Author's Note: This is a spin-off of FaithInHim4ever's story, Witchlighter Confidential. The background concept of the story is hers, as well as Sophie and the majority of the original characters. Lauren, I hope that you like where I'm going to take this story.
Little Angel
Chapter One
When his cell phone rang at ten-thirty at night, the last person Chris expected to be calling him was Rachel Goodwin. He hadn't spoken to his ex-girlfriend in over a year, and he couldn't help but wonder what she wanted with him, now. The last time they'd talked, she'd made it more than clear that they had nothing more to do with each other.
But, then again, the last time they'd talked, Rachel had dropped the bombshell that she was pregnant. His life had changed in a heartbeat – and had changed again, two weeks later, when she'd told him that the baby wasn't his. They'd broken up shortly after that, for reasons that Chris still didn't really understand, and Rachel had stopped speaking to him, completely.
Until tonight, apparently.
When he answered the phone, Rachel sounded like she'd been crying. It was hard to understand her, but he eventually figured out that she wanted to see him. He was hesitant, remembering how badly they'd fought the last time they were together, but Rachel was insistent, and he eventually agreed.
His parents were in the living room when he went downstairs, and he poked his head into the other room as he was pulling on his jacket.
"I'm going to go out, for a little bit," he said, and Piper looked at her watch, and then at him, in surprise.
"Kind of late, isn't it?" she asked, neutrally.
"I won't be gone, long," Chris said, reassuringly. "Rachel called, and she wants to talk."
He could see his mom struggling not to say anything about it. After the pregnancy scare with Rachel, Piper had become even more overprotective, if possible, and she'd had a hard time letting go, lately, even after he'd turned eighteen. But, eventually, she just nodded, letting him go without an argument.
"You're going to orb over there?" she asked, instead, and Chris nodded. "Don't be seen," she continued, seriously.
"I won't be," Chris assured her.
"Have fun," Leo added, and Chris nodded, orbing out of the house.
He arrived at Rachel's house a few seconds later, carefully hidden in the dark shadows. He slipped around to the front of the house, knocking lightly on the door. When Rachel answered the door a minute later, she didn't look surprised to see him there, so quickly. If anything, she only looked resigned.
"Chris, come on in," she said, quietly, standing aside to let him move past her into the house.
"You said that you wanted to talk?" Chris asked, turning to look at Rachel.
She looked awful, her eyes red and blotchy, like she'd been crying. She wouldn't look at him as she led him to the living room, gesturing aimlessly to the couch.
"My mom isn't here," she said, as she sat down on the opposite edge of the couch, as far away from him as she could get without actually falling off. "She-"
Rachel trailed off, shaking her head, helplessly. She lifted a shaking hand to wipe away the tears that flooded her eyes, and Chris started to get worried.
"Rachel?" he asked, quietly, moving closer and putting a hand on her shoulder. "Rachel, are you okay?"
"No," Rachel admitted, honestly, sniffing away tears. "I'm so sorry, Chris."
"Sorry about what?" he asked, hesitantly. "What's going on?"
"I never should have lied to you," Rachel went on, still carefully avoiding his gaze. "But, I saw you talking with that new girl, Hannah, and I got jealous-"
"Hannah and I are just friends," Chris interjected, quietly. "That's all we've ever been."
"That's still no reason," Rachel said, sounding like she was about to start crying, again. "But, I was so mad at you, and I thought I could do this, on my own-"
"Do what, Rachel?" he prompted, when she fell silent. "What are you talking about?"
She finally looked at him, misery clear on her face. But, before she could say anything, a bright light filled the air between them.
Chris stared in shock at the bright bundle of orbs that formed in Rachel's arms, aware that his mouth was hanging open, numbly. When the orbs coalesced, he found himself staring at a baby cradled in Rachel's arms.
Tearing his gaze away from the baby, he looked at Rachel, who was staring down at the baby with the same, resigned expression that had greeted him at the front door.
"Rachel," he breathed, barely daring to speak, and his ex looked at him with tears in her eyes and misery written plainly on her face.
"I can't – I can't do this, any more," she said, tearfully. "It's just too much-"
"She's mine, isn't she?" Chris asked, quietly, as he looked, mesmerized, at the baby girl that blinked slowly at him with bright blue eyes.
The answer should have been obvious, especially with the orbing, but he needed to hear Rachel say it. After she'd spent so much time telling him that the baby wasn't his, he needed to hear the truth.
Rachel nodded, silently, holding out the baby for him to take. Chris cradled the baby – his daughter – gently in his arms, his grip secure after years of holding his younger cousins as babies. The little girl stared up at him with frank curiosity, her eyes wide to take in every detail. When he reached out to trace his finger lightly along her cheek, she grabbed him with a surprisingly strong grip.
"Her name is Sophie," Rachel told him, "after my grandmother. And her middle name is Paige, after your aunt." When Chris looked at her in surprise, she continued, "I tried out some of the other names in your family, but nothing else seemed to fit. And I remembered how close you said that you two were."
"Sophie Paige," Chris echoed, looking back down at his daughter. "Hello, Sophie. I'm your daddy. How old is she?" he asked, after a moment.
"Six months old," Rachel answered. "She was born in April. I'm giving her to you," she went on, abruptly, and Chris looked up at her in shock.
"If this is about her magic," he started, hesitantly, and Rachel cut him off.
"Stop," she said, holding up a hand to forestall his comments. "I don't want to know about this."
"But, this is Sophie's heritage," Chris protested.
"I don't want to know," she repeated, insistently, glaring at him. "My mom is scared to death. She was ready to call our pastor before I talked her out of it – she's convinced that Sophie is possessed, or something. And, I can't take her out in public; what if someone saw?"
"Rachel," Chris started, feeling helpless in the face of her sudden anger.
"Over the last week," Rachel said, her voice choking up, "I've seen things, watched Sophie do things that should be impossible. And, I don't – I just want my life to go back to normal!" she cried, her voice cracking with the strain. "This shouldn't be happening – I don't want it to be happening to me-"
"So, what do you want to do?" Chris asked, not knowing what else to say.
"Just take her," Rachel said, dropping her head into her hands with a quiet sigh. "I'll get the paperwork started, tomorrow, to turn full custody over to you."
"And, what then?" Chris prompted, when Rachel fell silent, again. "What am I supposed to tell Sophie, when she's older, and she wants to know about her mother?"
"I don't know," Rachel admitted, her voice barely more than a whisper. "Maybe, in a few years – but, I just can't deal with this, right now."
Chris nodded, accepting Rachel's decision. But, he had to try one last time.
"If you want to talk," he offered, "if you have any questions-" and Rachel shook her head, emphatically.
"I don't," she snapped out, vehemently. "Not now," she added, softer. "Maybe not ever."
"Okay," Chris finally relented, and Rachel slumped against the back of the couch.
"Please, just go," she whispered.
"I'll come back, tomorrow, and pick up Sophie's stuff," Chris told her, and then, he headed to the front door, cradling Sophie gently to his chest.
He stopped as he reached the front door, realizing that he had no idea what he was going to do, next. His head was spinning, wildly, and he could feel his brain shorting out every time he looked down at his daughter.
'My daughter,' he thought, as he stared down at the little girl in amazement. 'I have a daughter.'
He couldn't go home; Piper had been mad enough the first time, around. He didn't think that greeting her with "Surprise, you're a grandma," was the best way to go about things. No, he needed to go someplace where he could think, where he could decide what his next move was. And, especially so that he could figure out how to approach his parents with a minimum of yelling on their part.
That left only one place, only one person that he could turn to.
"Don't worry, angel," he said, quietly, to Sophie, who was watching him, curiously. "Daddy's going to figure everything out, don't you worry."
Then, he orbed out of Rachel's house, to the one person that he knew he could talk about anything with. Landing on the front porch, he reached out and knocked lightly on the front door. He knocked two more times before the door opened, and the person on the other side looked at him in surprise.
"Chris?" she asked, glancing down automatically where her watch would have been, if she'd been wearing one.
"Aunt Paige," he said, quietly, relaxing minutely just by being around her. "I'm sorry for coming so late, but we need your help, please. I didn't know where else to go, and – and – I couldn't go home-"
Paige looked at him for several long seconds, her penetrating gaze making him feel as if she could see all the way through him. Then, she stepped aside and gestured him into the house.
"Come in," she said, quietly. "Let's talk."