A/N: Evanescent, ask and ye shall receive. Not that this chapter wasn't pre-written...
*
A Beautiful Life
*
Paige pulled herself up, her entire body weakened from the blast of the energy ball.
"Are you okay?" asked a passing man, pausing to check on the injured-looking woman lying on the road. He stooped down onto one knee and took her hand, gazing earnestly at her in concern.
"Yes, yes," Paige told him urgently, "Fine." She paused, and looked up into his eyes. "Thank you," she added, with true gratefulness in her voice. It was rare to find such kindness from a stranger.
He nodded and continued on his way. Checking both ways for signs of any other people, Paige was extremely happy to find it was empty. It was still a bad idea, but she had to use her power; it was too painful to attempt to crawl all the way over to Leo. She felt herself orbing out, and reappeared by Leo's side. She fell onto the ground, realising just how injured she was from the energy ball.
"Haven't I lost enough?" Leo cried towards the heavens. "Haven't I suffered enough?" He whole body shook in agony, overcome with grief. It was too much. First Piper and Phoebe, now this. How was he supposed to live his life if all he ever did was lose those most dear to him? He fell silent, choking on his tears.
Paige was crying too, anguish at her niece being kidnapped - and by a warlock no less - and also sheer sympathy for her brother-in-law. They'd both been through so much, when was it going to end? "God Leo, I am so... what're we gonna do?"
After a long pause where Leo gathered himself together again, he looked up at her determinedly. His tear soaked face did not hinder his ability to look so strong and so set-minded. "We're gonna get her back," he said, "and we're gonna teach her about her heritage."
Paige looked up at him, shocked. "We are? But-"
"Paige," he said, almost laughing. It wasn't a happy laugh. "She just got kidnapped by a warlock. She just blinked. She saw an energy ball. What else can we do? It's obvious the demons are never gonna let us go, so we're gonna have to teach her to look after herself."
Knowing this was true, Paige nodded. "She is half Whitelighter after all. I can write something to unbind her powers." She winced as she tried to move, and saw blood seeping through her shirt. Leo saw it too.
"Oh, god, Paige, I'm sorry."
"It's okay, I'm okay, honest."
But she gratefully lay back as Leo held his hands over her, sighing in pleasure as the pain gradually went away. A moment later, she was fine again. She sat up. "Thank you."
He nodded, his face stony. Silence fell for a moment as he frowned in concentration. Then his face crumpled. "Dammit, I can't locate her!" He leant heavily against the wall. "I can't sense her to orb to her," he cried in frustration. "They must be a step ahead of us, they've blocked my powers." Once again he dissolved into tears. Paige joined him in his pain, but quickly became aware that they were sitting in a dirty alleyway.
"Let's go back home, and we will work this out from there."
Leo nodded and orbed out without a word. Grimacing and wiping her sleeve across her mouth, Paige lowered her head and followed suit.
When she reappeared in the manor, Leo was nowhere to be seen. "Leo?" she called, sensing his presence somewhere in the house, but he didn't appear to be downstairs. Of course, Mel's room. Paige negotiated the stairs as quickly as she could, and saw him crouched on the floor beside Melinda's bed. "Are you okay?" she asked, instantly berating herself for asking such a stupid question. Of course he wasn't okay!
"Paige," he said in a high and choked voice. "Can you leave me alone for a little while?"
Feeling a little rejected, Paige nodded. "Of course sweetie. I'll... I'll be in my room if you need me."
"Thanks," he sniffed, leaning forwards onto his little girl's bed and resting his head in his arms. His body began to shudder again, and Paige watched sadly for a moment before respecting his wishes and heading into her own room. Once she'd closed the door, she sat on the bed and picked up the photo for the forth time so far that day.
So much happiness, so much love, togetherness, conveyed in one single picture. Paige wiped the tears off the glass frame and let her thoughts swamp her in dismay and regret. Why hadn't she told them she loved them more? Why hadn't she been nicer to them? Her thoughts were ridiculous of course, she'd always been perfectly nice and sisterly towards them, but when you lose someone, you tend to dwell on what you didn't do rather than what you did do.
Paige gazed at the swell in Piper's belly in the photo, and how Piper did seem to have achieved that expectant 'glow', as if she knew what an amazing and beautiful creature was growing inside her at the time. She'd been an exceptional mother, patient, understanding, empathetic and loving. Four and a half years she'd been with Melinda, four and a half years were all the child had seen of her mother. She was a few months past five now. Paige wondered how much of her mother Melinda remembered, and how much she would when she was older.
Melinda was to learn that mommy did not die of sickness alongside Aunt Phoebe, Paige realised. If they were to teach Melinda about her magical heritage then they had to tell her what had really happened to the generation before her. Why had they decided to keep it from her this long? Once she'd given birth, Piper had had a complete change of heart, becoming totally adamant that Melinda should be protected from this world until she was old enough to understand. It looked like that opportunity would never arise now.
And now, wherever she was, Mel was probably seeing the world she'd been kept from at it's most horrific viewpoint. Paige squeezed her eyes shut, once again filling with regret at her choices. She was plagued with shameful guilt and regret, from every little corner of her life. She always seemed to do everything the wrong way.
No, Piper and Phoebe hadn't died of illness. They hadn't been sick. They'd been killed, murdered, destroyed. Two beautiful lives crushed so easily at the hands of one single demon. Piper had been the first, so it wasn't even as if they'd gone together. Phoebe had had to live with the grief for a few days before she was killed too, just before she and Paige vanquished the beast. Phoebe's one true love, flame of seven years, soul mate, became her murderer. Paige had never trusted that man, much as she'd tried.
While Piper's death had been a quick energy ball blow to the head, Phoebe's was more prolonged. Misery wasn't through with her yet. Once Cole had blasted her into the wall with an energy ball she'd slumped to the floor, crying and near death. Cole had attacked Paige, but her orbing powers saved her.
Concentrating on saving Phoebe only seemed to anger her sister further. "Don't, Paige, just say the spell!" Phoebe had commanded, her voice full of rage. "Please, don't care what happens to me."
Tearfully, Paige had turned on Cole, on his second reign as The Source. That man could never get enough evil, it seemed. But this spell had been crafted so that he could never come back, not ever. And that pained Phoebe the most. Not only was she still dealing with the recent death of her sister and was close to death herself, but she had to watch her one true love die and there was no hope of ever seeing him again.
His eyes had been locked with hers the whole time, and when he disappeared into the pile of ash, which the wind swept away ever so slowly, Phoebe had looked at Paige, and for a fleeting second her eyes had filled with hatred. She had killed Phoebe's soul mate. The look in her eyes had disappeared instantaneously, of course, and a weak smile took its place. A smile that gradually faded as Phoebe's life gradually faded away. Paige had tried to heal her, but the wounds weren't only physical. Phoebe had suffered too much loss, from her mother and grandmother through Prue and Piper and now Cole. It was too much for her. She'd given up on life mentally as well as physically. There was no healing her now.
And so Phoebe had let go.
And so had Paige, to an extent. But she knew she must hold on, for Leo and for Melinda. She must stay strong. She must hold on.
*
A Beautiful Life
*
Paige pulled herself up, her entire body weakened from the blast of the energy ball.
"Are you okay?" asked a passing man, pausing to check on the injured-looking woman lying on the road. He stooped down onto one knee and took her hand, gazing earnestly at her in concern.
"Yes, yes," Paige told him urgently, "Fine." She paused, and looked up into his eyes. "Thank you," she added, with true gratefulness in her voice. It was rare to find such kindness from a stranger.
He nodded and continued on his way. Checking both ways for signs of any other people, Paige was extremely happy to find it was empty. It was still a bad idea, but she had to use her power; it was too painful to attempt to crawl all the way over to Leo. She felt herself orbing out, and reappeared by Leo's side. She fell onto the ground, realising just how injured she was from the energy ball.
"Haven't I lost enough?" Leo cried towards the heavens. "Haven't I suffered enough?" He whole body shook in agony, overcome with grief. It was too much. First Piper and Phoebe, now this. How was he supposed to live his life if all he ever did was lose those most dear to him? He fell silent, choking on his tears.
Paige was crying too, anguish at her niece being kidnapped - and by a warlock no less - and also sheer sympathy for her brother-in-law. They'd both been through so much, when was it going to end? "God Leo, I am so... what're we gonna do?"
After a long pause where Leo gathered himself together again, he looked up at her determinedly. His tear soaked face did not hinder his ability to look so strong and so set-minded. "We're gonna get her back," he said, "and we're gonna teach her about her heritage."
Paige looked up at him, shocked. "We are? But-"
"Paige," he said, almost laughing. It wasn't a happy laugh. "She just got kidnapped by a warlock. She just blinked. She saw an energy ball. What else can we do? It's obvious the demons are never gonna let us go, so we're gonna have to teach her to look after herself."
Knowing this was true, Paige nodded. "She is half Whitelighter after all. I can write something to unbind her powers." She winced as she tried to move, and saw blood seeping through her shirt. Leo saw it too.
"Oh, god, Paige, I'm sorry."
"It's okay, I'm okay, honest."
But she gratefully lay back as Leo held his hands over her, sighing in pleasure as the pain gradually went away. A moment later, she was fine again. She sat up. "Thank you."
He nodded, his face stony. Silence fell for a moment as he frowned in concentration. Then his face crumpled. "Dammit, I can't locate her!" He leant heavily against the wall. "I can't sense her to orb to her," he cried in frustration. "They must be a step ahead of us, they've blocked my powers." Once again he dissolved into tears. Paige joined him in his pain, but quickly became aware that they were sitting in a dirty alleyway.
"Let's go back home, and we will work this out from there."
Leo nodded and orbed out without a word. Grimacing and wiping her sleeve across her mouth, Paige lowered her head and followed suit.
When she reappeared in the manor, Leo was nowhere to be seen. "Leo?" she called, sensing his presence somewhere in the house, but he didn't appear to be downstairs. Of course, Mel's room. Paige negotiated the stairs as quickly as she could, and saw him crouched on the floor beside Melinda's bed. "Are you okay?" she asked, instantly berating herself for asking such a stupid question. Of course he wasn't okay!
"Paige," he said in a high and choked voice. "Can you leave me alone for a little while?"
Feeling a little rejected, Paige nodded. "Of course sweetie. I'll... I'll be in my room if you need me."
"Thanks," he sniffed, leaning forwards onto his little girl's bed and resting his head in his arms. His body began to shudder again, and Paige watched sadly for a moment before respecting his wishes and heading into her own room. Once she'd closed the door, she sat on the bed and picked up the photo for the forth time so far that day.
So much happiness, so much love, togetherness, conveyed in one single picture. Paige wiped the tears off the glass frame and let her thoughts swamp her in dismay and regret. Why hadn't she told them she loved them more? Why hadn't she been nicer to them? Her thoughts were ridiculous of course, she'd always been perfectly nice and sisterly towards them, but when you lose someone, you tend to dwell on what you didn't do rather than what you did do.
Paige gazed at the swell in Piper's belly in the photo, and how Piper did seem to have achieved that expectant 'glow', as if she knew what an amazing and beautiful creature was growing inside her at the time. She'd been an exceptional mother, patient, understanding, empathetic and loving. Four and a half years she'd been with Melinda, four and a half years were all the child had seen of her mother. She was a few months past five now. Paige wondered how much of her mother Melinda remembered, and how much she would when she was older.
Melinda was to learn that mommy did not die of sickness alongside Aunt Phoebe, Paige realised. If they were to teach Melinda about her magical heritage then they had to tell her what had really happened to the generation before her. Why had they decided to keep it from her this long? Once she'd given birth, Piper had had a complete change of heart, becoming totally adamant that Melinda should be protected from this world until she was old enough to understand. It looked like that opportunity would never arise now.
And now, wherever she was, Mel was probably seeing the world she'd been kept from at it's most horrific viewpoint. Paige squeezed her eyes shut, once again filling with regret at her choices. She was plagued with shameful guilt and regret, from every little corner of her life. She always seemed to do everything the wrong way.
No, Piper and Phoebe hadn't died of illness. They hadn't been sick. They'd been killed, murdered, destroyed. Two beautiful lives crushed so easily at the hands of one single demon. Piper had been the first, so it wasn't even as if they'd gone together. Phoebe had had to live with the grief for a few days before she was killed too, just before she and Paige vanquished the beast. Phoebe's one true love, flame of seven years, soul mate, became her murderer. Paige had never trusted that man, much as she'd tried.
While Piper's death had been a quick energy ball blow to the head, Phoebe's was more prolonged. Misery wasn't through with her yet. Once Cole had blasted her into the wall with an energy ball she'd slumped to the floor, crying and near death. Cole had attacked Paige, but her orbing powers saved her.
Concentrating on saving Phoebe only seemed to anger her sister further. "Don't, Paige, just say the spell!" Phoebe had commanded, her voice full of rage. "Please, don't care what happens to me."
Tearfully, Paige had turned on Cole, on his second reign as The Source. That man could never get enough evil, it seemed. But this spell had been crafted so that he could never come back, not ever. And that pained Phoebe the most. Not only was she still dealing with the recent death of her sister and was close to death herself, but she had to watch her one true love die and there was no hope of ever seeing him again.
His eyes had been locked with hers the whole time, and when he disappeared into the pile of ash, which the wind swept away ever so slowly, Phoebe had looked at Paige, and for a fleeting second her eyes had filled with hatred. She had killed Phoebe's soul mate. The look in her eyes had disappeared instantaneously, of course, and a weak smile took its place. A smile that gradually faded as Phoebe's life gradually faded away. Paige had tried to heal her, but the wounds weren't only physical. Phoebe had suffered too much loss, from her mother and grandmother through Prue and Piper and now Cole. It was too much for her. She'd given up on life mentally as well as physically. There was no healing her now.
And so Phoebe had let go.
And so had Paige, to an extent. But she knew she must hold on, for Leo and for Melinda. She must stay strong. She must hold on.