Fic: Comes Out of Darkness, Morn (5/37)
Mar. 20th, 2012 09:25 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...
*****
After Prue had left, Paige couldn't face the thought of going back into the house. She didn't want to rattle around the empty house with only Nick, and his increasingly hostile attitude, for company. So, she closed her eyes and thought of being somewhere else, somewhere where no one would find her, or be able to disturb her.
There was a moment of weightlessness, and when she opened her eyes again, she was somewhere completely different.
Paige allowed herself a small smile of triumph. It had been only a few weeks since she'd discovered that she could do the same disappearing trick that Pax had been capable of, and she'd only used the ability, herself, less than half a dozen times. Henry had started calling the power orbing, from the way she seemed to disintegrate into bright, white balls of light when she traveled. When she'd protested, he'd told her that it was at least accurate, and that calling it teleporting, or something similar, made it sound like she'd just stepped off the Starship Enterprise.
'Like I'm actually going to be talking to anyone, to be able to actually name this thing,' she thought, wryly.
Paige walked for a little bit through the copse of trees that she'd orbed into, and she felt a pang in her heart when she realized that she was in the forest bordering the Children's Playground – the last place she'd seen her daughter.
Paige closed her eyes against the wave of grief that threatened to swamp her, struggling to regain control of her wild emotions. When she finally opened her eyes, she found herself staring at a little girl with dark hair and brilliant green eyes.
"Pax," she whispered, stunned.
She took a slow step forward, as if in a dream, and then a group of chattering women moved between her and Pax, blocking her view of her daughter. Paige was jolted out of the reverie she'd fallen into, and she pushed past the women to where she'd seen Pax standing.
Her little girl was gone, again.
"Pax!" she screamed, sprinting forward and pushing her way through the crowd of parents and kids that filled the playground. A distant sense of déjà vu hit her as she ran, reminding her of the first time she'd lost her daughter.
'Not again,' she vowed, silently. 'I'm not going to lose her, again.'
She looked wildly around, catching a glimpse of dark hair moving away from her, and she ran in that direction.
"Pax!" she yelled, again.
The little girl was still moving ahead of her, and now there was a tall black man wearing white holding onto her, hurrying her along. He swung Pax up onto his hip when she didn't move fast enough, and Pax looked back at her, green eyes meeting hazel. Her entire world froze for a single heartbeat.
"Mama!" Pax cried, her voice carrying across the expanse between them.
"Pax!" Paige screamed, desperately. "Someone stop that man! He's got my daughter!"
She could see people reacting to her words, and the fear in her voice. Some of the people around her even moved to stop the man holding Pax. But, they didn't get more than a few feet near the man before they turned away, seeming to not even see the kidnapping taking place right under their noses.
"Pax!" Paige yelled, as she pushed her way through the crowds, not caring who she elbowed out of her way.
Pax cried out for her, again, her arms stretching for Paige over the man's shoulders. Paige doubled her efforts to get to her daughter, but for a moment, she lost sight of Pax and her abductor in the crowd. And when she could see, again, they were gone.
"No," she growled, furiously, looking around. "Not again; please not again."
She kept running, but her daughter, and the man who'd taken her, had disappeared. They were nowhere to be found, and none of the people she'd talked to had seen anyone who looked like either of them.
Desperate, Paige ducked into the first secluded spot that she could find, concentrating on the police station on the other side of town. It was further than she'd ever gone, but she didn't think about that; she just thought about Henry, and the overwhelming urge to see him right that second.
She was lucky; she orbed into an office that Henry told her had been standing empty for a while, now, and it looked like no one had filled it, yet. She snuck out into the hallway, going to the bullpen where Henry's desk was. He looked up from his work as she neared the area, as though he could sense her standing there, and when she nodded back toward the hallway, he stood up and joined her.
"I saw her, Henry," she said, urgently, when he reached her side. "I saw Pax."
"Let's go back here," Henry said, softly, leading her back to the same empty office that she'd first orbed into. "All right, say that again."
"I saw Pax," Paige repeated, forcing herself to calm down. "Henry, I saw her in the park; she was there, I swear it."
"I believe you," Henry told her, quietly, and it felt like a giant weight had been lifted off her chest.
"Someone took her away from me, again," Paige told him, feeling tears spring to her eyes. "Henry, I lost her, again."
"Not for long," Henry vowed. "Paige, I swear, I'm going to help you find her. No matter what it takes."
"I'm afraid I can't let you do that," a new voice said, from behind them.
Paige whirled around, her eyes narrowing when she saw the tall black man standing in the middle of the room.
"You," she growled, practically shaking with fury. "You took my daughter, you son of a bitch!"
She howled in rage as she lunged at the man, but he simply held out a hand, an invisible force slamming into her and knocking her backward. Only Henry's quick reflexes as he wrapped his arms around her kept her from falling to the floor.
"Where is she?" Paige demanded, her voice hoarse. "Where the hell is my little girl?"
"Somewhere you can never follow," the man told her, gravely. "I'm sorry, but you're never going to see your daughter, again. It's for the Greater Good."
"What are you talking about?" Henry snapped, when Paige couldn't find her voice. "Give me one good reason that I shouldn't arrest you and throw you into a jail cell for the rest of your life."
"I'm afraid that I can't let you do that," the man repeated, his voice maddeningly quiet.
"Give me back my daughter," Paige snarled, feeling a cold rage rise up within her. There was a buzzing underneath her skin, and she felt like something was threatening to explode inside her.
"She is a necessary sacrifice," the man told her.
Then, before either Paige or Henry could do anything, the man held his hand out in front of him, and the world disappeared in front of her eyes…
Paige blinked in confusion, looking at Henry, who looked just as baffled as she was.
"What are you doing here?" Henry asked, and Paige snorted in disbelief, smacking him lightly on the shoulder.
"Gee, thanks," she retorted, "it's great to see you, too."
Then, she noticed Henry flinching away from her at the same time that she saw flashes of light on her hands. She stared, wonderingly, at the tiny lightning bolts that played over the surface of her skin, sparking brightly in the semi-dark room.
"You shocked me," Henry was saying, and then his voice trailed off in stunned amazement as he caught sight of her hands. "Um, that's new."
"You're telling me," Paige replied, faintly.
She stretched her hand out, and Henry took a big step backwards, holding his hands up as if to ward her off.
"Keep those hands to yourself, lady," he told her, and Paige shot him an exasperated look.
"I don't know how I'm doing it!" she protested, but Henry shook his head.
"Don't care," he told her, succinctly. "I don't want you touching me until you've stopped glowing like a Christmas tree."
"I'm not glowing," Paige muttered, under her breath, unconsciously crossing her arms across her chest and then wincing when she shocked herself.
"So, since you're here," Henry said, fighting to hide a smirk at the way she'd just inadvertently electrocuted herself, "do you want to go out to lunch? Once you've stopped sparking, I mean?"
"Very funny," Paige retorted. "I wish I could remember why I came to see you," she added, a moment later. "I feel like I'm forgetting something big."
"Yeah," Henry replied. "I know what you mean."
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...
*****
After Prue had left, Paige couldn't face the thought of going back into the house. She didn't want to rattle around the empty house with only Nick, and his increasingly hostile attitude, for company. So, she closed her eyes and thought of being somewhere else, somewhere where no one would find her, or be able to disturb her.
There was a moment of weightlessness, and when she opened her eyes again, she was somewhere completely different.
Paige allowed herself a small smile of triumph. It had been only a few weeks since she'd discovered that she could do the same disappearing trick that Pax had been capable of, and she'd only used the ability, herself, less than half a dozen times. Henry had started calling the power orbing, from the way she seemed to disintegrate into bright, white balls of light when she traveled. When she'd protested, he'd told her that it was at least accurate, and that calling it teleporting, or something similar, made it sound like she'd just stepped off the Starship Enterprise.
'Like I'm actually going to be talking to anyone, to be able to actually name this thing,' she thought, wryly.
Paige walked for a little bit through the copse of trees that she'd orbed into, and she felt a pang in her heart when she realized that she was in the forest bordering the Children's Playground – the last place she'd seen her daughter.
Paige closed her eyes against the wave of grief that threatened to swamp her, struggling to regain control of her wild emotions. When she finally opened her eyes, she found herself staring at a little girl with dark hair and brilliant green eyes.
"Pax," she whispered, stunned.
She took a slow step forward, as if in a dream, and then a group of chattering women moved between her and Pax, blocking her view of her daughter. Paige was jolted out of the reverie she'd fallen into, and she pushed past the women to where she'd seen Pax standing.
Her little girl was gone, again.
"Pax!" she screamed, sprinting forward and pushing her way through the crowd of parents and kids that filled the playground. A distant sense of déjà vu hit her as she ran, reminding her of the first time she'd lost her daughter.
'Not again,' she vowed, silently. 'I'm not going to lose her, again.'
She looked wildly around, catching a glimpse of dark hair moving away from her, and she ran in that direction.
"Pax!" she yelled, again.
The little girl was still moving ahead of her, and now there was a tall black man wearing white holding onto her, hurrying her along. He swung Pax up onto his hip when she didn't move fast enough, and Pax looked back at her, green eyes meeting hazel. Her entire world froze for a single heartbeat.
"Mama!" Pax cried, her voice carrying across the expanse between them.
"Pax!" Paige screamed, desperately. "Someone stop that man! He's got my daughter!"
She could see people reacting to her words, and the fear in her voice. Some of the people around her even moved to stop the man holding Pax. But, they didn't get more than a few feet near the man before they turned away, seeming to not even see the kidnapping taking place right under their noses.
"Pax!" Paige yelled, as she pushed her way through the crowds, not caring who she elbowed out of her way.
Pax cried out for her, again, her arms stretching for Paige over the man's shoulders. Paige doubled her efforts to get to her daughter, but for a moment, she lost sight of Pax and her abductor in the crowd. And when she could see, again, they were gone.
"No," she growled, furiously, looking around. "Not again; please not again."
She kept running, but her daughter, and the man who'd taken her, had disappeared. They were nowhere to be found, and none of the people she'd talked to had seen anyone who looked like either of them.
Desperate, Paige ducked into the first secluded spot that she could find, concentrating on the police station on the other side of town. It was further than she'd ever gone, but she didn't think about that; she just thought about Henry, and the overwhelming urge to see him right that second.
She was lucky; she orbed into an office that Henry told her had been standing empty for a while, now, and it looked like no one had filled it, yet. She snuck out into the hallway, going to the bullpen where Henry's desk was. He looked up from his work as she neared the area, as though he could sense her standing there, and when she nodded back toward the hallway, he stood up and joined her.
"I saw her, Henry," she said, urgently, when he reached her side. "I saw Pax."
"Let's go back here," Henry said, softly, leading her back to the same empty office that she'd first orbed into. "All right, say that again."
"I saw Pax," Paige repeated, forcing herself to calm down. "Henry, I saw her in the park; she was there, I swear it."
"I believe you," Henry told her, quietly, and it felt like a giant weight had been lifted off her chest.
"Someone took her away from me, again," Paige told him, feeling tears spring to her eyes. "Henry, I lost her, again."
"Not for long," Henry vowed. "Paige, I swear, I'm going to help you find her. No matter what it takes."
"I'm afraid I can't let you do that," a new voice said, from behind them.
Paige whirled around, her eyes narrowing when she saw the tall black man standing in the middle of the room.
"You," she growled, practically shaking with fury. "You took my daughter, you son of a bitch!"
She howled in rage as she lunged at the man, but he simply held out a hand, an invisible force slamming into her and knocking her backward. Only Henry's quick reflexes as he wrapped his arms around her kept her from falling to the floor.
"Where is she?" Paige demanded, her voice hoarse. "Where the hell is my little girl?"
"Somewhere you can never follow," the man told her, gravely. "I'm sorry, but you're never going to see your daughter, again. It's for the Greater Good."
"What are you talking about?" Henry snapped, when Paige couldn't find her voice. "Give me one good reason that I shouldn't arrest you and throw you into a jail cell for the rest of your life."
"I'm afraid that I can't let you do that," the man repeated, his voice maddeningly quiet.
"Give me back my daughter," Paige snarled, feeling a cold rage rise up within her. There was a buzzing underneath her skin, and she felt like something was threatening to explode inside her.
"She is a necessary sacrifice," the man told her.
Then, before either Paige or Henry could do anything, the man held his hand out in front of him, and the world disappeared in front of her eyes…
Paige blinked in confusion, looking at Henry, who looked just as baffled as she was.
"What are you doing here?" Henry asked, and Paige snorted in disbelief, smacking him lightly on the shoulder.
"Gee, thanks," she retorted, "it's great to see you, too."
Then, she noticed Henry flinching away from her at the same time that she saw flashes of light on her hands. She stared, wonderingly, at the tiny lightning bolts that played over the surface of her skin, sparking brightly in the semi-dark room.
"You shocked me," Henry was saying, and then his voice trailed off in stunned amazement as he caught sight of her hands. "Um, that's new."
"You're telling me," Paige replied, faintly.
She stretched her hand out, and Henry took a big step backwards, holding his hands up as if to ward her off.
"Keep those hands to yourself, lady," he told her, and Paige shot him an exasperated look.
"I don't know how I'm doing it!" she protested, but Henry shook his head.
"Don't care," he told her, succinctly. "I don't want you touching me until you've stopped glowing like a Christmas tree."
"I'm not glowing," Paige muttered, under her breath, unconsciously crossing her arms across her chest and then wincing when she shocked herself.
"So, since you're here," Henry said, fighting to hide a smirk at the way she'd just inadvertently electrocuted herself, "do you want to go out to lunch? Once you've stopped sparking, I mean?"
"Very funny," Paige retorted. "I wish I could remember why I came to see you," she added, a moment later. "I feel like I'm forgetting something big."
"Yeah," Henry replied. "I know what you mean."
Continued here
