Fic: Comes Out of Darkness, Morn (13/37)
Mar. 20th, 2012 07:13 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
sara_wolfTitle: Comes Out of Darkness, Morn
Rating: PG
Warnings: none
Summary: Pax's disappearance shattered Paige. Losing Prue, three years later, reopens old wounds that she thought she'd managed to close off, forever. But, through tragedy comes a sliver of light, and discovering that she's a witch is only the beginning...
*****
Leo knew that his announcement wasn't going to go over well. Calling it a disaster would have been too kind. But, he hadn't expected the absolute betrayal shining from Piper's eyes as she glared wordlessly at him over a sink full of dishes.
"Piper-" he tried, but his wife ignored him, breathing slowly in an effort to control her temper as she dried her hands on the towel that she'd snatched off the counter. Then, just as slowly, she stalked past him and out of the kitchen, heading for the staircase.
Phoebe shot him a dark glower as she ran after her sister, calling to her as she ran up the stairs. Cole just sighed, clapping a hand on Leo's shoulder.
"Hey," he said, with a shrug, "if they can forgive me for trying to kill them, they'll forgive you for this."
"You've never seen Piper hold a grudge, have you?" Leo asked, rhetorically, orbing up to the attic, knowing that it was where Piper was headed.
Cole shimmered in behind him a second later, and they found Piper and Phoebe standing in front of the Book, Piper glaring at the Book like it was the source of all her misfortune in the world.
"Your destiny still awaits, she says," she was ranting, furiously. "There's a reason for everything, she says. Well, it's time to summon her transparent butt back here and find out what that reason is."
'Summon who?' Leo thought, but then Piper finished the last line of the summoning spell, and Penny appeared in the circle of candles. 'Ah. I should have figured.'
From the look on her face, Penny had to have known that something was up. But, to her credit, she barely blinked to see her furious granddaughters staring her down, their arms crossed over their chests.
"Hello, my darlings," she said, and what sounded like a growl came out of Piper's throat.
"Don't give us that," she snapped. "Grams, who the hell is Paige Matthews?"
"I – I don't know what you're talking about," Penny stammered, evasively, her eyes darting around the attic.
"You know what, Grams?" Phoebe chimed in, "you were a lousy liar when you were alive, and as a ghost, you're worse." Softening, she added, "If you know anything about our sis-" she cut herself off with an effort, "about this girl, you need to tell us."
"I can't," Penny said, regretfully, and Piper huffed out an impatient breath.
"Why not?" she demanded.
"Because I was sworn to secrecy," came the reluctant answer.
"By who?" Phoebe asked, and there was a shimmer of light next to Penny.
"By me," a spectral voice said, softly, and Patty's ethereal form materialized next to her mother's. "By me."
"Mom?" Piper and Phoebe demanded, in unison, staring incredulously from the ghosts, to Leo, and back.
"Hello, darlings," Patty said, a gentle smile on her face. Sharing a look with Penny, she said, "I suppose it's time that we came clean."
"More than time," Piper interjected, coolly. Glaring at her mother and grandmother, she exploded, "How could you keep this from us for all this time? How could you just lie to us for all these years?"
"We were trying to protect you," Patty explained. "Protect you, and protect Paige."
"Protect us from what?" Phoebe asked.
"Sam and I-" Patty started, and Cole leaned over to Leo.
"Who's Sam?" he hissed, quietly.
"Patty's Whitelighter," Leo replied, just as softly, but Piper still heard him, judging by the irritated look she flashed him.
"What we had was forbidden," Patty went on, as if Cole had never spoken. "Unthinkable, even. We were afraid that if the Elders found out, that there would be reprisals. That you girls would be denied your powers, your birthright."
"And it was to protect Paige, as well," Penny added, solemnly. "If the Elders were to find out about her, Patty and Sam would have faced consequences, but Paige-"
"The Elders would have taken her away from your family," Leo spoke up. "She would have been kept contained somewhere in complete isolation, would have been studied, dissected – she never would have been able to live any kind of normal life. Any kind of life at all, actually."
"That's horrible," Phoebe gasped, and Piper looked green.
"Even demons aren't that barbaric," Cole muttered. Leo found it hard to disagree with him.
"Wait a minute," Piper demanded, holding up a hand to get their attention. "If it's so dangerous for this girl – for Paige – to exist, so dangerous that we couldn't even know about her, then why tell us now? Why keep this a secret for all these years, only to break your silence, now?"
"Because Prue's death changes things," Leo said, quietly. "Without her, the Power of Three is broken. But, if Paige-"
"She's a witch," Patty interjected, smoothly, when Leo faltered. "And being my daughter, your sister, means that she has the power to complete the Charmed Ones, to make you whole, again."
A stormy look crossed Piper's face as she glared at her mother.
"We were whole when Prue was alive," she said, the words forced out of her throat with an effort. "Now she's dead, and so is the Power of Three."
"We can't just leave Paige to Shax-" Phoebe started, but she was cut off by the sound of footsteps behind them.
They turned around, Leo groaning in dismay at the sight of Darryl and Inspector Cortez standing in the doorway. Cortez was staring at the ghosts in openmouthed shock, his gun wavering between the living and the dead occupants of the attic.
"Oh, my God," he breathed. "I knew it. I knew you were hiding something."
"Well, congratulations," Penny said, dryly, rolling her eyes. "You caught us. What are you going to do, shoot us?"
"Easy, Grams," Phoebe snapped. "Not all of us are dead, remember?"
"All my life," Cortez ranted, "I knew that evil magic existed." When Cole took a step toward him, he swiveled and pointed the gun at his chest. "Don't move," he ordered, brusquely. "I'll shoot."
"So will I," Cole growled, but Phoebe put a restraining hand on his arm.
"Darryl, do something," she pleaded, softly, but Darryl shook his head, frustration written in every line of his face.
"I can't," he said, angrily. "He's got a search warrant."
"And I've more than found what I was looking for," Cortez said, sounding satisfied with himself. "Including the truth about the two murders that happened, here."
"Wait a minute," Piper said, incredulously. "Are you accusing us?"
"I've only begun to accuse you, lady," Cortez snapped, taking a step forward, but then he crumpled in a heap on the floor, Darryl standing behind him with his gun raised. He'd struck Cortez over the head, and he looked sick as he knelt down next to the fallen cop and rolled him gently onto his back.
"You've been through enough, today," Darryl said, quietly.
"Thanks," Phoebe said, gratefully. Looking around, she asked the others in the attic, "Um, what are we going to do with him?"
"Memory dust," Piper said, immediately, but Leo shook his head.
"I used the last of my supply earlier this evening," he said apologetically. "Paige ran into a bit of an exposure problem, and I had to take care of it." When Piper shot him a look, he added, "She's my charge; she's mine to protect. Just like you and Phoebe."
"Oh, just write a spell," Penny said, with a dismissive wave. At the shocked looks she received, she added, "Well, there's more than enough magic in this room to send him somewhere. Just start rhyming."
"Mother," Patty admonished, softly, but Penny ignored her.
"Take him back, take him away. Remove him now, don't let him stay-" She trailed off, gesturing at Phoebe to take up her thread.
"Um," Phoebe stammered. "We call the spirits to help undo," she said, "and send him off to – Timbuktu."
Bright, white lights surrounded Cortez's body, and when the light cleared, he was gone. There was a moment of absolute silence, broken by Darryl's near-hysterical exclamation.
"Timbuktu? You sent him to Timbuktu?"
Continued here
Rating: PG
Warnings: none
Summary: Pax's disappearance shattered Paige. Losing Prue, three years later, reopens old wounds that she thought she'd managed to close off, forever. But, through tragedy comes a sliver of light, and discovering that she's a witch is only the beginning...
*****
Leo knew that his announcement wasn't going to go over well. Calling it a disaster would have been too kind. But, he hadn't expected the absolute betrayal shining from Piper's eyes as she glared wordlessly at him over a sink full of dishes.
"Piper-" he tried, but his wife ignored him, breathing slowly in an effort to control her temper as she dried her hands on the towel that she'd snatched off the counter. Then, just as slowly, she stalked past him and out of the kitchen, heading for the staircase.
Phoebe shot him a dark glower as she ran after her sister, calling to her as she ran up the stairs. Cole just sighed, clapping a hand on Leo's shoulder.
"Hey," he said, with a shrug, "if they can forgive me for trying to kill them, they'll forgive you for this."
"You've never seen Piper hold a grudge, have you?" Leo asked, rhetorically, orbing up to the attic, knowing that it was where Piper was headed.
Cole shimmered in behind him a second later, and they found Piper and Phoebe standing in front of the Book, Piper glaring at the Book like it was the source of all her misfortune in the world.
"Your destiny still awaits, she says," she was ranting, furiously. "There's a reason for everything, she says. Well, it's time to summon her transparent butt back here and find out what that reason is."
'Summon who?' Leo thought, but then Piper finished the last line of the summoning spell, and Penny appeared in the circle of candles. 'Ah. I should have figured.'
From the look on her face, Penny had to have known that something was up. But, to her credit, she barely blinked to see her furious granddaughters staring her down, their arms crossed over their chests.
"Hello, my darlings," she said, and what sounded like a growl came out of Piper's throat.
"Don't give us that," she snapped. "Grams, who the hell is Paige Matthews?"
"I – I don't know what you're talking about," Penny stammered, evasively, her eyes darting around the attic.
"You know what, Grams?" Phoebe chimed in, "you were a lousy liar when you were alive, and as a ghost, you're worse." Softening, she added, "If you know anything about our sis-" she cut herself off with an effort, "about this girl, you need to tell us."
"I can't," Penny said, regretfully, and Piper huffed out an impatient breath.
"Why not?" she demanded.
"Because I was sworn to secrecy," came the reluctant answer.
"By who?" Phoebe asked, and there was a shimmer of light next to Penny.
"By me," a spectral voice said, softly, and Patty's ethereal form materialized next to her mother's. "By me."
"Mom?" Piper and Phoebe demanded, in unison, staring incredulously from the ghosts, to Leo, and back.
"Hello, darlings," Patty said, a gentle smile on her face. Sharing a look with Penny, she said, "I suppose it's time that we came clean."
"More than time," Piper interjected, coolly. Glaring at her mother and grandmother, she exploded, "How could you keep this from us for all this time? How could you just lie to us for all these years?"
"We were trying to protect you," Patty explained. "Protect you, and protect Paige."
"Protect us from what?" Phoebe asked.
"Sam and I-" Patty started, and Cole leaned over to Leo.
"Who's Sam?" he hissed, quietly.
"Patty's Whitelighter," Leo replied, just as softly, but Piper still heard him, judging by the irritated look she flashed him.
"What we had was forbidden," Patty went on, as if Cole had never spoken. "Unthinkable, even. We were afraid that if the Elders found out, that there would be reprisals. That you girls would be denied your powers, your birthright."
"And it was to protect Paige, as well," Penny added, solemnly. "If the Elders were to find out about her, Patty and Sam would have faced consequences, but Paige-"
"The Elders would have taken her away from your family," Leo spoke up. "She would have been kept contained somewhere in complete isolation, would have been studied, dissected – she never would have been able to live any kind of normal life. Any kind of life at all, actually."
"That's horrible," Phoebe gasped, and Piper looked green.
"Even demons aren't that barbaric," Cole muttered. Leo found it hard to disagree with him.
"Wait a minute," Piper demanded, holding up a hand to get their attention. "If it's so dangerous for this girl – for Paige – to exist, so dangerous that we couldn't even know about her, then why tell us now? Why keep this a secret for all these years, only to break your silence, now?"
"Because Prue's death changes things," Leo said, quietly. "Without her, the Power of Three is broken. But, if Paige-"
"She's a witch," Patty interjected, smoothly, when Leo faltered. "And being my daughter, your sister, means that she has the power to complete the Charmed Ones, to make you whole, again."
A stormy look crossed Piper's face as she glared at her mother.
"We were whole when Prue was alive," she said, the words forced out of her throat with an effort. "Now she's dead, and so is the Power of Three."
"We can't just leave Paige to Shax-" Phoebe started, but she was cut off by the sound of footsteps behind them.
They turned around, Leo groaning in dismay at the sight of Darryl and Inspector Cortez standing in the doorway. Cortez was staring at the ghosts in openmouthed shock, his gun wavering between the living and the dead occupants of the attic.
"Oh, my God," he breathed. "I knew it. I knew you were hiding something."
"Well, congratulations," Penny said, dryly, rolling her eyes. "You caught us. What are you going to do, shoot us?"
"Easy, Grams," Phoebe snapped. "Not all of us are dead, remember?"
"All my life," Cortez ranted, "I knew that evil magic existed." When Cole took a step toward him, he swiveled and pointed the gun at his chest. "Don't move," he ordered, brusquely. "I'll shoot."
"So will I," Cole growled, but Phoebe put a restraining hand on his arm.
"Darryl, do something," she pleaded, softly, but Darryl shook his head, frustration written in every line of his face.
"I can't," he said, angrily. "He's got a search warrant."
"And I've more than found what I was looking for," Cortez said, sounding satisfied with himself. "Including the truth about the two murders that happened, here."
"Wait a minute," Piper said, incredulously. "Are you accusing us?"
"I've only begun to accuse you, lady," Cortez snapped, taking a step forward, but then he crumpled in a heap on the floor, Darryl standing behind him with his gun raised. He'd struck Cortez over the head, and he looked sick as he knelt down next to the fallen cop and rolled him gently onto his back.
"You've been through enough, today," Darryl said, quietly.
"Thanks," Phoebe said, gratefully. Looking around, she asked the others in the attic, "Um, what are we going to do with him?"
"Memory dust," Piper said, immediately, but Leo shook his head.
"I used the last of my supply earlier this evening," he said apologetically. "Paige ran into a bit of an exposure problem, and I had to take care of it." When Piper shot him a look, he added, "She's my charge; she's mine to protect. Just like you and Phoebe."
"Oh, just write a spell," Penny said, with a dismissive wave. At the shocked looks she received, she added, "Well, there's more than enough magic in this room to send him somewhere. Just start rhyming."
"Mother," Patty admonished, softly, but Penny ignored her.
"Take him back, take him away. Remove him now, don't let him stay-" She trailed off, gesturing at Phoebe to take up her thread.
"Um," Phoebe stammered. "We call the spirits to help undo," she said, "and send him off to – Timbuktu."
Bright, white lights surrounded Cortez's body, and when the light cleared, he was gone. There was a moment of absolute silence, broken by Darryl's near-hysterical exclamation.
"Timbuktu? You sent him to Timbuktu?"
Continued here
