Fic: Comes Out of Darkness, Morn (18/37)
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...
*****
The phone went dead in her ear, and Paige stared down at the quiet device in horror. Emily and bad, two words that she'd never hoped to hear in the same sentence, ever again. She'd already failed the girl, once, letting Troy find Emily, letting him hurt her, after she'd promised that she would be safe. And now, it looked like she'd failed her, again. Her heart was racing as she orbed to where Henry was.
A second later, she could feel it stop.
"Emily," she gasped, in shock, falling to her knees beside the girl's too-still form and pulling her into her arms. "Oh god, Em. I'm so sorry, honey. I'm so sorry."
The teenager was barely breathing, her heartbeat sluggish and faint under Paige's questing fingers. She bit back a sob as she stared at the blood covering the girl's body, blood pouring from too many bone-deep cuts for Paige to even try and stop.
"How?" she demanded, tears choking her, as she looked up at Henry, and he wordlessly stepped out of the way, pointing to an unconscious form on the ground behind him.
"He did it," Henry said, tonelessly. "I found him hacking the girl to bits. It was gruesome."
Paige stared at Troy Camden's unmoving body, feeling rage build up within her. Emily had told her, more than once, how Troy had threatened to kill her if she'd ever left him, had even detailed the way he would do it. And now it seemed he had.
"I'm so sorry," she whispered, to Emily, burying her face into the girl's hair. "God, I'm so sorry. Please forgive me."
She startled at the feel of Henry's hand on her shoulder, lifting her own, shaking hand to cover his. She waited for him to squeeze her hand, to say something, anything, but he was strangely silent, and she looked up at him in confusion, shivering involuntarily at the emotionless mask on his face.
"He killed her," Henry said, softly, and Paige turned to look back at Troy's body. "She's dying because of him, and he deserves to be punished."
Paige swallowed, hard, her protests dying in her throat as Henry gently squeezed the back of her neck.
"Use your power," he whispered, his voice startling close to her ear. "Use your power to call for his heart. Make him pay. Make him suffer."
"I can't-" Paige whimpered, her grip tightening on Emily as she stared at Troy.
"Yes, you can," Henry whispered. "He deserves it. He deserves to die. Call for his heart."
There was a voice in the back of her mind insisting that she knew that this wasn't right. That she knew that was she was about to do was wrong. But, the voice was barely a whisper, and she was too far gone to listen.
"Heart," she murmured, holding her hand out and watching Troy's body jerk on the ground in response to her call. "Heart."
"Again," Henry murmured, his grip tightening on her neck, when she hesitated. "Show him no mercy. After all, he didn't show her any."
"Heart," Paige said, only wondering for a moment why her voice caught on the word, why it was so hard to say. "Heart."
The boy's body spasmed, again, a low moan being ripped from his throat. His eyes were open, and she could see confusion and pain reflected in the dark orbs. And she faltered.
"Again!" Henry hissed, when she stopped. "Don't let him get away with it."
"I - no," Paige forced out, seeing the boy suffering in front of her. "I can't-"
"Yes, you can," Henry repeated, impatiently.
"The hell she is," a new voice spoke up, and Paige looked up, startled, at the sound of the familiar, beloved voice. "Get your hands off my sister," Prue growled, her spectral form hanging in the air in front of them.
"You're dead," Henry said, flatly, and Prue let out a low, humorless laugh.
"And you'd know all about that," she said, staring at him like she was contemplating an interesting bug. "Wouldn't you?"
"I killed you," Henry snarled, and Paige twisted around to see cold hatred in her best friend's eyes.
"You're him," she said, frantically, even as she tightened her grip on Emily and started to drag the girl away. "You're the Source."
"Oh, very good," the Source said, sarcastically, clapping slowly and dramatically. "You know, you're not nearly as stupid as you look, witch."
"Get the hell out of him," Paige growled, and the Source raised an eyebrow at her.
"But, I'm so comfortable, here," he said, mockingly.
"It's over," Prue snapped, from behind Paige. "You've lost. You're not getting your hands on her."
The Source smirked, and then Henry's body seemed to shimmer all over with a dark light. Then, Henry collapsed to the ground, unconscious, leaving a menacing, cloaked figure standing in front of them. He formed a fireball in the palm of his hand, staring down at Paige.
"You won't be the first Charmed One to die by my hand," he told her, and then he threw the fireball.
Paige cringed back, instinctively covering Emily's body with her own, but the fireball never made it. It seemed to bounce off mid-air, flying back the Source, who disappeared before it could hit him, and Paige craned her head around to see Prue holding her hand out to deflect the fireball.
"Prue?" she whispered, and her best friend - and oldest sister - smiled down at her.
"Hey, Paige," she said, her voice a slight echo. "Long time, no see."
"Prue, how-" Paige started to demand, but then Emily moaned in her arms, and all of her attention shifted back to the dying teenager. "Emily. Emily, oh god, hang on, honey. Damn it," she swore, as she scrabbled around in her bag, "where's my damn cell phone?"
"Paige," Prue said, and she jerked her head up to stare at the transparent form of her sister. "Paige, call for Leo." Before Paige could say anything, Prue went on, "If you've ever trusted me, then trust me now. Call for Leo; he'll hear you."
"Leo!" Paige hollered, feeling a sob catch in her throat. "Leo, please, I need you!"
Emily whimpered softly at the sound of her voice, and Paige tried to blink back the tears cascading down her cheeks.
"Shh, sweetie," she crooned, as she hitched the girl up higher against her chest. "I'm here. I'm right here. You're going to be okay."
She heard another, deeper groan, and she twisted around to see Henry trying to push himself up from the pavement. He had blood dripping from a gash on his forehead, and his hands were shaking as he tried to wipe the blood away. After a second, he slumped weakly back to the ground, his eyes fluttering shut.
"Henry, no!" Paige called out, her voice sharp. "Wake up!" But, he remained motionless on the ground, and Paige felt utterly helpless. "Leo!" she yelled, again, and her voice cracked on the word. "Leo, please!"
'I have to do something,' she thought, desperately. 'I can't let them die. I can't.'
She could feel her heart thudding painfully in her chest, a roaring that filled her ears and made her dizzy. Something seemed to explode out of her, and she sagged over, weakly, barely keeping herself upright. Bright spots danced in the corners of her eyes.
"Paige?" she heard Prue say, sounding alarmed, but she didn't have the strength to lift her head. As the world went black, the last thing she heard was Prue's, "Oh, shit!"
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 phone went dead in her ear, and Paige stared down at the quiet device in horror. Emily and bad, two words that she'd never hoped to hear in the same sentence, ever again. She'd already failed the girl, once, letting Troy find Emily, letting him hurt her, after she'd promised that she would be safe. And now, it looked like she'd failed her, again. Her heart was racing as she orbed to where Henry was.
A second later, she could feel it stop.
"Emily," she gasped, in shock, falling to her knees beside the girl's too-still form and pulling her into her arms. "Oh god, Em. I'm so sorry, honey. I'm so sorry."
The teenager was barely breathing, her heartbeat sluggish and faint under Paige's questing fingers. She bit back a sob as she stared at the blood covering the girl's body, blood pouring from too many bone-deep cuts for Paige to even try and stop.
"How?" she demanded, tears choking her, as she looked up at Henry, and he wordlessly stepped out of the way, pointing to an unconscious form on the ground behind him.
"He did it," Henry said, tonelessly. "I found him hacking the girl to bits. It was gruesome."
Paige stared at Troy Camden's unmoving body, feeling rage build up within her. Emily had told her, more than once, how Troy had threatened to kill her if she'd ever left him, had even detailed the way he would do it. And now it seemed he had.
"I'm so sorry," she whispered, to Emily, burying her face into the girl's hair. "God, I'm so sorry. Please forgive me."
She startled at the feel of Henry's hand on her shoulder, lifting her own, shaking hand to cover his. She waited for him to squeeze her hand, to say something, anything, but he was strangely silent, and she looked up at him in confusion, shivering involuntarily at the emotionless mask on his face.
"He killed her," Henry said, softly, and Paige turned to look back at Troy's body. "She's dying because of him, and he deserves to be punished."
Paige swallowed, hard, her protests dying in her throat as Henry gently squeezed the back of her neck.
"Use your power," he whispered, his voice startling close to her ear. "Use your power to call for his heart. Make him pay. Make him suffer."
"I can't-" Paige whimpered, her grip tightening on Emily as she stared at Troy.
"Yes, you can," Henry whispered. "He deserves it. He deserves to die. Call for his heart."
There was a voice in the back of her mind insisting that she knew that this wasn't right. That she knew that was she was about to do was wrong. But, the voice was barely a whisper, and she was too far gone to listen.
"Heart," she murmured, holding her hand out and watching Troy's body jerk on the ground in response to her call. "Heart."
"Again," Henry murmured, his grip tightening on her neck, when she hesitated. "Show him no mercy. After all, he didn't show her any."
"Heart," Paige said, only wondering for a moment why her voice caught on the word, why it was so hard to say. "Heart."
The boy's body spasmed, again, a low moan being ripped from his throat. His eyes were open, and she could see confusion and pain reflected in the dark orbs. And she faltered.
"Again!" Henry hissed, when she stopped. "Don't let him get away with it."
"I - no," Paige forced out, seeing the boy suffering in front of her. "I can't-"
"Yes, you can," Henry repeated, impatiently.
"The hell she is," a new voice spoke up, and Paige looked up, startled, at the sound of the familiar, beloved voice. "Get your hands off my sister," Prue growled, her spectral form hanging in the air in front of them.
"You're dead," Henry said, flatly, and Prue let out a low, humorless laugh.
"And you'd know all about that," she said, staring at him like she was contemplating an interesting bug. "Wouldn't you?"
"I killed you," Henry snarled, and Paige twisted around to see cold hatred in her best friend's eyes.
"You're him," she said, frantically, even as she tightened her grip on Emily and started to drag the girl away. "You're the Source."
"Oh, very good," the Source said, sarcastically, clapping slowly and dramatically. "You know, you're not nearly as stupid as you look, witch."
"Get the hell out of him," Paige growled, and the Source raised an eyebrow at her.
"But, I'm so comfortable, here," he said, mockingly.
"It's over," Prue snapped, from behind Paige. "You've lost. You're not getting your hands on her."
The Source smirked, and then Henry's body seemed to shimmer all over with a dark light. Then, Henry collapsed to the ground, unconscious, leaving a menacing, cloaked figure standing in front of them. He formed a fireball in the palm of his hand, staring down at Paige.
"You won't be the first Charmed One to die by my hand," he told her, and then he threw the fireball.
Paige cringed back, instinctively covering Emily's body with her own, but the fireball never made it. It seemed to bounce off mid-air, flying back the Source, who disappeared before it could hit him, and Paige craned her head around to see Prue holding her hand out to deflect the fireball.
"Prue?" she whispered, and her best friend - and oldest sister - smiled down at her.
"Hey, Paige," she said, her voice a slight echo. "Long time, no see."
"Prue, how-" Paige started to demand, but then Emily moaned in her arms, and all of her attention shifted back to the dying teenager. "Emily. Emily, oh god, hang on, honey. Damn it," she swore, as she scrabbled around in her bag, "where's my damn cell phone?"
"Paige," Prue said, and she jerked her head up to stare at the transparent form of her sister. "Paige, call for Leo." Before Paige could say anything, Prue went on, "If you've ever trusted me, then trust me now. Call for Leo; he'll hear you."
"Leo!" Paige hollered, feeling a sob catch in her throat. "Leo, please, I need you!"
Emily whimpered softly at the sound of her voice, and Paige tried to blink back the tears cascading down her cheeks.
"Shh, sweetie," she crooned, as she hitched the girl up higher against her chest. "I'm here. I'm right here. You're going to be okay."
She heard another, deeper groan, and she twisted around to see Henry trying to push himself up from the pavement. He had blood dripping from a gash on his forehead, and his hands were shaking as he tried to wipe the blood away. After a second, he slumped weakly back to the ground, his eyes fluttering shut.
"Henry, no!" Paige called out, her voice sharp. "Wake up!" But, he remained motionless on the ground, and Paige felt utterly helpless. "Leo!" she yelled, again, and her voice cracked on the word. "Leo, please!"
'I have to do something,' she thought, desperately. 'I can't let them die. I can't.'
She could feel her heart thudding painfully in her chest, a roaring that filled her ears and made her dizzy. Something seemed to explode out of her, and she sagged over, weakly, barely keeping herself upright. Bright spots danced in the corners of her eyes.
"Paige?" she heard Prue say, sounding alarmed, but she didn't have the strength to lift her head. As the world went black, the last thing she heard was Prue's, "Oh, shit!"
Continued here