Fic: Comes Out of Darkness, Morn (36/37)
Mar. 16th, 2012 12:36 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...
*****
Paige woke up the next morning to the feeling of the world moving underneath her. She moved without thinking about it, and then she was falling for about a second until something wrapped around her waist, stopping her.
"Careful," a deep, familiar voice rasped in her ear, and Henry's arms tightened around her when she shifted to a more comfortable position lying on his chest. Then, she completely woke up, and it occurred to her what she was doing.
"You want to let me go?" she suggested to Henry.
"Nu-uh," came the mumbled answer.
"Are you even awake?" she tried, getting the same grunt in response. "Henry," she protested, albeit not very strongly, "we can't lie here all day."
"Sure we can," Henry muttered, stubbornly. "We've been through hell for the past month. Especially you. And I think that entitles all of us to a lazy day."
"Maybe you're right," Paige started, but then the rest of her comment was cut off by a wolf whistle from the doorway. Paige buried her face in Henry's shoulder, cheeks burning with heat. Henry started laughing, his whole body shaking with tremors.
"Which sister do I have to kill?" Paige groaned.
"Guess," Henry said, dryly. He finally let go of Paige, and she sat up, brushing her flyaway hair out of her face. "How are you feeling?" he asked, a moment later, and Paige took a moment to think about her answer.
"Good," she finally answered, and, for the first time in a while, she actually meant it. "I feel like myself, again."
"How'd you sleep?" Henry pressed.
"You mean, after using you as a pillow?" Paige teased him. "I think I actually got a full-night's sleep, and I didn't dream, once."
"You two cannot possibly still be asleep in there!" Piper hollered, suddenly, from the kitchen, and Paige shook her head in exasperation.
"They're probably not sleeping," came Phoebe's response, and Henry started laughing, again.
"You're both dead!" she yelled back, and her words were greeted by the sound of her sisters' uproarious laughter.
"So much for that lazy day," Henry grumbled, pushing himself up off the couch. He held a hand out to Paige, wrapping his arms around her waist and hugging her from behind as they walked into the kitchen. Paige playfully elbowed him in the ribs, but didn't push him off. She was comfortable, being with Henry like this.
"Awww!" Piper and Phoebe chorused, as they walked into the kitchen, and Paige rolled her eyes.
"Oh, shut up," she muttered, good-naturedly. "So, did you guys sleep well?"
"Like a baby," Piper said, happily. "Well, as much as I could with the actual baby kicking me in the bladder every five minutes," she added, ruefully.
"I can't believe he's really gone," Phoebe said, wonderingly. "We actually did it. We vanquished Barbas."
"And not a moment too soon," Paige replied, as she poured herself a cup of coffee. "If I'd had to deal with Barbas for one more day, I think I would have lost my mind."
"We never would have let that happen," Piper told her.
"I wish we could remember how we did it, though," Phoebe commented. "I mean, don't you think it's weird that we vanquished Barbas, and none of us can remember what happened?"
"Leo said not to worry about it, remember?" Piper prompted, making Paige wonder how much she'd missed while she'd been asleep. "Apparently the Elders had something to do with it," she told Paige, "and they said that it's better that we don't remember what happened."
"And you're willing to just accept that?" Phoebe asked, incredulously. "From the Elders, of all people?"
"Maybe we should," Paige spoke up, as she sipped her coffee. "Barbas is gone," she added, "and, honestly, I'm not really concerned how we did it. I'm just glad that it's over."
Piper and Phoebe exchanged a look, and then they both nodded, after a moment. "Okay," Piper agreed. "If you want to drop it, we will."
"Normally, I'd yell at them for humoring me," Paige confided to Henry, in a stage whisper, "but, now it's working in my favor."
"Just roll with it," Henry agreed, from where he was leaning next to her against the counter. "Hey, you okay?" he prompted, when Paige grimaced a moment later.
"My head," she told him, and then she stopped and thought about it. "Well, not my head, it's probably my charge's head-"
"Do you have any idea what she's rambling about?" Phoebe asked Piper, who shrugged.
"I have a charge, now," Paige informed her sisters, but the rest of her sentence was cut off by a spike of pain running through her head. "I'll explain later," she promised, hastily. "Be right back."
She started to orb out, hoping for a secluded area, since she didn't know the cloaking trick that Leo had shown her, yesterday, and she breathed a sigh of relief when she materialized in the middle of an empty alleyway. The same alley where she'd found her charge, before, and she had a sinking suspicion where she was going to find him now.
The sound of heaving from behind her had her turning around, but instead of her charge, like she was expecting to see, she found Henry bent double a few feet away, his arms wrapped around his stomach.
"Are you okay?" she demanded. "What are you doing here – how did you even get here?"
"I latched onto your arm as you were leaving," he told her, with a piteous groan that made Paige feel sorry for him even as she wanted to throttle him. "I think I left my stomach back in the Manor."
"You're lucky that's all you left behind," Paige scolded him. "Henry, what were you thinking with a stunt like that?"
"I was thinking of not letting you out of my sight, today," Henry told her. "You're stuck with me for a while."
"You're lucky you're cute," Paige told him, with an exasperated eye roll. "Come on, walking will help settle your stomach."
"Now I know why I've never gone orbing with you, before," Henry muttered, as they started toward the bar. "I think I'm going to get sick."
"You're not going to get sick," Paige assured him, and then she took a step back when the door to the bar slammed open, and her charge was shoved out into the sun. "Him, on the other hand-"
She reached out to catch the stumbling man, steadying him with Henry's help. The man groaned, and Paige shifted out of the way, just in case he was about to get sick all over her shoes, again.
"I thought I told you to leave me alone," the man mumbled, not looking up at her.
"Yeah, see, I guess I just didn't hear you," Paige said, as she wrapped an arm around the man's waist to keep him on his feet. "Come on, where do you live?"
After a moment, the man mumbled an address that wasn't too far from where they were, but she really didn't relish the thought of dragging her charge all the way there. She'd already started forming a vague impression about the man, and she hoped that what she was about to do wasn't going to backfire on her.
"Hold onto your stomachs," she warned both Henry and her charge, and then she orbed out of the alley.
They materialized in the middle of a cramped, cluttered studio apartment. The man pulled away from Paige and Henry to stumble across the mess and fall face-down on the unmade bed in the corner.
"You're strong for a girl," the man mumbled, into his pillow.
"Thanks, I think," Paige replied, exchanging a wry look with Henry. "So, I'm Paige. And you are?" she prompted, when she didn't get an answer.
"Sam," the man finally grunted out, and Paige nodded, as more of her suspicions were confirmed.
"Well, Sam," she tried, "how about I get you some coffee?" A wordless noise was her only answer, and she bit back a sigh. "Okay, how about some water? Or, maybe you want to talk? You know, I'm a really good listener."
"Didn't listen when I told you to leave me alone," Sam retorted.
"He has a point," Henry said, in a whisper, and Paige glared at him.
"You are not helping," she hissed. To Sam, she added, "I know what you're going through can be overwhelming, but sometimes-"
"You don't know anything about what I'm going through," Sam said, flatly, his words muffled by the pillow.
Paige sighed, looking around the small space. Henry nudged her, suddenly, and she looked over to see a framed picture that he'd picked up off a table. There was a small crack in the corner of the glass, and she ran her fingers across the cool glass, tracing the outline of her mother's face.
"I know more than you think," she said, quietly, as she replaced the picture on the table. "Look, Sam," she added, when he didn't say anything, "I'm here for a reason. I'm here to help you."
Sam snorted, flopping over to glare, half-heartedly, at her. "Tell the Elders I don't need their help," he snapped at her. "Especially from a newbie."
"He's just as stubborn as you are," Henry muttered, wincing when Paige stomped on his foot.
"All right," Paige finally replied, "I'm going to leave you alone, for now. But, if you need me, all you have to do is call."
"I think I know the drill," Sam muttered, under his breath, and Henry barely bit back a chuckle. Paige elbowed him in the side.
"Call me for anything," she stressed, and then she hissed to Henry, "I hope you get sick." Then, she orbed them out of the apartment, and back to the Manor.
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...
*****
Paige woke up the next morning to the feeling of the world moving underneath her. She moved without thinking about it, and then she was falling for about a second until something wrapped around her waist, stopping her.
"Careful," a deep, familiar voice rasped in her ear, and Henry's arms tightened around her when she shifted to a more comfortable position lying on his chest. Then, she completely woke up, and it occurred to her what she was doing.
"You want to let me go?" she suggested to Henry.
"Nu-uh," came the mumbled answer.
"Are you even awake?" she tried, getting the same grunt in response. "Henry," she protested, albeit not very strongly, "we can't lie here all day."
"Sure we can," Henry muttered, stubbornly. "We've been through hell for the past month. Especially you. And I think that entitles all of us to a lazy day."
"Maybe you're right," Paige started, but then the rest of her comment was cut off by a wolf whistle from the doorway. Paige buried her face in Henry's shoulder, cheeks burning with heat. Henry started laughing, his whole body shaking with tremors.
"Which sister do I have to kill?" Paige groaned.
"Guess," Henry said, dryly. He finally let go of Paige, and she sat up, brushing her flyaway hair out of her face. "How are you feeling?" he asked, a moment later, and Paige took a moment to think about her answer.
"Good," she finally answered, and, for the first time in a while, she actually meant it. "I feel like myself, again."
"How'd you sleep?" Henry pressed.
"You mean, after using you as a pillow?" Paige teased him. "I think I actually got a full-night's sleep, and I didn't dream, once."
"You two cannot possibly still be asleep in there!" Piper hollered, suddenly, from the kitchen, and Paige shook her head in exasperation.
"They're probably not sleeping," came Phoebe's response, and Henry started laughing, again.
"You're both dead!" she yelled back, and her words were greeted by the sound of her sisters' uproarious laughter.
"So much for that lazy day," Henry grumbled, pushing himself up off the couch. He held a hand out to Paige, wrapping his arms around her waist and hugging her from behind as they walked into the kitchen. Paige playfully elbowed him in the ribs, but didn't push him off. She was comfortable, being with Henry like this.
"Awww!" Piper and Phoebe chorused, as they walked into the kitchen, and Paige rolled her eyes.
"Oh, shut up," she muttered, good-naturedly. "So, did you guys sleep well?"
"Like a baby," Piper said, happily. "Well, as much as I could with the actual baby kicking me in the bladder every five minutes," she added, ruefully.
"I can't believe he's really gone," Phoebe said, wonderingly. "We actually did it. We vanquished Barbas."
"And not a moment too soon," Paige replied, as she poured herself a cup of coffee. "If I'd had to deal with Barbas for one more day, I think I would have lost my mind."
"We never would have let that happen," Piper told her.
"I wish we could remember how we did it, though," Phoebe commented. "I mean, don't you think it's weird that we vanquished Barbas, and none of us can remember what happened?"
"Leo said not to worry about it, remember?" Piper prompted, making Paige wonder how much she'd missed while she'd been asleep. "Apparently the Elders had something to do with it," she told Paige, "and they said that it's better that we don't remember what happened."
"And you're willing to just accept that?" Phoebe asked, incredulously. "From the Elders, of all people?"
"Maybe we should," Paige spoke up, as she sipped her coffee. "Barbas is gone," she added, "and, honestly, I'm not really concerned how we did it. I'm just glad that it's over."
Piper and Phoebe exchanged a look, and then they both nodded, after a moment. "Okay," Piper agreed. "If you want to drop it, we will."
"Normally, I'd yell at them for humoring me," Paige confided to Henry, in a stage whisper, "but, now it's working in my favor."
"Just roll with it," Henry agreed, from where he was leaning next to her against the counter. "Hey, you okay?" he prompted, when Paige grimaced a moment later.
"My head," she told him, and then she stopped and thought about it. "Well, not my head, it's probably my charge's head-"
"Do you have any idea what she's rambling about?" Phoebe asked Piper, who shrugged.
"I have a charge, now," Paige informed her sisters, but the rest of her sentence was cut off by a spike of pain running through her head. "I'll explain later," she promised, hastily. "Be right back."
She started to orb out, hoping for a secluded area, since she didn't know the cloaking trick that Leo had shown her, yesterday, and she breathed a sigh of relief when she materialized in the middle of an empty alleyway. The same alley where she'd found her charge, before, and she had a sinking suspicion where she was going to find him now.
The sound of heaving from behind her had her turning around, but instead of her charge, like she was expecting to see, she found Henry bent double a few feet away, his arms wrapped around his stomach.
"Are you okay?" she demanded. "What are you doing here – how did you even get here?"
"I latched onto your arm as you were leaving," he told her, with a piteous groan that made Paige feel sorry for him even as she wanted to throttle him. "I think I left my stomach back in the Manor."
"You're lucky that's all you left behind," Paige scolded him. "Henry, what were you thinking with a stunt like that?"
"I was thinking of not letting you out of my sight, today," Henry told her. "You're stuck with me for a while."
"You're lucky you're cute," Paige told him, with an exasperated eye roll. "Come on, walking will help settle your stomach."
"Now I know why I've never gone orbing with you, before," Henry muttered, as they started toward the bar. "I think I'm going to get sick."
"You're not going to get sick," Paige assured him, and then she took a step back when the door to the bar slammed open, and her charge was shoved out into the sun. "Him, on the other hand-"
She reached out to catch the stumbling man, steadying him with Henry's help. The man groaned, and Paige shifted out of the way, just in case he was about to get sick all over her shoes, again.
"I thought I told you to leave me alone," the man mumbled, not looking up at her.
"Yeah, see, I guess I just didn't hear you," Paige said, as she wrapped an arm around the man's waist to keep him on his feet. "Come on, where do you live?"
After a moment, the man mumbled an address that wasn't too far from where they were, but she really didn't relish the thought of dragging her charge all the way there. She'd already started forming a vague impression about the man, and she hoped that what she was about to do wasn't going to backfire on her.
"Hold onto your stomachs," she warned both Henry and her charge, and then she orbed out of the alley.
They materialized in the middle of a cramped, cluttered studio apartment. The man pulled away from Paige and Henry to stumble across the mess and fall face-down on the unmade bed in the corner.
"You're strong for a girl," the man mumbled, into his pillow.
"Thanks, I think," Paige replied, exchanging a wry look with Henry. "So, I'm Paige. And you are?" she prompted, when she didn't get an answer.
"Sam," the man finally grunted out, and Paige nodded, as more of her suspicions were confirmed.
"Well, Sam," she tried, "how about I get you some coffee?" A wordless noise was her only answer, and she bit back a sigh. "Okay, how about some water? Or, maybe you want to talk? You know, I'm a really good listener."
"Didn't listen when I told you to leave me alone," Sam retorted.
"He has a point," Henry said, in a whisper, and Paige glared at him.
"You are not helping," she hissed. To Sam, she added, "I know what you're going through can be overwhelming, but sometimes-"
"You don't know anything about what I'm going through," Sam said, flatly, his words muffled by the pillow.
Paige sighed, looking around the small space. Henry nudged her, suddenly, and she looked over to see a framed picture that he'd picked up off a table. There was a small crack in the corner of the glass, and she ran her fingers across the cool glass, tracing the outline of her mother's face.
"I know more than you think," she said, quietly, as she replaced the picture on the table. "Look, Sam," she added, when he didn't say anything, "I'm here for a reason. I'm here to help you."
Sam snorted, flopping over to glare, half-heartedly, at her. "Tell the Elders I don't need their help," he snapped at her. "Especially from a newbie."
"He's just as stubborn as you are," Henry muttered, wincing when Paige stomped on his foot.
"All right," Paige finally replied, "I'm going to leave you alone, for now. But, if you need me, all you have to do is call."
"I think I know the drill," Sam muttered, under his breath, and Henry barely bit back a chuckle. Paige elbowed him in the side.
"Call me for anything," she stressed, and then she hissed to Henry, "I hope you get sick." Then, she orbed them out of the apartment, and back to the Manor.
Continued here
