Fic: Comes Out of Darkness, Morn (7/37)
Title: 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...
*****
May 17, 2001 (The first time around)
"Oh my god, oh my god, oh my god! Did you see the news?"
Paige finished typing up the last of her report and hit save before she turned her attention to Lila. The younger woman was practically bouncing in place, shaking with excitement.
"See what news?" Paige asked, calmly.
In answer, Lila grabbed her hand and dragged her out from behind her desk. They stopped in the break room, where nearly all of the clinic's staff was gathered, including Cowen, to Paige's surprise. She didn't think that anything short of a fire was important enough to get the older man to stop working in the middle of the day.
"What's going on?" Paige murmured, as Lila pushed their way through the crowd to the small television on the folding table.
The television was blaring a special, mid-day news report, and Paige watched in mild interest for a few seconds. Then, her jaw dropped open in shock.
"Oh, my god," she gasped. "Prue?"
Her friend was featured larger than life on the television, alongside one of her sisters, and the two of them were using magical powers. Paige watched, open-mouthed, as a tall, gray man in ragged robes threw a ball of bright energy at Prue and her sister, Prue deflecting the energy ball with a wave of her hand. Then, her sister waved her hands at the man, making him explode.
Paige stared at the screen, completely speechless for several more seconds, and then she turned and went back to her desk. Her hands were shaking as she reached for her cell phone, scrolling through the phone book until she found Henry's number.
"Hey," she said, when he answered the phone. "Did you see the news?"
"How could I not?" came the reply. "It would seem that Prue has been holding out on us."
"Yeah, because I've been so soul-baringly honest with her," Paige retorted, wryly. "What are we going to do?"
"We're going to go and see Prue," Henry told her, "and we're going to tell her that we love and support her. And then we're going to ask what the hell she was thinking by blowing a man up on live television."
"I'll meet you outside South Bay in fifteen," Paige said, getting agreement from Henry.
"We'll use your car," he told her. It'll be easier to get through the crowds around Prue's house."
Fifteen minutes later, they were parked down the street from the old Victorian manor that Prue and her sisters lived in.
"I don't think we're getting through those crowds," Paige remarked, as the car idled on the side of the street. "And, I don't want to risk trying to orb into Prue's house. We might get seen, and Prue's sister with the hands might try to blow us up."
"Cell phone, it is," Henry declared, while Paige shut the car off. He dialed Prue, putting his phone on speaker. "Hey, stranger."
"Henry?" Prue asked, her voice tinny over the connection. "Henry, what are you doing?"
"What? We can't call and check on you?" Henry asked.
"Who's we?" Prue started, but then she stopped, as if the answer should be obvious. "Hey, Paige."
"Hey, yourself," Paige returned. "How are you?"
"Oh, you know," Prue said, breezily. "Just living the dream-"
"Yeah, try that one on someone who didn't see the news," Henry broke in, cutting Prue off. "Want to answer that question, again?"
There was a heavy sigh, and then Prue admitted, "My day kind of sucks, right now."
"Are you okay?" Paige asked, concerned.
"Physically, yeah," Prue admitted. "I mean, none of us are hurt, and the crowd of gawkers outside our door has mostly left us alone, but-"
"But?" Henry prompted, when Prue fell silent.
"But, I would give anything to be anywhere that isn't here, right now," Prue finally finished, sounding suddenly exhausted.
"We can always arrange that," Paige offered, shooting Henry a look. She could see that he agreed with her; if Prue wanted, they'd move heaven and earth to help her.
"No, wherever I go, someone's bound to find me," Prue replied, after a moment. "Running away from this isn't going to solve anything." She was silent for several long seconds, and then she asked, softly, "Are you guys okay with this? With me? The magic?"
"Sweetie, we love you," Paige said, without even needing to think about it. "No matter what."
"Ditto," Henry echoed. "We love you, warts and all."
"I do not have warts," Prue protested, indignantly. "Paige, um, I've got something that I need to tell you."
"Me, too," Paige replied. "But, you first."
"I -" Prue started, and then she broke off, her breathing shaky. "I'm a witch," she said, in a rush. "And, after I first got my powers, I tried to do this spell - it was a lost and found spell, but it didn't work."
"What were you looking for?" Paige prompted, and from Prue's sigh, she had been hoping not to hear that question.
"Pax," she finally answered, quietly. "I was trying to find Pax."
Paige blinked, squeezing Henry's hand as she wiped away the tears in her eyes. "Thank you," she murmured, and from the silence on the other end of the line, Prue was surprised at her response.
"Thank you?" she echoed, incredulously. "But, it didn't work," Prue protested, feebly, and Paige allowed herself a small smile.
"Thank you," she repeated, emphatically. "You tried to bring my little girl home to me. For that, I can never repay you."
"Paige," Prue started, hesitantly, but Paige wasn't going to let her finish what was clearly going to be some kind of guilty confession.
"My turn," she declared, forced gaiety in her voice. "So, you're not the only one who's been hiding magical powers."
Her bluntness stunned Prue into silence for several long seconds, and then Prue asked, "Excuse me?"
"Powers," Paige repeated. "I've got them."
More silence, like Prue was trying to come to terms with what she'd just learned. "You're a witch?" she finally managed to get out.
"If that's what it's called, then, yeah, I guess," Paige replied.
"She electrocutes people," Henry butted in, and Paige elbowed him in the side, none too gently.
"I do not electrocute people!" she protested. "Stop putting ideas in Prue's head."
"I already have ideas about you, Missy," Prue teased, and Paige could hear the smile in her voice.
She started to say something else, but then she was cut off by a distant voice. Paige heard a faint sound as Prue covered the phone with her hand, and then the muffled sound of her voice. She came back a few seconds later.
"I've got to go," she said, apologetically. "But, we're not done talking about this, Paige. Not by a long shot."
"I didn't think we were," Paige replied. "Talk to you later; be careful, Prue, okay?"
"Yeah," Henry added. "There are a lot of whack jobs out there. Promise me that you and your sisters will stay away from the windows, at least while your house is surrounded by the paparazzi."
"We'll be careful," Prue promised. "I love you, guys."
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...
*****
May 17, 2001 (The first time around)
"Oh my god, oh my god, oh my god! Did you see the news?"
Paige finished typing up the last of her report and hit save before she turned her attention to Lila. The younger woman was practically bouncing in place, shaking with excitement.
"See what news?" Paige asked, calmly.
In answer, Lila grabbed her hand and dragged her out from behind her desk. They stopped in the break room, where nearly all of the clinic's staff was gathered, including Cowen, to Paige's surprise. She didn't think that anything short of a fire was important enough to get the older man to stop working in the middle of the day.
"What's going on?" Paige murmured, as Lila pushed their way through the crowd to the small television on the folding table.
The television was blaring a special, mid-day news report, and Paige watched in mild interest for a few seconds. Then, her jaw dropped open in shock.
"Oh, my god," she gasped. "Prue?"
Her friend was featured larger than life on the television, alongside one of her sisters, and the two of them were using magical powers. Paige watched, open-mouthed, as a tall, gray man in ragged robes threw a ball of bright energy at Prue and her sister, Prue deflecting the energy ball with a wave of her hand. Then, her sister waved her hands at the man, making him explode.
Paige stared at the screen, completely speechless for several more seconds, and then she turned and went back to her desk. Her hands were shaking as she reached for her cell phone, scrolling through the phone book until she found Henry's number.
"Hey," she said, when he answered the phone. "Did you see the news?"
"How could I not?" came the reply. "It would seem that Prue has been holding out on us."
"Yeah, because I've been so soul-baringly honest with her," Paige retorted, wryly. "What are we going to do?"
"We're going to go and see Prue," Henry told her, "and we're going to tell her that we love and support her. And then we're going to ask what the hell she was thinking by blowing a man up on live television."
"I'll meet you outside South Bay in fifteen," Paige said, getting agreement from Henry.
"We'll use your car," he told her. It'll be easier to get through the crowds around Prue's house."
Fifteen minutes later, they were parked down the street from the old Victorian manor that Prue and her sisters lived in.
"I don't think we're getting through those crowds," Paige remarked, as the car idled on the side of the street. "And, I don't want to risk trying to orb into Prue's house. We might get seen, and Prue's sister with the hands might try to blow us up."
"Cell phone, it is," Henry declared, while Paige shut the car off. He dialed Prue, putting his phone on speaker. "Hey, stranger."
"Henry?" Prue asked, her voice tinny over the connection. "Henry, what are you doing?"
"What? We can't call and check on you?" Henry asked.
"Who's we?" Prue started, but then she stopped, as if the answer should be obvious. "Hey, Paige."
"Hey, yourself," Paige returned. "How are you?"
"Oh, you know," Prue said, breezily. "Just living the dream-"
"Yeah, try that one on someone who didn't see the news," Henry broke in, cutting Prue off. "Want to answer that question, again?"
There was a heavy sigh, and then Prue admitted, "My day kind of sucks, right now."
"Are you okay?" Paige asked, concerned.
"Physically, yeah," Prue admitted. "I mean, none of us are hurt, and the crowd of gawkers outside our door has mostly left us alone, but-"
"But?" Henry prompted, when Prue fell silent.
"But, I would give anything to be anywhere that isn't here, right now," Prue finally finished, sounding suddenly exhausted.
"We can always arrange that," Paige offered, shooting Henry a look. She could see that he agreed with her; if Prue wanted, they'd move heaven and earth to help her.
"No, wherever I go, someone's bound to find me," Prue replied, after a moment. "Running away from this isn't going to solve anything." She was silent for several long seconds, and then she asked, softly, "Are you guys okay with this? With me? The magic?"
"Sweetie, we love you," Paige said, without even needing to think about it. "No matter what."
"Ditto," Henry echoed. "We love you, warts and all."
"I do not have warts," Prue protested, indignantly. "Paige, um, I've got something that I need to tell you."
"Me, too," Paige replied. "But, you first."
"I -" Prue started, and then she broke off, her breathing shaky. "I'm a witch," she said, in a rush. "And, after I first got my powers, I tried to do this spell - it was a lost and found spell, but it didn't work."
"What were you looking for?" Paige prompted, and from Prue's sigh, she had been hoping not to hear that question.
"Pax," she finally answered, quietly. "I was trying to find Pax."
Paige blinked, squeezing Henry's hand as she wiped away the tears in her eyes. "Thank you," she murmured, and from the silence on the other end of the line, Prue was surprised at her response.
"Thank you?" she echoed, incredulously. "But, it didn't work," Prue protested, feebly, and Paige allowed herself a small smile.
"Thank you," she repeated, emphatically. "You tried to bring my little girl home to me. For that, I can never repay you."
"Paige," Prue started, hesitantly, but Paige wasn't going to let her finish what was clearly going to be some kind of guilty confession.
"My turn," she declared, forced gaiety in her voice. "So, you're not the only one who's been hiding magical powers."
Her bluntness stunned Prue into silence for several long seconds, and then Prue asked, "Excuse me?"
"Powers," Paige repeated. "I've got them."
More silence, like Prue was trying to come to terms with what she'd just learned. "You're a witch?" she finally managed to get out.
"If that's what it's called, then, yeah, I guess," Paige replied.
"She electrocutes people," Henry butted in, and Paige elbowed him in the side, none too gently.
"I do not electrocute people!" she protested. "Stop putting ideas in Prue's head."
"I already have ideas about you, Missy," Prue teased, and Paige could hear the smile in her voice.
She started to say something else, but then she was cut off by a distant voice. Paige heard a faint sound as Prue covered the phone with her hand, and then the muffled sound of her voice. She came back a few seconds later.
"I've got to go," she said, apologetically. "But, we're not done talking about this, Paige. Not by a long shot."
"I didn't think we were," Paige replied. "Talk to you later; be careful, Prue, okay?"
"Yeah," Henry added. "There are a lot of whack jobs out there. Promise me that you and your sisters will stay away from the windows, at least while your house is surrounded by the paparazzi."
"We'll be careful," Prue promised. "I love you, guys."
Continued here