Fic: Comes Out of Darkness, Morn (23/37)
Mar. 18th, 2012 11:20 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 didn't even look up at the sound of a knock on the doorframe of the tiny office she shared with the three other social workers employed by the hospital.
"Busy," she said, shortly, her attention focused on the paperwork spread out in front of her on the desk. "And, for the fiftieth time, you will get the Rodriguez file when I'm done with it."
"Who's Rodriguez?" came the confused question, and Paige looked up to see Ava hovering in the doorway, a curious expression on her face.
"Sorry," Paige apologized. "I thought you were Brenda. She's been badgering me all damn day. She's the one who wanted a consult, wanted me to look things over, and now she's rushing me-"
"Breathe," Ava instructed, a small smile on her face as she stepped into the tiny office. "Geez, how can you stand it in here?"
"I can't," Paige grumbled, as she gathered the paperwork back into the file folder and closed it. "But, this is all I get, and I'm only here a couple times a month, so I learn to deal with it. What's up? Did you want something?"
"You've been tense ever since you came back from lunch," Ava told her. "I just wanted to see if you were okay."
"I'm fine," Paige said, but Ava just crossed her arms over her chest, the look in her eyes telling her that she wasn't buying it.
"Care to try again?" she asked, and Paige sighed. "And, no," Ava went on, a second later, "I'm not going away until I get an honest answer."
"I need less nosy people in my life," Paige groused.
"We're nosy because we care," Ava pointed out.
Paige debated, for a moment, the relative merits of telling Ava a heavily-edited version of what happened versus keeping it bottled up and potentially exploding at dinner, followed by getting the third degree from Henry.
"You got fifteen minutes?" she asked, and Ava nodded.
"I know the perfect place for some privacy," she said, leading the way out of the office.
When Paige stepped out on the roof, there was a small part of her that tensed up in anticipation of an attack, still half-expecting to see Shax waiting for her, even though she knew full well that he was gone. But, sunshine was the only thing that greeted her, and she sighed in relief, feeling some of the tension drain away from her shoulders as she soaked in the heat.
She and Ava went over to the catwalk, sitting down and dangling their legs over the edge. Paige leaned on the railing, resting her chin on her hands and staring out over the city.
"When I was a kid," she started, "I used to always wonder what it would be like to have sisters. I mean, I had my cousin, Jeff, and he was great, for all that he acted like an annoying older brother, but I always wanted a sister to talk to, to share secrets with. I had no idea what I was getting myself into."
"Things rocky with your sisters?" Ava asked, sympathetically, and Paige nodded.
"That's an understatement," she remarked, wryly. "Piper seems utterly determined to ignore my existence, and Phoebe is being overly chipper to make up for it. Leo seems nice enough, but he's Piper's husband and I can't ask him to get between us. Things are tense every time I go over there, and it's like I can't do anything right, according to Piper-"
"Paige," Ava interrupted her, "you've only known your sisters for a couple of weeks, right?"
"Yeah," Paige replied.
"And, it's safe to say that your life has been completely uprooted?" Ava went on, knowingly. When Paige nodded, she continued, "Wouldn't you say that your sisters' lives have been disrupted just as much? I mean, something as big as this is going to take longer than two weeks to get used to, right?"
"Yeah," Paige repeated, quietly. "Maybe you're right."
"Oh, I'm definitely right," the older woman said, with a confidence that made Paige laugh. "This is all new to them," she added. "You've just got to give them some time. And besides, they're family. They're supposed to make your life miserable."
They sat in silence for several minutes, and then Ava cleared her throat, getting Paige's attention.
"So, I saw you, a couple of weeks ago," she started, and Paige snorted out a laugh.
"It's been a long couple of weeks. You're going to have to be a little more specific," she teased, getting an exasperated look from Ava.
"I was going out for a smoke," Ava went on, doggedly, ignoring the pointed look Paige shot her, "and I went to the smoking shelter at the west entrance, and I saw you. I saw you disappear."
It took Paige a moment, but then she closed her eyes with a quiet groan. "Shit," she muttered, under her breath. "Ava, I can explain-"
"But you don't have to," Ava interrupted her, gently. "Not if you don't want to." Paige looked at her in surprise, getting a small smile in response. "If you want to talk, I'm here. And if you don't want to talk – well, I'm still here."
"Thanks," Paige said quietly, touched by Ava's consideration.
"My family is Romani," Ava told her, after a moment. "I grew up on tales of our magic, learned our spells and potions at my mother's hand. After she died, I was angry that magic couldn't save her, angry that she'd died when we were supposed to have all this power. I turned my back on my heritage, insisted that it couldn't be real, that it was all just stories." She broke off, fingering a silver pendant featuring a stylized eye on a cross. "I guess I always knew that they weren't just stories," she added, fondly.
"Witches," Paige replied, after a moment. "My family are witches, stretching all the way back to Salem."
"Funny," Ava teased her, "you don't look like you have warts."
"We do not have warts," Paige said, with an irritated eye roll in Ava's direction.
"Oh, please tell me that you at least have a pointed hat," Ava begged. "Or, a broom?"
"I'll hit you with my broom," Paige mock threatened, getting a laugh out of Ava.
They were startled a second later by a shrill ring that cut through the air. Both of them immediately went to the pagers they wore on their belts, but both were quiet, and after a few seconds, Paige realized that it was her cell phone. She was surprised to see Phoebe's number on her screen, and she answered, cautiously.
"Piper's turning into a Fury," Phoebe said, abruptly, before she'd had time to say anything. "I need you back here, I can't do this, alone."
"I'll be right there," Paige promised, hanging up her phone. She shoved her phone back into her pocket, unclipping the pager from her belt and passing it to Ava. "Can you give this to Brenda, tell her I had a family emergency? I have to go, it's urgent."
"Go," Ava urged her, taking the pager from her. As she orbed away, the last thing she heard was Ava's distant, "That is so awesome."
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 didn't even look up at the sound of a knock on the doorframe of the tiny office she shared with the three other social workers employed by the hospital.
"Busy," she said, shortly, her attention focused on the paperwork spread out in front of her on the desk. "And, for the fiftieth time, you will get the Rodriguez file when I'm done with it."
"Who's Rodriguez?" came the confused question, and Paige looked up to see Ava hovering in the doorway, a curious expression on her face.
"Sorry," Paige apologized. "I thought you were Brenda. She's been badgering me all damn day. She's the one who wanted a consult, wanted me to look things over, and now she's rushing me-"
"Breathe," Ava instructed, a small smile on her face as she stepped into the tiny office. "Geez, how can you stand it in here?"
"I can't," Paige grumbled, as she gathered the paperwork back into the file folder and closed it. "But, this is all I get, and I'm only here a couple times a month, so I learn to deal with it. What's up? Did you want something?"
"You've been tense ever since you came back from lunch," Ava told her. "I just wanted to see if you were okay."
"I'm fine," Paige said, but Ava just crossed her arms over her chest, the look in her eyes telling her that she wasn't buying it.
"Care to try again?" she asked, and Paige sighed. "And, no," Ava went on, a second later, "I'm not going away until I get an honest answer."
"I need less nosy people in my life," Paige groused.
"We're nosy because we care," Ava pointed out.
Paige debated, for a moment, the relative merits of telling Ava a heavily-edited version of what happened versus keeping it bottled up and potentially exploding at dinner, followed by getting the third degree from Henry.
"You got fifteen minutes?" she asked, and Ava nodded.
"I know the perfect place for some privacy," she said, leading the way out of the office.
When Paige stepped out on the roof, there was a small part of her that tensed up in anticipation of an attack, still half-expecting to see Shax waiting for her, even though she knew full well that he was gone. But, sunshine was the only thing that greeted her, and she sighed in relief, feeling some of the tension drain away from her shoulders as she soaked in the heat.
She and Ava went over to the catwalk, sitting down and dangling their legs over the edge. Paige leaned on the railing, resting her chin on her hands and staring out over the city.
"When I was a kid," she started, "I used to always wonder what it would be like to have sisters. I mean, I had my cousin, Jeff, and he was great, for all that he acted like an annoying older brother, but I always wanted a sister to talk to, to share secrets with. I had no idea what I was getting myself into."
"Things rocky with your sisters?" Ava asked, sympathetically, and Paige nodded.
"That's an understatement," she remarked, wryly. "Piper seems utterly determined to ignore my existence, and Phoebe is being overly chipper to make up for it. Leo seems nice enough, but he's Piper's husband and I can't ask him to get between us. Things are tense every time I go over there, and it's like I can't do anything right, according to Piper-"
"Paige," Ava interrupted her, "you've only known your sisters for a couple of weeks, right?"
"Yeah," Paige replied.
"And, it's safe to say that your life has been completely uprooted?" Ava went on, knowingly. When Paige nodded, she continued, "Wouldn't you say that your sisters' lives have been disrupted just as much? I mean, something as big as this is going to take longer than two weeks to get used to, right?"
"Yeah," Paige repeated, quietly. "Maybe you're right."
"Oh, I'm definitely right," the older woman said, with a confidence that made Paige laugh. "This is all new to them," she added. "You've just got to give them some time. And besides, they're family. They're supposed to make your life miserable."
They sat in silence for several minutes, and then Ava cleared her throat, getting Paige's attention.
"So, I saw you, a couple of weeks ago," she started, and Paige snorted out a laugh.
"It's been a long couple of weeks. You're going to have to be a little more specific," she teased, getting an exasperated look from Ava.
"I was going out for a smoke," Ava went on, doggedly, ignoring the pointed look Paige shot her, "and I went to the smoking shelter at the west entrance, and I saw you. I saw you disappear."
It took Paige a moment, but then she closed her eyes with a quiet groan. "Shit," she muttered, under her breath. "Ava, I can explain-"
"But you don't have to," Ava interrupted her, gently. "Not if you don't want to." Paige looked at her in surprise, getting a small smile in response. "If you want to talk, I'm here. And if you don't want to talk – well, I'm still here."
"Thanks," Paige said quietly, touched by Ava's consideration.
"My family is Romani," Ava told her, after a moment. "I grew up on tales of our magic, learned our spells and potions at my mother's hand. After she died, I was angry that magic couldn't save her, angry that she'd died when we were supposed to have all this power. I turned my back on my heritage, insisted that it couldn't be real, that it was all just stories." She broke off, fingering a silver pendant featuring a stylized eye on a cross. "I guess I always knew that they weren't just stories," she added, fondly.
"Witches," Paige replied, after a moment. "My family are witches, stretching all the way back to Salem."
"Funny," Ava teased her, "you don't look like you have warts."
"We do not have warts," Paige said, with an irritated eye roll in Ava's direction.
"Oh, please tell me that you at least have a pointed hat," Ava begged. "Or, a broom?"
"I'll hit you with my broom," Paige mock threatened, getting a laugh out of Ava.
They were startled a second later by a shrill ring that cut through the air. Both of them immediately went to the pagers they wore on their belts, but both were quiet, and after a few seconds, Paige realized that it was her cell phone. She was surprised to see Phoebe's number on her screen, and she answered, cautiously.
"Piper's turning into a Fury," Phoebe said, abruptly, before she'd had time to say anything. "I need you back here, I can't do this, alone."
"I'll be right there," Paige promised, hanging up her phone. She shoved her phone back into her pocket, unclipping the pager from her belt and passing it to Ava. "Can you give this to Brenda, tell her I had a family emergency? I have to go, it's urgent."
"Go," Ava urged her, taking the pager from her. As she orbed away, the last thing she heard was Ava's distant, "That is so awesome."
Continued here
