the only exception

If Hayley was being honest with herself, she thought Phoebe hearing the news about her birth mother wanting to meet was going to cause the teen to fall into a backwards spiral. They'd come so far since she'd moved in with them, and the singer was terrified the teen was just going to revert back into herself.

    However, it seemed to be the exact opposite. Ever since the visit with Mrs. Murphy, Phoebe had only seemed to grow clingier- not that Hayley minded it.

    She hadn't left the house without Hayley or Taylor since, not even to hangout with her friends. It felt a bit discerning, but at the same time at least this meant she could keep an eye on the teen who was prone to a bit of spiraling.

    It also seemed to be what caused the switch to her exclusively calling them mom and dad- once again, something Hayley had expected the exact opposite of but didn't mind in the slightest.

    Honestly, all of her worry seemed to just be her reflecting, Phoebe didn't seem to be letting it bother her too much. It wasn't until the middle of the night on Thursday that Hayley really had a reason to worry.

    It was almost 2AM and both Hayley and Taylor were heavy with exhaustion as they tried to finish up wrapping the presents in the living room. They still had a couple days before Christmas, but Hayley was ready to get it over with and wanted to make sure everything was perfect.

    It felt like a new level of domesticity for her and Taylor, listening to music humming softly from the record player as they wrapped their child's gifts and topped it with ribbon and bows. Really, it was something so simple, yet, it had her feeling warmth spread throughout her body with each piece of tape she placed and every bow she had to move when Taylor put it in the wrong spot.

    That peaceful bliss was soon ended when they heard Phoebe's door open upstairs and quickly tried to gather up the unwrapped presents to shove them in whatever hiding spot they could find closest.

    Hayley listened to the footsteps, waiting for them to get closer, but instead heard another door close a second later.

    "Mom?" Phoebe's wavering voice called out, "Dad?"

    Hayley clocked the unease in the teens voice almost instantly, shoving the last present in a spot behind the couch before quickly turning towards the stairs, watching her slowly approach from the top of the stairs.

    "Pheebs? You alright, honey?" Hayley asked softly, face scrunched in concern as she met the teen at the bottom of the stairs.

    Phoebe nodded silently, leaninging into Hayley's welcoming embrace, the singer rubbing soothing circles on her back.

    "What's up, kid?" Taylor asked gingerly, staring at the top of Phoebe's head as she buried her face into Hayley's neck.

    "It's stupid, I'm sorry." Phoebe whispered, harsh cries escaping for a few seconds before she stiffened, visibly holding them back.

    "Let's go sit, yeah?" Hayley asked, lightly pushing back on the teen to lead her to the couch. Phoebe followed silently, curling into herself on the couch as they both sat down.

    "What's going on, kid?" Taylor asked after a moment, sitting on the arm of the couch behind her.

    "I'm sorry, it's so stupid." Phoebe whispered, "I just had a bad dream, and then I couldn't find you guys and I freaked out for a second."

    "We're here, don't worry." Hayley soothed, "T, can you go make some tea?"

    "Of course," Taylor replied instantly, knowing that's what Hayley always liked to have after she had a nightmare. He stood up, leaning down to press a quick kiss on Phoebe's head before exiting the room.