Regrets
Chapter III
(Where have all the 'Lighters gone?)
Leo returned to them and shook his head by the negative when Phoebe and Piper turned to him expectantly.
Piper:
"Hum, what exactly are we going to do then?"
Phoebe:
"Let's start by finding them, saving Paige, then we'll worry about taking care of him. For one, I'm ready to kick butt if necessary."
Piper:
"I see that you recuperated quite nicely."
Phoebe:
"Yeah, and that darklighter better beware…"
They turned toward Paul, who was once more concentrating on finding their lost sister.
Paige felt so helpless. Now she understood exactly how her former self had felt. It was a terrible sensation of weakness and disgust toward one's own inability to fight back. She had tried, but he was too strong. What's more, she couldn't seem to orb. Panicking, she had wondered about this, but fighting him off took everything that she had.
Already, he had her pinned down on the couch, and he was looking at her in such a way that she felt like closing her eyes and trying to forget where she was.
When he tried to kiss her, she did the only thing that she could and bit him hard, enough so that he jumped back, screaming in pain. Unfortunately that wasn't enough to make him let go, and instead, he hit her hard across the face. So much so, that her lips started to bleed…
Not only didn't he seem concerned by it, but she got the distinct impression that it aroused him, as he leaned heavily on her, and putting one hand on her throat, he used the other one to fumble with her shirt. He was almost choking her, and she struggled for breath just as he was grabbing her breast rudely. She didn't know what hurt more at this point, but that wasn't the worse. The humiliation and fear that she felt were, and it gave her just enough strength to push him back hard, long enough to extirpate herself from underneath him and try to run for the door. She had almost made it, screaming for help, when he orbed in front of her, catching her by the throat again. The smile on his face scared her more than anything that had happened before…
"Scream as much as you want. No one will come to your help… Did you really think that I would have risked that?"
Around them, a shimmering began, and she realized that what she had believed to be an apartment, was in fact an abandoned old house. Outside the window that was now visible, there were only fields, with not a light anywhere in sight.
Her heart sunk deeper as he tightened his hold on her throat, and the despair that she felt then prevented her from fighting more. Silently, she called to her sisters:
"Please find me, soon…"
As Piper and Phoebe observed him, they thought that something changed.
Paul had suddenly stood straighter, and they came toward him.
Phoebe:
"Paul? Do you feel them?"
He didn't answer, seemingly still concentrating. His face was contorted in a frown, as if what he had felt was too fleeting to hold on to. Then he turned toward them with a nod, and they knew that he had finally succeeded.
Piper:
"Let's go," she said, anxious to finally do something.
Leo took a hold of her, while Coleridge did the same with Phoebe and they signaled to Paul that they were ready.
The thought of her sisters galvanized Paige suddenly. She couldn't let him win so easily, and with a tremendous effort, she forced herself to continue resisting.
As he was pushing her back toward what she recognized now as a cot barely off the floor, she kicked him as hard as she could, which got him to let go of her throat again. Then, she started for the door, determined to try fleeing no matter that it most probably was hopeless. This time, she managed to go out and she surmised that she must have hurt him more than she had thought, for he didn't try to stop her. Soon however, he orbed a few feet ahead of her and this time, he materialized a bow, pointing it straight at her. At first, she stopped, petrified. However, she had this feeling that he wouldn't kill her. For some reason, she was certain that he was too infatuated with her to do this. At least not yet… She had no doubts that when he was done with her, then her life wouldn't be worth much anymore. The moment that she had worked this out in her mind, she started running the other way. The arrow flew right by her and ended up about ten feet ahead of her. Again she took a different route but never stopped running. She knew that she had just about no chance to escape but the thin hope that her sisters were looking for her kept her going. She didn't know how she knew, but deep inside, she was certain that they were trying to find her…
She looked back quickly to realize that he wasn't coming after her. As a matter of fact she couldn't see him anymore, and when she looked ahead again, she was too late to prevent her fall as she stumbled on a boulder and fell flat across the hard flat rock. Dazed, she still heard the mocking voice:
"Now how is it familiar?"
She tried to get up again, but she had hit her head harder than she thought and dizziness got to her as soon as she attempted to stand up.
Soon, he was putting his filthy hands on her again, and this time, she knew that she was done for…
The group orbed in front of an old abandoned house. Phoebe and Piper moved to go inside but Paul called to them:
"Follow me," he said before running out in the field.
He was the first one to see what was happening but the darklighter seemed to sense his arrival and he orbed behind him, knocking him to the ground. Then he extended his hand, already glowing red, toward him but before he could reach him, he got kicked violently from behind and flew right over Paul's lying form.
He immediately got up, facing his new opponents and saw that one of the witches was after him. Phoebe moved toward him, poised for a fight, while Piper went toward Paige who was still lying down on the flat rock, apparently unconscious.
Phoebe hit him once more, in the chest this time, but the darklighter had time to prepare this time and he took hold of her foot, launching her backward. She fell heavily, a little dazed, unable to react as he was coming at her.
Leo orbed behind him and pulled him away from her and the darklighter would probably have fled without asking for more when Phoebe, her hands in front of herself in defense, had an astounding experience. From her extended hand, a white energy bolt surged toward him. Leo barely had time to get out of the way as he was now pushing the darklighter toward it. This hit him and with a scream of rage, he ignited in a ball of blue flames, soon apparently consumed by them.
Phoebe opened big astounded eyes, looking at her hands totally incredulous.
Leo had a similar reaction, even if he expected that she soon would get some active power. As soon as the surprise wore off though, she got up and went to her sister as well, very worried. "There will be time to think about this later," she told herself, as she was running toward her.
There she found that Piper had managed to revive her, as she had been mostly dazed. She had a big bruise on her cheek and a swollen lip. Dry blood was still at the corner of her mouth and Phoebe gasped at seeing her like this.
"Oh my god, Paige…"
This one was getting up slowly with Piper's help and Coleridge came to heal her.
Then, she remembered what had transpired in the last moment before she lost consciousness and she took a step back, as if she was afraid to get hit again.
"Where is he," she asked anxiously.
Phoebe:
"Don't worry, he's not coming back…"
Piper, who had been too busy helping her sister to realize what was happening in the field, looked curiously toward Phoebe.
"Did he escape?"
Phoebe smiled a little:
"No, I kicked butt…"
Piper, a little puzzled:
"Since when do you vanquish demons with your kicks?"
Phoebe:
"Oh you didn't see? I got me a new power," she said, smiling widly.
Piper opened big eyes and for a moment they forgot about Paige's problem. But soon they saw that she was staying out of the conversation and turned to her.
"Paige?" Phoebe asked warily.
This one barely looked up, but she said:
"I would like to go home…"
Piper and Phoebe looked at each other, feeling a little sheepish and sad at the same time.
Piper:
"Of course, let's go."
Paige:
"I can't orb…"
Leo came to her sympathetically, but she took another step back…
He thought that he understood and stayed a few paces away:
"I think that now you should be able to."
She didn't lose time trying and soon was orbing home, followed by the others. Paul had stayed a little behind, still not solid on his feet, but he followed them as well.
There, they didn't find Paige but Cole had stopped pacing to greet them…
Phoebe:
"Where is Paige?"
Cole:
"She didn't say anything and went upstairs…What happened?"
Piper and Phoebe were looking up anxiously.
Phoebe:
"She didn't say anything?"
Cole:
"Nothing. Hey you haven't answered me."
Phoebe came to kiss him lightly:
"I'll tell you all about it later ok?"
He seemed to understand that something bothered them and simply nodded in agreement.
The girls went to find Paige…
At first, she almost refused to talk to them, but they insisted and found her already preparing for a shower. She looked so young and lost to them that they worried even more. Phoebe went to her and helped her on the bed, while Piper sat on the other side.
"You really should talk to us Paige. It's not good to keep it all bottled up inside…"
Paige bit her lips, unsure of what she really wanted.
Phoebe:
"You can tell us anything, you should know that. It wasn't your fault."
Paige seemed to become more animated all of a sudden:
"Yes it was. What got into me to go out with him this late at night, I barely knew him…"
Phoebe:
"Huh, Paige, Matthew didn't do anything to you…"
Paige:
"He wasn't Matthew, I know that now, he was the same Nicholas from your stories…"
Piper:
"Don't you remember?"
Paige:
"What?"
Piper:
"I'm afraid that it is more complicated than this…"
Paige looked at them both in turn, then suddenly, she remembered:
"There were two…"
Phoebe answered softly:
"Yes, just like in the story."
Paige stayed very quiet for a moment longer and Piper tried to get her to talk again:
"Paige, can you tell us what happened?"
Paige again hesitated. She felt so ashamed. However, she believed that they might just be the only people to whom she could say these things, and in a strangled voice, she related to them all that had happened.
She stopped more than once, sobbing softly, and her sister held on to her in sympathy. When she was done, she simply asked them for some time alone.
"If you don't mind, I think that I just want to take a long shower and try to sleep."
They had promised to come any time that she would need them and left her, not quite reassured about her state of mind.
Meanwhile, Leo went to find Matthew, which they had mostly forgotten about in the midst of the excitement. The whitelighter was just waking up when he arrived, and he looked very disoriented.
"Leo? What am I doing here?" He asked, seeing that he was still lying down on the sidewalk in front of his building. Then he remembered:
"Where is Paige?" He asked in a panicked voice.
Leo:
"She's fine," Leo answered at last, but with a very serious expression.
Then:
"What were you doing?"
Matthew knew that he was referring to his socializing with her.
"Please, not coming from you." Then, he simply added:
"Can I see her?"
Leo:
"I don't think that it would be a good idea right now. I'm afraid that your brother put her through a terrible ordeal."
Matthew lowered his eyes in shame.
"It's all my fault…"
Leo saw his distress and just held his shoulder for a moment.
"I think that we should go to the Elders…"
Matthew just nodded in agreement and let Leo orb him up…
"You're right, that must have been it." Phoebe said still a little shaken by the nightmare and the memories of the night before. "I'm so worried about her. We saved her life, but what about her moral?"
Cole:
"You did the best you could, I'm sure that she will recognize this. For the rest, I'm guessing that time will help. That and the fact that she is not alone…"
Phoebe smiled weakly:
"Well, you're getting good at this stuff."
Cole:
"You're just a good teacher," he answered, as he was pulling her to him.
"Are you going to be ok?"
Phoebe:
"As long as this is not the dream…" She looked up at him, still slightly afraid that he would just vanish as she woke up.
He hugged her tight:
"I'm not going anywhere…"
The Source looked down toward the prostrated form in front of him.
The man in dark clothing started to move slowly.
"Well, it's about time…"
Nicholas didn't understand. For all he knew, he should have been burning right now…"
"Yes," the Source continued, "I suppose that you didn't expect to still be there… Don't get too use to it however. If you do not cooperate…"
Nicholas read the threat clearly. Apparently, he had been spared somehow, but only because he knew something useful, or so it seemed.
The Source again:
"Now, tell me all that you know about the charmed ones…"