A/N: This story takes place in early season five. The details of Paige's
dreams and what they wind up leading to are from a story I started writing
when I was fourteen and never finished. I remembered enough of the details,
though, to use them here ;)
**********
The little girl ran through the evergreens and eventually stopped between two tall trees, out of breath and sweaty. Her red gingham dress, which was picking up the highlights in her strawberry blond hair, billowed as she sank to the ground. She drew her knees to her chest as tears streamed down her cheeks. "I am never, ever, ever going back there," she mumbled over and over. After a few minutes of quiet, angry muttering, she rested her arms on her knees, dropped her head into her arms, and started sobbing.
"Jamie! Jamie, where are you?" another young voice called, filtering through the trees.
The girl gasped and shot her head up, the wispy strands of hair that had fallen from her ponytail framing her face. She paused for a moment to determine where the voice was coming from, then stood up and prepared to run in the opposite direction. There was no way she was going back there, and no one could make her change her mind.
"There you are!" The girl that ran up to Jamie was only a couple of years older than Jamie was herself, and there was no mistaking the family resemblance between the two. Both girls had strawberry blond hair, green eyes, and freckles sprinkled across the bridge of their noses. The older girl smiled and rested her hand on her sister's shoulder. "Come on, Jamie. Helen wants us in the house."
"I'm not going back there, Meaghan, and neither should you." She pulled out of Meaghan's grasp and backed away slightly. "I hate her."
"I don't like her, either," Meaghan admitted, "but we don't have a choice. She's our stepmother and when Daddy died, that left her in charge of us."
Jamie shook her head, tears returning to her eyes. This time, the tears were a combination of desperation and absolute terror. "But don't you understand, Meaghan? Daddy's dead because of her. She killed him, Meaghan, she killed him!"
It was at that moment that Paige finally shook herself awake. She gasped and sat up straight in her corner of the couch, gazing around the room a moment before trying to make sense of the dream she had just had. "You know, you are the only person I know who could fall asleep during one of the scariest movies ever made," she heard Piper say teasingly.
Paige whipped her head around and stared at Piper, who was sitting at the opposite end of the couch. "Huh?"
"One minute you're watching The Exorcist with us and the next you're out cold at the end of the couch." She stopped, wrinkling her brow at the bewildered look on Paige's face. "Are you okay?"
Paige shrugged as she ran her fingers through her shoulder-length red hair. "I-I think so," she stammered. "I-I just had this really weird dream."
Curious, Phoebe stopped the video, got up from her spot in the easy chair, and nestled herself on the sofa between her sisters. Paige met her eyes for a split second, then stared back down at her hands. Even in that one moment, Phoebe could tell that the dream had her seriously creeped out. "What was it about, honey?" she asked, her tone gentle.
Paige cleared her throat and leaned back on the couch, settling into the soft cushions, but she kept her eyes glued to her hands. "There was this little girl, she couldn't have been more than six, and she was in the woods, crying. Then this other little girl who had to be her older sister found her and told her that their stepmother wanted them home. The younger girl, I think her name was Jamie, started freaking out and saying that she didn't want to go back home because the stepmother killed the father."
"Wow," Phoebe said softly, resting her hand on Paige's knee. "Sounds pretty intense."
"It was," Paige said with a small nod. She finally looked up at both Piper and Phoebe. When she saw the identical looks of concern on their faces, she instantly felt a little foolish for making such a big deal of the stupid dream. She gave them a tiny sheepish smile. "I guess that's what I get for falling asleep during one of the scariest movies ever made, huh?"
Piper and Phoebe both giggled, and Phoebe leaned in to give her a sideways hug. "Now you know not to do it again," Piper teased. "You going to be okay?"
"Yeah," Paige nodded, shrugging off the last of her visible uneasy feelings. "Turn the movie back on. I'm okay." Phoebe gave her a smile, then stood up, turned the VCR back on, and settled back in the easy chair.
Piper and Phoebe quickly became drawn into the movie again, but seeing as Paige had slept through nearly an hour of it, she had no idea what was going on. She allowed her mind to wander; the dream was so strange and made so little sense to her that she couldn't stop thinking about it. Who were those girls? Where were they from? Or a more appropriate question, when were they from? Thinking back, she remembered that both girls had been wearing knee-length gingham dresses and black ankle boots, almost like they belonged in the pioneer days. She wasn't exactly a big history buff, so why would she dream about something like that? She sighed after a moment and shook her head, trying to put the dream out of her mind. I just have to learn to stay awake during scary movies, she thought to herself as she turned her attention back to the television.
**********
The little girl ran through the evergreens and eventually stopped between two tall trees, out of breath and sweaty. Her red gingham dress, which was picking up the highlights in her strawberry blond hair, billowed as she sank to the ground. She drew her knees to her chest as tears streamed down her cheeks. "I am never, ever, ever going back there," she mumbled over and over. After a few minutes of quiet, angry muttering, she rested her arms on her knees, dropped her head into her arms, and started sobbing.
"Jamie! Jamie, where are you?" another young voice called, filtering through the trees.
The girl gasped and shot her head up, the wispy strands of hair that had fallen from her ponytail framing her face. She paused for a moment to determine where the voice was coming from, then stood up and prepared to run in the opposite direction. There was no way she was going back there, and no one could make her change her mind.
"There you are!" The girl that ran up to Jamie was only a couple of years older than Jamie was herself, and there was no mistaking the family resemblance between the two. Both girls had strawberry blond hair, green eyes, and freckles sprinkled across the bridge of their noses. The older girl smiled and rested her hand on her sister's shoulder. "Come on, Jamie. Helen wants us in the house."
"I'm not going back there, Meaghan, and neither should you." She pulled out of Meaghan's grasp and backed away slightly. "I hate her."
"I don't like her, either," Meaghan admitted, "but we don't have a choice. She's our stepmother and when Daddy died, that left her in charge of us."
Jamie shook her head, tears returning to her eyes. This time, the tears were a combination of desperation and absolute terror. "But don't you understand, Meaghan? Daddy's dead because of her. She killed him, Meaghan, she killed him!"
It was at that moment that Paige finally shook herself awake. She gasped and sat up straight in her corner of the couch, gazing around the room a moment before trying to make sense of the dream she had just had. "You know, you are the only person I know who could fall asleep during one of the scariest movies ever made," she heard Piper say teasingly.
Paige whipped her head around and stared at Piper, who was sitting at the opposite end of the couch. "Huh?"
"One minute you're watching The Exorcist with us and the next you're out cold at the end of the couch." She stopped, wrinkling her brow at the bewildered look on Paige's face. "Are you okay?"
Paige shrugged as she ran her fingers through her shoulder-length red hair. "I-I think so," she stammered. "I-I just had this really weird dream."
Curious, Phoebe stopped the video, got up from her spot in the easy chair, and nestled herself on the sofa between her sisters. Paige met her eyes for a split second, then stared back down at her hands. Even in that one moment, Phoebe could tell that the dream had her seriously creeped out. "What was it about, honey?" she asked, her tone gentle.
Paige cleared her throat and leaned back on the couch, settling into the soft cushions, but she kept her eyes glued to her hands. "There was this little girl, she couldn't have been more than six, and she was in the woods, crying. Then this other little girl who had to be her older sister found her and told her that their stepmother wanted them home. The younger girl, I think her name was Jamie, started freaking out and saying that she didn't want to go back home because the stepmother killed the father."
"Wow," Phoebe said softly, resting her hand on Paige's knee. "Sounds pretty intense."
"It was," Paige said with a small nod. She finally looked up at both Piper and Phoebe. When she saw the identical looks of concern on their faces, she instantly felt a little foolish for making such a big deal of the stupid dream. She gave them a tiny sheepish smile. "I guess that's what I get for falling asleep during one of the scariest movies ever made, huh?"
Piper and Phoebe both giggled, and Phoebe leaned in to give her a sideways hug. "Now you know not to do it again," Piper teased. "You going to be okay?"
"Yeah," Paige nodded, shrugging off the last of her visible uneasy feelings. "Turn the movie back on. I'm okay." Phoebe gave her a smile, then stood up, turned the VCR back on, and settled back in the easy chair.
Piper and Phoebe quickly became drawn into the movie again, but seeing as Paige had slept through nearly an hour of it, she had no idea what was going on. She allowed her mind to wander; the dream was so strange and made so little sense to her that she couldn't stop thinking about it. Who were those girls? Where were they from? Or a more appropriate question, when were they from? Thinking back, she remembered that both girls had been wearing knee-length gingham dresses and black ankle boots, almost like they belonged in the pioneer days. She wasn't exactly a big history buff, so why would she dream about something like that? She sighed after a moment and shook her head, trying to put the dream out of her mind. I just have to learn to stay awake during scary movies, she thought to herself as she turned her attention back to the television.