Episode #421 "Thursday's Child"

Erica's been teaching her class about fairy tales, and they've been writing their own, so when Natalie shows up at the bookstore to return a fairy tale book that Erica has loaned her, Hilton asks to hear one that she wrote. Natalie's story is about an enchanted doll lost in a dark, scary forest who searches unsuccessfully to find a home. Hilton thinks the story is pretty grim for a twelve-year-old to have written. Griffin says he prefers the "happily ever after" kind of fairy tale. But Natalie, a foster child, announces that her foster family has given her up and she's moving again and leaving her school. Griffin says maybe things will work out okay, and she replies that she's sure they'll all live happily ever after. Natalie stops by the Lucases to see Erica and learns that Griffin was also a foster child that Hilton and Ruth took in. She's surprised that this was his only foster home. She's had five homes, and she thinks that one family gave her up when she accidentally killed their goldfish. Natalie's now going to a group home, because a family couldn't be found for her. Griffin tells her that he knows, because he grew up in the Lucas home, that some fairy tales can have a happy ending. Erica's teaching her class about symbolism in fairy tales. Erica stays after class and tells her she saw the group home last night. Erica says if there's anything at all she can do, just let her know. Natalie asks if she can live with Erica. That evening Erica tells Darien that she feels it's necessary to at least ask her parents if Natalie could live there. She doesn't succeed in convincing Ruth and Hilton, but the next day she and Griffin pay a visit to Ms. Summers, Natalie's harried caseworker, who agrees to treat Natalie as a special case and try to keep her out of the group home. The following day Griffin and Erica sit with Natalie after class. She will be going to a new family instead of the group home. Griffin tells Natalie to give them a call if there's anything she needs or if she just wants to talk and gives her the phone number. She gives her doll to Erica and asks her to give it a good home. Erica says she'll keep it until Natalie begins to feel at home with her new family. A few days later Erica gets a letter from Natalie describing her new family. She sounds happy, so Hilton tells Erica to send her the doll; it's been staring at him.