Unfinished

?11?

"Whatever," Mikey said, but despite his annoyed tone he still watched Piper with a guilty expression on his face.

Finn scowled at him, and turned his attention back to his friend.

"It's okay Piper, James is coming back with your mom soon," He told her, watching the water droplets from her hair roll down the back of James' coat.

For once, Deborah's strange habit of making sure her children always had coats nearby was coming in useful. It was colder this side of the forest, without jumping into a river and getting soaked to the skin.

They seemed to wait an eternity for Deborah and James, and the longer Piper was shivering against him the more worried Finn was getting.

"Piper?" He asked, to make sure she was still 'responsive' like the doctors on television do.

"Yes?"

"Why'd you jump in the river?"

"I—"

"She fell," Mikey interrupted, climbing to his feet and sidling over to them.

Piper scowled into Finn's shoulder, intent on being the "bigger person" and ignoring him like her mother always told her to do.

"We're here!" James came bursting through the trees, running at full pelt.

Deborah arrived a few moments behind him, and Jane behind her.

"What happened?" Piper's mom pulled her out of Finn's arms and into her own, patting her over and studying her.

Several moments behind everyone else, Jack arrived with an armful of towels.

"Everyone alive?" He called out.

Jane glared at him.

"Are you hurt? Did you take in a lot of water? Did you hit your head?" Deborah continued fussing over Piper, who was trying to wriggle away.

She was seven, for goodness sake. Her mother was treating her like she was still six! In front of her friends!

"Mooom!" Managing to free herself, Piper climbed to her feet and made a weak attempt at dusting herself off. "I'm fine!"

"Oh, okay... Good," Deborah paused, and smiled briefly. Then her expression changed. "What were you even thinking going all the way over here!"

"We—" Piper began, but James interrupted.

"There was a monster in the river!" He protested, but only succeeded in making her frown deepen.

"Don't be ridiculous! You're too old for that sort of game now, and look what's happened," Deborah snapped, gesturing around her.

"It's not a game!" Finn crossed his arms, still sitting on the grass, "There was a real monster: Piper just scared it off when she fell in."

"Can't argue with that logic," Jack shrugged.

Jane turned on him.

"That logic is the reason our children keep getting into trouble," She hissed, snatching one of the towels from his arms and thrusting it at Piper.

Deborah took it and draped it over her daughter's shoulders.

Mikey stayed uncharacteristically quiet throughout the whole exchange, focused on his hands tearing up clumps of grass.