“Well, Miss Halliwell. Thank you for your time.” The young man shook Phoebe’s hand again as he stepped out through the door. “We will inform you of any developments and be in touch with your sister soon.” He paused. “I must prepare you for the worst. If things don’t improve soon, we will have to take Poppy into temporary custody.”

Phoebe didn’t say anything, just nodded. She was close to tears too. She watched him walk down the steps to his car, which was parked on the curb outside the front gate. She sighed as she watched him leave and closed the door.

Paige was standing in the dining room doorway. “What was that about?” she asked.

Phoebe jumped. “How long have u been standing there?”

“Long enough to know that something’s up” she replied. “I orbed out to try and find Kate but I got back in time to hear the words ‘social services’ so please don’t tell me it’s nothing.”

“Any luck?”

“No, I knew it was along shot. Don’t change the subject.”

“Oh god” Phoebe exclaimed, sitting down on the sofa. “I knew I’d have to tell you sooner or later.”

“Tell me what?” Paige asked, joining her older sister. “Phoebe, you’re worrying me”

* * *

Piper put her hand over her mouth and stepped back from the door in shock. This couldn’t be happening, not again. She had been through this all once before, she couldn’t cope with it a second time.

She leant in closer and heard Phoebe close the door. She knew she hadn’t been coping very well these last couple of months but she had never dreamed for one second that it would come to this.

She heard Paige’s voice. There was no way Phoebe could lie to her sister. She was going to tell her. She was cared of what Phoebe might say, scared of what Paige might think of her.

She sank down to the floor and sat against the wall, tears pricking the backs of her eyes. Where had it all gone wrong?

* * *

“So, a social worker’s had to be involved before?”

Phoebe nodded. “Piper had Kate when she was only 17. She was young, she couldn’t cope. She started going out late, not really wanting anything to do with her daughter. She was taking less and less responsibility for her child. It got worse and worse. When Kate as three, she just left. Prue was at work; I had gone out to the store to buy something for dinner. I got back home to find a police car outside the house. Kate was inside, crying her eyes out and Piper had disappeared.”

Paige leant forward and put her head in her hands. She couldn’t believe what she was hearing. And she couldn’t understand why her sisters had kept something this important a secret. “I can’t believe this,” she said. “It’s sounds so unlike her.”

Phoebe continued. “You have no idea how hard it was convincing the police she wasn’t an abandoned child. They took her to begin with. They thought Piper would come back and snatch her away or something. Fat chance of that, she didn’t want to know. We fought long and hard to get Kate back. Luckily we got her back 2 months later.”

Paige didn’t look convinced. “I used to be a social worker, I know how things like this work. There would be no way they would give her back to Piper so soon.”

Phoebe cringed and nodded. “They didn’t. Piper was still nowhere to be seen.”

“So what happened?”

“Social services agreed that Piper was the only one to blame. They agreed that me and Prue had had thought that Kate was in good hands. That Piper was a fit parent and that we, in no way, would do anything to harm the child.”

“And did you?”

“Piper was our sister. We gave her the benefit of the doubt. We knew she wasn’t the best parent in the world but we thought she loved her daughter enough to stick around.”

Paige looked as if she was about to say something then paused. “That guy said they’d have to take Poppy away. What about Kate? She’s still a minor, they could still take custody of her.”

“I know” Phoebe said. “The complaint was against Piper. Legally, Kate’s not her daughter.”

“What?” Paige looked shocked. “I don’t understand.”

“That’s why we got her back so quickly,” Phoebe admitted. “Prue agreed to take custody of her. She adopted our niece. It was the only way to keep her. There was no other family around to care for her.”

Paige stayed silent. Phoebe watched her younger sister as all this information sunk in. “I had no idea” Paige finally said. “I mean…”

Phoebe sighed. “I know. I couldn’t believe it either at the time.”

“So, If Piper doesn’t have custody, who does?”

“Me” Phoebe said simply. “I do. I didn’t want to take custody of her. Piper was back only a month after the whole ordeal. She was a changed person. I still don’t know what happened while she was gone but whatever it was, it seemed to work. By the time Prue died, she was back to her old self. She had married Leo and everything was the way it is now. But they still wouldn’t let her have her.”

“I bet you’re glad about it now though, I mean….”

“No!” Phoebe said, slightly annoyed. She made Paige jump. “They could still take Poppy.”

* * *

Piper had collapsed on the floor in floods of tears. Hearing Phoebe recite the whole sordid tale only reminded her of how badly she had acted. No, bad wasn’t the word. She had abandoned her baby. She had disappeared for 3 months without word to anyone. Even before that she had ignored her own child, put her in danger. There was no excuse for the way she had behaved.

She couldn’t bear to be parted from her kids again. Not now. She had already lost her husband and older sister; she couldn’t loose her daughters as well. There was only one way to stop it happening. She had to leave.

She hurried to stand up. She opened the door and crept along the landing to Poppy’s room and went inside quietly.

“Poppy” she whispered, her voice wavering. “Poppy wake up.”

The little girl sat up and rubbed her eyes. “Mommy, what..?”

“Come on sweetie, we have to go.”

“Go where?” she asked sleepily.

Piper paused. She honestly didn’t know. Just away.

“On vacation” she told her. “Right now. How does that sound?” Piper fought to hold back tears. She smiled at her daughter.

“What about Katie?” she asked.

Piper dropped her head and a tear fell to the carpet. “Just us. But don’t worry, we’ll see Kate soon.”

“But Mom…”

“Stop it Poppy!” Piper snapped, the softened. Kate would be fine. She was safe. She didn’t want to put her in danger if she didn’t need to, as much as it hurt her.

Leaving with Poppy wasn’t rational. It was stupid and dangerous and no good could possibly come of it. But Piper wasn’t thinking straight. In her mind, it was the only solution. She didn’t want to leave Kate. But the prospect of being parted with one child for a short time was far better than loosing another forever.