Paige's Dark Place

by Irish Stone

Sequel to Monkey Business and Vanquish of a son. Paige orbed to her darkest of all places in the midst of her mental breakdown with Piper along for the ride. Will Piper be able to finally break through to Paige and help Paige get herself back together?

TITLE: Paige's Dark Place

SUMMARY: This is the sequel to Monkey Business and Vanquish of a Son. Paige finally can't control her emotions any longer and when her sisters try yet again to force her to remain at the manor and in the Halliwell family; Paige finally orbs out. But only thing is that Piper goes along for the ride.

This is a dark story of Paige's inner fight with herself and her outlook on her life.

Sub plot lies back at the manor where Phoebe is left alone with only baby Wyatt; Adult Chris and Leo. Leo is back on earth full time after he learned that Chris was his son when Piper was attacked by the spider demon. Leo tries to gain lost ground where Chris is concerned wondering what he did in the future to make Chris hate him so much. Phoebe/Leo/Wyatt/Adult Chris must fight off high level demons who try to kill Phoebe; knowing that she is all alone at the manor.

PAIRINGS: Paige/Piper sisterly bonding and Leo/Chris Father and son bonding

CATEGORY: Spiritual / Angst / Family / Tragedy

RATING: T

CHAPTER ONE RATING: T

CHAPTER ONE

It had been six months since Wyatt had shaped changed Paige into a chimpanzee. It had been six months since Paige learned that the only reason why Sam Crowen wanted her back at South Bay Services for her new 'temp' job was only because Piper and Phoebe had personally called him and told him how depressed she had become over her breakup with Richard Montana. It had been six months since Paige had stormed into her cell phone to Piper that she was done living at the manor; and done with being in the family; that she was going to move out for good.

It had been five months since Piper and Leo slept together in the ghostly plain and Leo had decided to go 'up there' to be a full time Elder. It had been five months since Piper had learned that Chris Perry was indeed her second born son; Christopher Perry Halliwell.

It had been a month since Leo came back to the manor to find Piper all cocooned up from the spider demon that had infected Chris and made him wrap his mother in a cocoon. It had been a month since Leo learned that Chris Perry; the white lighter from the future who had lied to him and his family from day one; was actually his second born son with Piper. It had been a month since Chris had beaten the crap out of him in the spider demon's crave; even after Piper drank the anti dote that cured baby Chris; and Adult Chris. It had been a month since teary eyed Chris told Leo that he hadn't been there for him in the future and that was why Chris hated his father so much. It had been a month and Leo still hadn't made the progress that he wanted to have made with his grown second born son from the future.

It had been six months since Chris revealed that Paige had a mental breakdown over her breakup with Richard.

ANOTHER FAILED ATTEMPT

Phoebe sighed deeply as she looked in the living room seeing Paige sitting in an arm chair and was facing out the window. Paige had been closed off from her family; all expect for Wyatt for six months now. She wanted to reach out and comfort her baby half sister in her darkest time of need. But Paige wouldn't allow either her or Piper to come close.

Paige wanted to move out of the manor and separate herself from her sisters for good; physically and mentally. She tried to leave the manor twice all ready; once during the time that Wyatt had shaped changed her into a chimpanzee so she wouldn't be rushing out of the manor and would spend more time with him. The second time was right after the sisters had vanquished Cole and Phoebe's son Benjamin. But Paige stayed. The first time she had too because there was no way she could have survived as a chimpanzee in the world; they would have sent her to the zoo or something. The second time Paige knew that Phoebe needed her.

"Hey Paige." Phoebe said with a smile as she walked into the room. She didn't want to startle her sister because she could see from the side of Paige's face that her younger sister was in deep thought. As has been the case since Paige had orbed into the living room as a chimpanzee. But at least Paige didn't have an angry dark look about her.

Paige suddenly orbed for a few seconds before she orbed back into her place in the chair. She blinked a few times when she saw the concern in her older sister's face. "That was weird; I hadn't panicked orbed in years." She shook her head as she tried to get her heart beat back to normal; but to no success.

Leo leaned against the sliding door that separated the study and the living room. He was relieved to find that the door was mostly closed. So he was able to watch and listen without anyone knowing that he was there. He could have orbed in but he knew that it would ruin the moment and cause Paige to have excuses to leave.

Paige has yet confided in him. Usually Paige felt more comfortable around Leo that she just easily opened up. He knew more about her past and her true feelings than either of her sisters did. But Paige hadn't come to him in the past six months. But Leo couldn't really blame her. He after all had all but abandoned her and his family when he was made Elder. Only just recently did he decide to return to the manor to protect his family; and to get to know his younger son, Chris, who was from the future. The evil future. In which his oldest son, Wyatt, was the source of all evil. Leo frowned on this note. But he shook his head as he heard Paige speak.

"Hey to you too." Paige said with no expression on her face. "Guess I was too deep in my thoughts. I haven't panicked orbed in years." She tried to laugh it off but her laugh was strained and Phoebe didn't join in so she closed her mouth.

"What were you thinking about Paigey?" Phoebe leaned forward and put her hand on Paige's right pant leg. "The truth. No more lies or being closed up. It's not healthy. No more keeping things from us. Let us help you darling"

"What do you mean the truth?" Paige frowned darkly at her older sister. "Am I not allowed to have my own private thoughts or do I have to share every single aspect of my life with you and Piper?" Paige got up quickly. "I'm so out of here!" She rushed from the room towards the staircase when she suddenly stopped.

Piper had stepped in front of the staircase with folded arms across her chest. "No orbing." She firmly said as she walked closer to her baby 1/2 sister. She unwrapped her arms and put her arms on both of Paige's shoulders. She looked deeply in the depths of her youngest sister's closed down eyes. "Talk to us."

Paige just shook her head. "Let me go. I want to be by myself. Please." She softly begged with tears picking at the corner of her eyes.

"Sorry but no." Piper softly said as she moved even closer to her baby 1/2 sister. "If I let you go now; I know that you are just going to orb God knows where and perhaps never come home to your family." She wrapped her arms around her sister and pulled Paige into a gentle hug and just silently held her shaking body. She felt baby Chris move around inside her and knew her son was trying to show his love and support towards his aunt himself.

Paige tried so hard not to break down in her eldest sister who was still alive arms. She had to be strong. She had to get upstairs so she could lock herself in her bedroom and than say the spell that would finally once and for all shut off her feelings.

"You aren't going to do anything that will hurt yourself. I won't allow it." Piper softly but firmly said as she still held onto her baby sister. "Even if I have to keep us here for the rest of our lives, I'll do it."

Keep her safe Piper. If Paige succeeds in doing what she wants to than she will not only hurt herself but the charmed ones also. Leo shook his head as he realized what his first thought was. That is so wrong of me to even think of the magical side effects here. I should be thinking of Paige as a person, a human being, a living thing who needs her feelings for her own self. Leo continued to watch out of sight his ex - wife holding his sister in law in her arms. Keep Paige safe; Piper.

Phoebe watched as Piper tried to break through to Paige; and it seemed to be working. For the first time in six months it looked like Paige was ready to break and finally allow herself to feel Piper's love for her once more. She prayed to God, grams, their mother and to Prue that Paige would finally be strong enough to release her depression and allow her sisters and her family to help her through it.

Paige finally had enough. She had to get out of there. She had to be any place than where she was at the moment. If she stayed than she knew she would break. She orbed. But not alone.

"You can come out now Leo." Phoebe turned her eyes over to the study door. She shook her head with a deep frown on her face. "Where did Paige orb them too?"

Leo looked thoughtful. "I can't sense them." He closed his eyes for a few moments. He opened his eyes. "Paige must have found a spell to block her orbs."

"Well than sense Piper." Phoebe stood to her feet with a sigh.

Leo closed his eyes and tried to sense his ex -wife. "I can't."

"What do you mean you can't? She's your charge dummy. Not only that she's your soul mate and the mother of your children." Phoebe rushed over to where Leo was still standing with his eyes closed. "Free yourself from all other thoughts and find your soul mate, man."

"I have." Leo frowned darkly. "Paige had found a way to block herself from me. With Piper along for the ride." He shook his head. "She had planned this for a very long time, perhaps from the first moment she learned that she could orb and the way white lighters work.

I should have known; I should have been prepared to counter act Paige." Leo frowned deeply as he jammed his hands into his favorite blue jeans. The jeans that Piper always found him the sexiest in.

"You can never counter act Paige, she would have found a way to counter act you." Phoebe said with a knowing nod to her head. "If we can't sense Paige and Piper, how the hell do we find them NOW?" She folded her arms tightly across her chest as fear entered her eyes.

"Paige is now so deep in her mental breakdown that she has orbed too …. She has run … sorry orbed away from us. " Leo tried to cover up what he was going to say. "Thankfully Piper had enough sense to keep a tight hold on Paige." Leo walked over and sat down on the third to last step of the stairs.

"Paige has orbed herself and Piper to where Leo?" Phoebe asked in a shaky breath. She was afraid of what was going to have to come out of Leo's mouth.

"Her darkest of all places." Leo said looking straight into Phoebe's eyes. "Until Piper calls for me, or Paige orbs herself and Piper back home, it's out of my hands. It's up to Piper to get through to Paige, and get Paige to WANT to come home." He looked up into Phoebe's concerned face.

"So we just wait." Phoebe said with her arms wrapped around her chest.

Leo just nodded.

"Than we are in for a looooooooong wait." Phoebe sighed and went back to the living room and back to her article.

WHERE ARE WE?

Piper opened her eyes as they finally reformed. "Ahh, Paige honey where did you orb us?" She didn't recognize their surroundings.

"Does it matter?" Paige pulled away from her sister. She shrugged her shoulders.

"Yea it kind of does matter." Piper's voice shook; not because she was afraid; she knew she could call for Leo and he would be insistently at her side. But no she was afraid because of what she heard in her sister's voice.

"Why?" Paige simply questioned.

"Because this place isn't of our world." Piper said looking around at her surroundings. "Where did you orb us to Paigey?"

"I didn't ask you to come with me." Paige sneered as she glared into her older sister's eyes. "You just wouldn't let me go damn it. Go home Piper."

"Not without you, Paigey." Piper reached out and touched her sister's checks. "Where you go; I go."

"You can't be here. I don't want you here. Leave me alone. I just want to be left the FUCKING ALONE!" Paige screamed the last of the sentence.

"No." Piper simply said moving closer to her baby 1/2 sister.

"You can't be here. It's too dangerous for you here. You have to leave. If you want to remain alive, than you have to leave." Paige cried as she stepped away from he eldest living sister making Piper's hands drop away.

"I'm not leaving you." Piper said softly as she stepped closer to her sister. She watched sadden that her sister kept moving away from her. "I'm not calling Leo, Paige. I'm not leaving here."

"You don't get it Piper." Paige sobbed. "I can't leave here. I must stay here as my punishment. But you need to leave. Please. I'm begging you."

"Punishment for what honey." Piper asked in her gentlest of all voice. She was worried. "What did Richard do to you?" Piper felt the baby kick inside her and knew that her son was afraid and very uneasy at the moment. She placed a hand on her womb and gently stroked it. It's going to be all right Christopher; mommy is going to get Auntie Paige to go home.

"Richard didn't do anything to me." Paige snorted through her nose. "I'm the one who did something to me."

"What did you do to yourself, Paigey?" Piper asked.

Paige shut her mouth tight and turned away from her sister.

Piper walked around her sister and put her hands on Paige's folded arms. She ducked her head and looked Paige straight in the eyes. "We aren't going anywhere until you unload this deep and raw anger and self loath you have against yourself, Paigey."

"Why the hell do you care so much?" Paige straightens her head and jerked away from Piper. A venomous dark look came into her eyes. "Oh fucking right, I'm the last part of the precious power of three without me you and Phoebe would be weak."

"Phoebe and I would be weak without you, Paige, even ifwe weren't the charmed ones." Piper softly said. "We love you Paige Matthews." She smiled softly. "We love you Paige Halliwell."

Paige backed away from her sister. "Don't call me that. Never call me that. It's not right, it's not ..." She whispered as she wrapped her arms across her chest and she knelt down to her knees as she felt her body shake.

Piper moved over to her fallen sister and knelt down in front of Paige, but keeping her hands down on her thighs. "Don't call you what? Halliwell? But you are a Halliwell. Blood wise, but once we get home; I'm going to make it legal once again."

"You have no fucking right to do that, you aren't my mother!" Paige looked up finally into Piper's eyes and raged lit into her.

"Mom's dead, otherwise she would joyfully do it." Piper reasoned.

"It's that fucking jolly convenient of her now isn't it." Paige spat spitefully. "Mom's fucking dead so she doesn't get to have the pleasure on doing the right thing by me now. So you fucking feel sorry for me; Piper Halliwell; and decided to take up mom's banner and make me legal as I was when I was still in the fucking womb." Paige let out a scream. "IT'S TOO FUCKING LATE PIPER. CAN'T YOU FUCKING SEE IT YOU BITCH? I HATE THE HALLIWELL NAME! I HATE THE WILDER NAME! I HATE YOU, PHOEBE, LEO, I HATE PRUE. I HATE BEING A FUCKING WITCH AND A FUCKING HALF WHITE LIGHTER, I FUCKING HATE NOT BEING NORMAL. I HATE MY LIFE." Paige felt her soul break free as she finally screamed out what was in the deepest reaches of her soul since she learned that what she truly was. That she wasn't normal any longer; that in fact she never was normal.

Piper watched as Paige crawled into herself and held her knees to her chest as she finally broke down. She couldn't help but look around her as the scene suddenly changed from pitch black to billions of colors going all crazy. She would have honesty thought she was in a disco if she hadn't known better. She blinked her eyes as she tried to look away but she couldn't. The crazy scene was truly Paige's soul breaking.

END CHAPTER ONE