Pain, Tears & Lies
Hello! I am finally back after a long break and just before Christmas too! I want to thank you for the reviews you submitted for me, it means a lot. I cannot believe I started this fanfiction in 2005, and here we are, 2008, and still strong! So please, sit back and enjoy this newest chapter!
3 chapters remain!
Chapter 48
A guiding hand
"That's right, you're doing great! Keep pushing!!" he urged her excitedly. Beads of sweat ran down her face and had also soaked her entire body. Her blue satin sheet put on her by the staff stuck to her in a clingy uncomfortable fashion. She hated things to be too clingy; there was no need for it. At that moment, among other things, she wondered that whoever created 'clingy-ness' needs to be strangled on the spot. Of course, she reasoned with herself, no one could create it… It still made her feel better. "Push!" he called on. Her scornful face snapped in his direction. Her beads of sweat flew outwards, splattering not just him but the nurse too. He shut up immediately as she squeezed onto his hand even tighter that he was sure bones would break.
"You push!" she shouted at him before violently screaming with agony. The scream turned to an angry growl and moan. Whilst keeping a firm grip on her hand- not that it could go anywhere, he stood transfixed as the nurse done what she needed to do. She had a mouth mask on and her face was covered by her blue uniform. Another nurse, dressed in the same, stood behind her, a cubicator behind them both.
"The baby's head is crowning" informed the nurse as joyful as she could. There was no joy in the mother however who screamed with the burning sensation she was feeling.
"Oh god!" she screamed and turned back to the man, "It's all your thought! You did this to me!"
"Sorry, in future, I won't give you the gift"
"This doesn't feel like a gift, it feels like-" her speech was cut off by more screaming. By squeezing his hand so hard, she brings him to his knees who, in turn, screams himself. The nurse, and the mother, paying little heed, continued with what they were doing- pushing and delivering.
"Keep pushing, the heads come through. Almost there"
"I am pushing! I can't push anymore!" the mother yelled, tears flooding her face and soaking the bed sheets more than her own sweat. She begun to cry and released her tensing and her pushing, giving up. She needed to relax, but the pain was still there.
"You have to keep pushing!" instructed the nurse, "Push for me again. One big push this time. One final push!"
"I can't!" she cried hopelessly, defeated. She felt angry with herself for not being able to do something as simple as giving birth. The father gradually stood up now his wife was no longer gripping his hand, now bruised. He put a hand on her shoulder for support and they shared a loving look. He too with tears in his eyes. He gave her the smile he gave no one else but her and she frowned with emotion but nodded, the message, though not spoken, was clear. Lifting up her body, she forcefully begun pushing once more, screaming the entire way.
"That's it, almost there. Almost there…" the mother let out a scream of relief as the room was filled with frail crying. At first worrying, it got louder and faster. The mother took rapid breaths, crying but this time from relief followed by happiness when seeing her baby. The nurses quickly wrapped the baby in a blue blanket. The delivery nurse's hands were soaked in blood. Carefully, she handed the baby over to the mother. She cried with joy when holding her baby. "Congratulations, you have a healthy baby girl"
"Yeah" she smiled drawing out the word with the happiness radiating through her. The father too couldn't stop smiling. The baby was covered in blood too but most was cleaned off by the nurse. The assistant arrives with some scissors and hands it to the father.
"You can cut the umbilical cord now" she smiled, her voice softer than the other nurse who had a stronger voice. The happy parents looked at one another and both took a handle each of the scissors and together, cut the cord. The baby girl begun to calm down as she cooed herself. The father begun to cry as the nurse removed her mouth mask. Smiling at the pair, she threw away her blood drenched gloves in the small blue bin across the room.
"What will you call her?" asked the nurse beaming. The couple looked at one another and back at their daughter.
"Paige" replied the mother, giggling.
-o-o-0-o-o-
"You bitch!" she yelled with heated anger. With a forceful swing, her hand slapped the smug look off of her face. The impact echoed the school halls and had every onlooker gasp from the shock. Many laughed through the awkwardness they were feeling, no other way to express what they were feeling. Others made pained faces. In the slaps wake, a red hand print brightened by the second, stinging her. She didn't scream, she didn't moan or complain. After her head snapping to the side, she turned back to face her attacker, slowly with vengeance. Through gritted teeth, her breath hard and deep, spit escaping through her teeth, she stepped towards her attacker.
The attackers hand was in front of her face levitated in mid-air. Once she slapped her, she never lowered her hand. She too was heaving with the anger bubbling inside her. The girl who she slapped did not look happy, or that what had just happened hurt her. Her blonde hair stuck on her mascara as she combed it behind her ears.
"You whore!" she screamed and as forceful as what she received, she swung her arm around and clouted her across her face slamming her into a wall head first. With the gathered students calling out from the impact, the blond haired girl lowered her arms and placed them on her hips, leering at the girl. She turned to face her, blood on her now cut lip. She then realised that the ring she was wearing had given most of the pain. With a battle scream, she charged forward and with her right shoulder, drove it into the girl's stomach. This time screaming from the force, she was slammed into the wall. Releasing another scream, she grabbed the other girl's hair, she doing the same.
Both women were now engaged in a hair pulling match. Both screaming through their rage, they begun swerving down the hallway as everyone quickly got out the way.
"You're dead!" yelled the other girl.
"I hate you!" screamed the girl with blonde hair. Suddenly, their world went black…
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She woke up on something extremely uncomfortable. Squirming with a groan, she tried to open her eyes but only saw darkness. Then it hit her, the searing pain in her head. With a blood curdling scream, she clutched her head tightly beginning to cry. "Serves you right" came a cold voice which no remorse for the pain this other was in. Her screaming died down as she tried to regain her senses. The room around her was spinning in a sickening uncomfortable manner. Footsteps were heard, but in her distorted state, they came through as loud deathening blasts. Groaning from the high pitched sound, she squirmed.
"You almost died. You silly girl!" scorned the person, "Your father had to return from an important meeting. A meeting which could have helped his promotion. He came because you got into a fight! Again!" she shouted. The voice was too loud yet distant at the same time. She couldn't make sense of anything. It was then that she heard something click in the distance.
"Is she awake?" asked a different deeper voice. Shuffling was followed by hollow speaking. Her vision was getting worse. Everything was grotesquely shaped. Things spun, things which were once solid begun to twist and bend. Everything quickly went dark.
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Walking down the wooden stairs, her black boots made a harsh contact with them. With every step there was a creak. With every creak came a squeak. The three looked up from the noise coming not to far from the living room in which they were all sat. As they patiently awaited the one to make the footsteps down the stairs she finally arrived. She had long black hair and bangs which covered her eyebrows and almost her own brown eyes. She wore fish net leggings and a black mini skirt over that. She also wore a black tank top with a skull printed on the front of it. The sleeves were torn off leaving it rugged and tattered. A silver metal chain went from the hip of her skirt to the other hip, dangling loosely.
Her arms were covered with fishnets up to her elbow, each one with large holes in them. Her dark red lips with a black outline stood out against her pale sunless skin. Black eye shadow and eyeliner in accompany along with a silver ring on her lip completed her gothic look. Standing with her weight on one side she looked at the three people, one of whom she didn't know. "What" she said. Not a question but more of an annoyed remark. She hated being pulled away from her business. The three stood in front of her briefly turned to one another. The only woman of the three stepped towards her.
"Paige…"
"Be quick, mother. I don't like being disturbed" she told her mother. Her right cheek had a fresh bruise. With how she was so weary around her daughter, the man Paige didn't know, was able to understand why. His mission was more crucial than he first thought. When there was a pause, Paige let out a heavy sigh and turned to leave.
"You need to leave!" shouted back a voice behind her with urgency. Paige, scoffing, spun around on her black boots. Raising her eyebrows she placed her hands on her hips, the black nail varnish glimmering from the light in the room.
"Excuse me?" she retorted. She approached her mother and locked onto her a deathly gaze. "What did dad mean?" she growled. Her father, a big burly man, stepped in between them, saving his wife from another strike. Paige was the least bit intimidated, she actually found herself laughing at what she thought were a poor effort to intimidate her.
"We have a man here, he's from an organisation. He's here to help you" told her father. She merely leered at him before looking over her father's soldier. The guy, in his mid 30's, stood with his hands clasped behind himself. He wore a black shirt with black trousers. His greying hair was slickly gelled back. Fresh wrinkles were also starting to show. She scoffed a laugh finding this all amusing.
"This old prune? He doesn't look like he could run a 100 meter race" she laughed at her own mocking. The man didn't falter in his serious expression. That she gave him kudos for.
"I've heard all about you Paige Matthews" he finally spoke out. Stepping over the sleeping dog, he crossed around the old Victorian sofa. Paige's parents stepped away. Paige didn't move or look at all impressed. Her demeanour changed from bored-ness to frustration. "I heard about the fights at school with such a blonde woman called Cara" Paige's brow twitched at the mention of the name. "I heard that during one fight, you knocked your head on a metal railing. You almost bled to death" he told her stopping inches from her face. She could feel his cold breath against her warm skin. It made her shiver.
"What of it?"
"I also heard that, that day you had managed to kill her. The path to follow has made you into what you are now. After a prison sentence, whoring and of course booze and drug taking, you went from a sweet innocent little girl to this 21 year old gothic mother beating vixen" His words made no effect on Paige's features but it had effected her mother as a tear rolled down her cheek at memories past. Remembering to the first day she gave birth, the greatest moment of her life. "So after carefully going through it all, I will be taking you. I will help cure you"
"Over my dead body" growled Paige about to turn when his hand clasped her shoulder forcefully. She stopped stiff still as her anger boiled to epidemic heights. No one ever touches her and talks about it afterwards. They had all learned the hard way. Her mother could vouch for such an account.
"Which is exactly what'll happen if you don't come with me. I give you a choice to come with me from your own free will, or I will take you with force. There's no alternative Paige" he told her, his voice now a deadly serious. After a moment's breather, she scrunched up her face with rage. Spinning around, elbow lunged out, she aimed for his face. He ducked under it as her mother gasped quickly pulled away by her husband.
"Don't hurt her!" she yelled out. The guy backed away calmly as if he had expected Paige to react this way. Not letting her miss falter her, she kicked her leg up to round house kick him. With a simple flick of his arm he blocked the kick. Immediately, she spun around and threw both legs up but each was blocked. To follow she threw out a couple of punches and single kicks, everyone blocked with effortless ease. Her frustrated anger built and he could tell, smirking. He wanted her to get angry. People make mistakes when angered.
"You've made your choice" he told her. He reached into his pocket as Paige went to swing once more. This time, when ducking away from it, he stealthily went up behind her and, gripping the taser gun, slammed it into the side of her neck. The blur crackling electric ignited causing her to convulse and collapse to the ground. As she fell, he held her with his free arm and helped lower her down. When she finally stopped and went limp, slowly breathing, he stood up.
"She's down!" he called out. Through the door came two men wearing black jackets padded. Each wore a helmet, each looked to be men and strong. Each grabbing a side, they lifted Paige up and took her outside. The mother, holding her hand over her mouth as she cried, watched her daughter leave from her life.
"Will this help her?" she asked as the man slipped the taser gun into his pocket. He looked over to them and nodded knowingly and assuring.
"Of course". Turning to leave, the mother took a step forward, breaking away from her husbands comforting handling.
"How long will it take? When will I see her again?"
"It's never sure how long it'll take. First we must break them, their shield, their anger, their behaviour. Then she must be taught the ways of the company and then the world. It takes as long as it takes" he tells her. Nodding his farewell he slowly makes his way towards the open door, the sunlight pouring in. Just before he got out, it was the father who stepped forward.
"Thank you… But we didn't get your name". The guy turned around, the mood suddenly turned solemn, the temperature cold.
"Paul" he replied chillingly before closing the door behind him.
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"I'm scared" she told him, shaking. He laughed as he stroked her dark hair, caressing her pale skin. "First mission and all. What if he suspects something?"
"He won't" he assures her, gently kissing her forehead. "I picked you those 4 years ago because you were the best. I saw great potential in you Paige Matthews" he told her and she smiled. "Just befriend him. Leo Wyatt, like yourself 4 years ago, has murdered. He's deadly. We cannot insure him walking the streets anymore. Cheryl will also be there to help if needs be" he told her, her brow twitching and her lips curling with disgust.
"Why don't you just leave her?" she asked looking lovingly into his eyes. He let out a breathless laugh. Stroking her hair once more and behind her ears.
"Why don't you just leave Kurt?" he asked in retaliation. She hopelessly smiled, beat.
"Fair point" she told him nodding along. "Though after he found out about us, we're as good as finished" she said looking off across the waiting area. Paul, with a wave of his hand, dismissed the topic.
"Now you know what to do once the plane explodes?"
"Yes" she told him exasperated, "Befriend him. Then when you capture Piper and the others, help them escape with Leo. I still don't understand why you would take Leo just for me to get him out" she said clearly confused.
"Because" he told her cunningly, "It's all about trust. You need to get their trust, know more about them so that we can take him down". She sighed and turned to the side, Paul followed her gaze. They both stared at the back of Leo waiting for the flight to England to be ready. She then looked behind Paul and scornfully grunted.
"The wife's back". Paul turned around to see her come out from the toilet. Cheryl, with her red top, looked around for him. With the hundreds of people walking past she didn't spot him. Paul, quickly kissing Paige, broke away from her.
"I'll brief her before the flight is boarded. Take care. I love you" he told her, she smiled.
"I love you to" with that he turned and approached Cheryl. Now, on her own, Paige stood fixated on Leo, the man she had to befriend and earn trust to.
-o-o-o-0-o-o-o-
"Stay in there!" he cried gasping back tears. "You can do this, you can fight!". Cole cupped his shaking hand over her cold face. She looked to be in so much pain, so much agony, so much distraught it broke his heart. Everything he loved dear was just slowly leaving him. His life was slipping away. Her life was slipping away. They heard the sirens outside but none acknowledged them. Phoebe lay convulsing, the blood failing to stop. Prue, her eldest sister, firmly pressed a green blanket over the wound to prevent the blood from rapidly draining from her sister's body.
Tears had stained her face. She choked backed the tears, her voice failing her. She couldn't speak, she was in too much shock and anguish. She looked up at more crying, at more screaming. Piper, the middle sister, is sat, her dead husband on her lap, cradling him begging for him to return to the living. Prue knew that her efforts were futile. He was dead. Her stomach panged from the agony that Leo was gone.
Had it not been for her current circumstance, Prue would just collapse and coil into uncontrolled crying. Lie in the darkness that was enveloping her. She had to be strong, for everyone. Despite how difficult it all was, despite how the resistance was becoming.
"The ambulance is here!" she managed to gasp. Phoebe, tears leaking from her diluted eyes didn't seem to hear her. Everything was spinning. The voices around her hollow and seemed to be miles off. But she could sense Prue's distinct smell, she could feel Cole's soft yet strong hands on hers. She managed a smile at the comforting touch. When she remembered what happened to Leo, she let out a panged cry. Then she remembered someone.
"Penny!" she coughed, spitting out blood. The blood now ran down her face, covering her teeth.
"She's fine!" confirmed Cole until breaking down into more tears. Prue frantically and forcefully grabbed his shirt collar with her bloody hands.
"Stay strong! Keep it together!!" she yelled at him. As hard as it was he nodded, understanding why he must. Choking back a cry, he held onto Phoebe as paramedics stormed into the manor.
"Stay back mam!" said a male paramedic to Piper who held onto Leo like a vice grip. She dared not let him go. Prue looked over and then back to Cole.
"Look after her!" he nodded. Prue stood up, Phoebe fearfully panicked.
"Prue?" she cried.
"I'm here honey, Cole has you"
"I'm here baby, I'm here" he tells her as more paramedics flooded the manor. Prue ran over to Piper and gathering her strength forcefully pulled her away. She screamed flailing her arms in the air.
"No!" she bellowed. Prue spun her around as her blood crusted hands pounded on Prue. Her tears didn't cease, they continued to fall. She choked on her own tears. Her brown hair now lay stuck to her face. In desperate rage her knees buckled underneath her. "I have to see if he's alright!" she bellowed with anguish. Prue, knelt in front of her sister, pressed her head against her chest, fresh tears forming in her eyes.
"He's dead!" she tells her.
"No!" she screams in response.
"He's dead" said a voice, but it wasn't Prue's. Both Piper and Prue turned to the male paramedic. A machine was hooked up to him and gave a flat lining beep. Piper wondered just how long she had been crying with Prue. Prue the same after glancing over at Phoebe who was now already strapped onto a body board and lifted to be taken to hospital. Without words, Piper cried out with torment. Prue stared wide-eyed, the tears violently shaking in her eyes.
Despite Piper's pain, she stood up as Phoebe was carried near them to check on her sister. Phoebe turned to face her sisters but her intent gaze was locked on Prue.
"Paige!" she gasped before being carried out. Prue widened her eyes, Piper the same. Leo was then lifted into a stretcher. He was in a black body bag. Cole, running out to be with Phoebe didn't seem to notice the sisters. Piper went to run after Leo but she was stopped by Prue's vice grip. Screaming for her husband, the bag was zipped up as he was wheeled up.
"I'm so sorry for your loss" the paramedic told them both. Piper, having enough, forcefully swung her arm, slapping the paramedic across the face.
"You should have done more!" she screamed being pulled away by Prue, "You should have done more!!" she bellowed being pulled into the kitchen. Once inside and hearing the door close, Piper went to go for the door but Prue held her tight.
"We have to go with them!" she cried, "Phoebe needs us"
"Not yet" said Prue walking off leaving Piper alone. Feeling weak, she grabbed for the chair to sit. Prue, stiff with rage, walked out the kitchen.
"Prue come back! I need you!!" called out Piper breaking into uncontrolled tears. Prue, with deathly intent, stormed the stairs. Once up the top, she turned the corner and went up the next set of stairs. In the attic, her hard boots hit the wooden flooring, reverberation across the walls. Over at the back, behind piles of boxes laid a thick old book. Hitting the boxes out the way, she grabbed for the book. The boxes scattered, tumbling out contents of baby toys, photo albums, books and old records. Prue didn't care for the mess.
She cared for the book she now held. The pages were golden, crinkled. It was a large book. They had been given this by their Grams who favoured magic in her time. She read it to the sisters to get them to sleep. She called it "The book of Shadows" which held enchantments, spells and whatnot. Phoebe had tried a few spells but none ever worked.
Prue was always sceptical about magic and only pretended to sleep when her Grams read it to them. Once she left, she fell asleep listening to her sisters even breathing. Such memories were long gone. Everything would never be the same! Lifting the heavy book usually proved quite a chore for Prue but not now. Not with the new found rage inside her.
Opening the book, it had a large hole cut into it. In this hole rested a black gun. Prue, smirking with lethal intent, grabbed the gun and chucked the book across the room. Pulling back the gun to load the bullet, she smirked once more getting a feel for the weapon.
"That's no way to treat my book" came an elderly voice behind her. Prue spun around and looked into the eyes of a woman once passed. She gasped. "Are you sure you want to do this?" she asked her, hands clasped behind her back. Prue, her shock dying down as she reasoned it was her mind making her see this illusion, decided to play along. Despite what she needed to do, it felt great to see her grandmother in front of her. For this one moment, she wanted to bask in it. Illusion or not!
"Yes" she replied, allowing her hand to drop to her side, the gun still gripped. Her grandmother, wearing a white gown, approached her granddaughter. She was saddened. She knew all that had happened. It pained Prue to see her Grams that tears formed in her eyes. She had seen her mother that one time before, but this was the first time she had seen her Grams since her death.
"Then I can't stop you" she told her. Prue slowly shook her head, confirming to her grandmother that she couldn't. "But you can't just go around San Francisco hoping that every building will have her. Hoping that every black haired woman will be her" she said. Prue just gazed at her Grandmother. She looked so graceful and peaceful. She looked healthy. It felt great joy in her heart to see her.
"I'll take as long as it takes to find her" said Prue. Her Grandmother smiled for the first time, Prue missed her smile. The smile which told her everything would be ok. She needed that smile right now.
"Or you could find her in less than 20 minutes with my help" her Grams addressed. Prue's eyebrows twitched. "Titillating Alcoholic" she uttered, it an echo in the room. Prue knew the pub. It was the same pub those three SAS members were at. After they killed Kurt. Prue, not knowing if she should believe this Phantom, nodded. She had no other lead or choice. She would start there. As much as it pained her, she knew she had to leave, even if it meant never seeing her grandmother ever again.
"Thank you" she whispered, her tears almost at breaking point. Walking past her Grams, who never moved, spoke out.
"Those men didn't kill Kurt". Prue, at the mention of Kurt's name, spun around.
"What?". Her Grams turned around and slowly glided over to Prue. Resting a hand on her granddaughter's cheek, Prue gasped. Her mind raced with what she was being shown. After that split instance, her eyes popped open. Her eyes brimming with tears, wrath quickly following. Her Grams, giving her a single nod, watched Prue sprint out the attic.
To be continued…
So there you go, another chapter done and dusted.
Only two chapters remain!
I wanted to start the chapter dedicated to Paige, to show you how it all begun with her. Did you like when I went right back to the beginning at the plane station to where Leo sat waiting for his plane? It was a nice little full circle moment I wanted to put in. I was going to go more in-depth at Paul and Paige's separate affairs but really, you guys know what happened. That's all that matters and I didn't think it important, story wise, enough. So I left it out and just had that small reference to Kurt and Cheryl.
What did you think about the manor scene? It was a sad scene to write about, to finally confirm Leo's death. Did you like the part in which Piper hugged Prue on the floor? Whilst it felt only a few seconds, they were so consumed in their grief that time had passed in minutes. Leo was in a body bag and Phoebe was getting carried out. Such a thing in life happens- time has no meaning in such grief.
Then the ending. Prue found "The Book of Shadows" – Nice touch aye? Inside it held a gun. Then, shockingly, her Grams paid her a visit to let her know where Paige was. But she also gave Prue a vision. She also mentioned that those three men never killed Kurt – so who did?
Please submit your reviews for the series is about to climax. For those who wondered why I've added ghosts into a none-supernatural story. Well in real life, many people, mainly in grief or at the brink of death, will see a loved one return from the death. This is the same to when I had Patty and now Grams return. So with two chapters left, what will happen in the penultimate chapter?
Please submit your reviews. Until next chapter…
