Fic: Comes Out of Darkness, Morn (20/37)
Mar. 20th, 2012 03:18 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...
*****
The next morning, Paige pulled her car to a stop outside Sharon and Jim's house. She twisted around in her seat to look at Emily, who was regarding the house like it was primed to explode at any moment.
"You okay?" she asked, sympathetically, and the girl shook her head, minutely. She looked faintly green.
"Are you sure they want me?" she asked, in a tiny voice.
"They're ecstatic," Henry reassured Emily, from where he was sitting in the front passenger seat. "All night long, I was fielding phone calls from Mom about you and the baby. I will warn you, now, she has a tendency to go overboard."
"With the best of intentions," Paige said, quickly, seeing the panicked look on Emily's face. "You ready to go meet the family?"
"As ready as I'll ever be," Emily finally replied.
"That's the spirit," Paige said, encouragingly, as all three of them got out of the car. "Trust me, Em. You are in good hands. The best."
Emily finally nodded, climbing out of the backseat and starting slowly up the path to the house. Henry joined her, slinging an arm around the girl's shoulders as they walked, her duffel bag over his other arm. Paige watched them go with a small smile.
She'd spent the night sitting beside Emily's bed in the hospital, after convincing the girl to be admitted overnight, to let Ava keep an eye on her and her baby. She'd worked all night to get Emily set up with a foster family, but she hadn't even thought about Sharon and Jim until she'd gotten a call from the older woman offering their spare bedroom. They were still qualified as foster parents, and they'd been more than willing to help the girl out. Now, she just had to hope that she could convince Emily that it was a good thing.
Getting out of the car, Paige walked up to the house in time to hear Sharon scolding Henry, her arms folded across her chest.
"-Can't even call-"
"Mom, you're all the way out in Berkeley," Henry protested, weakly, but Sharon clearly wasn't buying it.
"Your sister lives in New York," she retorted, "and she finds the time to call me, every week."
"Oh, that's nice," Paige commented, getting an irritated look from Henry.
"Aren't you supposed to be on my side?" he muttered, and Paige laughed.
"I agree with Sharon," she retorted, cheerfully. "Sorry, but you're on your own, here."
"They're ganging up on me," Henry said mournfully to Emily, who was watching them with wide eyes. She chuckled, weakly, after a moment, giving him a small smile.
"I think I agree with your mom, too," she said, softly, and Paige grinned.
"You are sorely outnumbered, my friend," she told Henry, teasingly. "You might as well just admit defeat, now."
Henry groaned, throwing his hands up in the air in surrender. He led Emily into the house, with Paige and Sharon trailing behind them. Paige drifted away from them to wander into the living room, over to the wall of pictures that dominated the room.
Her gaze was immediately drawn to a picture of her, Henry, Prue, and Pax at her little girl's second birthday party. Pax was covered in chocolate cake, smears of icing on her cheeks. Paige and Prue both had their arms wrapped around Pax, and Henry around all three of them. They were all beaming at the camera.
"I'm so sorry," Paige whispered, running her fingers over the glass covering Prue's picture.
"All right," Henry said, suddenly from behind her, making her jump at the sound of his voice, "Mom's getting Emily settled into her room – hey, you okay?"
"I'm fine," Paige said, blinking away the tears that clouded her vision. "Just – just thinking."
"About Prue?" Henry asked, sympathetically, wrapping his arms around her in a pose reminiscent of the picture they were looking at. Paige sighed, leaning back against his chest.
"All this time," she said, softly, "and we never knew the truth. We never knew we were sisters."
"You were always sisters," Henry told her. "There was never any doubt of that."
"She called me the day she died," Paige said, a wistful note in her voice. "I still have her message on my voicemail. I kept listening to it last night, over and over." She faltered, closing her eyes for a moment, and then she went on. "There are some days – when I wake up, I can't remember my mom's voice, or the sound of Pax's laughter. I can't – I can't stand to forget Prue, too."
"You won't," Henry said, reassuringly. "I won't ever let you forget."
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The music inside P3 was pounding, but Piper and Phoebe paid the noise no attention. They slipped through the crowds on the dance floor, moving to their usual table in the secluded far corner, the one with a view of the rest of the club. A few minutes later, they were joined by Leo and Cole, who flanked them in the booth.
"Thanks," Piper said, accepting the glass that her husband held out to her.
"How are you holding up?" Leo asked, and Piper shot him a wry look.
"Like you really need to ask?" she said, quietly.
"It's hard," Phoebe spoke up, from where she was snuggled up against Cole's side. "Everything's been so crazy since Prue's funeral, and it feels like we've barely had any time to mourn. But, I guess now that Shax is dead, we'll have the rest of our lives for it."
"Not until the Source is dead," Piper said, her voice hard for a moment. "We have to vanquish him. For Prue."
"We can't do that without Paige," Phoebe pointed out, and then Cole nodded at the doorway.
"Speak of the devil-slash-witch-slash-Whitelighter," he murmured.
They watched as the younger woman slowly made her way down the stairs into the club. She was alone, but she was quickly joined by a young man with short dark hair. The pair spoke for a few seconds, Paige slowly shaking her head, and then the young man's shoulders slumped. He jabbed a finger at Paige, an angry expression on his face, but Paige just shook her head, again, saying something that made the young man stalk up the stairs, alone. Paige watched him go, a wistful expression on her face.
She reached their table a few seconds later, biting her lip, hesitantly. Cole stood, offering her his seat next to Phoebe, who moved over to give Paige space to sit down.
"I figured I'd find you guys here," she said, quietly.
"Well, I do own the place," Piper quipped, and Paige gave her a weak smile.
"Who was that?" Phoebe asked, curiously, nodding in the direction the young man had gone, and Paige looked toward the door with something like regret in her eyes.
"He was my boyfriend," she said, heavy emphasis on the past tense. "But, he was with me on the roof when that demon attacked the other night, and he saw my powers-"
"I used memory dust on him," Leo interjected, sounding worried, and Paige nodded.
"He may have forgotten what he saw," she said, quietly, "but I can't forget his reaction. He'll probably never be able to accept who I am, and he shouldn't have to. He deserves someone normal, someone who isn't constantly battling the forces of evil."
"I'm sorry," Piper said, sympathetically.
"I wasn't looking for forever with Shane," Paige commented. "I'm just sorry that it had to end like this."
"Hazard of the job, unfortunately," Phoebe replied. "We've all seen relationships go down the drain due to magic. Especially Piper," she added, a teasing note in her voice.
"Maybe," Piper conceded, "but magic also led me to my soul mate-"
"And mine," Phoebe chimed in.
"So, there's hope for your romantic future, yet," Piper finished.
"Can I ask you something?" Phoebe asked, leaning toward Paige, a curious expression on her face. "You said at the funeral that you knew Prue. Were you friends?"
"For a few years," Paige nodded. "We were close. She was like family, and I wanted to say goodbye."
Piper exchanged a look with Phoebe, who nodded, seeming to have the same idea that she did. Paige watched them with an upraised eyebrow, quietly waiting for an explanation.
"Come with us," Piper said, rather than assuaging Paige's obvious curiosity.
"Where?" Paige asked, even as she slid out of the booth and followed her sisters across the floor to the exit.
"To meet the rest of the family," Phoebe told her, with a small smile.
They drove back to the Manor, Paige parking her tiny, green car on the street in front of the house, and then they went up to the attic. They crossed the attic to the lectern where the Book sat, and Paige looked idly out the window while Piper flipped through the pages, and Phoebe lit the candles that were still arranged in a circle in the middle of the floor.
"You ready?" Piper asked, when they reached the spell they wanted.
"I don't even know what you're doing," Paige pointed out, reasonably.
"You'll see," Phoebe said, and then she and Piper chanted the summoning spell in unison.
Bright lights formed in the middle of the candles, and Paige stared in amazement at the figure that appeared, her mouth falling open in shock.
"Paige?" Patty asked, a breathless note in her voice, and Paige stepped toward their mother, slowly.
"Mom?" she said, her voice shaky, and there was a glimmer of light as Patty stepped out of the candles, wrapping her arms around Paige in a hug.
"Welcome home, my darling," she murmured, as she held onto her youngest daughter. "Welcome home."
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It was late by the time Paige left the Manor, but she didn't head back to her own apartment. Instead, she drove over to Henry's place, knocking lightly on the door. When she heard an indistinct noise, she let herself into the apartment, straining to see through the darkness that filled the space.
"Henry?" she called out, her eyes slowly adjusting to the darkness.
"Couch," came the quiet reply, and she made her way over to where he was sitting.
She could smell the alcohol when she got near him, could see the outline of a glass in his hand. But, as she sat down, she saw that the glass was empty, and the bottle on the coffee table in front of him was still full.
"You're rubbing off on me," Henry said, without preamble. "I just kept remembering all the fights you used to have with Nick over his drinking, and if there's one thing I don't ever want to be-"
"Nick will never be half the man you are," Paige told him. "And one glass is not going to turn you into him."
"Wasn't going to stop at just one," Henry admitted with a heavy sigh. He looked down, listlessly, at his hands, his shoulders slumped.
"Do you want to talk about it?" Paige asked, carefully, but Henry just mutely shook his head.
Paige nodded in understanding, reaching out and gently squeezing his hand. They sat together in silence for about half an hour before Henry finally said anything.
"I remember everything," he whispered, his voice hollow. "I remember everything he said to that boy, to make him hurt Emily, everything he made me do-"
"That wasn't you," Paige interrupted him, her voice low and fierce. "Nothing that happened today was your fault. None of it."
"Last night," Henry went on, like he hadn't heard her, "he stood over you and watched you sleep. And he talked about every single way that he could kill you, just to hear me scream. He had a knife to your throat, once – my hand-"
He broke off with a choked gasp, his chest heaving as he struggled for control. Paige shuddered at the images Henry's description conjured up, able to see all-too-clearly the Source using her best friend to threaten her life.
"You could have died," Henry went on, so quietly that she could barely hear him, "and I wouldn't have been able to do a damn thing about it."
"I'm fine, now," Paige said, weakly, trying to be reassuring. "Everything's fine."
"What if it's not?" Henry asked her. "Paige, this demon came after me in order to hurt you. What if some other demon tries it? And what if I actually do hurt you, next time?"
"There isn't going to be a next time," Paige told him. "Demons aren't getting their hands on you, again. Not if I can help it."
Henry just shook his head, staring down at the empty glass in his hands. "Maybe we should take some time apart," he ventured, without looking at her. "If I'm going to be a danger to you-"
"No," Paige snapped, fiercely, startling Henry into looking up at her. "Hell, no," she repeated emphatically.
"Paige, be reasonable-" Henry tried, and she glared at him.
"I am being reasonable," she practically growled. "This son of a bitch already took my sister, and I'll be damned if I let him take you away from me, too. I am not letting you go," she told him, firmly. "Not a chance in Hell."
"I could always run away to the other side of the world," Henry threatened, but there wasn't any heat in his words, and Paige could feel him relax against her side as he set the empty glass down on the table in front of them.
"You could try," Paige countered, wrapping an arm around him as he rested his head on her shoulder. "You're not going to get too far, though. I'd just orb your ass back home, no matter how long it took."
"I guess I'm just going to be stuck with you, then," Henry said, with a quiet sigh.
His eyes were drooping closed as he spoke, and Paige figured he hadn't gotten any rest when he'd been possessed by the Source. She combed her fingers idly through his short hair, feeling him grow heavy against her side. She snagged one of the throw pillows from beside her, putting it on her lap as he slowly slid down onto the couch, completely asleep.
"Yeah," she agreed, softly. "You're stuck with me."
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...
*****
The next morning, Paige pulled her car to a stop outside Sharon and Jim's house. She twisted around in her seat to look at Emily, who was regarding the house like it was primed to explode at any moment.
"You okay?" she asked, sympathetically, and the girl shook her head, minutely. She looked faintly green.
"Are you sure they want me?" she asked, in a tiny voice.
"They're ecstatic," Henry reassured Emily, from where he was sitting in the front passenger seat. "All night long, I was fielding phone calls from Mom about you and the baby. I will warn you, now, she has a tendency to go overboard."
"With the best of intentions," Paige said, quickly, seeing the panicked look on Emily's face. "You ready to go meet the family?"
"As ready as I'll ever be," Emily finally replied.
"That's the spirit," Paige said, encouragingly, as all three of them got out of the car. "Trust me, Em. You are in good hands. The best."
Emily finally nodded, climbing out of the backseat and starting slowly up the path to the house. Henry joined her, slinging an arm around the girl's shoulders as they walked, her duffel bag over his other arm. Paige watched them go with a small smile.
She'd spent the night sitting beside Emily's bed in the hospital, after convincing the girl to be admitted overnight, to let Ava keep an eye on her and her baby. She'd worked all night to get Emily set up with a foster family, but she hadn't even thought about Sharon and Jim until she'd gotten a call from the older woman offering their spare bedroom. They were still qualified as foster parents, and they'd been more than willing to help the girl out. Now, she just had to hope that she could convince Emily that it was a good thing.
Getting out of the car, Paige walked up to the house in time to hear Sharon scolding Henry, her arms folded across her chest.
"-Can't even call-"
"Mom, you're all the way out in Berkeley," Henry protested, weakly, but Sharon clearly wasn't buying it.
"Your sister lives in New York," she retorted, "and she finds the time to call me, every week."
"Oh, that's nice," Paige commented, getting an irritated look from Henry.
"Aren't you supposed to be on my side?" he muttered, and Paige laughed.
"I agree with Sharon," she retorted, cheerfully. "Sorry, but you're on your own, here."
"They're ganging up on me," Henry said mournfully to Emily, who was watching them with wide eyes. She chuckled, weakly, after a moment, giving him a small smile.
"I think I agree with your mom, too," she said, softly, and Paige grinned.
"You are sorely outnumbered, my friend," she told Henry, teasingly. "You might as well just admit defeat, now."
Henry groaned, throwing his hands up in the air in surrender. He led Emily into the house, with Paige and Sharon trailing behind them. Paige drifted away from them to wander into the living room, over to the wall of pictures that dominated the room.
Her gaze was immediately drawn to a picture of her, Henry, Prue, and Pax at her little girl's second birthday party. Pax was covered in chocolate cake, smears of icing on her cheeks. Paige and Prue both had their arms wrapped around Pax, and Henry around all three of them. They were all beaming at the camera.
"I'm so sorry," Paige whispered, running her fingers over the glass covering Prue's picture.
"All right," Henry said, suddenly from behind her, making her jump at the sound of his voice, "Mom's getting Emily settled into her room – hey, you okay?"
"I'm fine," Paige said, blinking away the tears that clouded her vision. "Just – just thinking."
"About Prue?" Henry asked, sympathetically, wrapping his arms around her in a pose reminiscent of the picture they were looking at. Paige sighed, leaning back against his chest.
"All this time," she said, softly, "and we never knew the truth. We never knew we were sisters."
"You were always sisters," Henry told her. "There was never any doubt of that."
"She called me the day she died," Paige said, a wistful note in her voice. "I still have her message on my voicemail. I kept listening to it last night, over and over." She faltered, closing her eyes for a moment, and then she went on. "There are some days – when I wake up, I can't remember my mom's voice, or the sound of Pax's laughter. I can't – I can't stand to forget Prue, too."
"You won't," Henry said, reassuringly. "I won't ever let you forget."
XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX
The music inside P3 was pounding, but Piper and Phoebe paid the noise no attention. They slipped through the crowds on the dance floor, moving to their usual table in the secluded far corner, the one with a view of the rest of the club. A few minutes later, they were joined by Leo and Cole, who flanked them in the booth.
"Thanks," Piper said, accepting the glass that her husband held out to her.
"How are you holding up?" Leo asked, and Piper shot him a wry look.
"Like you really need to ask?" she said, quietly.
"It's hard," Phoebe spoke up, from where she was snuggled up against Cole's side. "Everything's been so crazy since Prue's funeral, and it feels like we've barely had any time to mourn. But, I guess now that Shax is dead, we'll have the rest of our lives for it."
"Not until the Source is dead," Piper said, her voice hard for a moment. "We have to vanquish him. For Prue."
"We can't do that without Paige," Phoebe pointed out, and then Cole nodded at the doorway.
"Speak of the devil-slash-witch-slash-Whitelighter," he murmured.
They watched as the younger woman slowly made her way down the stairs into the club. She was alone, but she was quickly joined by a young man with short dark hair. The pair spoke for a few seconds, Paige slowly shaking her head, and then the young man's shoulders slumped. He jabbed a finger at Paige, an angry expression on his face, but Paige just shook her head, again, saying something that made the young man stalk up the stairs, alone. Paige watched him go, a wistful expression on her face.
She reached their table a few seconds later, biting her lip, hesitantly. Cole stood, offering her his seat next to Phoebe, who moved over to give Paige space to sit down.
"I figured I'd find you guys here," she said, quietly.
"Well, I do own the place," Piper quipped, and Paige gave her a weak smile.
"Who was that?" Phoebe asked, curiously, nodding in the direction the young man had gone, and Paige looked toward the door with something like regret in her eyes.
"He was my boyfriend," she said, heavy emphasis on the past tense. "But, he was with me on the roof when that demon attacked the other night, and he saw my powers-"
"I used memory dust on him," Leo interjected, sounding worried, and Paige nodded.
"He may have forgotten what he saw," she said, quietly, "but I can't forget his reaction. He'll probably never be able to accept who I am, and he shouldn't have to. He deserves someone normal, someone who isn't constantly battling the forces of evil."
"I'm sorry," Piper said, sympathetically.
"I wasn't looking for forever with Shane," Paige commented. "I'm just sorry that it had to end like this."
"Hazard of the job, unfortunately," Phoebe replied. "We've all seen relationships go down the drain due to magic. Especially Piper," she added, a teasing note in her voice.
"Maybe," Piper conceded, "but magic also led me to my soul mate-"
"And mine," Phoebe chimed in.
"So, there's hope for your romantic future, yet," Piper finished.
"Can I ask you something?" Phoebe asked, leaning toward Paige, a curious expression on her face. "You said at the funeral that you knew Prue. Were you friends?"
"For a few years," Paige nodded. "We were close. She was like family, and I wanted to say goodbye."
Piper exchanged a look with Phoebe, who nodded, seeming to have the same idea that she did. Paige watched them with an upraised eyebrow, quietly waiting for an explanation.
"Come with us," Piper said, rather than assuaging Paige's obvious curiosity.
"Where?" Paige asked, even as she slid out of the booth and followed her sisters across the floor to the exit.
"To meet the rest of the family," Phoebe told her, with a small smile.
They drove back to the Manor, Paige parking her tiny, green car on the street in front of the house, and then they went up to the attic. They crossed the attic to the lectern where the Book sat, and Paige looked idly out the window while Piper flipped through the pages, and Phoebe lit the candles that were still arranged in a circle in the middle of the floor.
"You ready?" Piper asked, when they reached the spell they wanted.
"I don't even know what you're doing," Paige pointed out, reasonably.
"You'll see," Phoebe said, and then she and Piper chanted the summoning spell in unison.
Bright lights formed in the middle of the candles, and Paige stared in amazement at the figure that appeared, her mouth falling open in shock.
"Paige?" Patty asked, a breathless note in her voice, and Paige stepped toward their mother, slowly.
"Mom?" she said, her voice shaky, and there was a glimmer of light as Patty stepped out of the candles, wrapping her arms around Paige in a hug.
"Welcome home, my darling," she murmured, as she held onto her youngest daughter. "Welcome home."
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It was late by the time Paige left the Manor, but she didn't head back to her own apartment. Instead, she drove over to Henry's place, knocking lightly on the door. When she heard an indistinct noise, she let herself into the apartment, straining to see through the darkness that filled the space.
"Henry?" she called out, her eyes slowly adjusting to the darkness.
"Couch," came the quiet reply, and she made her way over to where he was sitting.
She could smell the alcohol when she got near him, could see the outline of a glass in his hand. But, as she sat down, she saw that the glass was empty, and the bottle on the coffee table in front of him was still full.
"You're rubbing off on me," Henry said, without preamble. "I just kept remembering all the fights you used to have with Nick over his drinking, and if there's one thing I don't ever want to be-"
"Nick will never be half the man you are," Paige told him. "And one glass is not going to turn you into him."
"Wasn't going to stop at just one," Henry admitted with a heavy sigh. He looked down, listlessly, at his hands, his shoulders slumped.
"Do you want to talk about it?" Paige asked, carefully, but Henry just mutely shook his head.
Paige nodded in understanding, reaching out and gently squeezing his hand. They sat together in silence for about half an hour before Henry finally said anything.
"I remember everything," he whispered, his voice hollow. "I remember everything he said to that boy, to make him hurt Emily, everything he made me do-"
"That wasn't you," Paige interrupted him, her voice low and fierce. "Nothing that happened today was your fault. None of it."
"Last night," Henry went on, like he hadn't heard her, "he stood over you and watched you sleep. And he talked about every single way that he could kill you, just to hear me scream. He had a knife to your throat, once – my hand-"
He broke off with a choked gasp, his chest heaving as he struggled for control. Paige shuddered at the images Henry's description conjured up, able to see all-too-clearly the Source using her best friend to threaten her life.
"You could have died," Henry went on, so quietly that she could barely hear him, "and I wouldn't have been able to do a damn thing about it."
"I'm fine, now," Paige said, weakly, trying to be reassuring. "Everything's fine."
"What if it's not?" Henry asked her. "Paige, this demon came after me in order to hurt you. What if some other demon tries it? And what if I actually do hurt you, next time?"
"There isn't going to be a next time," Paige told him. "Demons aren't getting their hands on you, again. Not if I can help it."
Henry just shook his head, staring down at the empty glass in his hands. "Maybe we should take some time apart," he ventured, without looking at her. "If I'm going to be a danger to you-"
"No," Paige snapped, fiercely, startling Henry into looking up at her. "Hell, no," she repeated emphatically.
"Paige, be reasonable-" Henry tried, and she glared at him.
"I am being reasonable," she practically growled. "This son of a bitch already took my sister, and I'll be damned if I let him take you away from me, too. I am not letting you go," she told him, firmly. "Not a chance in Hell."
"I could always run away to the other side of the world," Henry threatened, but there wasn't any heat in his words, and Paige could feel him relax against her side as he set the empty glass down on the table in front of them.
"You could try," Paige countered, wrapping an arm around him as he rested his head on her shoulder. "You're not going to get too far, though. I'd just orb your ass back home, no matter how long it took."
"I guess I'm just going to be stuck with you, then," Henry said, with a quiet sigh.
His eyes were drooping closed as he spoke, and Paige figured he hadn't gotten any rest when he'd been possessed by the Source. She combed her fingers idly through his short hair, feeling him grow heavy against her side. She snagged one of the throw pillows from beside her, putting it on her lap as he slowly slid down onto the couch, completely asleep.
"Yeah," she agreed, softly. "You're stuck with me."
Continued here
