~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Put away the crack
Before the crack puts you away
You need to be there
When your baby's old enough to relate
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Paige drummed her fingers in time with the music, smiling a guy sitting across the bar from her. She back at her favourite club, which despite having changed management at least three times in the six months since Glen had left, was still pretty fun.
The hot guy came up to her. "Hey, I'm Shane."
"I'm Paige." she greeted.
"So, um, can I buy you a drink?" he asked nervously.
Paige smiled. "Sure. I'd like that."
He signalled to the bartender, who handed and already drunk Paige yet another glass.
"Are you from around here?" she asked Shane, taking a sip of her drink.
He shook his head. "I'm just visiting. You?"
She nodded. "Yeah, I'm a local."
"Cool." he replyed. Suddenly, he squinted, as if trying to see something behind her. Using the oldest trick in the book, he asked, "Hey, who's that guy?"
Paige spun around, almost falling over. "What guy?"
This gave Shane the oppurtunity he'd been waiting for all night. He took out a small plastic bag, and poured it's tasteless, odorless contents into her drink.
She turned back around just as he was putting the bag in his pocket. "I didn't see anyone." Frowning, she took another sip.
"Oh." Shane replied. "Hey, it's crowded here. Why don't we go somewhere else?"
Paige readily agreed. Downing the rest of the glass in one shot, she stood up, and immediately grabbed hold of the bar. "Whoa... I feel dizzy." she said.
Shane frowned. He must have given her too much. Cursing, he took off, running away just as Paige hit the floor.
-x-
Leo ran into the ER, looking for whoever had paged him.
"Dr. Wyatt, over here!" called the nurse, Michael Rapport.
"What have we got, Mike?" Leo asked, examining the pretty young woman on the hospital bed. She seemed strangely familiar, although he knew he'd never seen her. It was almost like she reminded him of someone, but he couldn't put his finger on whom.
"Female, 20 years old, possible alcohol poisoning." Mike recited.
Leo nodded, and started treating her. When the immediate danger had passed, he admitted her as an in-patient and ordered Mike and a few surrounding nurses to take her up to her room.
Hours later, she woke up.
"Where am I?" she asked Leo, who'd been standing over her to adjust the IV.
"The hospital." he replied. "Paige, I'm Dr. Wyatt. I've been treating you for the past few hours. Do you want to tell me what happened?"
"I don't know." she said, rubbing her pounding head. "I remember being at the club, and letting this guy buy me a drink, and then I just... collapsed."
"Has anything like this happened before?" Leo asked.
"No." she answered weakly. "I mean, I guess I kinda drink a lot, but I've never collapsed that way before."
"What do you mean by 'a lot'?" he asked.
Paige shrugged. "I like to have a good time, you know?"
Leo shook his head. "Paige, from the amount of alcohol in your system, I'd say it was much more than a good time. After an episode like this, I think it's way past time you got sober."
She nodded. A week ago, she never would have even considered it, but what had happened last night scared her. "What if I can't?" she asked, tears running down her face.
He reached over, and took her hand. "I'll help you. I'll be here the whole time. Paige, you need to do this."
"Okay." she said, taking a deep breath. "I'll do it."
"Good," Leo said, moving toward the door. "I'll go make the arrangements, then. And Paige?"
She looked up at the sound of her name.
He gave her a caring, reassuring nod. "You're going to be okay."
-x-
Two weeks later, Paige wasn't exactly okay, but she was getting there. She was still in the hospital, under Leo's careful supervision.
"How are you feeling?" he asked, blinking as he entered the brightly-lit hospital room.
"Okay," she said, putting her book down on her lap. "I actually haven't wanted to go out and party, which is all I used to think about." she confessed.
Leo smiled. "That's good. That's progress. So the group sessions are helping?"
Paige shrugged. "I guess." She sent him a warning glare. "But if you tell me to take it 'one day at a time', I swear I'll-"
He raised an eyebrow. "You'll what?"
"I'll..." She paused. "Damnit. I've never been good at the whole empty-threats thing."
Leo laughed. His amusement, however, died off when he realised who it was that Paige reminded him of. Ever since he first saw her in the ER, he'd been unconsciously comparing her to Piper.
"What's wrong?" she asked, noticing his change in mood.
He shook his head. "Nothing. You just remind me of someone, that's all."
She smiled wistfully. "That's a first."
"Why?" he asked.
"Nevermind." she said. "Trust me, you don't want to hear my sob-story."
He sat down on the edge of her bed. "Paige, you can tell me. Besides, I must admit, I'm curious to know how such a smart girl got into this position."
"I think 'smartass' would be a better description." she said, blushing slightly.
"Come on, Paige, you know that's not true." he pressed.
She sighed. "Okay, I'll tell you." she said, changing the subject. "I was adopted when I was a baby. Only, it's not a bad thing, because I loved my parents. They died a few years ago, when I was in high school. After that, I lived with my best friend, Glen, who's a year older than me and had his own place. That's when I really started drinking. I mean, I had been doing it before, but that was the normal teenage experimental shit. After they died, it got really bad. I just... couldn't deal. And now, here we are."
He tilted his head, his expression full of pity.
"Please, don't look at me like that." she said. "I hate people feeling sorry for me. It's my own fault I'm such a screw-up."
"You're not a screw-up, Paige." he insisted. "Everybody makes bad choices, and you've been through a lot."
She shrugged. "I should have known better. I know they raised me better than this."
He put his hand on hers. "Did you have any family at all, after the accident?"
She shook her head. "A few aunts, uncles, cousins. But they don't live around here. I tried to find my biological family, but I gave up that after a while."
"Why'd you give up?" he asked.
"It was hard. I tried to find the church that they left me in, but there's so many around here. My parents never told me which one."
He looked at her, an idea forming. "What if you had help?"
She raised an eyebrow. "From who?"
"Me."
"Why would you help me?"
"Because I like you."
"Oh." she replied, a simple answer to a simple statement. She smiled nervously. "This is happening so fast. Two weeks ago, I never would have considered even looking again."
"Two weeks ago, you were all by yourself." he returned. "You aren't now."
She looked at him, amazed. It was impossible for her to let him know how much those words meant to her, after years of being alone, so instead, she simply said, "Thanks."
****************
A/N: In light of the reviews I've been getting lately, I just have to ask: What do you people have against Dan? I can't think of anything, except that he's not Leo (which I consider a good thing, because on the show Leo's boring as all frell, in the humble opinion of this particular bitca), but really, what do you not like about him? I'm very curious.
A/N2: I know exactly what kind of response I'm going to get to this chapter. Don't worry, I haven't forgotten about the Piper/Leo ship. I'm just setting up for chapter 50...
~from the song "Walking On The Sun" by Smashmouth~
Put away the crack
Before the crack puts you away
You need to be there
When your baby's old enough to relate
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Paige drummed her fingers in time with the music, smiling a guy sitting across the bar from her. She back at her favourite club, which despite having changed management at least three times in the six months since Glen had left, was still pretty fun.
The hot guy came up to her. "Hey, I'm Shane."
"I'm Paige." she greeted.
"So, um, can I buy you a drink?" he asked nervously.
Paige smiled. "Sure. I'd like that."
He signalled to the bartender, who handed and already drunk Paige yet another glass.
"Are you from around here?" she asked Shane, taking a sip of her drink.
He shook his head. "I'm just visiting. You?"
She nodded. "Yeah, I'm a local."
"Cool." he replyed. Suddenly, he squinted, as if trying to see something behind her. Using the oldest trick in the book, he asked, "Hey, who's that guy?"
Paige spun around, almost falling over. "What guy?"
This gave Shane the oppurtunity he'd been waiting for all night. He took out a small plastic bag, and poured it's tasteless, odorless contents into her drink.
She turned back around just as he was putting the bag in his pocket. "I didn't see anyone." Frowning, she took another sip.
"Oh." Shane replied. "Hey, it's crowded here. Why don't we go somewhere else?"
Paige readily agreed. Downing the rest of the glass in one shot, she stood up, and immediately grabbed hold of the bar. "Whoa... I feel dizzy." she said.
Shane frowned. He must have given her too much. Cursing, he took off, running away just as Paige hit the floor.
-x-
Leo ran into the ER, looking for whoever had paged him.
"Dr. Wyatt, over here!" called the nurse, Michael Rapport.
"What have we got, Mike?" Leo asked, examining the pretty young woman on the hospital bed. She seemed strangely familiar, although he knew he'd never seen her. It was almost like she reminded him of someone, but he couldn't put his finger on whom.
"Female, 20 years old, possible alcohol poisoning." Mike recited.
Leo nodded, and started treating her. When the immediate danger had passed, he admitted her as an in-patient and ordered Mike and a few surrounding nurses to take her up to her room.
Hours later, she woke up.
"Where am I?" she asked Leo, who'd been standing over her to adjust the IV.
"The hospital." he replied. "Paige, I'm Dr. Wyatt. I've been treating you for the past few hours. Do you want to tell me what happened?"
"I don't know." she said, rubbing her pounding head. "I remember being at the club, and letting this guy buy me a drink, and then I just... collapsed."
"Has anything like this happened before?" Leo asked.
"No." she answered weakly. "I mean, I guess I kinda drink a lot, but I've never collapsed that way before."
"What do you mean by 'a lot'?" he asked.
Paige shrugged. "I like to have a good time, you know?"
Leo shook his head. "Paige, from the amount of alcohol in your system, I'd say it was much more than a good time. After an episode like this, I think it's way past time you got sober."
She nodded. A week ago, she never would have even considered it, but what had happened last night scared her. "What if I can't?" she asked, tears running down her face.
He reached over, and took her hand. "I'll help you. I'll be here the whole time. Paige, you need to do this."
"Okay." she said, taking a deep breath. "I'll do it."
"Good," Leo said, moving toward the door. "I'll go make the arrangements, then. And Paige?"
She looked up at the sound of her name.
He gave her a caring, reassuring nod. "You're going to be okay."
-x-
Two weeks later, Paige wasn't exactly okay, but she was getting there. She was still in the hospital, under Leo's careful supervision.
"How are you feeling?" he asked, blinking as he entered the brightly-lit hospital room.
"Okay," she said, putting her book down on her lap. "I actually haven't wanted to go out and party, which is all I used to think about." she confessed.
Leo smiled. "That's good. That's progress. So the group sessions are helping?"
Paige shrugged. "I guess." She sent him a warning glare. "But if you tell me to take it 'one day at a time', I swear I'll-"
He raised an eyebrow. "You'll what?"
"I'll..." She paused. "Damnit. I've never been good at the whole empty-threats thing."
Leo laughed. His amusement, however, died off when he realised who it was that Paige reminded him of. Ever since he first saw her in the ER, he'd been unconsciously comparing her to Piper.
"What's wrong?" she asked, noticing his change in mood.
He shook his head. "Nothing. You just remind me of someone, that's all."
She smiled wistfully. "That's a first."
"Why?" he asked.
"Nevermind." she said. "Trust me, you don't want to hear my sob-story."
He sat down on the edge of her bed. "Paige, you can tell me. Besides, I must admit, I'm curious to know how such a smart girl got into this position."
"I think 'smartass' would be a better description." she said, blushing slightly.
"Come on, Paige, you know that's not true." he pressed.
She sighed. "Okay, I'll tell you." she said, changing the subject. "I was adopted when I was a baby. Only, it's not a bad thing, because I loved my parents. They died a few years ago, when I was in high school. After that, I lived with my best friend, Glen, who's a year older than me and had his own place. That's when I really started drinking. I mean, I had been doing it before, but that was the normal teenage experimental shit. After they died, it got really bad. I just... couldn't deal. And now, here we are."
He tilted his head, his expression full of pity.
"Please, don't look at me like that." she said. "I hate people feeling sorry for me. It's my own fault I'm such a screw-up."
"You're not a screw-up, Paige." he insisted. "Everybody makes bad choices, and you've been through a lot."
She shrugged. "I should have known better. I know they raised me better than this."
He put his hand on hers. "Did you have any family at all, after the accident?"
She shook her head. "A few aunts, uncles, cousins. But they don't live around here. I tried to find my biological family, but I gave up that after a while."
"Why'd you give up?" he asked.
"It was hard. I tried to find the church that they left me in, but there's so many around here. My parents never told me which one."
He looked at her, an idea forming. "What if you had help?"
She raised an eyebrow. "From who?"
"Me."
"Why would you help me?"
"Because I like you."
"Oh." she replied, a simple answer to a simple statement. She smiled nervously. "This is happening so fast. Two weeks ago, I never would have considered even looking again."
"Two weeks ago, you were all by yourself." he returned. "You aren't now."
She looked at him, amazed. It was impossible for her to let him know how much those words meant to her, after years of being alone, so instead, she simply said, "Thanks."
****************
A/N: In light of the reviews I've been getting lately, I just have to ask: What do you people have against Dan? I can't think of anything, except that he's not Leo (which I consider a good thing, because on the show Leo's boring as all frell, in the humble opinion of this particular bitca), but really, what do you not like about him? I'm very curious.
A/N2: I know exactly what kind of response I'm going to get to this chapter. Don't worry, I haven't forgotten about the Piper/Leo ship. I'm just setting up for chapter 50...
~from the song "Walking On The Sun" by Smashmouth~