Fic: Comes Out of Darkness, Morn (31/37)
Mar. 16th, 2012 11:48 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...
*****
Meditation and yoga had sounded relaxing, and Piper supposed that the mediation part was. The yoga, however – Piper was frankly amazed at the contortions that Paige was able to twist her body into, and all of it with a peaceful expression on her face.
"I would sprain something if I tried that," Piper hissed to Ava, but clearly not quietly enough, because Paige chuckled, softly.
"Henry is a closet yoga buff," she explained. "He badgered me into coming to classes with him. It's fun."
"Uh huh," Piper said, skeptically, and Paige opened an eye to look at her.
"Weren't you the one who was so hyped up about prenatal yoga?" she asked.
"Yeah," Piper agreed, "up until that class turned out to be 'stand, stretch, and breathe', and a whole bunch of overly-perky moms-to-be chirping about their baby bumps, and their sonograms, and Jasper's first photo!"
She said the last in a shrilly enough tone that both Paige and Ava winced, the latter going so far as to cover her ears. Paige rolled out of the position she'd moved into, tucking her feet underneath her calves as she sat on the mat.
"Would you relax?" she asked Piper, an exasperated tone in her voice.
"Paige, I want you to start meditative breathing," Ava spoke up. "Just relax, breathe slowly-"
"I'm familiar with the routine," Paige said, with a small smile. She closed her eyes, her hands falling into her lap as she started to breathe, and Ava tugged on Piper's arm until she moved out of the sunroom with her.
"What's up?" Piper asked, and Ava quickly gestured for her to be quiet.
"I want you to see something," she said, softly. "Watch Paige."
"Watch Paige for what?" Piper started to ask, but Ava just shushed her, again.
She was staring intently at Paige, muttering something softly under her breath. For a second, nothing seemed to be happening, and then Piper's eyes widened in shock as a thick, black cloud appeared over Paige's head, swirling around her like a halo.
"What the hell is that?" she demanded, quietly, and Ava sighed.
"That," she answered, "is our friend, Barbas. Or, at least his soul, if demons even have such a thing."
"Barbas isn't my friend," Piper snapped, under her breath. Ava just shot her a look. "Okay, okay," Piper relented. "What do we do about him? How do we get Barbas out of Paige's head?"
"I don't know if we can," Ava said, honestly.
Piper glared at her. "Then, why the hell would you show me that?" she demanded, in a furious whisper.
"Because," Ava explained, patiently, "when I first started working with Paige, that cloud was a hell of a lot bigger. She's containing him."
"Come again?" Piper asked, fighting for patience.
"Barbas's influence over Paige comes and goes," Ava told her, "every time he projects his consciousness out of the Underworld. But, when it does come, that cloud gets smaller and smaller, each time."
"Maybe, he's not going after Paige as strongly as before," Piper suggested, but Ava shook her head.
"Not if this morning's manifestation of Prue is anything to go by," she replied. "No, I think that Paige is trapping Barbas inside her own mind, keeping more and more of him locked up inside her each time he attacks."
"Why the hell would she do that?" Piper demanded, hoarsely, ready to storm into the room and shake some sense into her baby sister.
"I don't think she's aware of it," Ava hastened to reassure her. "I think it's an unconscious thing, her powers acting out to protect her."
"How could trapping Barbas inside her mind possibly protect Paige?" Piper started to snap, but the rest of her sentence was abruptly cut off when Paige suddenly let out a choking gasp, her eyes wide with terror.
Even as Piper started toward her, Paige had scrambled to her feet and shot backward, her hands held out in front of her as if to ward off an attack. Piper instinctively glanced back to where Paige was looking, just in case the threat was real, but once again, Paige was fighting her inner demons.
"Paige!" Ava called out, sharply, stopping the younger woman in her tracks. "Come on, Paige, remember what we talked about? Where are you, Paige? What are you seeing?"
"My parents," Paige rasped out, quietly. "Burning-"
"They're not," Ava said, her voice implacably calm. "Look around you, Paige. You're still in the sunroom. There's no one else here but me and Piper."
Paige's eyes darted around the room, her hands clenched into fists at her sides. Her chest was heaving with short, ragged gasps. But, she slowly started to calm down as Ava continued to talk to her, the panic in her eyes slowly receding. Finally, she moved until she hit the couch, sinking down onto the cushions with a tired sigh.
"You know where you are, now?" Ava asked, quietly, getting a small nod in response.
Ava sat down on the couch beside Paige, taking her wrist and feeling for a pulse. "Still too high," she commented. "Paige, you have to keep your heart rate and your blood pressure down."
"Do you want to trade?" Paige snapped, glaring at Ava. "Maybe you'd like having Barbas in your head?" A moment later, she deflated, slumping over in her seat. "Sorry," she said, quietly. "I just-"
"Don't worry about it," Ava told her. "Now, I want you to lie down and focus on your breathing. Slow and steady, remember?"
"Yeah, I know," Paige sighed.
"Okay, what are you guys talking about?" Piper spoke up, looking between them. "Ava, why are you so worried about Paige's blood pressure? Paige is completely healthy. Aren't you?" she added, insistently, when Paige remained suspiciously silent.
Ava and Paige exchanged a long, wordless look, and then Paige gave a tiny nod as she lay back down on the couch.
"What?" Piper demanded, impatiently. "What aren't you telling me? What was that nod?"
"Piper," Ava started, slowly, "Piper, I want you to promise me that you're not going to get upset."
"Why – why would I get upset?" Piper echoed, the words forced out through gritted teeth. "I'm not upset. This is me, calm. See how calm I am?"
"She's not calm," Paige muttered, sounding like she was warning Ava.
"I am perfectly calm," Piper reiterated, emphatically. "Now, what is going on?"
"I've been monitoring Paige's vitals for the last month," Ava finally said, "because Barbas's attacks are weakening her heart."
"Weakening how?" Piper asked, her voice suddenly hoarse.
"I'm at an increased risk for a heart attack or a stroke," Paige spoke up, quietly. She opened her eyes, looking absolutely exhausted. "Yay, me."
Piper stared at her youngest sister in disbelief, barely able to speak. She couldn't think of anything to say that didn't involve yelling, and from what she'd just heard, that was the last thing that Paige needed. She stormed away without a word, shaking with suppressed rage. Ava followed her into the kitchen, and Piper whirled on her once she was sure that they were alone.
"Heart attack or stroke?" she hissed, furiously, glaring at the older woman. "Paige could have a heart attack?"
"Piper," Ava started, but she was too angry to let the other woman continue.
"Oh, and you decided to keep everything a secret," she ranted. "It's only Paige's heart, Phoebe and I don't need to know a thing!"
"Paige decided not to tell anyone but Leo, because she didn't want to worry anyone," Ava told her. "And regardless of whether or not I agree with that decision, she is my patient."
"We're her family," Piper snapped, but Ava remained unmoved. "Ava-"
Ava sighed, closing her eyes as she pinched the bridge of her nose. "Leo's been healing Paige as best he can," she replied, "but he's fighting an uphill battle. For every bit of damage that he heals, Barbas's attacks cause even more. And it's starting to have a permanent effect."
"Are you saying," Piper asked, slowly, "that, even after all of this is done, we could still lose Paige? She could still die?"
"Yes," Ava said, softly, and Piper slammed her hand down on the counter. A glimmer of power left her hand, a long crack appearing along the surface of the tile.
"That's not fair," she snapped.
"I know," Ava replied, sadly. "Piper," she went on, after a moment, "I know you're angry, and you have every right to be. Just don't let Paige see it, okay? She can't handle your anger, right now."
Piper just shot Ava a heated glare, storming out of the kitchen and through the house. She grabbed her jacket from the coat rack by the door, resisting the urge to slam the front door behind her. And she made it all the way out to her car before she broke down, sobbing.
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...
*****
Meditation and yoga had sounded relaxing, and Piper supposed that the mediation part was. The yoga, however – Piper was frankly amazed at the contortions that Paige was able to twist her body into, and all of it with a peaceful expression on her face.
"I would sprain something if I tried that," Piper hissed to Ava, but clearly not quietly enough, because Paige chuckled, softly.
"Henry is a closet yoga buff," she explained. "He badgered me into coming to classes with him. It's fun."
"Uh huh," Piper said, skeptically, and Paige opened an eye to look at her.
"Weren't you the one who was so hyped up about prenatal yoga?" she asked.
"Yeah," Piper agreed, "up until that class turned out to be 'stand, stretch, and breathe', and a whole bunch of overly-perky moms-to-be chirping about their baby bumps, and their sonograms, and Jasper's first photo!"
She said the last in a shrilly enough tone that both Paige and Ava winced, the latter going so far as to cover her ears. Paige rolled out of the position she'd moved into, tucking her feet underneath her calves as she sat on the mat.
"Would you relax?" she asked Piper, an exasperated tone in her voice.
"Paige, I want you to start meditative breathing," Ava spoke up. "Just relax, breathe slowly-"
"I'm familiar with the routine," Paige said, with a small smile. She closed her eyes, her hands falling into her lap as she started to breathe, and Ava tugged on Piper's arm until she moved out of the sunroom with her.
"What's up?" Piper asked, and Ava quickly gestured for her to be quiet.
"I want you to see something," she said, softly. "Watch Paige."
"Watch Paige for what?" Piper started to ask, but Ava just shushed her, again.
She was staring intently at Paige, muttering something softly under her breath. For a second, nothing seemed to be happening, and then Piper's eyes widened in shock as a thick, black cloud appeared over Paige's head, swirling around her like a halo.
"What the hell is that?" she demanded, quietly, and Ava sighed.
"That," she answered, "is our friend, Barbas. Or, at least his soul, if demons even have such a thing."
"Barbas isn't my friend," Piper snapped, under her breath. Ava just shot her a look. "Okay, okay," Piper relented. "What do we do about him? How do we get Barbas out of Paige's head?"
"I don't know if we can," Ava said, honestly.
Piper glared at her. "Then, why the hell would you show me that?" she demanded, in a furious whisper.
"Because," Ava explained, patiently, "when I first started working with Paige, that cloud was a hell of a lot bigger. She's containing him."
"Come again?" Piper asked, fighting for patience.
"Barbas's influence over Paige comes and goes," Ava told her, "every time he projects his consciousness out of the Underworld. But, when it does come, that cloud gets smaller and smaller, each time."
"Maybe, he's not going after Paige as strongly as before," Piper suggested, but Ava shook her head.
"Not if this morning's manifestation of Prue is anything to go by," she replied. "No, I think that Paige is trapping Barbas inside her own mind, keeping more and more of him locked up inside her each time he attacks."
"Why the hell would she do that?" Piper demanded, hoarsely, ready to storm into the room and shake some sense into her baby sister.
"I don't think she's aware of it," Ava hastened to reassure her. "I think it's an unconscious thing, her powers acting out to protect her."
"How could trapping Barbas inside her mind possibly protect Paige?" Piper started to snap, but the rest of her sentence was abruptly cut off when Paige suddenly let out a choking gasp, her eyes wide with terror.
Even as Piper started toward her, Paige had scrambled to her feet and shot backward, her hands held out in front of her as if to ward off an attack. Piper instinctively glanced back to where Paige was looking, just in case the threat was real, but once again, Paige was fighting her inner demons.
"Paige!" Ava called out, sharply, stopping the younger woman in her tracks. "Come on, Paige, remember what we talked about? Where are you, Paige? What are you seeing?"
"My parents," Paige rasped out, quietly. "Burning-"
"They're not," Ava said, her voice implacably calm. "Look around you, Paige. You're still in the sunroom. There's no one else here but me and Piper."
Paige's eyes darted around the room, her hands clenched into fists at her sides. Her chest was heaving with short, ragged gasps. But, she slowly started to calm down as Ava continued to talk to her, the panic in her eyes slowly receding. Finally, she moved until she hit the couch, sinking down onto the cushions with a tired sigh.
"You know where you are, now?" Ava asked, quietly, getting a small nod in response.
Ava sat down on the couch beside Paige, taking her wrist and feeling for a pulse. "Still too high," she commented. "Paige, you have to keep your heart rate and your blood pressure down."
"Do you want to trade?" Paige snapped, glaring at Ava. "Maybe you'd like having Barbas in your head?" A moment later, she deflated, slumping over in her seat. "Sorry," she said, quietly. "I just-"
"Don't worry about it," Ava told her. "Now, I want you to lie down and focus on your breathing. Slow and steady, remember?"
"Yeah, I know," Paige sighed.
"Okay, what are you guys talking about?" Piper spoke up, looking between them. "Ava, why are you so worried about Paige's blood pressure? Paige is completely healthy. Aren't you?" she added, insistently, when Paige remained suspiciously silent.
Ava and Paige exchanged a long, wordless look, and then Paige gave a tiny nod as she lay back down on the couch.
"What?" Piper demanded, impatiently. "What aren't you telling me? What was that nod?"
"Piper," Ava started, slowly, "Piper, I want you to promise me that you're not going to get upset."
"Why – why would I get upset?" Piper echoed, the words forced out through gritted teeth. "I'm not upset. This is me, calm. See how calm I am?"
"She's not calm," Paige muttered, sounding like she was warning Ava.
"I am perfectly calm," Piper reiterated, emphatically. "Now, what is going on?"
"I've been monitoring Paige's vitals for the last month," Ava finally said, "because Barbas's attacks are weakening her heart."
"Weakening how?" Piper asked, her voice suddenly hoarse.
"I'm at an increased risk for a heart attack or a stroke," Paige spoke up, quietly. She opened her eyes, looking absolutely exhausted. "Yay, me."
Piper stared at her youngest sister in disbelief, barely able to speak. She couldn't think of anything to say that didn't involve yelling, and from what she'd just heard, that was the last thing that Paige needed. She stormed away without a word, shaking with suppressed rage. Ava followed her into the kitchen, and Piper whirled on her once she was sure that they were alone.
"Heart attack or stroke?" she hissed, furiously, glaring at the older woman. "Paige could have a heart attack?"
"Piper," Ava started, but she was too angry to let the other woman continue.
"Oh, and you decided to keep everything a secret," she ranted. "It's only Paige's heart, Phoebe and I don't need to know a thing!"
"Paige decided not to tell anyone but Leo, because she didn't want to worry anyone," Ava told her. "And regardless of whether or not I agree with that decision, she is my patient."
"We're her family," Piper snapped, but Ava remained unmoved. "Ava-"
Ava sighed, closing her eyes as she pinched the bridge of her nose. "Leo's been healing Paige as best he can," she replied, "but he's fighting an uphill battle. For every bit of damage that he heals, Barbas's attacks cause even more. And it's starting to have a permanent effect."
"Are you saying," Piper asked, slowly, "that, even after all of this is done, we could still lose Paige? She could still die?"
"Yes," Ava said, softly, and Piper slammed her hand down on the counter. A glimmer of power left her hand, a long crack appearing along the surface of the tile.
"That's not fair," she snapped.
"I know," Ava replied, sadly. "Piper," she went on, after a moment, "I know you're angry, and you have every right to be. Just don't let Paige see it, okay? She can't handle your anger, right now."
Piper just shot Ava a heated glare, storming out of the kitchen and through the house. She grabbed her jacket from the coat rack by the door, resisting the urge to slam the front door behind her. And she made it all the way out to her car before she broke down, sobbing.
Continued here
