Fic: My Heart Nearer to Thee (12/15)
May. 24th, 2012 05:48 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
sara_wolfTitle: My Heart Nearer to Thee
Rating: PG
Warnings: character death
Summary: When Phoebe's husband and son are abducted to a dangerous alternate universe, the sisters must travel across reality to save them.
*****
Josh looked up when he heard a hissing sound from nearby. For a second, he didn't see anyone, and then Paxton moved stealthily into the chamber where he was being held. There was a boy behind her, taller than her, with short, dark hair.
"You came back for me?" he asked, cautiously hopeful, and the girl nodded, a shy smile on her lips.
"Let's go," she hissed, grabbing Josh's free hand and pulling him to his feet.
"Wait," Josh said, confused. "Why are you helping me?"
"Because you deserve a chance to go home," Paxton told him. Then, her eyes dropped toward the ground and she muttered, softly, "And I want to see this better world of yours."
"You're going to love my family," Josh promised her, with a smile. "And they're going to love you, too."
"Oh, I'm going to be sick," the boy moaned, dramatically, and Josh shot him a wary look.
"Who's he?" he asked, cautiously.
"This is Hugo," Paxton told him. "Hugo, this is Josh – be nice," she scolded, when the boy just scowled. "Hey, you said that you'd help me. If you don't want to-"
"I said I'd help, didn't I?" Hugo asked, a grudging tone in his voice. He raked his eyes over Josh, quickly, still frowning. "I guess it'll work."
"Guess?" Paxton echoed, incredulously. "Hugo, he looks just like you. The two of you could be brothers!"
"I wouldn't go that far," Hugo muttered, under his breath. "Okay, so, give me a five-count, and then run like hell, got it?"
"Wait a minute," Josh interrupted, confused. "What are you talking about? What's going on?"
"Your guards took off," Hugo told him, "and that's how we were able to get in here. But, they won't stay gone, and they need to be if you're getting out of here. So, I'm going to draw them away from the entrance, give you two a chance to escape."
"But, what about you?" Josh asked, worried for the other boy's safety, even though he'd only met him a few seconds ago.
"Don't worry about him," Paxton replied, before Hugo could say anything. "Those demons aren't going to touch him, once they figure out he's not you. And, besides, he thinks this kind of thing is fun."
"Because it is fun," Hugo countered, and then he darted out of the cavern without another word.
Even as Paxton pressed him back against the side of the wall so that they wouldn't be seen by the guards, Josh could hear a furious shout in the distance. He watched as Hugo went tearing down the corridor, followed by the enraged demons that were supposed to be guarding him, and he let out a quiet sigh of relief when the demons were gone.
"Come on," Paxton said, after they were out of sight, pulling him toward the entrance to the cavern.
They crept slowly to the entrance of the cavern, and Paxton peeked out into the corridor. At a sound, she pushed Josh back, and they waited, anxiously, barely breathing until a hooded demon had passed by them. Then, as soon as the coast was clear, they sprinted down the corridor.
Paxton was holding his hand in a painful grip, and Josh could barely feel his fingers. He didn't care, though, not if it meant that he was going to see his mom and dad, again. And all he had to do was get out of the Underworld, and back to sunlight.
"Almost there," Paxton told him, glancing back long enough to look at him, and then she stumbled, falling heavily toward the ground.
With their hands still linked, she dragged Josh with her to the ground, and he fell on top of her with a pained grunt. He jumped back up, pulling Paxton up with him, and they started running again. Paxton was laughing over the way she'd tripped over nothing, the sound of her voice filling the cavern, and then suddenly she went silent.
Josh slammed into a stop before he ran into Paxton's back, his hand on her shoulder. She was standing rigidly in front of him, her shoulders tense. He peeked around her to see a red-headed woman standing in the corridor, blocking their path. Paxton was staring at the woman like she was seeing a ghost.
"I know you," she said, suspiciously, glaring at the woman as she stayed protectively in front of Josh. "Who are you?"
"My name is Paige," the woman said, quietly. "I've been looking for him. You are Josh, aren't you?" she asked, looking over Paxton's shoulder to where Josh was standing.
"What do you want with him?" Paxton asked, harshly, shooting Josh a quick look when he put a hand on her shoulder. "What? She's probably a demon."
"I'm no demon," the woman spoke up, but she didn't look offended by Paxton's accusation. "I'm a Whitelighter."
"See?" Josh protested. "She's fine, Paxton. Not everyone's out to get us."
In front of them, the woman had gone completely pale, staring at Paxton in shock. "Pax?" she whispered, her voice shaky. Her eyes were wide with amazement, and Josh caught a quick flash of joy-grief-elation from her mind. "Pax, baby-"
"You're dead," Paxton snapped, suddenly, a flare of anger practically lighting her up. "You can't be here. He told me you abandoned me."
"I never abandoned you," Paige said, and Josh could hear tears choking her voice. "Pax, sweetheart, I thought I'd lost you. I thought-"
"Paxton, who is this?" Josh asked, surprised to see his friend fighting back tears. "Paxton?"
"This is my mom," Paxton whispered, still staring at the woman. "He said that you hated me," she went on, staring in confusion at her mother.
"Never," Paige choked out. "Sweetheart, I love you."
"Then why did you leave me?" Paxton demanded, her voice harsh with the tears she struggled to keep from shedding. "If you really loved me, you never would have left me."
"I never wanted to leave you," Paige said, shaking her head. "Pax, baby, someone took you away from me. I tried to find you; I looked for so long-"
"How do I know you're not lying?" Pax asked, suspiciously.
"I know she's not lying," Josh spoke up, hesitantly, smiling slightly when Pax looked over at him. "She's telling the truth. I can sense it. She loves you, Paxton."
Paxton blinked at him in surprise, and then she turned back to Paige, a look of naked hope and longing on her face.
"Do you?" she ventured, nervously. "Do you really love me?"
"Always," Paige told her, her voice cracking. "Always."
"But, I'm a demon," Paxton said, confused, and Paige shook her head.
"No," she said, vehemence in her voice. "You're not evil. You're my daughter."
Paxton sniffled, inching cautiously forward. Paige knelt down, clearly fighting every urge she possessed to run to her daughter, and when Paxton was close enough, she wrapped her arms around her. Paxton let out something that sounded suspiciously like a sob, squeezing her mother in a painfully-hard hug.
"Mama," she choked out, burying her face in Paige's shoulder. "Mama."
"I'm here, baby," Paige crooned, and Josh blinked back tears as he watched their reunion. "I'm never going to let you go, again."
"Well, isn't that just enough to make me sick?"
Josh turned around to see the Source standing in front of them, a sneer on her face. Paige reached out and grabbed his wrist, yanking him and Paxton behind her, shielding them with her body. She glared at the Source, her eyes hard.
"Didn't I already kill you, once?" the Source asked, looking curiously at Paige.
"I don't die, easily," she growled. "Just get out of the way, Piper. I just want to get my kids home. I don't want to hurt you."
"That's odd," the Source said, tilting her head as she stared at Paige, "because I have absolutely no compunction about hurting you."
Josh cringed away from the menacing tone in the woman's voice, and the Source smirked at his reaction. She twitched her hand, like she was summoning an energy ball, and then she laughed at the way he jumped behind Paige.
"What's the matter, little boy?" she asked, mockingly. "Scared?"
"We're not afraid of you," Paxton said, angrily, from behind Paige.
"Pax-" Paige said, softly, a hand on her shoulder to keep the girl from moving past her.
"Mama-" Pax started, but then she was cut off by the sound of the Source's incredulous laughter.
"Mama?" the older woman repeated, a scathing tone in her voice. "Oh, this is just too good. You people are just popping up all over the place, aren't you? My sister dies, but you're like a damn cockroach, you just can't stay dead-"
While the Source was distracted with her furious ranting, Paige darted forward, slamming into the other woman with the full force of her body. The blow drove the Source backward, driving her into the wall, her head slamming against the rock with a resounding crack. Then, Paige whirled around and grabbed his and Paxton's wrists, pulling them with her down the corridor.
"Come on, come on, run," she encouraged them, as they sprinted as fast as they could. "We need to get some place I recognize, some place I can orb us out of."
"You should have killed her, Mama," Paxton gasped, as they ran, but Paige shook her head.
"We're better than that, sweetheart," she said, gently. "We don't do revenge. Besides, you and Josh are my top priority. I need to get you to safety."
"There's a safe place up ahead," Paxton told her, getting a quick smile from her mother.
A few steps later, Josh stumbled over a patch of uneven ground. His hand was ripped out of Paige's as he went down, scraping his hand on the rough, stone floor. Paige and Paxton had stopped, and Paige was pulling him to his feet, when he heard Paxton gasp in horror. Josh looked up to see the Source stalking down the corridor toward them, a fireball glowing brightly in the palm of her hand.
A furious snarl had twisted the Source's face, and without a word, she sent the fireball flying toward them. Josh cringed behind Paige, even thought he knew the gesture was all but useless, but then Paxton moved.
She lunged forward, putting herself between Paige and the oncoming fireball. The fireball struck her squarely in the chest, sending her stumbling backward into Paige's arms. Her body was limp as Paige carefully lowered her to the floor, and her blank eyes stared unseeingly at the ceiling.
Paige screamed, a guttural, wordless sound filled with unimaginable rage and pain, as she threw herself at the Source. The sudden movement had clearly taken the older woman by surprise, because Paige managed to wrap her hands around the Source's throat, squeezing hard. The Source made a choking sound in the back of her throat as she tried to breathe, her fingers clawing uselessly at Paige's hands. Her face was turning blue, and then an ashy gray, and then Paige stepped back, suddenly, letting the Source fall, unconscious, to the ground.
She stared down at the older woman's body with a horrified look on her face, and then she very deliberately turned away and walked slowly back to where her daughter lay, kneeling and gathering her body in her arms. Josh could feel the rage bleeding off her as she held Paxton, the black fury morphing into utter, all-encompassing grief.
"I'm sorry," she was saying over and over, in a choked whisper, as she cradled her daughter to her chest. "I'm so sorry, baby. I'm so sorry."
Josh took a hesitant step forward, his hand hovering over Paige's shoulder. She seemed to sense him, twisting around, and then she freed a hand to pull him to her side in a brief hug. Josh crumpled against Paige's side, burying his face in her hair, tears flowing silently down his cheeks.
"She was my friend," he choked out, his voice thick. "She was my friend, and now she's dead."
"Come on," he heard Paige say, softly, as she stroked a hand through his hair. "Let's get out of here, okay?"
Josh nodded, reluctantly pulling away from Paige and wiping his eyes on his grimy sleeve. He stuck close to Paige as she gathered Paxton's lifeless body in her arms, her daughter's head lolling against her shoulder.
They walked for a little bit, Josh clinging to Paige whenever he stumbled over the rough ground, and then Paige stopped. The place they were in seemed completely random, looking like the other parts of the Underworld that he'd seen, but Paige seemed to recognize it. She wrapped an arm around Josh's shoulders, her grip tight, and then the world disappeared in front of his eyes in a swirl of bright, white lights.
When they reformed, they were in a cemetery. The headstone in front of them read 'Henry Mitchell' and Josh guessed it was someone Paige knew, from the way her eyes filled with fresh tears. She knelt down in front of the headstone, carefully placing Paxton on the grass in front of the dark gray granite.
"Please let this work," he heard her whisper, and then she placed her hands on Paxton's chest and pushed.
Her palms glowed with the same, white light of their teleport, and then Paxton's body disappeared. The white lights trickled down into the ground, leaving only slightly flattened grass in its wake. Paige placed her hand flat against the granite, sniffing back tears.
"Rest in peace, darling," she whispered. "I'll see you again, some day." Then, she stood and turned to where Josh was waiting. "Come on," she told him, putting a hand on his shoulder. "Let's go find your mom and dad."
Continued here
Rating: PG
Warnings: character death
Summary: When Phoebe's husband and son are abducted to a dangerous alternate universe, the sisters must travel across reality to save them.
*****
Josh looked up when he heard a hissing sound from nearby. For a second, he didn't see anyone, and then Paxton moved stealthily into the chamber where he was being held. There was a boy behind her, taller than her, with short, dark hair.
"You came back for me?" he asked, cautiously hopeful, and the girl nodded, a shy smile on her lips.
"Let's go," she hissed, grabbing Josh's free hand and pulling him to his feet.
"Wait," Josh said, confused. "Why are you helping me?"
"Because you deserve a chance to go home," Paxton told him. Then, her eyes dropped toward the ground and she muttered, softly, "And I want to see this better world of yours."
"You're going to love my family," Josh promised her, with a smile. "And they're going to love you, too."
"Oh, I'm going to be sick," the boy moaned, dramatically, and Josh shot him a wary look.
"Who's he?" he asked, cautiously.
"This is Hugo," Paxton told him. "Hugo, this is Josh – be nice," she scolded, when the boy just scowled. "Hey, you said that you'd help me. If you don't want to-"
"I said I'd help, didn't I?" Hugo asked, a grudging tone in his voice. He raked his eyes over Josh, quickly, still frowning. "I guess it'll work."
"Guess?" Paxton echoed, incredulously. "Hugo, he looks just like you. The two of you could be brothers!"
"I wouldn't go that far," Hugo muttered, under his breath. "Okay, so, give me a five-count, and then run like hell, got it?"
"Wait a minute," Josh interrupted, confused. "What are you talking about? What's going on?"
"Your guards took off," Hugo told him, "and that's how we were able to get in here. But, they won't stay gone, and they need to be if you're getting out of here. So, I'm going to draw them away from the entrance, give you two a chance to escape."
"But, what about you?" Josh asked, worried for the other boy's safety, even though he'd only met him a few seconds ago.
"Don't worry about him," Paxton replied, before Hugo could say anything. "Those demons aren't going to touch him, once they figure out he's not you. And, besides, he thinks this kind of thing is fun."
"Because it is fun," Hugo countered, and then he darted out of the cavern without another word.
Even as Paxton pressed him back against the side of the wall so that they wouldn't be seen by the guards, Josh could hear a furious shout in the distance. He watched as Hugo went tearing down the corridor, followed by the enraged demons that were supposed to be guarding him, and he let out a quiet sigh of relief when the demons were gone.
"Come on," Paxton said, after they were out of sight, pulling him toward the entrance to the cavern.
They crept slowly to the entrance of the cavern, and Paxton peeked out into the corridor. At a sound, she pushed Josh back, and they waited, anxiously, barely breathing until a hooded demon had passed by them. Then, as soon as the coast was clear, they sprinted down the corridor.
Paxton was holding his hand in a painful grip, and Josh could barely feel his fingers. He didn't care, though, not if it meant that he was going to see his mom and dad, again. And all he had to do was get out of the Underworld, and back to sunlight.
"Almost there," Paxton told him, glancing back long enough to look at him, and then she stumbled, falling heavily toward the ground.
With their hands still linked, she dragged Josh with her to the ground, and he fell on top of her with a pained grunt. He jumped back up, pulling Paxton up with him, and they started running again. Paxton was laughing over the way she'd tripped over nothing, the sound of her voice filling the cavern, and then suddenly she went silent.
Josh slammed into a stop before he ran into Paxton's back, his hand on her shoulder. She was standing rigidly in front of him, her shoulders tense. He peeked around her to see a red-headed woman standing in the corridor, blocking their path. Paxton was staring at the woman like she was seeing a ghost.
"I know you," she said, suspiciously, glaring at the woman as she stayed protectively in front of Josh. "Who are you?"
"My name is Paige," the woman said, quietly. "I've been looking for him. You are Josh, aren't you?" she asked, looking over Paxton's shoulder to where Josh was standing.
"What do you want with him?" Paxton asked, harshly, shooting Josh a quick look when he put a hand on her shoulder. "What? She's probably a demon."
"I'm no demon," the woman spoke up, but she didn't look offended by Paxton's accusation. "I'm a Whitelighter."
"See?" Josh protested. "She's fine, Paxton. Not everyone's out to get us."
In front of them, the woman had gone completely pale, staring at Paxton in shock. "Pax?" she whispered, her voice shaky. Her eyes were wide with amazement, and Josh caught a quick flash of joy-grief-elation from her mind. "Pax, baby-"
"You're dead," Paxton snapped, suddenly, a flare of anger practically lighting her up. "You can't be here. He told me you abandoned me."
"I never abandoned you," Paige said, and Josh could hear tears choking her voice. "Pax, sweetheart, I thought I'd lost you. I thought-"
"Paxton, who is this?" Josh asked, surprised to see his friend fighting back tears. "Paxton?"
"This is my mom," Paxton whispered, still staring at the woman. "He said that you hated me," she went on, staring in confusion at her mother.
"Never," Paige choked out. "Sweetheart, I love you."
"Then why did you leave me?" Paxton demanded, her voice harsh with the tears she struggled to keep from shedding. "If you really loved me, you never would have left me."
"I never wanted to leave you," Paige said, shaking her head. "Pax, baby, someone took you away from me. I tried to find you; I looked for so long-"
"How do I know you're not lying?" Pax asked, suspiciously.
"I know she's not lying," Josh spoke up, hesitantly, smiling slightly when Pax looked over at him. "She's telling the truth. I can sense it. She loves you, Paxton."
Paxton blinked at him in surprise, and then she turned back to Paige, a look of naked hope and longing on her face.
"Do you?" she ventured, nervously. "Do you really love me?"
"Always," Paige told her, her voice cracking. "Always."
"But, I'm a demon," Paxton said, confused, and Paige shook her head.
"No," she said, vehemence in her voice. "You're not evil. You're my daughter."
Paxton sniffled, inching cautiously forward. Paige knelt down, clearly fighting every urge she possessed to run to her daughter, and when Paxton was close enough, she wrapped her arms around her. Paxton let out something that sounded suspiciously like a sob, squeezing her mother in a painfully-hard hug.
"Mama," she choked out, burying her face in Paige's shoulder. "Mama."
"I'm here, baby," Paige crooned, and Josh blinked back tears as he watched their reunion. "I'm never going to let you go, again."
"Well, isn't that just enough to make me sick?"
Josh turned around to see the Source standing in front of them, a sneer on her face. Paige reached out and grabbed his wrist, yanking him and Paxton behind her, shielding them with her body. She glared at the Source, her eyes hard.
"Didn't I already kill you, once?" the Source asked, looking curiously at Paige.
"I don't die, easily," she growled. "Just get out of the way, Piper. I just want to get my kids home. I don't want to hurt you."
"That's odd," the Source said, tilting her head as she stared at Paige, "because I have absolutely no compunction about hurting you."
Josh cringed away from the menacing tone in the woman's voice, and the Source smirked at his reaction. She twitched her hand, like she was summoning an energy ball, and then she laughed at the way he jumped behind Paige.
"What's the matter, little boy?" she asked, mockingly. "Scared?"
"We're not afraid of you," Paxton said, angrily, from behind Paige.
"Pax-" Paige said, softly, a hand on her shoulder to keep the girl from moving past her.
"Mama-" Pax started, but then she was cut off by the sound of the Source's incredulous laughter.
"Mama?" the older woman repeated, a scathing tone in her voice. "Oh, this is just too good. You people are just popping up all over the place, aren't you? My sister dies, but you're like a damn cockroach, you just can't stay dead-"
While the Source was distracted with her furious ranting, Paige darted forward, slamming into the other woman with the full force of her body. The blow drove the Source backward, driving her into the wall, her head slamming against the rock with a resounding crack. Then, Paige whirled around and grabbed his and Paxton's wrists, pulling them with her down the corridor.
"Come on, come on, run," she encouraged them, as they sprinted as fast as they could. "We need to get some place I recognize, some place I can orb us out of."
"You should have killed her, Mama," Paxton gasped, as they ran, but Paige shook her head.
"We're better than that, sweetheart," she said, gently. "We don't do revenge. Besides, you and Josh are my top priority. I need to get you to safety."
"There's a safe place up ahead," Paxton told her, getting a quick smile from her mother.
A few steps later, Josh stumbled over a patch of uneven ground. His hand was ripped out of Paige's as he went down, scraping his hand on the rough, stone floor. Paige and Paxton had stopped, and Paige was pulling him to his feet, when he heard Paxton gasp in horror. Josh looked up to see the Source stalking down the corridor toward them, a fireball glowing brightly in the palm of her hand.
A furious snarl had twisted the Source's face, and without a word, she sent the fireball flying toward them. Josh cringed behind Paige, even thought he knew the gesture was all but useless, but then Paxton moved.
She lunged forward, putting herself between Paige and the oncoming fireball. The fireball struck her squarely in the chest, sending her stumbling backward into Paige's arms. Her body was limp as Paige carefully lowered her to the floor, and her blank eyes stared unseeingly at the ceiling.
Paige screamed, a guttural, wordless sound filled with unimaginable rage and pain, as she threw herself at the Source. The sudden movement had clearly taken the older woman by surprise, because Paige managed to wrap her hands around the Source's throat, squeezing hard. The Source made a choking sound in the back of her throat as she tried to breathe, her fingers clawing uselessly at Paige's hands. Her face was turning blue, and then an ashy gray, and then Paige stepped back, suddenly, letting the Source fall, unconscious, to the ground.
She stared down at the older woman's body with a horrified look on her face, and then she very deliberately turned away and walked slowly back to where her daughter lay, kneeling and gathering her body in her arms. Josh could feel the rage bleeding off her as she held Paxton, the black fury morphing into utter, all-encompassing grief.
"I'm sorry," she was saying over and over, in a choked whisper, as she cradled her daughter to her chest. "I'm so sorry, baby. I'm so sorry."
Josh took a hesitant step forward, his hand hovering over Paige's shoulder. She seemed to sense him, twisting around, and then she freed a hand to pull him to her side in a brief hug. Josh crumpled against Paige's side, burying his face in her hair, tears flowing silently down his cheeks.
"She was my friend," he choked out, his voice thick. "She was my friend, and now she's dead."
"Come on," he heard Paige say, softly, as she stroked a hand through his hair. "Let's get out of here, okay?"
Josh nodded, reluctantly pulling away from Paige and wiping his eyes on his grimy sleeve. He stuck close to Paige as she gathered Paxton's lifeless body in her arms, her daughter's head lolling against her shoulder.
They walked for a little bit, Josh clinging to Paige whenever he stumbled over the rough ground, and then Paige stopped. The place they were in seemed completely random, looking like the other parts of the Underworld that he'd seen, but Paige seemed to recognize it. She wrapped an arm around Josh's shoulders, her grip tight, and then the world disappeared in front of his eyes in a swirl of bright, white lights.
When they reformed, they were in a cemetery. The headstone in front of them read 'Henry Mitchell' and Josh guessed it was someone Paige knew, from the way her eyes filled with fresh tears. She knelt down in front of the headstone, carefully placing Paxton on the grass in front of the dark gray granite.
"Please let this work," he heard her whisper, and then she placed her hands on Paxton's chest and pushed.
Her palms glowed with the same, white light of their teleport, and then Paxton's body disappeared. The white lights trickled down into the ground, leaving only slightly flattened grass in its wake. Paige placed her hand flat against the granite, sniffing back tears.
"Rest in peace, darling," she whispered. "I'll see you again, some day." Then, she stood and turned to where Josh was waiting. "Come on," she told him, putting a hand on his shoulder. "Let's go find your mom and dad."
Continued here
