Family

By Demoness Paige

Thanks everyone for your great reviews, glad you like my story. Please keep up the reviews and anyone who hasn't reviewed please do so as they help keep my spirits up and shows me that you really like this story. I'm also open to any ideas so please let me know.

Piper sighed as she finished putting away the dishes, worried about the girl who was asleep upstairs in the guest room. After calming the girl down after her break down Paige admitted to being exhausted though she refused to talk about anything else. She was underage though and while Piper wanted to call the police, maybe Andy, something was stopping her. Something bad must have happened to Paige and until Piper was sure what it was she was reluctant to send her back to a potentially harmful environment.

There was the problem with the constant demon and warlock attacks as Prue so delicately put it but what could they do? Surely Paige could keep a secret if they protected and helped her couldn't she? Then there was the fact that there was just something about the girl that seemed familiar and made Piper's heart go out to the poor girl.

"Piper, where are you?" Prue's voice called from the door.

"In here Prue, please keep it down though." Piper called waiting for Prue to get into the kitchen. "Paige is upstairs sleeping."

"Piper, we have a problem about the girl." Prue said with a worried expression.

"What's wrong?" Piper asked fear gripping her heart at the serious expression on her sister's face. What was wrong with Paige? Hopefully nothing really bad.

"It's not exactly anything that she did but I talked to Andy…Piper, Paige is wanted for questioning about some serious case in LA." Prue said handing Piper a folder from her bag. "Apparently Paige is one of several girls who reported to the school counselor about being abused. The woman didn't report it to anyone but kept in her files."

"Then how did anyone find out about it?" Piper asked in shock, she had a bad feeling that Paige was running from something horrible but Piper kept a prayer in her heart that she was wrong. No one should have to go through this.

"A girl was almost beat to death by her father and when the police investigated it they found several entries in her diary about reporting it to the counselor. When they checked her files out they found multiple cases of the counselor hiding this and protecting these monsters." Prue explained while rubbing her eyes.

"What kind of monster would do this?" Piper asked opening the folder and seeing pics of the condition that the girl Prue was talking about. It looked like she was still in a coma and the charges on the counselor alone took up about five pages for just the most serious charges while there was at least twice as many for the less serious ones. Then she noticed the names listed as Paige's adopted parents, Rebecca and Carlos Cunningham, the couple who died in that car crash that was on the news. That most have been what set Paige off and explained what she meant by being free.

"They are worse than any demon's I've even seen before Piper, I mean they are supposed to be protecting these kids, not hurting them like this." Prue said shaking her head.

"Prue, we can't send her back to foster care, what happens if she gets put in another bad home?" Piper asked shakily, her breath a little heavy as she fought off crying or blowing something up, preferably the people responsible for this.

"Piper, we can't exactly keep her around, what if something attacks us?" Prue sighed heavily, "Believe me, after seeing this I want to protect her to but…We can't Piper, I'm sure that she would get a good home if we send her back."

"Send who back?" Paige yawned walking into the kitchen, rubbing the sleep out of her eyes.

"DIE WITCH!" A voice snarled surprising the three. Piper didn't have a chance to react before the demon threw a lightning bolt toward Paige. Piper tried to scream out a warning as she flicked her hands out to freeze the room. Piper watched in astonishment as Paige disappeared in blue and white orbs and reappeared on the other side of the room while the demon froze.

"What the hell?" Prue gasped in shock as Piper turned to the demon flicking her hands again blowing it up.

"You did that?" Paige asked in shock staring at Piper.

"There's a good explanation." Piper said hoping Prue would say something.

"Y-You're a freak!" Paige said.

"Hey, Piper is not a freak!" Prue growled.

"Oh my god, I thought I was the only one!" Paige sobbed throwing herself in Piper's arms. "I thought I was the only f-freak!"

"Sweetie, you aren't a freak." Piper whispered in Paige's hair, her heart tearing at the pain in Paige's voice. "Neither of us are, we're special."

"I guess there isn't a problem with her staying for now." Prue said a little stunned, "Paige, honey, do you know what a white lighter is?"

"N-No." Paige said pulling away from Piper and looking up at Prue tearfully.

"A white lighter is like an angel honey." Prue said stroking Paige's hair, caressing her cheek, "They can do what you just did, orb."

"Orb?" Paige asked in confusion.

"Yeah, turn into lights and move somewhere else." Prue explained.

"That's what it is?" Paige asked nervously, "Does that mean…Does that mean I'm an angel?"

"You don't know, do you?" Piper asked, putting her hand on Paige's shoulder and squeezing softly in reassurance.

"N-No, is it why I'm a freak?" Paige asked.

"Honey, you aren't a freak." Piper said, kissing the top of Paige's head.

"Then what am I?" Paige asked, looking up nervously into Piper's eyes. "Everyone…Everyone of them told me I was before…Before…"

"You aren't a freak honey and no one here is going to hurt you." Piper said pulling the girl into her arms again as Paige's tears started anew.

"Promise?" Paige asked quietly though the pleading and pain could clearly be heard in that quiet voice.

"I promise." Piper whispered in the most sincerest and comforting voice she could muster, "I'll protect you, I'll adopt you and make sure nothing else will ever hurt you again."