Part Three: Day Three
She laid a hand against Paige's cool forehead. Innocent in her sleep, Piper felt an overwhelming urge to keep that picture in her mind forever because there was only one day left; only one day and a fear rose in her heart and ate at the hope slowly slipping through her fingers.
Paige's chest slowly rose and fell as she lay stretched out upon the couch. Phoebe quickly, yet quietly hurried down the stairs, laying her head on Piper's shoulder and wrapping her arms around her older sister as Piper stood there, watching, always watching Paige. Phoebe smiled and Piper faked a smile back at her, wishing with all her heart that she could tell Phoebe.
Piper's eyes held a sadness in them that Phoebe couldn't remember seeing since...since Prue died. It was strange and it worried her. Phoebe took Piper's hand and led her sister, protesting, into the kitchen, speaking to her in hushed whispers.
"Piper, what's going on?"
Piper folded her arms and looked down, desperately trying to hide the truth shining through her eyes. If she could just lie and smile and fake a normalcy she knew wasn't there, if she could just make it through this day without saying goodbye to her sister again, then everything, she knew, would be all right. But she couldn't tell, or all would be forfeit, and the secret was haunting her each second.
"Nothing, Phoebe, really. I just- I don't know, maybe I'm nostalgic, wishing we could've known Paige when she was growing up. I guess her birthday's just a reminder of the past we never had with her."
It was good, she knew. Not far from the truth at all, for that matter, so it was easy to pretend that only this simple matter was troubling her, while deep inside, something far worse was the cause of her pain. Phoebe couldn't know this, however; she never could. But it was enough, and Phoebe's sad smile convinced her that she had at least succeeded in keeping the truth from her sister. If nothing else, at least she had that.
Taking her older sister's hand in comfort, Phoebe said, "I know, Piper. I think about it too. But we can't change it, so we just have to build on what we have now, in the present, and the future we will have. Come on, smile, be happy. Let's spoil her, huh?"
Piper tried to smile, but it wasn't something that came easy lately. Phoebe's excitement and enthusiastic affection over their little sister did nothing to ease her pain and as Phoebe gently woke Paige up, hugging her, kissing her cheek, laying beside her as they talked about what Paige wanted to do today, the ache in her heart only increased.
Phoebe would be devastated again, and she would watch it again, but Phoebe's pain would go away tomorrow. For Piper, however, it would always be with her, and it was something she wondered if she'd ever truly get over.
**********
"Really, Piper, I think I'm quite capable of driving myself to the store and buying groceries on my own."
Piper gripped the steering wheel and smiled with a conviction she really didn't feel at the moment.
"I realize that, Paige, but I figured, you're going out to buy food for dinner tonight and I haven't shopped in a while anyway, so what the heck, we're killing two birds with one stone."
Piper glanced at the clock again for, what Paige noted, was the third time in less than five minutes. This time, however, a visible sigh of relief escaped Piper's mouth and Paige studied her sister for a moment before speaking.
"Piper, um...is something wrong?"
"No, why would you think that?"
"Well, maybe just the fact that you've been looking at the clock frequently and I was just-"
Piper waved her hand, dismissing further comments. "It's nothing. I was just, I don't know, making sure we would have enough time to cook dinner and open presents, you know...just making sure we had time."
Time. That elusive, nightmarish presence. Time was what she needed most right now, and time was what she had precious little of. Reaching out to squeeze Paige's hand, Piper smiled and attempted to reassure her.
For the past two days, Paige had died between 4:00 p.m. and 4:30 p.m. and Piper's relief was due to the fact that the clock now read 5:00 p.m. and no sign of danger was upon them yet. Maybe she had finally done it; maybe she had truly saved her sister. It was almost too good to be true and, she would soon realize, it was just that.
"Piper- I love you."
It startled her for a brief moment and Piper memorized the way Paige's voice sounded as she spoke the words with an ease that seemed to indicate she'd been saying it her whole life. It couldn't have been more natural, more appropriate, more important. The words stopped being words and suddenly became an essential part of what Piper realized her whole life was about. Her husband, her sisters- this sister sitting in front of her that she was fighting desperately to keep with her just one more second.
She forgot for a moment life and its hardships, forgot for a moment that burden she'd been carrying around; all she could think of, all she could focus on, was that at this moment, Paige had uttered words she'd never before said with a beauty that made them truth.
Piper realized then just how important Paige really was to her and suddenly remembered that her focus these last few days had been in preserving Paige's life, not in actually making her life worth living. She remembered how, that day that seemed ages ago, Paige had been unsure, uncertain of her place in Piper's heart.
It couldn't be put off any longer. Piper, kissing Paige's hand, and continuing to grip it tightly, opened her mouth to speak words she had trouble forming over the lump in her throat.
"Paige, you have to know-"
Any further professions were cut short as a car ran the red light at the intersection just as Piper drove under the light. Going too fast, the car slammed into the right side of the car, pushing it for quite a few yards and sending the two occupants into peaceful oblivion.
**********
Darkness enveloped her, causing a panic to well inside her for a brief instant. Then the room came into focus slightly, and she pinched her eyes against the bright lights of the hospital room. Coming into focus, she glanced around the room carefully, suddenly aware of the painful bump adorning the left side of her head.
A vague memory came back to her: a car slamming into them, her head being knocked against her door, Paige screaming, then nothing.
Paige screaming. Paige!
Piper shot up fast, worry and panic and fright written across her face. Leo, who had been dozing slightly in the chair next to her bed, gently pushed Piper back down onto the bed, stroking her hair, trying to calm her.
"Sshh, it's all right Piper. It's okay. Do you remember what happened?"
Piper touched a hand to the gauze covering her head wound. "Yes. Where's Paige?"
Leo gripped her hand tightly and looked down, afraid his eyes would betray a truth none of them wanted to hear.
"Leo? Where's Paige?" Piper implored, this time, more forcefully.
Suddenly, the door to her room opened and Phoebe walked in, barely holding herself upright. Her entire body seemed to be devoid of anything that would constitute life and the only indication that she was, still in fact living, was the mere presence of her chest rising and falling.
She sank into a chair next to Piper, covering her face with her hands, sobbing into them. Finally, she looked over at Piper and Leo and really, nothing more needed to be said. Her eyes spoke everything and one thing was clear: a part of their existence had just died.
Piper's eyes welled up and she felt an overwhelming sense of defeat come over her. She had only one more chance and truth be told, she had no damn idea what to do.
Overwhelmed with the grief and the lingering pain from the accident, she slipped into a restless sleep.
**********
It was dark once again, but this time, a chill came over her as she awoke. A chill that was all too familiar.
She sat up and jumped as she came face to face with the demon, Tahl, who had inflicted this suffering upon her.
"Tsk, tsk, Piper Halliwell, you almost got yourself killed along with your sister. We wouldn't want that now, would we?"
Piper sagged against her pillows, tears streaming freely from her eyes. "It doesn't matter anymore. I'm going to lose Paige like I lost Prue and I can't take it. Honestly I can't."
The demon folded his arms over his chest. "Now, what kind of talk is that? You still have one more day left. One day can change a lot. Or not. The choice is yours. The path is yours. You alone can change the future. You alone can save your sister."
Before she could ask anymore questions, he disappeared.
Tomorrow would be her last chance and she hoped against all hope that she could save her sister. The alternative was simply unthinkable.
**********
TBC...
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She laid a hand against Paige's cool forehead. Innocent in her sleep, Piper felt an overwhelming urge to keep that picture in her mind forever because there was only one day left; only one day and a fear rose in her heart and ate at the hope slowly slipping through her fingers.
Paige's chest slowly rose and fell as she lay stretched out upon the couch. Phoebe quickly, yet quietly hurried down the stairs, laying her head on Piper's shoulder and wrapping her arms around her older sister as Piper stood there, watching, always watching Paige. Phoebe smiled and Piper faked a smile back at her, wishing with all her heart that she could tell Phoebe.
Piper's eyes held a sadness in them that Phoebe couldn't remember seeing since...since Prue died. It was strange and it worried her. Phoebe took Piper's hand and led her sister, protesting, into the kitchen, speaking to her in hushed whispers.
"Piper, what's going on?"
Piper folded her arms and looked down, desperately trying to hide the truth shining through her eyes. If she could just lie and smile and fake a normalcy she knew wasn't there, if she could just make it through this day without saying goodbye to her sister again, then everything, she knew, would be all right. But she couldn't tell, or all would be forfeit, and the secret was haunting her each second.
"Nothing, Phoebe, really. I just- I don't know, maybe I'm nostalgic, wishing we could've known Paige when she was growing up. I guess her birthday's just a reminder of the past we never had with her."
It was good, she knew. Not far from the truth at all, for that matter, so it was easy to pretend that only this simple matter was troubling her, while deep inside, something far worse was the cause of her pain. Phoebe couldn't know this, however; she never could. But it was enough, and Phoebe's sad smile convinced her that she had at least succeeded in keeping the truth from her sister. If nothing else, at least she had that.
Taking her older sister's hand in comfort, Phoebe said, "I know, Piper. I think about it too. But we can't change it, so we just have to build on what we have now, in the present, and the future we will have. Come on, smile, be happy. Let's spoil her, huh?"
Piper tried to smile, but it wasn't something that came easy lately. Phoebe's excitement and enthusiastic affection over their little sister did nothing to ease her pain and as Phoebe gently woke Paige up, hugging her, kissing her cheek, laying beside her as they talked about what Paige wanted to do today, the ache in her heart only increased.
Phoebe would be devastated again, and she would watch it again, but Phoebe's pain would go away tomorrow. For Piper, however, it would always be with her, and it was something she wondered if she'd ever truly get over.
**********
"Really, Piper, I think I'm quite capable of driving myself to the store and buying groceries on my own."
Piper gripped the steering wheel and smiled with a conviction she really didn't feel at the moment.
"I realize that, Paige, but I figured, you're going out to buy food for dinner tonight and I haven't shopped in a while anyway, so what the heck, we're killing two birds with one stone."
Piper glanced at the clock again for, what Paige noted, was the third time in less than five minutes. This time, however, a visible sigh of relief escaped Piper's mouth and Paige studied her sister for a moment before speaking.
"Piper, um...is something wrong?"
"No, why would you think that?"
"Well, maybe just the fact that you've been looking at the clock frequently and I was just-"
Piper waved her hand, dismissing further comments. "It's nothing. I was just, I don't know, making sure we would have enough time to cook dinner and open presents, you know...just making sure we had time."
Time. That elusive, nightmarish presence. Time was what she needed most right now, and time was what she had precious little of. Reaching out to squeeze Paige's hand, Piper smiled and attempted to reassure her.
For the past two days, Paige had died between 4:00 p.m. and 4:30 p.m. and Piper's relief was due to the fact that the clock now read 5:00 p.m. and no sign of danger was upon them yet. Maybe she had finally done it; maybe she had truly saved her sister. It was almost too good to be true and, she would soon realize, it was just that.
"Piper- I love you."
It startled her for a brief moment and Piper memorized the way Paige's voice sounded as she spoke the words with an ease that seemed to indicate she'd been saying it her whole life. It couldn't have been more natural, more appropriate, more important. The words stopped being words and suddenly became an essential part of what Piper realized her whole life was about. Her husband, her sisters- this sister sitting in front of her that she was fighting desperately to keep with her just one more second.
She forgot for a moment life and its hardships, forgot for a moment that burden she'd been carrying around; all she could think of, all she could focus on, was that at this moment, Paige had uttered words she'd never before said with a beauty that made them truth.
Piper realized then just how important Paige really was to her and suddenly remembered that her focus these last few days had been in preserving Paige's life, not in actually making her life worth living. She remembered how, that day that seemed ages ago, Paige had been unsure, uncertain of her place in Piper's heart.
It couldn't be put off any longer. Piper, kissing Paige's hand, and continuing to grip it tightly, opened her mouth to speak words she had trouble forming over the lump in her throat.
"Paige, you have to know-"
Any further professions were cut short as a car ran the red light at the intersection just as Piper drove under the light. Going too fast, the car slammed into the right side of the car, pushing it for quite a few yards and sending the two occupants into peaceful oblivion.
**********
Darkness enveloped her, causing a panic to well inside her for a brief instant. Then the room came into focus slightly, and she pinched her eyes against the bright lights of the hospital room. Coming into focus, she glanced around the room carefully, suddenly aware of the painful bump adorning the left side of her head.
A vague memory came back to her: a car slamming into them, her head being knocked against her door, Paige screaming, then nothing.
Paige screaming. Paige!
Piper shot up fast, worry and panic and fright written across her face. Leo, who had been dozing slightly in the chair next to her bed, gently pushed Piper back down onto the bed, stroking her hair, trying to calm her.
"Sshh, it's all right Piper. It's okay. Do you remember what happened?"
Piper touched a hand to the gauze covering her head wound. "Yes. Where's Paige?"
Leo gripped her hand tightly and looked down, afraid his eyes would betray a truth none of them wanted to hear.
"Leo? Where's Paige?" Piper implored, this time, more forcefully.
Suddenly, the door to her room opened and Phoebe walked in, barely holding herself upright. Her entire body seemed to be devoid of anything that would constitute life and the only indication that she was, still in fact living, was the mere presence of her chest rising and falling.
She sank into a chair next to Piper, covering her face with her hands, sobbing into them. Finally, she looked over at Piper and Leo and really, nothing more needed to be said. Her eyes spoke everything and one thing was clear: a part of their existence had just died.
Piper's eyes welled up and she felt an overwhelming sense of defeat come over her. She had only one more chance and truth be told, she had no damn idea what to do.
Overwhelmed with the grief and the lingering pain from the accident, she slipped into a restless sleep.
**********
It was dark once again, but this time, a chill came over her as she awoke. A chill that was all too familiar.
She sat up and jumped as she came face to face with the demon, Tahl, who had inflicted this suffering upon her.
"Tsk, tsk, Piper Halliwell, you almost got yourself killed along with your sister. We wouldn't want that now, would we?"
Piper sagged against her pillows, tears streaming freely from her eyes. "It doesn't matter anymore. I'm going to lose Paige like I lost Prue and I can't take it. Honestly I can't."
The demon folded his arms over his chest. "Now, what kind of talk is that? You still have one more day left. One day can change a lot. Or not. The choice is yours. The path is yours. You alone can change the future. You alone can save your sister."
Before she could ask anymore questions, he disappeared.
Tomorrow would be her last chance and she hoped against all hope that she could save her sister. The alternative was simply unthinkable.
**********
TBC...
So, did you like it? Feedback please!