Plaid Skirts

Chapter 7

By JewWitch

There was no sound but chirping crickets as Paige lay staring out the window at the darkened sky. She sighed, and pulled Phoebe's sleeping body a little closer under the covers. Phoebe murmured something incoherent, shifted her head against Paige's shoulder, and began to snore very slightly. Paige grinned despite herself, feeling the nervous twisting in her stomach ease, but not much. She had woken from an anxious nightmare of being lost in the middle of a desert wasteland, and against her better judgment, looked over at the clock, seeing that it was past 3am. That was over an hour ago. The more she told herself she had to go back to sleep, the more impossible it became; she was too nervous about meeting Phoebe's family in a few short hours to relax and join her girlfriend in sleep.

The girlfriend in question whimpered softly then, and curled up against Paige unconsciously, her knees pulling in to her stomach. Paige snuck her hand around and rubbed the small of Phoebe's back, hoping that at least one of them could get a good night's sleep. But Phoebe continued to squirm, mumbling unintelligibly in her sleep.

"Shhh, baby girl," Paige whispered, kissing the top of Phoebe's head and holding her close. "I've got you." She kept rubbing Phoebe's back, and after a few minutes, the restless girl relaxed, and her breathing evened out again. Paige smiled. She was just starting to drift off when Phoebe sat bolt upright in bed with a strangled gasp, her eyes flying open, arms wrapped around her stomach.

"What is it, sweetie? Did you have a bad dream?" Paige asked quietly, sitting up and running her fingers through Phoebe's messy hair.

"Oh..." Phoebe groaned, blinking and rubbing her eyes. "Wasn't a dream..." She bent forward with a pained whimper. And in a flash, Paige understood.

"Cramps?" Phoebe nodded, and Paige could tell by the shallow way she was breathing and the tiny whimpers that were coming from her, that she was trying hard not to cry. Paige pulled her close and kissed her forehead, which was damp with cold sweat. "Hold on a sec, baby, I'll get something to make it better." Paige crawled out of bed and was back almost instantly, holding out her hand to her trembling girlfriend. "Here."

"Is that one of your migraine pills?" Phoebe frowned, rubbing her eyes groggily. Her voice was rough and sleepy as she blinked in the darkness.

"Just a half," Paige assured her, holding her hand out in a thin shaft of moonlight for Phoebe to see. Phoebe was silent for a moment. Part of her felt it wasn't a very good idea to take someone else's medication, especially something as strong as this; but it was only half a pill, after all, and Paige usually took them two at a time. A sharp stab of pain made Phoebe's mind up for her, and she took it.

"Thanks," she whispered when she'd swallowed it.

"Just try to relax," Paige hummed, pulling Phoebe down against her, her own late-night nerves completely forgotten. Phoebe lay down on her side and Paige wrapped her arms around the sniffling girl's waist, her hands slipping down over Phoebe's stomach in slow, soothing circles. Despite her best efforts, Phoebe started to cry quietly. Paige kissed the back of her neck, and said nothing for a few moments. Then she cleared her throat and began to sing softly, her fingers dipping inside Phoebe's silky underwear just a little as she continued the soothing massage. Phoebe pressed one hand over Paige's, as a warm, fuzzy feeling blossomed inside her, making everything slightly numb around the edges.

"Whoa," Phoebe mumbled, as her entire body relaxed. "That was fast..."

"Uh-huh," Paige nodded, planting a few more kisses on the smooth skin of Phoebe's neck and shoulders. "Feeling better?"

"Yeah," Phoebe nodded, as the sharp, stabbing pain in her gut began to recede, leaving behind a dull ache and a blurry feeling of contentment. She felt safe and warm in Paige's arms, and gave her hand a gentle squeeze. "I love you, you know."

"I know," Paige whispered, squeezing back. "I love you too, so much..." Phoebe rolled over and wrapped her arms around Paige's neck, and they shared a soft, sleepy kiss.

"I can't wait for tomorrow," Phoebe murmured, nestling her head against Paige's neck, and falling back to sleep, her pain already a distant memory. Paige sighed, and stared up at the ceiling, running her fingers through Phoebe's soft hair absently. It was going to be along night.

"Will you stop twitching, and eat something already?" Phoebe prodded Paige's cereal. "You're making me nervous."

"I'm making you nervous?" Paige repeated incredulously. "What the hell do you have to be nervous about? They already like you."

"Oh, Jesus, just relax! My family is going to adore you, Paigey, just like I do." Paige raised one eyebrow severely. "Okay, hopefully not exactly like I do..." Paige groaned, and pushed her cereal away, leaning forward with her head in her hands.

"You're not gonna hurl on the table, are you?" Darcy sat down on Paige's other side, balancing a plate of eggs and waffles and a very full cup of coffee. "Cause if you are I'll go sit somewhere else."

"Fuck off, assface," Paige whined, the sting of her words dampened by the pathetic tone of voice and the fact that this was how the two of them almost always spoke to each other.

"Hey, are you okay Paige?" Darcy frowned. "I was just kidding around, but you really do look sick. I mean, I've seen goth girls with more color in their cheeks."

"She's just torturing herself," Phoebe sighed, reaching out and rubbing Paige's back with her free hand. "I keep telling her there's nothing to worry about, but it's not getting through."

"Oh," Darcy blinked. Deciding that now was not the best time to ask her two friends when they were going to stop pretending they weren't majorly into each other, she simply pushed her coffee in front of Paige and patted her shoulder bracingly. "Ease up, P, you're every parent's wet dream. Straight A's, student council president, blah blah blah...even my corporate asshole dad said you're a good influence, remember? You got the open invite to come back to our chateau anytime, you know." Paige smiled weakly, and took a sip of the hot coffee.

"Thanks, Darce," she sighed. "I just wish I could relax."

"Well I know one way we could accomplish that," Darcy waggled her eyebrows suggestively. "You girls busy after breakfast?"

"Uh-uh, no way," Paige shook her head. "I am not gonna meet Phoebe's grandmother for the first time stoned, thanks very much...I'm nervous enough when I can remember my own name without laughing."

"Suit yourself," Darcy shrugged, taking a bite of her waffle. Paige groaned and turned away.

"Baby, you have got to eat something," Phoebe begged, completely unaware and unselfconscious of her words and behavior. In her heart, Phoebe wanted the whole world to know Paige was her girlfriend; it was very hard to stop herself from talking, and acting, like someone in love. "You'll be nauseous all day if you don't, and it's a long drive up to San Francisco." She took a cranberry muffin off her plate and cut it in half. Paige eyed it miserably. Phoebe smiled encouragingly, and held Paige's face in her hands, leaning forward to kiss her forehead. "It doesn't matter what anyone else thinks, anyway," she murmured, so only Paige could hear. "I adore you, sweet girl, and nobody and nothing on this earth is going to change that." Paige's eyes finally met Phoebe's, a smile creeping over her face as a warm pink blush colored her cheeks.

"The things you say," she sighed, shaking her head. Then she took half of the muffin off of Phoebe's plate, and took a bite. "Happy now?"

"I'm ecstatic," Phoebe grinned cheekily.

The rest of the morning passed agonizingly slowly, as students and their parents milled around the dorms with suitcases and laundry baskets, shouts and laughter and excitement everywhere. Phoebe became more anxious by the hour, leaping off her bed every few minutes to look out the window at the line of cars in the courtyard, trying to find her sister's Jeep Cherokee in the crowd.

"Will you cut it out? You're making me dizzy," Paige complained, lying on her bed with her feet propped up on the pillows, playing her guitar and staring up at the ceiling.

"Sorry," Phoebe murmured, and sat down contritely at her desk, crossing her legs and folding her arms over her chest. Paige glanced over at her, and felt immediately guilty.

"No, don't be sorry...I'm the one who's acting like a tool." She stood up and put the guitar aside, and began pacing restlessly. "I wish I could just fucking relax!"

"I think I might be able to help you with that," Phoebe grinned impishly, getting up and wrapping herself around Paige's tense body.

"I'll just bet you can," Paige grinned back rakishly, relaxing as she wound her arms around Phoebe's waist, feeling the warmth of her breath at close range. She let Phoebe back her up against the wall, as they melted into a long, deep kiss, sharing the flavor of muffins and coffee still on their tongues.

"Mmm...Phoebe..." Paige panted, coming up for air, "your sisters could be here any...ohhh..." Phoebe had just sucked her girlfriend's earlobe into her mouth. "...any minute," she finished.

"Who cares?" Phoebe mumbled, raking her nails up Paige's leg under her skirt.

"Phoebe!"

"Sorry," Phoebe broke away, looking sheepish, and ran to the door, turning the lock with a satisfying thunk. Paige raised one eyebrow.

"And what will you say when they ask why the door was locked in the middle of the day when we're both here?"

"I'll tell them it was because I couldn't keep my hands off you," Phoebe said unabashedly, crossing the room again and leaning up against Paige, holding her hands against the wall. Paige swallowed, her resistance immediately gone. Phoebe leaned up and kissed her hard, letting go of her hands to dig her fingers into Paige's thick hair. Paige arched her back, pushing away from the wall and into Phoebe, who was pushing back. Paige could feel the hard in and out of their breathing against each other's ribs, and suddenly she wanted-- no, needed-- to feel the bare skin of Phoebe's stomach against hers. But they weren't wearing their uniforms today; it was officially spring break, and Phoebe was wearing a tank top that did not have any buttons. Paige growled impatiently as she broke the kiss, and pulled Phoebe's top over her head, Phoebe holding up her arms to help. Then Paige pulled off her own shirt, feeling Phoebe's hands on her before she'd even finished getting it over her head. They both made a low, growling sound of pleasure when their lips met again, and their bodies entwined. Phoebe felt Paige's bellybutton just above hers, and pressed against her hard, whimpering. Paige's hand went for the clasp on Phoebe's bra.

"Phoebe, are you in there?" A loud knock on the door made them both jump, and Phoebe backed away so suddenly that she tripped over her own feet and fell on her butt. Paige gave a small snort of laughter, then clapped her hand over her mouth.

"Just a sec!" Phoebe hollered, looking around for where her shirt had landed, and seeing it over her desk chair. She grabbed it and quickly pulled it on, while Paige did the same, and it really wasn't more than fifteen or twenty seconds before she had the door open.

"Piper!" she shouted happily, throwing herself into her big sister's arms.

"Hey, ladybug," Piper grinned, hugging her tight and kissing her hair.

"I'm so happy to see you," Phoebe gushed, looking up and grinning like a little kid.

"Me too, Pheebs..." Piper peered at her sister, and frowned. "You're all flushed, sweetie. Are you sick?" Without waiting for an answer, she laid her hand against Phoebe's cheek, then her forehead.

"I'm fine, Piper, really. Just excited," Phoebe smiled innocently.

"Well, if you're sure...why was the door locked?"

"Huh?" Phoebe's face drained of color as Piper blinked politely, a quizzical expression on her freckled face. "Oh, it was-- I was just-- changing. People around here are always just barging in, you know." She made a brave attempt at saying this casually.

"Yeah, college isn't much different," Piper shrugged, surprised at her sister's sudden display of modesty; she had certainly never had any at home. Then again, that was different. They were sisters. "You might as well get used to it," she added. Phoebe and Paige looked at each other across the room, and immediately looked away again so they wouldn't both start laughing.

"Oh! Piper, this is my roommate, Paige Matthews. Paige, this is my sister Piper."

"It's so great to meet you," Paige exclaimed squeakily, crossing the room to shake Piper's hand. She stood by Phoebe, and they automatically reached for each other's hands, fingers entwining. "I've heard so much about you."

"Likewise," Piper said, observing their entwined hands but thinking nothing of it, as close friends holding hands was nothing so unusual among teenage girls. "You've made quite an impact on my baby sister. I should thank you for getting her on the straight and narrow!" Again both Paige and Phoebe had to bite back their laughter. "Grams says you haven't gotten anything below a B this semester. That true, kiddo?" Phoebe nodded shyly. "That's awesome, Phoebe!"

"She was always smart, she just needed a more stimulating environment," Paige said simply, giving Phoebe's fingers a squeeze. Phoebe grinned shyly again, looking back and forth between her girlfriend and her sister, both of whom were smiling proudly.

"Where's Prue?"

"Parking the car," Piper said. "C'mon, let's go find her." Phoebe pulled Paige's hand excitedly, bouncing down the hall with an unbridled childish enthusiasm that Paige found utterly charming. They strolled across the courtyard, Phoebe talking a mile a minute as she pointed out the various buildings to her sister, explaining which departments were housed where and which teachers were cool. Paige spotted a girl getting out of a weather-beaten green Jeep, black-haired and slightly shorter than herself with piercing blue eyes, who she recognized from Phoebe's many family snapshots. She felt a strange thrill of nervous anticipation as Phoebe released her hand, and ran to her eldest sister, shrieking happily. Though she wasn't more than a couple of inches taller than her baby sister, Prue still managed to pick her up and swing her around once as they hugged each other.

"Prue, you're here!" Phoebe cried happily, pulling her immediately over to Paige and Piper.

"Paigey, this is my oldest sister, Prue. Prue, meet my roommate, Paige Matthews."

"I've heard so much about you," Paige managed to stammer with a nervous smile.

"It's all lies," Prue said with a wink, ruffling Phoebe's hair so that Phoebe pulled away and stuck out her tongue.

A few minutes later they were all in the car, Phoebe and Paige in the back while Prue drove and Piper leaned over the front seat to talk to them, peppering them with questions about life at the prestigious boarding school while they questioned her and Prue about college. The sun was beating down steadily as they made their way up the California coast, opting off of the ugly, congested interstate after a couple of hours in favor of passing through Monterey Bay on the far more scenic Highway 1. The ocean came in and out of view as they wound their way through the mountains of Big Sur, a cool sea breeze blowing into the car through the open windows.

"Remember when we camped here with Andy and his parents when we were little?" Piper asked, gazing out the window happily.

"Yeah," Prue nodded, a wry grin on her face. "Phoebe woke us all up in the middle of the night because she heard the owls hooting, and thought the woogie man had followed her!" The two sisters rolled their eyes at each other with a snort of laughter. "Remember that, Pheebs?" Prue called over the seat. But Phoebe and Paige were both zonked out, fast asleep in their seats with their heads together.

"Aww," Piper grinned softly at the sight. "Prue, look." Prue glanced at the two sleeping girls in the rearview mirror, and chuckled.

"I'm so glad Phoebe's made such good friends at Saint Anne's...I was really worried she'd hate it, and shut everyone out."

"Yeah," Piper nodded thoughtfully, still studying the sleeping figure of her sister, whose hand was curled over Paige's knee unconsciously. "She's really adjusting well."

The jerking of city traffic woke Paige with a start just as they were crossing the Bay Bridge; she blinked groggily for a few minutes without speaking, confused and bleary with the sun shining in her eyes. She shifted, and Phoebe's hand slipped up her leg, bringing her sharply back to herself with a flutter of warmth. She smiled, and turned her face into Phoebe's hair.

"Hmmm," Phoebe mumbled, stretching her legs out with a yawn. "Are we there yet?"

"Almost, sleepyhead," Prue said with a glance over her shoulder. "We're just coming over the polka-dot bridge."

"What?" Paige blinked some more, sure she had misheard Prue's statement over the honking and noise of traffic.

"That's what Phoebe used to call this bridge when she was little," Piper explained, turning in her seat and again observing her sister draped over her roommate like a life-sized teddy bear. "See how the sun comes through, and makes polka-dots on the cars?" Paige looked out at the cars, still not completely awake, and smiled.

"I get it," she yawned, jostling Phoebe. She sun glinted off the car next to them, and right into Phoebe's eyes as she opened them, making her sneeze.

"Bless you," said Paige, Piper and Prue all at once. Phoebe laughed and rubbed her nose.

"Uh, thanks," she yawned, blinking dazedly from her abrupt waking. Paige reached out rubbed the spot right between Phoebe's eyes, and they shared a shy smile. For a moment Phoebe forgot her sisters in the front seat, the bridge and all the cars around them, and even the city itself that she'd missed so much; her whole world was right there in the sun-warmed back seat, and she couldn't help herself-- she leaned in and kissed Paige on the lips. Prue, whose attention was fully commanded by the nerve-wracking rush-hour traffic, didn't see this, but Piper had just glanced at the rearview mirror, about to ask Phoebe and Paige what they wanted to do once they'd all gotten settled in. She'd brushed off the hand-holding, the cuddly sleeping, even the possessive hand on the knee; but she couldn't ignore this.

"Ahem." She turned fully in her seat, raising her eyebrow at the two girls in the back seat expectantly. They looked back at her with petrified, wide-eyed expressions. Phoebe opened and closed her mouth a few times, but no sound came out.

"I hope everyone's hungry, because Grams is making her famous lasagna," Prue said obliviously from behind the wheel. "Do you like Italian, Paige?"

"I, uh...yeah," Paige stammered, her normally pale face flushed scarlet with panic. Phoebe took her hand and held it firmly, looking up at Piper with a mixture of fear, defiance, and brash unconcern. Piper just shook her head, and chuckled incredulously.

"We'll talk later?" She said quietly. Phoebe nodded gratefully. "You too," Piper added to Paige, looking every bit the protective older sister.

"Uh-huh," Paige squeaked, looking terrified and relieved in equal measure.

"All right, then." Piper rolled her eyes affectionately, as the car rolled past Treasure Island and onto solid land. "Welcome to San Francisco, Paige."