Sorry for the lateness of this update! A little encumbrance called A levels has been preventing me from having any sort of life outside the school gates! :-s
The song I have used in this chapter is not mine (dream on me...) it is infact by the absolutely awesome Belle and Sebastian and is entitled Piazza, New York Catcher! Here is a link to it on YouTube if you want to listen: /watch?vVw5zn1aNlJI (can't do a hyperlink so just copy and paste into the URL box)
"Paige? Are you home? Oh Hiya Leo, Mrs Halliwell- I don't think I'll ever get used to seeing you alive and kicking. Have either of you seen Paige?"
"Henry dear I'm not alive. I think she's upstairs, I'll see if I can find her for you" said Penny, throwing a disconcerted look as Leo before making a speedy exit.
"I still struggle to get my head around the fact that she's dead when she keeps dropping in like that." Said Henry, joining Leo at the table.
"Mmmm."
"Anyway, I'm glad I've got you on your own" Henry was now tapping the table nervously "I wanted to ask your advice on something... it's eerr... well its quite a big deal, I wanted to..."
"Hey you..." Henry was interrupted by Paige who appeared in the doorway, leaning casually on the door frame.
"Hey..." Henry's face lit up when he saw her standing there.
"What? Stop looking at me like that!" Paige smiled. For one short moment, she forgot everything that had happened. But she was brought sharply back to earth by a muttering from Leo as he shuffled awkwardly away:
"I'll err, give you two some space." Paige sighed, threw him a grateful smile and moved slowly into the kitchen, sitting down opposite Henry and taking his hand in hers.
"Listen, Paige-"
"Ssssh," her voice was tender and gentle, "No, Henry. Don't say anything." She smiled again, taking in every feature, every detail on his face, every crease in his skin and line on his palm. She realised now that all the courage she had failed to find seventeen years ago was sat right in front of her, it had been there the whole time, she saw that now. For the first time in her life she didn't feel an overwhelming desire to run from everything difficult. Why hadn't she recognised this seventeen years ago? Why had it taken her such along time to see that Henry possessed all the strength she needed? It took her along time before she could speak again and the whole time she was silent, she was cherishing each second like it would be their last one together, but with each second, she grew more and more certain that she and Henry could fight this together. Seventeen years ago, without Henry, she had lost her battle- this time around her army was by her side and that was enough to protect her from anything. "Henry, there's something we need to talk about." She took a deep breath, about to start, then stopped abruptly. "Wait. Can we go somewhere?"
"Of course we can baby, anywhere you want- you can orb after all!"
"Got a jacket? I've a feeling you'll need it."
Moments later they materialised in one of Paige's favourite thinking spots, The Golden Gate Bridge. "WOW- now this is something I never thought I'd see in my life!"
"Yeah- just don't stand too close to the edge!"
"Oh Paige- this is unbelievable" It was. Evening was creeping over San Francisco and the low, burning sun was casting a glowing golden light across the city, it's beams glinted off the glass windows of houses and offices, turning the whole city into a beautiful warm, mass of shimmering amber. The pink tinted clouds below them drifted leisurely over the tops of buildings, casting soft, fluid shadows and patterning the landscape with their downy silhouettes. From their vantage point high above, they could see the land stretching away for miles, over the top of Alcatraz Island on one side and right out to the ocean on the other, it was view that Paige treasured, something she knew was a unique part of her life and none of the people below, carrying on their lives, even considered the possibility that she could even be where she was. In Paige's mind it was true freedom, it belonged to her alone, but now she wanted to share it with Henry. She slid her arm through Henry's and rested her head on his shoulder, he responded by pulling her into a firm hug and guided her to the edge of the platform, facing north, where they sat gazing at the view, wrapped in each others arms, there legs hanging down over the side. "Do you remember when we were sixteen, that song we used to sing? I was thinking about it yesterday, and this view reminded me of it. Do you remember Paige?"
"Of course I remember Henry, you used to sing it to me everyday. It's still my favourite song you know..." taking her hint, Henry squeezed his arms tighter around Paige and began to murmur the song softly into her ear;
Elope with me Miss Private and
we'll sail around the world
I will be your Ferdinand and you
my wayward girl
How many nights of talking
in hotel rooms can you take?
How may nights of limping
'round on pagan holidays?
O elope with me in private
And we'll set something ablaze.
A trail for the devil to erase.
Paige's heart was fluttering uncontrollably, the moment seemed so perfect and she knew that in a few seconds she would snatch it away from Henry. And once she'd told him, then what? What would it do to their relationship? His gentle, tuneful voice flowed into her ear like water ...
San Francisco's calling us
The Giants and Mets will play
Piazza, New York Catcher
Are you straight or are you gay?
We hung around the stadium
We got no pace to stay
We hung about the tenderloin
And tenderly you tell
About the saddest book you
Ever read it always made you cry
The statue's crying too and Willie May
But there was no escape, she couldn't run away, she wouldn't run away. And it was now or never.
"Henry, listen to me. There's something really important we need to talk about. I need you to listen to me and let me explain. And I promise you, we're going to make everything ok- my sisters wont let me down and we'll get through this together." her voice trembled and Henry saw the fear in her eyes.
"My God Paige? What is it?"
"This morning, I was thinking, about us, Phillipa, everything that's happened and, well it scared me. I don't know why, don't ask me but it just did. I felt like I didn't trust that the future would be a 'happily ever after' and I so I did something, something called a vision quest and it... it turns out that I was right."
"Paige? What happened?"
"Henry," she said. "I'm pregnant."
"Oh Paige! That's fantastic!" A grin spread itself across Henry's face, and he began chattering excitedly "I'm gonna be a dad! Again...! Wow twice in just a few months? Oh Paige, this is wonderful its-
"Ssssh.." she placed her finger gently on his lips. It broke her heart to see how overjoyed he was. "It's not good news Henry..." like a brick through a window, the perfect, warm evening shattered and returned to chilling atmosphere that had lingered in the attic that afternoon. And a stilted explanation spilled from Paige's trembling lips. When she was done, she looked Henry deep in the eye and told him, in a voice that sounded infinitely more confident than she felt, "I'm not going to let it happen!"
"No! We're not, we're going to sort this out!" Henry jumped to his feet and extended a hand to Paige. "We need to get you a really good doctor, now! They can watch over you 24/7 and from now on I am wrapping you in cotton wool- you're doing nothing in the slightest that could possibly harm you or the baby- and I don't think you should orb anymore- your always saying how strenuous it is, and absolutely no demon fighting and..." an uncontrollable babble of speech that erupted from his mouth.
"It's pointless Henry."
"Don't say that Paige! What are you planning on doing- just letting our baby die?"
"NO! How could you even think I would let that happen!" the harshness in his words cut into Paige, causing her to step back in shock. "No Henry, what I mean is that wrapping me in cotton wool is going to have no effect what so ever!" She was shouting now, barely pausing for breath, a hint of panic in her voice. "In my vision quest the baby I saw was pretty much a new born size and I know that vision quests are pretty abstract but premonitions are usually very literal! Phoebe saw us in a hospital with a NEW BORN! I think... I think..." she slowed down, taking in the true horror she was facing. Gulping sobs forcing themselves our of her throat. She paused to compose herself and her words were quiet, barely audible, full of terror , shame and sadness, "I think our baby dies right at the end, just as its being born even." They both slumped, the energy drained from them. Together they sank back down onto the red metal platform, coiling their arms softly around each other, gazing out at the now inky black sky, speckled with a few dull diamonds, and the murky water below them shimmering with the bright city lights of San Francisco as it stretched out beneath their feet. Paige buried herself deep in Henry's shoulder, using him as a sheild from the bitter wind that now grazed their exposed skin, turning their cheeks and hands raw. Henry's left arm wrapped itself tightly around her delicate frame and his right hand slid down her side and rested on her lower abdomen, Paige placed her hand over his and together they sat, saying nothing, listening only to the sound of each others breathing as the hours slipped away from them. They knew that they were wasting precious minutes but neither could bring themselves to tear away from the other and return home to the harsh reality that would cast a sinister shadow over the next eight and a half months of their lives... and, perhaps beyond.
I love you I've a drowning grip
On your adoring face
I love you my responsibility
Has found a place
Beside you on cold mornings
And the guise of gentle words
Come wave upon me from the
family why that's not absurd,
you'll take care of her. I know
it. You will do a better job.
Maybe. But not what she deserves...
Henry knew that this was the right moment to do what he had been turning over in his mind for the past week. He had been so scared of losing Paige a second time and he wanted to make sure that that could never happen. He slipped his hand out from under Paige's, letting hers fall softly on her pale skin, and reached into his jacket pocket, his fingers gripped around a small cube. He pulled it out and pressed it into Paige's palm.
"Open it..." he whispered softly in her ear. Paige gently pressed on the little button that released the lid and a faded but genuine look happiness spread across her face. She tipped her head up towards Henry's, her eyes sparkling like the tiny diamond he had now slid onto her finger, and placed a deep and gentle kiss on his lips.
OK slushy I know. But hell, we all need something mushy from time to time!