Why hello! I'm back with a sequel to Goodbye My Lover…finally!
Disclaimer: Charmed is not mine. They all belong to Brad Kern and co.…well, except for Paige Kylie Brody. She is a character created from my imagination. :)
So, this story is set six years after the end of Goodbye My Lover. Oh, and I'm sending out a BIG thank you to all the lovely readers that read and/or reviewed Goodbye My Lover, especially BlueOrbs998 for inspiring me to write this sequel.
A loud alarm clock buzzer could be heard throughout the entire Halliwell Manor. A small hand reached up and hit the 'off' button. The little girl, to which the hand belonged to, hopped out of her bed and tucked in her covers. She was quite the neat freak, this young female. Her room was tidier than any other room in the Manor. She walked over to her closet and picked out a light blue blouse, with a darker blue dove stitched on it, and a pair of jeans. Once dressed, the five year old dashed to her cousin's room. As soon as she entered the room, she immediately ran to Wyatt's bed to wake him up.
"Wyatt, wake up." when the seven year old Halliwell boy showed no sign of budging, the girl yelled at the top of her lungs. "WYATT! WAKE UP! IT'S THE FIRST DAY OF SCHOOOOL" she dragged out the word 'school'. Wyatt instantly sat up.
"Paigey!" he whined, "I was sleeping! I still have…" Wyatt glanced at his clock and pouted, "No minutes left. I guess I have no choice but to get up." he sulked.
Paige smiled her famous grin, "Time to wake up every one!" she cheered.
Paige left Wyatt's room in search for her other cousin, Chris, her aunts, uncle, and most of all, her father. She skipped down the hall to Chris's room, only to find it empty. "Hmm, he must already be up with Aunt Piper and Uncle Leo." She said to herself. Once again, little Paige began to skip down the halls, this time looking for her Aunt Phoebe. As predicted, Phoebe was sleeping in an awkward position on her bed. Paige walked up to her Aunt and poked her.
"Auntie Phoebe, it's wakey time." The young Halliwell girl said. Phoebe's lips formed into a grin.
"Hey Paigey, thanks for waking me up. Are you ready for your first day of grade one?" Phoebe asked her niece.
"Yup yup! You bet your bubble I am!" Paige beamed at her Aunt. The empathic witch grinned at little Paige. Her curly hair was exactly the same shade as her mother's was. Her eyes were the same luscious chocolate brown colour and her skin was just a bit more tanned than the deceased Paige Matthews'. In fact, little Paige looked more and more like her mother every day. Except for her nose, which she inherited from her father, Paige Kylie Brody could have won a 'Paige Matthews look-a-like' contest.
"That's my niece." Phoebe said. "Now, why don't you go downstairs and eat some breakfast."
"Okay!" Paige answered enthusiastically. "Just let me go wake up Daddy." She said before walking to her father's room. Phoebe sighed. She knew that Kyle Brody wasn't sleeping, nor as he even in his room. Paige would be devastated when she found out her father wasn't home…again.
Paige strode down the hall to her father's room and pushed open the door. When she saw that it was vacant, Paige did her best to hold back her tears, but failed. These tears weren't from sadness however. They were from anger, hurt, but most of all, loathing. Paige's father was never home anymore. Kyle was always out helping his charges and didn't come back home until late at night…if he even did come home. Paige frowned angrily and slammed the door shut. She ran down the stairs to the kitchen, where her Aunt Piper, Uncle Leo, and Chris greeted her.
"Why isn't Daddy ever home? Why does he pay so much attention to his charges and not me? Why doesn't he love me like he loves his charges?" Paige cried out to her Aunt Piper. The Charmed One enveloped her only niece in a comforting hug.
"Sweetie, your daddy loves you very much. He just has a job that helps keep the world safe." Piper tried to explain.
"But when Uncle Leo had a job like that, I bet he at least took time out to play with Chris and Wyatt." Paige stated.
"Paige, your Uncle Leo was as busy as your father is right now."
Paige's bottom lip began to quiver, "Then why doesn't Daddy give up his job like Uncle Leo?"
Piper's memory flashed back to the day five years ago when Leo had fallen from Grace to be with her, Wyatt and Chris. He was now mortal, and happier. "Because your dad loves his job. He loves helping others."
"Then why doesn't he help me and love me? I wish Mommy were here. She would make Daddy stay with me." Paige began to cry even more. What had begun as a very happy day, so far turned out pretty bad.
"He's just busy. He tries his best, he really does." Piper sympathized.
"He should try harder then." muttered Paige as she walked out of the kitchen to the conservatory.
"Paige, don't you want something to eat?" the witch called after Paige.
"I'm not hungry!" came the answer. Piper frowned.
"Piper, she has a point. Kyle is rarely here. Even when he is home, it's always late at night. He needs to be with his daughter." Leo said to his wife.
"That little girl is only six years old and already she has a dead mother and a father who is never home. She's in so much pain, and it hurts me to see Paige ache like that." Piper sobbed. She loved her niece to bits, and it wasn't fair that Paige had no mother, and, hardly ever, a father. Leo got up from his seat and wrapped his arms around Piper.
"She has two wonderful aunts and cousins here for her though. We'll find a way to get Kyle back." Leo glanced down at his watch. "Whoa, look at the time. I better drive the kids to school. I'll be back soon. We can talk more, okay." He kissed Piper lightly on her lips and exited the room.
"I'll go get Paige. Bye mom. See ya when I get home." Chris gave his mother a quick hug before following his father's exit. Once Chris left, Wyatt entered…in a rush. The oldest Halliwell son grabbed the last piece of toast on the table. He gave his mother a quick peck on the cheek.
"Mom, don't cry. Uncle Kyle will be back soon. I can feel it." Wyatt beamed at his mother, trying to get her smile.
"WYATT! Let's go! We're gonna be late!" Chris yelled from the front door. Wyatt bid farewell to Piper, grabbed his school bag, and ran out to the car. Phoebe walked in behind her sister.
"I've got an idea, Piper. While they're at school, what do you say we go on a Kyle Brody hunt?" Phoebe suggested.
"What's that going to accomplish?" asked Piper. Phoebe's ideas weren't always the best.
"Well, that's phase one. Phase two is, we summon our dearest younger sister and have her kick his ass for not keeping his promise."
"What promise?" Phoebe glared at Piper. "Ooh that promise." The younger witch grinned. Piper knew which promise her younger sister was talking about.
"Why Miss Phoebe, I do believe that this is the best plan you have ever come up with." Piper dashed up to the attic with Phoebe following close behind. When they arrived in the attic, the two Halliwell sisters went straight to the Book of Shadows and flipped through it until they found the spell they needed. The two sister witches set five candles in a circle and lit them. They then said the spell.
"Hear these words, hear my cry.
Spirit from the other side.
Come to me, I summon thee
Cross now the great divide."
A light wind blew throughout the attic of the Halliwell Manor. Piper and Phoebe could feel the presence of a Halliwell witch, they just weren't sure it would be the one they wanted. A transparent figure appeared in the circle of candles. She wore a long, white silk gown that just reached her ankles. Her curly brunette hair was down and she didn't look a day older than when she had sadly passed away. The woman slowly stepped out of the candle barrier that stood between her and Piper and Phoebe. She then became a solid person.
Phoebe was the first to say anything. "We missed you." She said before giving the dead woman a sisterly hug. It didn't take Piper long to follow Phoebe and embraced the newcomer.
"Why'd you have to leave us, Paige? Your daughter needs you." Piper cried softly, yet begging for an answer.
"I'm sorry Piper. It was fate." Paige replied, the sound of loss filling her voice. As much as she tried to cover it, the dead witch/Whitelighter could not hold her true feelings from her sisters.
Piper shook her head, "And was it fate for Kyle to hardly ever see his child? Was it Paige? Because if it was, he's doing a damn good job of it!" she yelled. Luckily, the kids weren't home to hear or witness the oldest Charmed One's outburst.
"I watch over my daughter and Kyle from the Heavenly Realm Piper. Kyle's just overwhelmed. He's doing his best to be here for Paige."
"He's overwhelmed? Paige, his first priority should be his daughter, not his charges." Piper yelled. "This six year old girl has no mother and a father that is never there. All she has is who is left. Even then, Phoebe's become a workaholic and Leo has been spending all his time with Wyatt and Chris."
"I am so not a workaholic, Piper." Phoebe stated, surprised that her older sister said that.
"Shush Phoebs, and stop denying it." Piper continued, "I'm the only one that really spends time with her. But I also have to manage P3, and find time to spend with my boys. Paige, Kyle made a promise to you and little Paige that he wouldn't leave her. He's broken that promise Paige, and you side with him? How can you support Kyle over your child?"
Paige looked to the floor in guilt, but regained her strength to face Piper. "He didn't choose his charges over Paige, Piper."
The middle Halliwell witch interrupted her dead sister, "Then where is he going all the time? Paige, this morning your daughter ran into Kyle's spare room to wake him up, but he wasn't there. Did you see how upset she was when she realized he wasn't home…again?"
"Phoebe, Kyle doesn't mean to hurt Paige. He comes to visit my grave every morning and every night!" the late witch/Whitelighter explained.
"Why didn't he tell us? Why didn't he take Paige with him?" Piper inquired, very pissed off.
"And where is he during the day?" added Phoebe.
"I didn't tell you because you wouldn't understand. I didn't take Paige with me because it would be too much for her to handle. And during the day, I'm with the Elders, not my charges." A voice clarified. Kyle stepped out of his Whitelighter orbs, joining his dead lover.
Piper wasn't pleased with Kyle's answer, "So, what, you've been going to Paige's grave for five years now? Why wouldn't we understand, Kyle? Why would it be too much for Paige to handle?"
"Piper, you have to understand that I didn't mean to hurt Paige, you or Phoebe. It's just that, going to visit Paige's grave gives me strength to face each day." The Whitelighter tried to explain to the Halliwell sisters.
"And your daughter doesn't give you strength?" retorted Phoebe, angrily.
"Little Paige gives me strength to carry on with life. I honestly don't know how I would ever cope without her."
"But you never see her anyway! Why does it make a difference?" Kyle, Piper and Phoebe gave their full attention to the deceased witch. "You made a promise Kyle! And I've taken your side since you told me, or rather my tombstone, what was going on with the Elders, but while you and my sister's were arguing it gave me time to think. Kyle, you need to start spending time with our little girl. The Elders can wait, I can wait, but Paige can't! She spends her time thinking of what I was like, and how she has a father that doesn't love her." Paige cried out. Her tears had begun to flow from her chocolate brown eyes.
"I do love her, Paige. I really do, but-"
"No buts Kyle. Tell the Elders your only charge is going to be your daughter." Paige ordered. The whole attic was silent. Phoebe took this moment to ask the question that was on her mind for awhile now.
"Why have you been with the Elders for five years now, during the day?"
Paige and Kyle exchanged looks before the Whitelighter father actually said something. "Well, a year after Paige died, demons and warlocks started attacking more frequently under the order of Zankou. The Elders and most of the Whitelighters and witches have been working to rid the world of Zankou's army for five years now. I was one of the Whitelighters chosen to help fight the battle."
Two sets of eyes widened after Kyle explained what he had been doing the past five years. While Phoebe was still digesting the information, Piper decided to inquire further.
"So, why weren't we invited?" she asked, half as a joke, half serious.
"The Elders thought that you had been through enough. They didn't want you to go through another loss." Kyle told her.
Phoebe stated, half heartedly, "Well that was nice of them."
"If it makes the situation better, I know for a fact that Zankou and his demons are falling more by the second. There aren't many left now."
The front door to the Halliwell Manor opened slowly, and then slammed shut. The whole house could have shaken if the door was shut any harder. Voices could be heard from the living room. One voice was surely a middle-aged man, while the other was a young girl.
"Why did stupid Chris have to give me his stupid cold on the first day of stupid school?" the girl complained.
"Paigey, Chris didn't mean to give you his cold. You two always play together, it's no wonder why you caught it." the man told the child.
"Yeah, but why did I have to come home, Uncle Leo?" she complained.
Leo put his hand on Paige's forehead to feel how hot her fever was. "Because you have a high fever. We don't want to you to pass your sickness onto someone else, now do we?"
Paige sighed, "No."
Leo grinned, "That's my niece. Now let's get you into bed and I'll get Auntie Piper to make you some soup." Paige nodded and walked up to her room, which previously belong to her mother. While Paige strode to her room, Leo searched the house for his wife. He checked in the kitchen, no Piper. He looked in the conservatory, and again no Piper. He came across the attic and went in, finding who he had been looking for. There Piper was, in all her beauty, with Phoebe, Kyle and Paige. Wait…Kyle and Paige?
"Tell me you didn't." Leo stated as he glared at his witchy wife.
"Well," Piper beamed, "depends on what you want me to say that I didn't do." She joked.
"Piper, why did you and Phoebe summon Paige? And Kyle, why the hell are you here?" he stared at the Whitelighter, angrily.
"Um, I'm here because my daughter and I live here." Kyle retorted.
Leo shook his head, "You stopped living here when you were never home."
"Hey! You don't know what's been going on in my life for the past five years! You have no say in this conversation. It doesn't concern you."
"When it concerns my only niece, I have a right to be part of the conversation."
"You know, I've got a real problem with-"
A small voice interrupted what Kyle was going to say. "What's all this yelling about, Uncle Leo?" she asked. The owner of the voice noticed her father and mother, and it was if nothing else mattered in the world. They were both home. Both her parents were here, with her. "Mommy! Daddy!" little Paige cried as she ran to parents and hugged them, never wanting to let go.
"Hi sweetie. I've missed you so much. I'm so sorry I haven't been here for you." Kyle whispered into his daughter's ear.
"It's okay, Daddy. I still love you." Paigey sniffed. "I just wish you loved me like you love your charges."
As he heard this, Kyle's heart broke. Salty water drops formed in his eyes. "Oh sweetie, I love you so much. There's no excuse for my actions. I'm so sorry."
Paige wiped the tears from her daughter's eyes as she said, "Paigey, both your father and I love you more than words can say. Don't let anyone or anything make you think otherwise, okay?"
"Okay. Are you staying Mommy?"
Paige glanced at Phoebe, Piper and Leo. Her brother-in-law and sisters knew it wasn't possible for Paige to stay, and there was no way to break the news easily. The deceased witch/Whitelighter then looked at her love, Kyle. He, too, knew the answer. Paige bent down to her daughter's eye level. She looked deep into the eyes of the child that resembled her so much. Paige brushed her hand over the little girl's cheek, and realized that the six year old was burning up.
"Piper, she's burning up! Something's wrong with Paige!" the late witch/Whitelighter cried out.
xxxxx
Paige paced back and forth in her daughter's bedroom. Little Paige's body temperature was rising every other minute. Kyle couldn't heal her, and no one knew why. Were the Elders trying to prove something? If they were, then they had sick humour. The young Whitelighter/witch had been through enough as it was, and now she was sick, with no apparent reason.
Leo had first thought Paigey had gotten Chris's head cold, but it was obvious that was not the case. Piper had thought it might have been a demon of some sort. Kyle agreed with Paige, who had believed it was the Elders trying to take him away from his daughter. However, Phoebe had the most physiologic hypothesis. The empathic witch believed that Paige was suffering from her power, which was still undetermined. Phoebe suspected that Paigey was overwhelmed by her power because of both her parents never being around. This thought had struck Kyle and Paige the hardest. It was their fault that the child they created together was in so much pain, and they couldn't do a thing about it.
The time was currently eleven twenty three. Little Paige had been passed out asleep for about seven hours now. Kyle had told Piper and Leo to try and get some sleep, and they followed his orders. Phoebe, on the other hand, had protested until Paige had locked Phoebe in her room. Well, more like barracked the door to keep Phoebe from getting out.
"Hey, how are you holding up?" Kyle asked as he walked back in to his daughter's bedroom.
Paige replied, "Oh, you know, the same as I was two hours ago. I'm worried though."
Kyle took his gaze away from his sleeping child. "Why is that?"
"What if Phoebe was right?"
"Right about what, Paigey?" The Whitelighter asked, confused. Paige nodded her head. Kyle wrapped his arms around his love. Paige leaned back into Kyle's chest and closed her eyes.
"There's no way of knowing what her powers are, because we've never seen her use them." Paige thought out loud. Kyle kissed the top of her head, thinking of a response. However, a tiny, quiet voice beat him to it.
"Mommy, am I the reason you died?" Paigey's voice echoed throughout the room.
Paige and Kyle both looked down at their daughter, who was still tucked under her covers. "Why would you ask such a thing, angel?"
Paigey turned her head to so she could see her parents, "Is it my fault you live in Elder land now?"
Paige once again began to silently cry. Was it really Paigey's fault that the witch/Whitelighter had died six years ago? No, that was preposterous. She broke out of Kyle's embrace and sat on little Paige's bed. "Of course not, princess." Paige said as she stroked her daughter's hair. "Never think it was your fault, okay? I went away because it was my time to go. Not because of you or anyone else." The deceased Charmed One kissed the top of her daughter's head. "And if anyone says otherwise, you just tell Daddy or Aunt Piper and they'll kick their butts."
"What about Aunty Phoebe?"
Kyle smirked to himself, "Because Aunty Phoebe always messes things up somehow."
"Oh, well why can't you kick their butts Mommy?" Paige's breath caught, trying to reply with a logical answer. Kyle decided to save her at the moment.
"Because sweetie," he said, walking over to his two favourite females, "Mommy's butt kicking days are over. But she looks after you in a totally different way."
"What's that, Daddy?" Paigey's innocent eyes locked with her father's.
"Well," he started, "Mommy watches over you, whenever and wherever you are."
Paigey thought for a moment. "So, Mommy does what you do?"
"Sort of, but Mommy looks after you and only you. Anyway, how are you feeling sweetie?"
"I feel a little bit better. My head still hurts a bit. All these voices in my head keep saying 'Mom's going to find out that we're still up' and 'Paige needs to set Kyle straight'. There are so many other people taking, it hurts my head." Little Paige explained to her parents.
Paige blinked several times before speaking. "Wait, Paigey, you hear voices in your head?"
"Yes," replied the young girl.
"Paige, it would seem as though our little girl is a telepath. That would explain the fever and headaches." Kyle stated. He smiled wide at Paige, for they finally figured out the young Whitelighter/witch's power; telepathy.
Paige grinned at Paigey and her lover. "Wow, Phoebe was right…"
"For once!" finished Paigey. The small child beamed at her parents. Oh, how she would grow up to tease her Aunt Phoebe, just as Kyle and Paige had.
"Paige, sweetie, you should get some sleep. It's almost twelve o'clock." Kyle said. Paigey pouted for a few minutes, but finally obeyed.
"Can you sing to me and Mommy, Daddy? We never hear you sing anymore." Paigey pleaded. Kyle glanced at Paige, who was slowly becoming transparent.
"Sure sweetie, whatever you want." Kyle took hold of Paige's almost see-through hand and his daughter's at the same time. "Goodbye my lover. Goodbye my friend. You have been the one. You have been the one for me." Kyle looked down at his sleeping daughter's figure. He noticed that Paige's hand was no longer in his. At this moment, Kyle stared up to the Heavenly Realm, singing to his dead lover, "I'm so hollow, baby, I'm so hollow. I'm so, I'm so, I'm so hollow."
RIGHT ON! I finally finished this one-shot! Yes! Hahaha! Now, I have an idea for yet another sequel, but I'm debating whether to write it. What do you think readers?
Ooh, and those of you who read Secrets and Whitelighters, I'm so sorry I haven't updated for so long. I'm trying my best to balance my studies, my puppy, and my writing. So please, be patient and I'll have S&W up as soon as possible. :)
Thank you for read Goodbye My Friend. Hope you enjoyed it!
-3ms