Fic: Comes Out of Darkness, Morn (32/37)
Mar. 16th, 2012 11:12 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 from the first peaceful sleep she'd had in a month to see a face hovering over hers. Instinctively, she struck out, feeling soft flesh give underneath her hand with a quiet crack, followed by a louder cry of pain. She bolted upright at the sound of the familiar voice, and she found Leo sprawled on the floor, holding a hand over his nose.
"Nightmare?" he asked, and Paige sheepishly shook her head, grimacing as the movement made her head ache. "Then why did you hit me?" the Whitelighter demanded, irritably.
"You startled me," Paige muttered, defensively, scooting over to give Leo a place to sit as he pushed himself to his feet. "What are you doing?"
"I told Ava I'd keep an eye on you," Leo explained. "She had to go back to work. She told me about this morning. Are you okay?"
"No," Paige answered, honestly, "but I'm getting used to it."
"You shouldn't have to get used to this," Leo said, sounding frustrated.
"What did the Elders say?" Paige asked, grabbing one of the pillows and hugging it to her chest. She winced as another stab of pain shot through her head, rubbing gingerly at her temples.
"They still don't know how to get rid of Barbas," he told her. "He's still in Hell; there's no physical body to banish like before. And they can't shield you from astral projection, or all of this would be solved."
"So, what do they suggest?" Paige asked, not feeling very encouraged by the bleak look on Leo's face. When Leo just shook his head, she sighed. "The Elders don't know anything," she muttered. "What a shocker."
When she rubbed her head, again, Leo stared at her, concern clear on his face. "Are you feeling okay?" he asked.
"I don't know," Paige admitted, letting her hands fall into her lap as she slumped against the back of the couch. "My head hurts, but, it's weird. It doesn't feel like my pain. Does that make any kind of sense?" she demanded.
"It does, actually," Leo told her. "It sounds like you're sensing your first charge."
Paige stared at him in disbelief. "Charge?" she echoed, incredulously. "What, I don't have enough going on right now? The Elders just decided that a mentally unstable Whitelighter is just what some poor Innocent needs?"
"You're not mentally unstable," Leo replied, immediately. "And, the Elders didn't assign you a charge; I would have been informed, first, to have time to prepare you."
"Then, how?" Paige asked.
"Sometimes," Leo answered, "the connection between Whitelighter and charge happens automatically. Most likely, someone who is destined to be your charge is in trouble, now."
"And how am I supposed to help whoever this is?" Paige asked, plaintively.
"With my help," Leo said, encouragingly. "You can do it, Paige. I believe in you."
"Is that, like, your secret weapon, or something?" Paige grumbled, seeing the earnest look on the Whitelighter's face. "The puppy dog eyes?"
"Save that argument for someone who hasn't seen the way you've got Henry wrapped around your little finger," Leo shot back. "That man would walk on fire for you, I hope you know that."
"Believe me," Paige said, quietly, "I know. All right," she sighed, a moment later, "how do I help this mysterious charge? I don't even know how to find him or her."
"Take my hands," Leo said, twisting around on the couch to face her. "Close your eyes, and listen to the sound of my voice."
"Okay," Paige said, quietly, doing as Leo instructed. "Now-"
"Now," Leo told her, "I want you to block everything out. Block out Barbas, block out the fear, block out the anxiety – focus solely on your charge. Focus on what you feel coming from your charge, focus on how they feel."
"Um," Paige muttered, softly, trying to concentrate, "I think – I think my charge is drunk," she said, a moment later.
"Entirely possible," Leo said, calmly, still holding her hands. "Keep concentrating. Can you sense anything else?"
"Sounds," Paige said, and then she opened her eyes, giving Leo a puzzled look. "Is that even possible?"
"Sometimes," Leo replied. "It's rare, but if the connection is strong enough, some Whitelighters can perceive the world through their charge's eyes and ears."
"I hear loud voices," Paige told him, "and, it sounds like a – yeah, that's a sports channel in the background."
"Good ear," Leo praised her. "Do you think that you can orb to your charge?"
"Yeah," Paige said, slowly, "but it's out in public."
"Let me worry about that one," Leo said. "Are you ready to go?"
"Just let me find my shoes," Paige replied, blinking in surprise when they orbed out from under the couch and into her hand. "Okay, that's nice."
"Your powers are growing," Leo said, as she shoved her feet into the sneakers and hastily did up the laces.
"Well, can they grow into silence?" Paige asked, dryly. "Because the whole 'calling my attacks' thing just tips the demons off, and frankly it's annoying."
"Have you tried using your powers non-vocally?" Leo pointed out. "When this is all over," he promised her, "I'll help you work on it."
"Thanks," Paige said, gratefully.
Then, she and Leo orbed out of the Manor. They reemerged in a dirty alleyway, and Paige grimaced when she landed in the middle of a mud puddle.
"How are you still dry?" she asked, and Leo smirked at her from his position two feet to the side. "And, how did no one notice us?" Paige went on, as they walked down the alley. "There aren't a lot of people around, but there are enough that someone should be crying 'witch'."
"Cloaking," Leo told her. "We use it to orb into public places without being noticed. It fades after about thirty seconds, and the people around us think that we've always been here."
"Useful," Paige commented, as she looked around the alley. "Okay, I think this is the place," she added, nodding at a nondescript doorway.
"You're going to want a cover," Leo warned her. When Paige shot him a look, he added, "You have to have some kind of story for why you're approaching a random stranger outside a bar."
"Social worker," Paige reminded him. "Just wish I didn't have to pretend," she sighed.
"Do you miss your job?" Leo asked, curiously.
"Sometimes," Paige admitted. "I miss what could have been, where I could be right now if I hadn't gotten laid off. But, I love magic, and it's been kind of nice to have so much time to devote to it. Plus, this is the first time I've been out of the house in about three weeks, so, being unemployed helps there, too."
"We're going to figure out how to stop Barbas," Leo assured her, reaching out and squeezing her hand, sympathetically.
"I know," Paige replied.
Just then, the door to the bar opened, and a man was roughly shoved out into the alley. He stumbled toward them, falling to the ground and landing at Paige's feet. He coughed, and then Paige jumped backward as the man suddenly puked all over her shoes.
"This is just great," Paige muttered, and then she reached down and wrapped her hands around the man's arm, hauling him to his feet. "Okay, buddy, up you go."
"Who're you?" the man slurred, swaying on his feet. Leo reached out and steadied him from the other side, and the man slumped in their grip, his head still hanging toward the pavement.
"My name is Paige," Paige told him, tightening her grip when it seemed like the man was heading back down, again, "and I'm here to help you."
"Don' need help," the man mumbled. "I'm doing just fine."
"Yeah, I can see that," Paige said, trying for tactful, "but, how about you let my friend and I get you back to your house, huh? Maybe get some food into you, some water-"
"Leave me alone," the man said, looking at her and locking blue eyes on hers. He seemed familiar, but for the life of her, Paige couldn't figure out where she'd seen him.
"Leave you alone so that you can go get drunk, again?" she asked, softly. "Trust me, buddy, whatever you're running from, this is not the answer."
She realized almost immediately that it was the wrong thing to say, the man's eyes flaring with anger as he glared at her.
"You don't know anything about me," he snapped at her, pulling his arms out of her and Leo's grips. "I don't need your damn help."
He stalked over, more or less in a straight line as he set off down the alley, and Paige pursed her lips as she stared after her charge's retreating back.
"You know," she remarked, "if I'd wanted to get yelled at, I could have stayed home and listened to the voices in my head." Seeing an odd look on Leo's face as he stared at where her charge had been, she prompted, "Leo? You have an opinion?"
"Paige," Leo started, after a moment, "your charge-"
"Clearly does not want me around," Paige cut him off, shaking her head.
Then, she froze when she caught sight of a huge rat crawling out from under a nearby Dumpster, quickly joined by another, and then another, and then several others of its friends. They were all converging on her with an almost single-minded intensity, and Paige shuddered.
"Leo," she whispered, "rats." He seemed to get it almost immediately, looking around and then shaking his head. Paige grimaced, closing her eyes to shut out the disturbing images. "Barbas strikes again," she muttered. "Can we go home, now?"
"Yeah," Leo replied, wrapping an arm around her shoulders and pulling her in close. "Hang onto me, okay? I've got you."
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 from the first peaceful sleep she'd had in a month to see a face hovering over hers. Instinctively, she struck out, feeling soft flesh give underneath her hand with a quiet crack, followed by a louder cry of pain. She bolted upright at the sound of the familiar voice, and she found Leo sprawled on the floor, holding a hand over his nose.
"Nightmare?" he asked, and Paige sheepishly shook her head, grimacing as the movement made her head ache. "Then why did you hit me?" the Whitelighter demanded, irritably.
"You startled me," Paige muttered, defensively, scooting over to give Leo a place to sit as he pushed himself to his feet. "What are you doing?"
"I told Ava I'd keep an eye on you," Leo explained. "She had to go back to work. She told me about this morning. Are you okay?"
"No," Paige answered, honestly, "but I'm getting used to it."
"You shouldn't have to get used to this," Leo said, sounding frustrated.
"What did the Elders say?" Paige asked, grabbing one of the pillows and hugging it to her chest. She winced as another stab of pain shot through her head, rubbing gingerly at her temples.
"They still don't know how to get rid of Barbas," he told her. "He's still in Hell; there's no physical body to banish like before. And they can't shield you from astral projection, or all of this would be solved."
"So, what do they suggest?" Paige asked, not feeling very encouraged by the bleak look on Leo's face. When Leo just shook his head, she sighed. "The Elders don't know anything," she muttered. "What a shocker."
When she rubbed her head, again, Leo stared at her, concern clear on his face. "Are you feeling okay?" he asked.
"I don't know," Paige admitted, letting her hands fall into her lap as she slumped against the back of the couch. "My head hurts, but, it's weird. It doesn't feel like my pain. Does that make any kind of sense?" she demanded.
"It does, actually," Leo told her. "It sounds like you're sensing your first charge."
Paige stared at him in disbelief. "Charge?" she echoed, incredulously. "What, I don't have enough going on right now? The Elders just decided that a mentally unstable Whitelighter is just what some poor Innocent needs?"
"You're not mentally unstable," Leo replied, immediately. "And, the Elders didn't assign you a charge; I would have been informed, first, to have time to prepare you."
"Then, how?" Paige asked.
"Sometimes," Leo answered, "the connection between Whitelighter and charge happens automatically. Most likely, someone who is destined to be your charge is in trouble, now."
"And how am I supposed to help whoever this is?" Paige asked, plaintively.
"With my help," Leo said, encouragingly. "You can do it, Paige. I believe in you."
"Is that, like, your secret weapon, or something?" Paige grumbled, seeing the earnest look on the Whitelighter's face. "The puppy dog eyes?"
"Save that argument for someone who hasn't seen the way you've got Henry wrapped around your little finger," Leo shot back. "That man would walk on fire for you, I hope you know that."
"Believe me," Paige said, quietly, "I know. All right," she sighed, a moment later, "how do I help this mysterious charge? I don't even know how to find him or her."
"Take my hands," Leo said, twisting around on the couch to face her. "Close your eyes, and listen to the sound of my voice."
"Okay," Paige said, quietly, doing as Leo instructed. "Now-"
"Now," Leo told her, "I want you to block everything out. Block out Barbas, block out the fear, block out the anxiety – focus solely on your charge. Focus on what you feel coming from your charge, focus on how they feel."
"Um," Paige muttered, softly, trying to concentrate, "I think – I think my charge is drunk," she said, a moment later.
"Entirely possible," Leo said, calmly, still holding her hands. "Keep concentrating. Can you sense anything else?"
"Sounds," Paige said, and then she opened her eyes, giving Leo a puzzled look. "Is that even possible?"
"Sometimes," Leo replied. "It's rare, but if the connection is strong enough, some Whitelighters can perceive the world through their charge's eyes and ears."
"I hear loud voices," Paige told him, "and, it sounds like a – yeah, that's a sports channel in the background."
"Good ear," Leo praised her. "Do you think that you can orb to your charge?"
"Yeah," Paige said, slowly, "but it's out in public."
"Let me worry about that one," Leo said. "Are you ready to go?"
"Just let me find my shoes," Paige replied, blinking in surprise when they orbed out from under the couch and into her hand. "Okay, that's nice."
"Your powers are growing," Leo said, as she shoved her feet into the sneakers and hastily did up the laces.
"Well, can they grow into silence?" Paige asked, dryly. "Because the whole 'calling my attacks' thing just tips the demons off, and frankly it's annoying."
"Have you tried using your powers non-vocally?" Leo pointed out. "When this is all over," he promised her, "I'll help you work on it."
"Thanks," Paige said, gratefully.
Then, she and Leo orbed out of the Manor. They reemerged in a dirty alleyway, and Paige grimaced when she landed in the middle of a mud puddle.
"How are you still dry?" she asked, and Leo smirked at her from his position two feet to the side. "And, how did no one notice us?" Paige went on, as they walked down the alley. "There aren't a lot of people around, but there are enough that someone should be crying 'witch'."
"Cloaking," Leo told her. "We use it to orb into public places without being noticed. It fades after about thirty seconds, and the people around us think that we've always been here."
"Useful," Paige commented, as she looked around the alley. "Okay, I think this is the place," she added, nodding at a nondescript doorway.
"You're going to want a cover," Leo warned her. When Paige shot him a look, he added, "You have to have some kind of story for why you're approaching a random stranger outside a bar."
"Social worker," Paige reminded him. "Just wish I didn't have to pretend," she sighed.
"Do you miss your job?" Leo asked, curiously.
"Sometimes," Paige admitted. "I miss what could have been, where I could be right now if I hadn't gotten laid off. But, I love magic, and it's been kind of nice to have so much time to devote to it. Plus, this is the first time I've been out of the house in about three weeks, so, being unemployed helps there, too."
"We're going to figure out how to stop Barbas," Leo assured her, reaching out and squeezing her hand, sympathetically.
"I know," Paige replied.
Just then, the door to the bar opened, and a man was roughly shoved out into the alley. He stumbled toward them, falling to the ground and landing at Paige's feet. He coughed, and then Paige jumped backward as the man suddenly puked all over her shoes.
"This is just great," Paige muttered, and then she reached down and wrapped her hands around the man's arm, hauling him to his feet. "Okay, buddy, up you go."
"Who're you?" the man slurred, swaying on his feet. Leo reached out and steadied him from the other side, and the man slumped in their grip, his head still hanging toward the pavement.
"My name is Paige," Paige told him, tightening her grip when it seemed like the man was heading back down, again, "and I'm here to help you."
"Don' need help," the man mumbled. "I'm doing just fine."
"Yeah, I can see that," Paige said, trying for tactful, "but, how about you let my friend and I get you back to your house, huh? Maybe get some food into you, some water-"
"Leave me alone," the man said, looking at her and locking blue eyes on hers. He seemed familiar, but for the life of her, Paige couldn't figure out where she'd seen him.
"Leave you alone so that you can go get drunk, again?" she asked, softly. "Trust me, buddy, whatever you're running from, this is not the answer."
She realized almost immediately that it was the wrong thing to say, the man's eyes flaring with anger as he glared at her.
"You don't know anything about me," he snapped at her, pulling his arms out of her and Leo's grips. "I don't need your damn help."
He stalked over, more or less in a straight line as he set off down the alley, and Paige pursed her lips as she stared after her charge's retreating back.
"You know," she remarked, "if I'd wanted to get yelled at, I could have stayed home and listened to the voices in my head." Seeing an odd look on Leo's face as he stared at where her charge had been, she prompted, "Leo? You have an opinion?"
"Paige," Leo started, after a moment, "your charge-"
"Clearly does not want me around," Paige cut him off, shaking her head.
Then, she froze when she caught sight of a huge rat crawling out from under a nearby Dumpster, quickly joined by another, and then another, and then several others of its friends. They were all converging on her with an almost single-minded intensity, and Paige shuddered.
"Leo," she whispered, "rats." He seemed to get it almost immediately, looking around and then shaking his head. Paige grimaced, closing her eyes to shut out the disturbing images. "Barbas strikes again," she muttered. "Can we go home, now?"
"Yeah," Leo replied, wrapping an arm around her shoulders and pulling her in close. "Hang onto me, okay? I've got you."
Continued here
