Fic: Gossamer (18/18)
Mar. 14th, 2012 08:09 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
sara_wolfTitle: Gossamer
Rating: PG
Warnings: none
Summary: "Paige, you're pregnant." Three weeks after her parents' death, Paige receives some surprising news. What she decides next will change the course of history, not only her own, but that of the family she doesn't even know exists...
Notes: The end! At least until the next fic.
*****
January 17, 1998
Paige woke up with a pounding headache. She sat up in bed, gingerly rubbing at her temples as she squinted in the sunlight that poured into the bedroom.
'What the hell happened last night?' she thought, blearily, looking around in confusion. 'This feels like the worst hangover of my life, but I wouldn't. God, why can't I remember?'
Vainly, she searched her memories for any scrap of what might have happened the night before, but there was nothing. Just a huge blank. And, alarmingly, when she put her hand down, there were faded streaks of red on her fingertips.
She jumped out of bed, ignoring the dizzy, nauseated feeling that washed over her from the sudden movement, and headed into the bathroom. She flicked on the light, looking in the mirror, and gasped at the gash on her forehead that was crusted over with dried blood.
"What the hell?" she murmured, lifting a hand to brush against her forehead, and then she jumped when a shadow fell over her from behind.
Nick was standing in the doorway, a concerned expression on his face. He held a white bottle and a half-full glass of water in his hands, and he rattled the bottle at her when he noticed her looking at him.
"Aspirin," he said, as he held the bottle out to her. "For your head."
"Why do I even need aspirin?" she asked, carefully, as she pushed herself away from the counter. "Nick, what happened last night?"
"The doctor warned us you might not remember," Nick said, ruefully, an apologetic expression crossing his face. "I'm sorry, sweetheart. I should have been here when you woke up."
"Nick," Paige said, insistently, and he nodded.
"You tripped and fell down the stairs," he explained. "Bashed your head on the railing," he added, gesturing at the gash on her forehead. "We spent a few hours in the ER waiting to get you checked out, and they sent us home after they figured out that you had a concussion. I've been waking you up every couple of hours to check on you – you really don't remember any of this?"
"Nothing," Paige admitted. "I must have hit my head pretty hard."
"You scared me half to death," Nick said, softly, reaching out and brushing her cheek with his thumb. "I don't ever want to lose you, Paige."
"You won't," Paige promised, even as she fought against the overwhelming and disturbing urge to flinch away from his touch. "Hey, don't you have work?"
"I was going to call in sick," Nick said, pressing the pills and water into her hands. "I didn't want you to be alone. Take those," he added. "You're going to have a monster of a headache, if you don't."
"Go to work," Paige insisted, pushing her husband out of the bathroom. "I have Pax's play date, remember? I doubt you'd be interested in going with me."
"It might be interesting," Nick said, faintly, and Paige laughed at the alarm that flashed across his face.
"Liar," she said, affectionately. "Go to work; I'll see you tonight, okay?"
"Call me, so that I know you're okay," Nick insisted, backing out of the bathroom. "I'll get Pax ready for you while you're taking a shower."
"Thanks," Paige said, and then she shut the door behind him.
The heat from the shower helped relax tight muscles she didn't know she had, eased some of the pounding in her head. She toweled off when she finished, going out into the bedroom and hunting through the closet for something to wear. She settled on an old, worn-out sweatshirt that Henry had loaned her when she was pregnant and she'd never returned, and her comfiest pair of jeans.
When she went downstairs, she found Nick and Pax in the kitchen, her husband feeding their daughter breakfast. Nick glanced up as she entered, a small frown flashing across his features when he saw what she was wearing. Paige bristled silently at his disapproval of her outfit, but she wasn't going to go upstairs and change. She'd let Nick's silent judgment affect her too many times, before.
"You ready to go, sweetheart?" she asked Pax, instead, and the girl giggled when she saw her mother.
For a moment, Paige was afraid that Pax was going to do her light trick in front of Nick, spilling the beans on their secret long before Paige was ready to tell him. But, the toddler simply reached for Paige, stretching out of the chair she was sitting in. Paige scooped her up before she could fall, pressing a noisy kiss to her cheeks.
"What do you say?" she asked. "You want to go play in the park?"
"Yeah!" Pax cheered, happily. "Bye, Daddy! See you later!"
"I think that's my cue to go to work," Nick said, with a chuckle. "Take it easy, today," he added, giving Paige a concerned look. "All right?"
"I will," Paige promised, and then she and Pax waved to him as he went out to his car and drove off to work. "All right, Miss Pax," she went on, turning her attention back to her daughter, "let's go have some fun."
Half an hour later, Paige was sitting on a bench, watching Pax run around the Children's Playground with the other kids. She chatted idly with the other moms, keeping an eye on Pax's bright red jacket.
"Hey, lady," came a familiar voice from behind her, and Paige tipped her head back to see Henry and Prue standing over her. Both of them were wearing jogging outfits, and Henry had a bottle of water in his hands that he held teasingly over Paige's face. A single drop of water rolled down the side of the chilled bottle to splash onto her forehead as he slowly started to tip the bottle forward.
"Don't you dare," she said, threateningly. "Henry, I swear-"
Prue huffed a sigh, elbowing her running partner in the side and snatching the bottle of water out of his hands before chugging down half in one long gulp.
"How can you two stand to go running in January?" Paige asked, as they plopped down on the bench on either side of her, their breath puffing out in short, white bursts.
"We're in California," Prue said, with a shrug, dismissing the cold weather like it was nothing.
"We're in San Francisco," Paige pointed out. "Maybe you've noticed the really cold ocean outside our doorsteps?"
"You could always come with us," Henry said, and Paige shook her head. "Oh, come on," he added, pleadingly. "It'll be really, really fun, I promise."
"You exercise fiends can spend time pounding the pavement," Paige told him. "I get more than enough exercise running after a hyper three-year-old, thanks."
"Speaking of," Prue said, looking around the playground, "where is our beautiful goddaughter?"
"She's right over-" Paige started, and then she froze, terror seizing her when she looked around the playground and realized that she couldn't see Pax.
"Pax?" she called out, tamping down the fear as she walked briskly toward the playground. "Pax, come on out, now!"
But, there was no answer, not even a tell-tale giggle, giving away her daughter's hiding place. And the uneasy feeling that had been gnawing at her gut exploded into full-blown panic.
"Pax!" she yelled, a cry that was echoed a second later by both Prue and Henry as they joined her.
"Maybe she just wandered off, somewhere," Henry suggested, but there was a note of tension in his voice that indicated that he didn't really believe his own words.
"She wouldn't do that," Paige protested, still looking around. "She knows better than to wander away from me, like that."
"Pax!" Prue called, her own voice tight with worry. "Come out, now, honey!"
Paige turned around in another circle, her hands clenching in fists as she scanned the playground. A flash of color out of the corner of her eye caught her attention, and she was running toward it before she'd even realized that she was moving.
She stopped at the bushes that lined the edge of the playground, reaching down and picking up a bright red coat with trembling hands. Her daughter's favorite doll was still stuffed in one of the pockets, flopping limply to the ground when Paige moved the coat. She bent, slowly, and picked up the doll, tucking it protectively against her chest as she straightened.
She met Henry's eyes as he caught up with her, seeing the same horror in his eyes that had to be reflected in her own. Paige looked around the park, again, still praying to see a familiar head of dark hair running around the playground. But, her baby girl was nowhere in sight.
"PAX!"
To be continued here
Rating: PG
Warnings: none
Summary: "Paige, you're pregnant." Three weeks after her parents' death, Paige receives some surprising news. What she decides next will change the course of history, not only her own, but that of the family she doesn't even know exists...
Notes: The end! At least until the next fic.
*****
January 17, 1998
Paige woke up with a pounding headache. She sat up in bed, gingerly rubbing at her temples as she squinted in the sunlight that poured into the bedroom.
'What the hell happened last night?' she thought, blearily, looking around in confusion. 'This feels like the worst hangover of my life, but I wouldn't. God, why can't I remember?'
Vainly, she searched her memories for any scrap of what might have happened the night before, but there was nothing. Just a huge blank. And, alarmingly, when she put her hand down, there were faded streaks of red on her fingertips.
She jumped out of bed, ignoring the dizzy, nauseated feeling that washed over her from the sudden movement, and headed into the bathroom. She flicked on the light, looking in the mirror, and gasped at the gash on her forehead that was crusted over with dried blood.
"What the hell?" she murmured, lifting a hand to brush against her forehead, and then she jumped when a shadow fell over her from behind.
Nick was standing in the doorway, a concerned expression on his face. He held a white bottle and a half-full glass of water in his hands, and he rattled the bottle at her when he noticed her looking at him.
"Aspirin," he said, as he held the bottle out to her. "For your head."
"Why do I even need aspirin?" she asked, carefully, as she pushed herself away from the counter. "Nick, what happened last night?"
"The doctor warned us you might not remember," Nick said, ruefully, an apologetic expression crossing his face. "I'm sorry, sweetheart. I should have been here when you woke up."
"Nick," Paige said, insistently, and he nodded.
"You tripped and fell down the stairs," he explained. "Bashed your head on the railing," he added, gesturing at the gash on her forehead. "We spent a few hours in the ER waiting to get you checked out, and they sent us home after they figured out that you had a concussion. I've been waking you up every couple of hours to check on you – you really don't remember any of this?"
"Nothing," Paige admitted. "I must have hit my head pretty hard."
"You scared me half to death," Nick said, softly, reaching out and brushing her cheek with his thumb. "I don't ever want to lose you, Paige."
"You won't," Paige promised, even as she fought against the overwhelming and disturbing urge to flinch away from his touch. "Hey, don't you have work?"
"I was going to call in sick," Nick said, pressing the pills and water into her hands. "I didn't want you to be alone. Take those," he added. "You're going to have a monster of a headache, if you don't."
"Go to work," Paige insisted, pushing her husband out of the bathroom. "I have Pax's play date, remember? I doubt you'd be interested in going with me."
"It might be interesting," Nick said, faintly, and Paige laughed at the alarm that flashed across his face.
"Liar," she said, affectionately. "Go to work; I'll see you tonight, okay?"
"Call me, so that I know you're okay," Nick insisted, backing out of the bathroom. "I'll get Pax ready for you while you're taking a shower."
"Thanks," Paige said, and then she shut the door behind him.
The heat from the shower helped relax tight muscles she didn't know she had, eased some of the pounding in her head. She toweled off when she finished, going out into the bedroom and hunting through the closet for something to wear. She settled on an old, worn-out sweatshirt that Henry had loaned her when she was pregnant and she'd never returned, and her comfiest pair of jeans.
When she went downstairs, she found Nick and Pax in the kitchen, her husband feeding their daughter breakfast. Nick glanced up as she entered, a small frown flashing across his features when he saw what she was wearing. Paige bristled silently at his disapproval of her outfit, but she wasn't going to go upstairs and change. She'd let Nick's silent judgment affect her too many times, before.
"You ready to go, sweetheart?" she asked Pax, instead, and the girl giggled when she saw her mother.
For a moment, Paige was afraid that Pax was going to do her light trick in front of Nick, spilling the beans on their secret long before Paige was ready to tell him. But, the toddler simply reached for Paige, stretching out of the chair she was sitting in. Paige scooped her up before she could fall, pressing a noisy kiss to her cheeks.
"What do you say?" she asked. "You want to go play in the park?"
"Yeah!" Pax cheered, happily. "Bye, Daddy! See you later!"
"I think that's my cue to go to work," Nick said, with a chuckle. "Take it easy, today," he added, giving Paige a concerned look. "All right?"
"I will," Paige promised, and then she and Pax waved to him as he went out to his car and drove off to work. "All right, Miss Pax," she went on, turning her attention back to her daughter, "let's go have some fun."
Half an hour later, Paige was sitting on a bench, watching Pax run around the Children's Playground with the other kids. She chatted idly with the other moms, keeping an eye on Pax's bright red jacket.
"Hey, lady," came a familiar voice from behind her, and Paige tipped her head back to see Henry and Prue standing over her. Both of them were wearing jogging outfits, and Henry had a bottle of water in his hands that he held teasingly over Paige's face. A single drop of water rolled down the side of the chilled bottle to splash onto her forehead as he slowly started to tip the bottle forward.
"Don't you dare," she said, threateningly. "Henry, I swear-"
Prue huffed a sigh, elbowing her running partner in the side and snatching the bottle of water out of his hands before chugging down half in one long gulp.
"How can you two stand to go running in January?" Paige asked, as they plopped down on the bench on either side of her, their breath puffing out in short, white bursts.
"We're in California," Prue said, with a shrug, dismissing the cold weather like it was nothing.
"We're in San Francisco," Paige pointed out. "Maybe you've noticed the really cold ocean outside our doorsteps?"
"You could always come with us," Henry said, and Paige shook her head. "Oh, come on," he added, pleadingly. "It'll be really, really fun, I promise."
"You exercise fiends can spend time pounding the pavement," Paige told him. "I get more than enough exercise running after a hyper three-year-old, thanks."
"Speaking of," Prue said, looking around the playground, "where is our beautiful goddaughter?"
"She's right over-" Paige started, and then she froze, terror seizing her when she looked around the playground and realized that she couldn't see Pax.
"Pax?" she called out, tamping down the fear as she walked briskly toward the playground. "Pax, come on out, now!"
But, there was no answer, not even a tell-tale giggle, giving away her daughter's hiding place. And the uneasy feeling that had been gnawing at her gut exploded into full-blown panic.
"Pax!" she yelled, a cry that was echoed a second later by both Prue and Henry as they joined her.
"Maybe she just wandered off, somewhere," Henry suggested, but there was a note of tension in his voice that indicated that he didn't really believe his own words.
"She wouldn't do that," Paige protested, still looking around. "She knows better than to wander away from me, like that."
"Pax!" Prue called, her own voice tight with worry. "Come out, now, honey!"
Paige turned around in another circle, her hands clenching in fists as she scanned the playground. A flash of color out of the corner of her eye caught her attention, and she was running toward it before she'd even realized that she was moving.
She stopped at the bushes that lined the edge of the playground, reaching down and picking up a bright red coat with trembling hands. Her daughter's favorite doll was still stuffed in one of the pockets, flopping limply to the ground when Paige moved the coat. She bent, slowly, and picked up the doll, tucking it protectively against her chest as she straightened.
She met Henry's eyes as he caught up with her, seeing the same horror in his eyes that had to be reflected in her own. Paige looked around the park, again, still praying to see a familiar head of dark hair running around the playground. But, her baby girl was nowhere in sight.
"PAX!"
To be continued here
