Hello my lovely readers! I am so sorry it has taken me so long to update! Besides a severe case of writer's block, dealing with the holidays this years was nuts! Thank you so much for your patience and enjoy!
6- All Is Fair In Love and Lore
As Phoebe dropped the final ingredient into the cauldron she expected the memory potion she had been making to explode in a cloud of smoke, signifying that it was done brewing. Unfortunately, the things she expected to go as planned lately, were all being unruly, and apparently this potion was to be no exception.
"Hm," Phoebe huffed, and turned around to root through the kitchen cabinet that held all of their potion ingredients.
"Is something wrong?" Sam asked, looking up from his computer. The two Winchester brothers were hunkered over at the kitchen table doing research on light and dark magic. Sam figured that between his online research, and the information in the books that Leo had orbed Dean back to Kansas for the night before, they should be able to put two and two together and figure out why these demons were so intent on getting to Chris and Dean. It had almost been a day since Paige had been injured, and in that time, they had come up with virtually nothing. Dean was distracted, his every thought on fixing up his 'Baby' that had been towed to the Halliwell's driveway, but Phoebe could tell that Sam was getting just as frustrated with the lack of information.
"No, I just thought I had found the right mixture of ingredients, and it turns out I didn't."
"How do you know when it's right?"
Phoebe smiled at Sam's obvious attempt to be more interested in witchcraft. He really was a sweet guy, with eyes that she was sure could melt the heart of even the most sinister person. That gentleness and sensitivity paired with his towering height, strong, manly jawline, and extremely cut abdominal muscles, pretty much made Sam the ultimate catch. Too bad Phoebe wasn't smart enough to be interested in someone like Sam.
She eyed Dean across the room. His head was down, and he was doing a very good job of pretending to read the book in front of him. When she reached out to his emotions, Phoebe felt nothing but apprehension and distraction. What was he so worried about, now? And, why in the world should did it matter to her?
"Uh, when you get the right mixture of ingredients it kind of… goes poof," Phoebe answered, realizing how idiotic the words sounded just as they were coming out of her mouth.
Sam's lips twitched, "It goes poof, huh?"
"Shut up," Phoebe said, attempting to hide her smile. "You'll see what I mean in a minute, I'm just missing something."
"What are you making this for again?"
"It's a memory potion for Leila. Hopefully it will allow her to recall something from the time she was possessed."
"So, how does it work? I mean, what's in there that is going to help her remember?"
"Well, right now it's got lemon grass, which is a strong component for psychic cleansing and opening of the mind, which I am hoping will allow her to simply be open to the idea of letting these slightly unpleasant memories in at all. I also sprinkled in some lilac, to aid her spiritually, and help her with the actual process of remembering, and a bit of basil to exorcize any remnants of the demon within her. Basil is also a strong agent of protection. It dispels any kind of confusion or fear she might have surrounding the events of the past few days."
"That sounds pretty complete to me," Sam said. "And you just remember what all these roots and spices are for? That all came from your head?"
"If you made potions as often as the Charmed Ones, you'd have it all memorized too…" Phoebe trailed off, getting an idea of how she might finish off the potion. Turning back to the cupboard full of ingredients, she rooted around until she found a mason jar full of dried leaves labeled "Love Leaf". She dropped a few into the potion and stirred for a moment and then, just as she had suspected it would before, the cauldron made a popping noise and a large cloud of smoke rose from the fully fledged concoction.
"What just happened?" Sam asked.
"The poof," Phoebe smirked.
Sam laughed. "So what was missing?"
"Damiana Leaf, also known as love leaf. It can be used for attracting love or lust, but it's also really great for opening the chakras to increase psychic abilities. I figured she could use as much openness to these memories as possible."
"What's that other thing in the jar, that stone?"
"It's a quartz crystal," Phoebe replied. "It helps preserve the effectiveness of the herb. And speaking of quartz, I need to whip up a quick protection spell for Paige." She grabbed a small white, velvet pouch from the cupboard and placed two quartz crystals inside, along with five leaves of oleander, using a tweezers to avoid coming into contact with the toxic plant. Then, she anointed the bag with a bit of Frankincense to finish the job, tying the bag off at the top.
"What is that thing?" Dean asked, breaking his silence.
"This? It's just something for Paige. It's for protection against pain and any other kinds of negative energy, or it will be once I enact it. She's been in a coma for almost a day. I think she's experienced enough trauma for now."
"It looks a hell of a lot like a hex bag."
"A hex what?" Phoebe asked, not sure what Dean was talking about.
"You don't know what a hex bag is?" Sam asked, sounding incredulous.
Phoebe shook her head.
"It's black magic," Dean told her. "And, it's also the way all of the witches we have ever met, have chosen to kill their victims."
"Dean," Piper said, limping into the room carrying a vase of small white flowers, "How many times do we have to tell you, we don't do dark magic? Not to mention, it's for Paige. We are not looking to hurt our own sister."
Dean nodded and then turned his attention back to the book of lore he had been reading beforehand. Phoebe decided she was getting a little tired of his attitude, but she didn't have the energy to fight with him today, so she turned her attention back to Piper.
"Where are the boys?" her sister inquired.
"I put them both down for naps," Sam told her. "I think they were pretty bushed after everything that's happened in the last few days. Neither one of them complained when I suggested they go upstairs and lay down."
Piper nodded, rubbing her eyes out of exhaustion as well.
"What are the flowers for, sweetie?" Phoebe asked.
"They're for Paige," Piper replied. "They're lily of the valley."
"Aren't those poisonous?" Sam asked.
"Yes, but they're also a soothing agent," Phoebe explained. "They dispel negative energy and bring peace."
"Is everything with you guys this spiritual mumbo jumbo?" Dean asked, his tone a little more irritated than it probably should have been.
"This is what we do, Dean," Piper said, her tone equally as irritated. "We are protectors of innocent people, and our duty to them includes being healers, knowing which herbs and natural remedies serve what purpose. You know, we never did have that family meeting. I think it might be about time."
"Don't you want to wait until Paige wakes up?" Phoebe asked.
"Not if we keep getting put down for being who we are! We need to come to some kind of understanding before I blow him to pieces," Piper said, pointing at Dean.
"Good luck, witchy-poo," Dean snorted.
With a flick of her fingers, Piper shattered the vase of tulips that was sitting on the kitchen table, making Dean jump about a mile out of his chair.
"Did you do that?" he yelled.
Piper smirked, "I can stop time too, and I can think of a few things I would like to have mysteriously and inexplicably happen to you, Dean Winchester. So watch it."
The room was silent, and Piper seemed satisfied.
"I do think Phoebe is right, though. We should wait for Paige," Sam said, clearing his throat. "If we're all going to be on the same wavelength when it comes to this case, then we should all be together to discuss it."
"Then I guess you'd better get to it. Sam, take this," Phoebe handed him the pouch she had made earlier. "Wake my baby sister up, would you? I miss her already. In the meantime I'll start bottling this potion for Leila, and Dean will keep doing whatever it is that he's doing."
Dean looked up at her warily, but once again said nothing. As Sam and Piper left the room, Phoebe wasn't sure how she felt about being alone with him again. It had been a few days since their last talk, but she was already so emotionally drained, she wasn't sure she could handle another one right now.
"So, did you find anything interesting yet?" she tried, hoping they could stick to small talk.
Dean sighed, "Not really. There's a million ways you can use light magic and dark magic together. Conflicting sides can do really powerful stuff if you use them the right way, and Chris and I are at two completely opposite ends of the spectrum. He's the product of purity, the son of a whitelighter and a Charmed One, not to mention a young and innocent child, while I'm the carrier of this thing."
Dean rolled up his sleeve, revealing the red mark on his forearm. Phoebe felt the hate and the rage emanating from it, and her head began to pound. The sheer evil she knew that it was, made her want to run away from it, as far as she possibly could. Instead she began to fill a few bottles with Leila's memory potion, doing what she could to tune her power out.
"So, are you ready to share what that really is?" Phoebe asked, figuring he would shoot her down. To her surprise Dean answered almost immediately.
"It's the Mark of Cain," he said quietly.
Phoebe did what she could to take his answer in stride, not wanting to frighten him back into silence. "Cain? Like in the Bible, Cain?"
"Right," he answered, "Like Cain, of Cain and Abel fame. As it turns out, he wasn't such a bad guy once upon a time. In fact, he was a lot like me, which is why I think I was probably destined to have this mark in the first place."
"What do you mean he wasn't a bad guy? He murdered his brother! You wouldn't do that, would you?"
Dean shook his head, "I mean before the murdering. He loved his brother, like I love Sam. Abel was going to be sent to hell, so out of love, Cain took his place. Cain killed his brother so that Abel could go to heaven instead. He became the very first Knight of Hell, and this mark, along with a weapon called The First Blade, became the curse that led to him slaying hundreds of thousands of people in the name of Lucifer."
Phoebe couldn't believe what she was hearing. "And you know all of this how?" she asked.
"Cain told me."
"Cain told you," she repeated, not sure she had heard him correctly. "You met Cain."
"He's the one who gave me this mark. I used it, and The First Blade to kill another Knight of Hell. A red-headed bitch called Abbadon."
Suddenly Phoebe remembered the image of a red-haired woman, lying dead at Dean's feet. "This Abbadon, I think she was a part of my premonition. That First Blade thing, does it look like a jawbone?"
Dean's eyebrows shot up, "How could you know that?"
"How many times do I need to explain this?" Phoebe said, pointing at herself. "I. Am. Psychic."
"Yeah, okay I get it," he said, throwing his hands up in defeat. "And yes, the blade is a jawbone. The mark—" he grabbed his forearm, like he was in some kind of pain "—it craves the thing. Like it isn't complete without it, you know? But, don't worry, Sam hid it. I have no idea where it is."
Phoebe nodded, not sure what to say next. "Do you want to know the other things I saw? In my premonition, I mean."
Dean looked uncomfortable.
"You don't have to account for all of them, or explain yourself. Although, it would be good to know if these things happened already, or if they're going to happen in the future. Just as a precaution."
Dean nodded, "You know I'm trying right? I'm trying my best to be okay with this whole situation."
"Prove it," Phoebe challenged.
The hunter sighed, and slammed shut the book that he had been attempting to read for hours. "What did you see, Phoebs?"
Momentarily taken aback by the sheer openness of his attitude, and the casual way he was speaking to her, Phoebe had to take a moment to gather her thoughts. She sat down next to him, and did her best. "Well I saw this Abbadon, dead at your feet, and the mark on your arm was glowing red…"
"The effect of the blade on the Mark is… Scary. When they're united it's like I can't control the rage, the lust for death, it's difficult to explain."
"That's okay," Phoebe said, moving to sit in the seat Sam had just vacated. "Any information is better than the silence of these last few days. Take your time."
Dean got quiet for a minute, "I don't trust anyone, Phoebe. It's not just because you're witches, I mean maybe it was at first… But it's not because of anything you've done. In fact, I think you and your sisters have been much better to my brother and me than we really deserve. I just have this habit of endangering the people around me, so getting close to anyone is kind of out of the question."
"Well, I think you might be in the right place then, because the Halliwells have that same problem. I can't tell you the number of relationships I've had, that any one of us have had, romantic or otherwise, that have been ruined by our duties as Charmed Ones. But, we need you and your brother, Dean. We need Cas too. Without you guys, this could be the end of us, and that is not something I'm okay with. So whatever this is that you're going through, we're going to do everything in our power to help."
Dean nodded, "Thank you."
Phoebe nodded, "Of course."
"So what else was in your premonition? Abbadon, Jo, there couldn't be anything much worse than that stuff."
"Well," she started cautiously, "In one moment I saw you with black eyes in a room full of corpses, so that could be bad."
Dean swallowed, "Black eyes, huh? Well, that's a tricky one."
"Why?"
"That could be the past, but it could still be the future as well."
"Okay… So you're telling me that in the past you have been…"
"A demon, yeah. Sam cured me of it, and he could do it again, but he'd have to catch me first. And if I remember correctly, that wasn't so easy last time."
Phoebe's mind was on red alert at this point. She had some kind of track record. How was it that she could fall for not just one demon, but two? Granted she wasn't nearly as far gone this time as she had been with Cole, but she was certainly drawn to Dean, more than she'd been drawn to anyone in a long time. The more he opened up to her, the more she could feel the two of them connecting, and she knew he felt it too.
Standing up from the table, Phoebe made her way back to the cauldron, hoping that putting some distance between the two of them would help her think clearer. "So, how does one become a demon exactly? Aren't they usually just born that way?"
"Usually," Dean agreed, standing to follow her to the counter, and then sitting down on the barstool nearest to her. "It has to do with the Mark. I can't die, it won't let me. So, when I was killed recently, it resurrected me with black eyes and a really bad temper."
"When you were killed?"
"It happens more often than you might think," he confessed.
"Alright," Phoebe said, rifling through ingredients. "But, you aren't one now? How does that work?"
"A few injections of human blood is all you need to cure someone. Sam made up a store of it while I was on the loose, so he was ready once he actually found me."
"On the loose," Phoebe chuckled, "You make it sound like you were an escaped convict, or something."
"The kind of things I did while I was on that black-eyed bender… I could have been. That's how I know Crowley so well. I was kind of his best friend for a while. I suspect that the reason he won't answer any of my messages is because he's still feeling a little put out since I'm human again."
"Best friends with the King of Hell. I wouldn't put that on your resume," Phoebe joked.
Dean smiled, a rare occurrence. "Job duties, torture, drinking, and nursing a feeling of general malice toward the world."
Phoebe laughed, "Oh my god, I have developed a seriously dark sense of humor."
"You can't do anything but laugh about it, or it would probably kill you. I get that."
"You do, don't you? You both do. Jesus, Dean, what was in the cosmos that brought us all together? It had to be something," she said, her fingers tracing circles on his hand. To her surprise he didn't move it away. Instead, he did one better and intertwined his fingers with her own.
"What's going on here, Dean?" Phoebe asked.
"You tell me, sweetheart," he said, and somehow the nickname sounded endearing this time, instead of patronizing. "This is uncharted territory."
Suddenly Phoebe thought of Cole, and then almost like it was a reflex, she pulled her hand away. "Not for me, it isn't."
Dean nodded, "Maybe you'll tell me about that sometime."
Phoebe didn't answer. Instead, she went back to creating a potion that could exorcise this new form of demon they were being hunted by. She could not get involved with this man, no matter how much the powers at be were telling her she should. After Cole, she had practically sworn off of love, or any love of the supernatural variety. The fact that Dean could become a demon was just too much for her to handle. She could not go through the agony of losing love to the dark side again. It would be the end of her, she was sure of that.
Pretty soon, Dean realized that their conversation was over, and he returned to his research. He didn't question her further, didn't press her for information the way she had done to him, and internally she thanked him for that. For the second time since they met, the two of them sat in silence, each one focusing on something different. Phoebe wasn't sure what was ahead of them, but she knew that it had better end soon, or her resistance to her feelings for Dean, would be futile.
"She looks so peaceful," Sam said, sitting down next to Paige, who was lying unconscious in Piper's bed. The redhead had only been out for about a day, but Sam already missed her smile.
Piper nodded, "I know. But, according to Leo, her mind is running away with her. I guess she must be trying to come to grips with what happened."
"She went through an incredibly traumatic incident. I imagine she'll need some time to work through it."
"I just think it would be a lot easier if she could get outside of that head of hers. She's always five steps ahead of all of us, always thinking, always planning the next move, and sometimes I'm not so sure that's good for her."
The witch walked over and placed the silver vase filled with lily of the valley that she had brought upstairs with her, on the nightstand. Then, she pulled the charm pouch that Phoebe had made, out of her pocket, and folded it in her little sister's palm. She took a few deep breaths before uttering an incantation. "Minions of the dark now quit this place, for only light shall she embrace."
The lights in the room flickered, letting Sam know that the protection spell had been enacted. He still couldn't quite fathom the power that these women possessed. He wondered what its limits were, but thought asking might be too forward. Instead he turned his attention back to Paige.
"Do you think that the spell will coax her from her sleep?"
"Only time will tell, unfortunately," Piper replied. "Do you mind staying here with her for a while? I should go see if the boys are up from their nap, and it might do her some good to have someone here with her, just letting her subconscious know she's not alone."
"Of course I'll stay," Sam said, surprised that Piper would trust him with such a job. But, maybe he shouldn't have been so surprised. She seemed to know that he was trustworthy, for as much time as she let him spend with her kids. And, who knows? Maybe she could sense his feelings for her sister. A woman's intuition, or something along those lines. Whatever it was, it made Sam feel incredibly honored to have gained the confidence of such a strong, powerful, and important woman.
"Thank you, Sam. For everything. These last few days have been so confusing, and exhausting… With Leila, and the demons I've barely had time to take care of myself, much less my sons. If you and your brother weren't here, I'm not sure what I would do—" Piper's voice cracked as she became emotional. Sam stood and placed a hand on her shoulder, hoping he could bring her a little bit of comfort. Taking him completely off guard, Piper threw her arms around him, and buried her head in his chest, sobbing.
"Whoa, Piper," Sam said wrapping his arms around the distraught woman. "What's going on?"
Piper pulled away, and wiped her nose with the back of her hand. "I'm sorry, I know that was a bit forward. I'm just completely overwhelmed with the state of everything, and with Paige down… The last few years she has kind of been my rock. I know it's selfish to think about how much I need her when she's laying here hurt, but Phoebe isn't much of a listener, and I feel like such a failure of a mother—"
Sam sighed and then opened his arms, pulling her back to him. "It's alright, Piper. We're all doing the best we can considering the circumstances. Honestly, you are one of the strongest people I have ever met. You're a loving sister and an amazing mother, and I know all of that after only knowing you for just five days. These attacks, they're beyond your control. They're beyond any of our control. But, we can handle it."
Piper nodded, maybe a little too profusely, "I know, I know you're right… Thank you, Sam, for saying those things."
"I mean every word," he replied, pulling away. "We're going to make it through this, okay? Now I think you'd better go and hug your boys."
"I think that's the best idea I've heard all day."
Piper began to leave, but then turned back around, as if she had remembered something. "If you want to, you can read her that book," she pointed to a red, hardcover that was laying on her nightstand. "It's her favorite."
Sam picked it up, turning it over to read the title, "The Wizard of Oz?"
"At first I think it was a childhood thing, you know, something her parents read her when she was little. But, once she became a witch I think it was comforting to escape to a world where the wizards weren't real, and the witches could melt, and all of it was just one big dream."
Sam nodded, understanding that Paige having to deal with the knowledge of her true heritage could not have been easy. Simply getting pulled back into hunting had been difficult for him, and he had done it all his life. Sam couldn't imagine starting from scratch and not being completely overwhelmed. Getting a little comfort from a favorite childhood novel was just about the least hostile of the many coping mechanisms at Paige's disposal. He smiled, wondering how he had stumbled across such an extraordinary woman. In that moment Sam wished, more than anything, that Paige was awake so he could tell her how much he admired her, even though he was sure words couldn't completely express it.
Sam opened the book and read a few pages, glad to be privy to this intimate detail of Paige's life. But then shut it again, unable to concentrate on the words, as the ones Piper had said swirled around in his mind.
"You know she needs you right?" Sam said out loud, even though he was sure Paige couldn't hear him. "You might think she doesn't, but you and Piper and Phoebe, you're like three pieces to a puzzle that can make or break the future of the world. Dean and I are like that too… Though maybe not always on such a global scale. We help keep each other going, even when the going is at its toughest.
"Paige, I know something happened at that park, something Dean isn't telling me. Every time he goes out to fix up the Impala he works on it like he's pissed off at the world. The attack was just too personal, and I can tell something is off."
Sam chuckled, "If I could ever get any information out of the guy it wouldn't be a problem, but he's about as prone to sharing as Chris. I just wish I knew, for even a minute, what was going on in that head of his."
Since he had started to talk, Sam had been staring out the window. So, when Paige began to stir, he didn't realize it.
"So," she croaked, her voice hoarse from lack of use, "Are you telling me that all I'm good for is information and saving the world?"
"Hey," Sam said, shooting out of his chair. Instinctively, he pushed Paige's orange hair back from her eyes, before realizing that an action like that might have been a little too familiar. If Paige minded, she didn't let on. "How are you feeling?"
Paige answered by trying to sit up, but the pain of even the slightest movement knocked the wind out of her.
"Alright…" Sam said, helping her lay back down. "You need to take it easy, Paige. Your body has been through a lot. It essentially burned from the inside out, so while you might look fine, your insides might not be up to a lot of activity yet."
"It's so hot," Paige said. Sam stood and pulled back the green comforter on Piper's bed, exposing Paige in just a simple, white tank top and a pair of briefs.
"Better?" he asked, attempting to ignore the amount of bare skin she was sporting.
Paige nodded, and smiling slightly, handed Sam the protection pouch that Piper had placed in her palm. "Be careful," she told him, "Oleander… How long was I out?"
"Not long. About a day," Sam replied, placing the pouch down on the nightstand. "How much of the attack do you remember?"
The witch swallowed, "I need water, Sam. Like, now."
Realizing that Paige had been in a coma like state for a few days, and had also been burned severely from the inside, Sam shot up, and out the door of Piper's room, promising the sick girl that he would be back with a pitcher in hand. As he made his way to the kitchen, he hoped he wouldn't attract too much attention to himself. Since no one was aware that Paige was awake yet, he thought it might be best to keep it that way for a while. There was information she had that he really needed, before the craziness her sisters would be feeling over her awakening got in the way.
As if the universe was, for once, in tune with his mind, everyone seemed to have deserted the first floor of the manor. Phoebe had gone upstairs to administer her memory potion to Leila, Piper was busy with Chris and Wyatt, and Dean… Where was Dean? Sam walked into the family room, and was unsurprised to see his brother through the front windows, working on the Impala. There was such a fury about the way he went about it, like it had pissed him off by being destroyed. Sam shook his head. It was just one more thing that he couldn't help his brother through. Once upon a time, Dean had actually tried to teach his little brother how to take care of the precious muscle car, but ever since he had been given the Mark, he was sharing less and less of himself. With each passing day, Sam could see his brother becoming more and more closed off. It scared him more than demon possessions or even Lucifer himself. In fact, Sam was sure that losing his brother scared him more than anything.
Heading back up the stairs, glass and pitcher in hand, Sam couldn't help the thoughts swirling around in his head. He knew that he cared for Paige, more than he had cared anyone in a very long time, but the things that she knew had to take precedence over his feelings for her in this moment. He tried to remember that as he opened the door and saw Paige lying there, so beautiful, nearly unconscious, and clearly in pain.
"I'm back," he told her, not sure she was still coherent. She opened her eyes, so brown they were almost black, and smiled at him faintly.
"You are," she agreed.
Sam sat down next to her on the bed, and did his best to sit her up without hurting her too much. When she was finally upright, and slumped against the bed's headboard, he poured her a glass of water, and tipped her head back to help her drink it. She gulped it down like it was oxygen, and quickly asked for another glass. Sam obliged, and she drank four more before she finally seemed satisfied.
"Thank you, Sam."
"You're welcome. How are you feeling?"
"A little more myself now. Did Leo heal me? Is that why I'm still alive? Because I'm pretty sure I shouldn't be here right now. I can remember the pain."
Sam shook his head, "No, Leo didn't come in time. Your sisters actually saved you. They called on your ancestors or something."
"And they answered?" Paige asked in disbelief. "That is… They don't have to do that, you know."
"No, I didn't know that actually. But, I'm sure the fate of one of the Charmed Ones is pretty important to them."
"It was brave of Piper and Phoebe to do that, too. It could have been seen as using their powers for personal gain, since I am their sister and all. But, if the family answered their call, then I must still be needed for something here."
Sam swallowed, "I actually wanted to ask you… How much do you remember about getting injured? Do you remember why or who sent the hellhounds after you?"
Paige looked at him for a moment, and then down at her hands that were folded gingerly in her lap. "It's all a bit… fuzzy. I remember there were demons all over Dean's car, and one of them, a woman, was the head honcho. She said something about her boss needing Dean alive."
"Do you know who she was? Did she give a name?"
To an untrained eye, Paige may have just looked like she was trying very hard to remember who this demon had been. But Sam, who had conducted hundreds of interrogations, could tell the difference between someone trying to remember something, and someone trying to decide whether it was in their best interest to give up some kind of information. In this moment, Paige was doing the latter.
Sam's eyes narrowed, "Who was it, Paige? I know you remember."
"I think you should talk to Dean about it."
"Don't you think I've tried? He doesn't talk to me anymore. It's like whatever trust we had, left when that Mark on his arm was put there. I know he's keeping something big from me, but I'm never going to get it out of him. Please, if you care about me in any way, tell me what you know. And, if not for me then do it for Chris. Any information that you can give, is going help us get that much closer to figuring out why these demons are after him too."
Paige nodded, and held out her hand to him. Carefully he took it, not sure what would hurt her and what wouldn't. "Sam, I do care about you. For some reason, I feel like I understand you, and that you understand me, which is scary because I haven't known you for very long. But, I'm not sure how you're going to react when I tell you what you want to know, so please, go get my sisters, your brother, Leila, and Leo, and then we can all talk about what exactly is going on here. Is that fair?"
Sam nodded, "Piper will finally get that family meeting she's been asking for."
Paige laughed, and looked down at their intertwined fingers with a pleased look on her face. "Were you reading The Wizard of Oz before?"
"I was," Sam smiled. "Piper said it's your favorite."
"She's right. What's your favorite?"
Sam looked down at the floor.
"Oh come on! Tell me," she pled, the light returning to her eyes.
"It's… The Outsiders by S.E. Hinton. Have you heard of it?"
Paige shook her head, "What's it about?"
"Uh, it's about a gang war between rich kids and poor kids. The book centers more on the gang of poor boys and all of their relationships with one another. They're like this band of brothers that would pretty much do anything for each other."
"Sounds familiar," Paige winked. "The band of brothers part anyway. You, Cas, Dean, all fighting the rival gang of evil supernatural beings."
"Something like that," Sam said, squeezing her hand. "I'll be right back, okay? I'm going to go and get everyone, tell them it's time for a family meeting."
"Can you tell one of my sisters to bring me the Book of Shadows while you're at it?"
"Book of Shadows. Got it," Sam replied.
"Um, and Sam?" Paige said, causing him to turn back around.
"Yeah?"
"Come here, once."
"What do you mean?"
"Just sit back down."
Sam sat.
"Now come here for a minute."
"Huh?" Sam asked, thoroughly confused.
Paige looked annoyed, "Sam, this is my coy way of saying I'd like to give you a thank you kiss, but I can't move that far."
"Oh," Sam blushed. He looked around the room, slightly flustered, but did his best to man up as he leaned toward Paige. Their lips met, only for a few seconds. It was a simple peck, but it told Sam all he needed to know about where the two of them stood. Something in the cosmos had worked very hard to bring Sam and Dean to the Charmed Ones. Since they had met, it had felt like they had somehow known each other for years. Paige and Sam were the younger siblings, somehow tasked with caring for their older ones. Maybe, by joining forces, they could learn to take care of themselves by taking care of one another.
End Notes: Alright, so I realize that chapter was a lot of Phoebe/Dean, Sam/Paige fluff, but in the spirit of character development, I think it had to be done! I promise there is more action coming!
As always PLEASE REVIEW. I love to hear your compliments, criticisms, and conjectures. They definitely help me through the process of writing this fic. Thank you so much for reading!
XOXO AryaUnderfoot