she wouldn’t let it happened again but she could slowly feel the situation slip out of her hands and there was nothing she could do about it.