Chapter Two: Good Paige, Bad Paige
Paige stumbled into Leo once they had orbed in. It wasn't something she was used to, and in truth wasn't something she'd particularly want to get used to either.
He gently pushed her away. "They're calling," he informed them.
Piper sniffed loudly. She was crying. Leo touched her chin and pointed her face towards him.
"I'm scared," she whispered, "What's going to happen? What about The Source?"
"I don't know," he said sadly, and disappeared in a cluster of orbs.
When he was gone, Paige began to panic.
"What do you mean 'what's going to happen'?" she demanded.
Piper didn't answer.
Phoebe touched her older sister's arm soothingly, and looked at her younger sibling. "Paige," she said, "the Charmed Ones... we're not about hunting down and punishing the bad people, we're about saving the innocents."
"I did save an innocent!" Paige exploded, "That man hit his own child! I saved that kid with what I did! You guys should be proud-"
"We're not supposed to kill humans," Phoebe cut her off sharply. "Humans are different."
Paige scoffed. "Why? Because they're not big and ugly like demons?"
"Demons can't go to prison. But humans certainly can. We do not kill humans," Phoebe told her, her voice cold and commanding.
"He was an evil man!"
"Who should've been in jail, not dead," Phoebe said, her voice raising so her anger was clear. "I don't think you realise what you've done, Paige. You've taken a life and destroyed it. You've hurt the man and his family - whether he hit his kid or not."
There was a loud smash as a vase of flowers near Phoebe exploded. Both Phoebe and Paige leapt back with yelps, Phoebe going on instant demon alert, and Paige cowering behind her hands. Then Phoebe noticed Piper's hands were raised.
"Phoebe," Piper said, her voice high and her teeth clenched, "I think you're missing the point, just a teensy bit."
Phoebe watched her interestedly. What were they missing?
Piper continued. "Remember what Leo said? The whole reason we went after her in the first place?" her voice had been steadily getting louder as she spoke and finished in a loud cry.
The middle Halliwell's jaw dropped. Her eyes flickered to Paige, who receded when she saw both women staring at her.
"What?" she asked defensively.
"The, uh, Source," Piper mumbled.
Paige blinked. "Not all that again... Look, guys, I wanna make this clear. I'm not like you. I know you're into all this Witchcraft and Charmed Ones stuff, and hey I'll admit I find it interesting, but-"
"Paige," Phoebe pleaded. "You have to listen to us. Please?"
Paige paused, and sighed. "This has gone too far. I don't wanna be a part of your little crime-fighting squad or whatever you are, I don't wanna know about your Source-"
"No, Paige, you don't understand," Piper cried. "Since The Source found out about you, he and The Elders have been sort of... I don't know... trying to get you on their side. The Source wants you as part of his army of evil, and the Elders want you on our side - good." Piper's words had gotten Paige's attention. She continued. "Since you've just become a Charmed One, you're not really good or evil. The, uh, decider was... was..." she faltered, not knowing where to look.
Paige watched at her intensely. "The decider was what?" she demanded.
"If you killed somebody, or commited an act of evil within a specific time, then you'd be doomed to become evil," Phoebe told her.
"What?" Paige cried, her voice raising into a frenzied panic. "That's ridiculous! That's it? I get one chance and I muck it up and that's me? Damned to be evil?"
Piper took in a shuddering breath. "That's what we know."
"Well there's no way," Paige said decisively. "Absolutely no way."
"How do we know it's not happening already? You're hardly showing any signs of remorse." Phoebe commented.
This dawned on Paige. It was true! Not only that, but she knew she'd felt good killing that man, she knew she had! And it was only when Piper had been giving her that look of sheer disappointment that she had felt bad. Awful, to be more realistic. But still. In her heart, Paige couldn't help but know she should feel worse than this. But, she didn't.
Then the heaviness of what she'd done hit her. The consequences of her decision emerged in her imagination as she realised just what she'd done. She'd taken soneone's life, and now hers was about to be stolen from her too.
"Oh god," she whispered, fear and shock flooding over her, "I'm evil!"
She fell to her knees, sobbing heavily. Tears poured from her eyes. How could she have done something so stupid, so reckless? So... evil! She had crushed a man's life without giving a damn about the consequences, and now she was going to have to pay the price.
Piper placed an awkward arm on Paige's shoulder while looking at Phoebe. What were they going to do? Was this the end of the Charmed Ones? How could they possibly operate with only the power of two - it defeated the purpose! Something worried her further though: what about The Source? This was what he'd wanted, wasn't it? What if he knew... well, of course he knew, there wasn't much he didn't know. But what was he going to do about it?
They could do nothing else but wait.
Paige stumbled into Leo once they had orbed in. It wasn't something she was used to, and in truth wasn't something she'd particularly want to get used to either.
He gently pushed her away. "They're calling," he informed them.
Piper sniffed loudly. She was crying. Leo touched her chin and pointed her face towards him.
"I'm scared," she whispered, "What's going to happen? What about The Source?"
"I don't know," he said sadly, and disappeared in a cluster of orbs.
When he was gone, Paige began to panic.
"What do you mean 'what's going to happen'?" she demanded.
Piper didn't answer.
Phoebe touched her older sister's arm soothingly, and looked at her younger sibling. "Paige," she said, "the Charmed Ones... we're not about hunting down and punishing the bad people, we're about saving the innocents."
"I did save an innocent!" Paige exploded, "That man hit his own child! I saved that kid with what I did! You guys should be proud-"
"We're not supposed to kill humans," Phoebe cut her off sharply. "Humans are different."
Paige scoffed. "Why? Because they're not big and ugly like demons?"
"Demons can't go to prison. But humans certainly can. We do not kill humans," Phoebe told her, her voice cold and commanding.
"He was an evil man!"
"Who should've been in jail, not dead," Phoebe said, her voice raising so her anger was clear. "I don't think you realise what you've done, Paige. You've taken a life and destroyed it. You've hurt the man and his family - whether he hit his kid or not."
There was a loud smash as a vase of flowers near Phoebe exploded. Both Phoebe and Paige leapt back with yelps, Phoebe going on instant demon alert, and Paige cowering behind her hands. Then Phoebe noticed Piper's hands were raised.
"Phoebe," Piper said, her voice high and her teeth clenched, "I think you're missing the point, just a teensy bit."
Phoebe watched her interestedly. What were they missing?
Piper continued. "Remember what Leo said? The whole reason we went after her in the first place?" her voice had been steadily getting louder as she spoke and finished in a loud cry.
The middle Halliwell's jaw dropped. Her eyes flickered to Paige, who receded when she saw both women staring at her.
"What?" she asked defensively.
"The, uh, Source," Piper mumbled.
Paige blinked. "Not all that again... Look, guys, I wanna make this clear. I'm not like you. I know you're into all this Witchcraft and Charmed Ones stuff, and hey I'll admit I find it interesting, but-"
"Paige," Phoebe pleaded. "You have to listen to us. Please?"
Paige paused, and sighed. "This has gone too far. I don't wanna be a part of your little crime-fighting squad or whatever you are, I don't wanna know about your Source-"
"No, Paige, you don't understand," Piper cried. "Since The Source found out about you, he and The Elders have been sort of... I don't know... trying to get you on their side. The Source wants you as part of his army of evil, and the Elders want you on our side - good." Piper's words had gotten Paige's attention. She continued. "Since you've just become a Charmed One, you're not really good or evil. The, uh, decider was... was..." she faltered, not knowing where to look.
Paige watched at her intensely. "The decider was what?" she demanded.
"If you killed somebody, or commited an act of evil within a specific time, then you'd be doomed to become evil," Phoebe told her.
"What?" Paige cried, her voice raising into a frenzied panic. "That's ridiculous! That's it? I get one chance and I muck it up and that's me? Damned to be evil?"
Piper took in a shuddering breath. "That's what we know."
"Well there's no way," Paige said decisively. "Absolutely no way."
"How do we know it's not happening already? You're hardly showing any signs of remorse." Phoebe commented.
This dawned on Paige. It was true! Not only that, but she knew she'd felt good killing that man, she knew she had! And it was only when Piper had been giving her that look of sheer disappointment that she had felt bad. Awful, to be more realistic. But still. In her heart, Paige couldn't help but know she should feel worse than this. But, she didn't.
Then the heaviness of what she'd done hit her. The consequences of her decision emerged in her imagination as she realised just what she'd done. She'd taken soneone's life, and now hers was about to be stolen from her too.
"Oh god," she whispered, fear and shock flooding over her, "I'm evil!"
She fell to her knees, sobbing heavily. Tears poured from her eyes. How could she have done something so stupid, so reckless? So... evil! She had crushed a man's life without giving a damn about the consequences, and now she was going to have to pay the price.
Piper placed an awkward arm on Paige's shoulder while looking at Phoebe. What were they going to do? Was this the end of the Charmed Ones? How could they possibly operate with only the power of two - it defeated the purpose! Something worried her further though: what about The Source? This was what he'd wanted, wasn't it? What if he knew... well, of course he knew, there wasn't much he didn't know. But what was he going to do about it?
They could do nothing else but wait.