A/Note: Yes, I know, I'm terrible. I have no sob stories, I was really just falling in motivation and wasn't inspired enough to post chapters (20-23) that I had written for months, but they are written so hopefully I can get around to sharing those with you. It's going to be tough, but I'm aiming to complete this series by Chapter 27 as it's been planned out, but we'll see how that works out. Just a little note, some sexual content early in the chapter, it's nothing to get your rocks off with, but just a little warning. Final thing, if there are some poor mistakes, they are more my fault than everything, but still share with me in case I return to edit.
Chapter 20- Stories of Our Lives
June 4th, 2007
Stars blanketed the cool midnight blue sky as a brown comforter blanketed over a couple celebrating both Henry's birthday as well as a night free of their three children. Paige's giggling was the more empowering noise from the current actions under the quilt. Moments later, Henry's shape turned over as he removed the comforter from over his head, exhaling with a grin. He chuckled as he felt Paige digging her way out from under the comforter and appeared with her brown hair sticking to her sweaty neck and shoulders. She remained on her chest as she caressed her husband's fairly hairy chest.
"So was tonight the best birthday present or what?" Paige asked, patting his bare chest. Off his panting and nod, she slapped his chest harder and said, "It feels great to be shaking up these sheets again. I'm positive this mattress was missing this action." She grinned as she made a mental note to change the sheets soon, respecting the fact that their children usually slept in the bed with them.
Still panting, Henry replied as he rubbed his hand against his sweaty forehead, "The doctor said we were supposed to wait six weeks before doing that."
"Yeah, well that doctor actually gets paid. Being a mother only pays me with memories, so I couldn't exactly cash that in as a great gift for you," she seductively smiled as she moved closer to rest her head on his arm, "I made up for that though, I think. Was there anything you really wanted?"
"Not necessarily. I was never into presents, really. I think I lost my childhood flare when I was young after having to grow up a little sooner than I was supposed to," Henry admitted, silently reflecting on his difficult childhood. "I think last year was my first time getting excited for Thanksgiving and Christmas in a long time considering how close this family is as well as it being Peter's first Christmas with us."
"That sucks to hear," Paige replied, snuggling closer to her husband. "I was kinda different. I actually lived with the idea that my foster parents were my actual parents and after I learned they weren't, that's when I fell into this whole rebellious stage. That's when I stopped being Daddy's little girl, but I regret ever falling into that phase. I feel like I lost time with them by acting out to piss them off."
The two remained silent as they stared up at the ceiling. Paige's cellphone began to vibrate against the wooden drawer beside her in which she kept her underwear, a notepad, the crystal Billie gave her for her birthday the previous year, an athamae and an emergency vanquishing potion. The flip phone continued to vibrate with seconds apart against the oak top and the Witchlighter finally willed herself to reach for it. She held the blanket up to cover her chest that was bare of everything excluding the sterling silver necklace Henry bought her for Christmas. Paige flipped open the phone and muttered, "It's Piper. Lemme get this real quick." She pressed the proper button and put the phone to her ear and said, "Piper, it's nearing one in the morning. Is everything alright?"
"Please, Paige, I've had to wake you up a lot later for much worst," Piper replied on the other line. "Peter here didn't seem to have his favorite blanket packed with him, so technically this phone call is your fault."
"Wow, you sure are cranky," Paige pointed out.
"Might have something to do with my being able to get to bed much earlier these days," she replied. "Do you think you would be able to orb over with it? He really seems to want it."
"Yeah, give me five minutes. Just meet me in the kitchen alone or something because I'm not about to get fully dressed for a one minute meeting," Paige answered, grinning. "See you then." She hung up and closed the phone, placing it back aboard the oak drawer.
"Is Peter okay?" Henry asked, now wearing a fitting white cotton shirt along with sweatpants, thinking he had to go over and pick up his son.
"Calm down, we don't have to go anywhere. Well, we don't, but I do. I just gotta orb over and bring Peter his blanket," Paige informed. "Then we can come back and continue our conversation that was nearing pretty heavy stuff, if you want." She chuckled and prepared to get dressed as she reached into her drawer. "That was quite a transition we made."
"I'll go downstairs and possibly make the famous Mitchell omelet," Henry suggested, grinning. He rose from bed as he rubbed his palms against each other, eager to cook now.
"I could never deny that," Paige said. "I'll be back in a few." She watched her husband walk off and then began to get dressed.
(X)
Orbs carried Paige into the kitchen of her own house as she returned to the smell of an omelet already in the works. Her feet slid out of the gray slippers which matched her sports bra and she walked over to Henry who's back was turned to her, facing the stove. "Peter should have his blanket by now."
The mortal turned around for a brief second before returning to his pan, "Good to hear."
"Oh, and remind me I have a lunch date with Piper sometime this week," Paige requested, taking a seat at the kitchen table as her husband cooked. "She said she has something important she wants to discuss with me."
"When exactly is sometime this week?" Henry asked, still frying the eggs.
Paige shrugged her shoulders, unseen by Henry, "Beats me. Just keep the idea floating in my head." She exaggeratedly sniffed the air and said, "It smells wonderful. I like the idea of heavy talk over omelets at one in the morning."
"Sarcasm?" Henry asked, adding pepper to the eggs to help cook it inside the omelet.
"Not necessarily," Paige answered, folding her arms on the table. "We've been married for a year, dating months before that, and there are things we still haven't filled each other in on. I really want to be able to share everything with you, but a part of me refuses as there are some things you don't share with me."
"I figured this was going to come back and bite me in the..." Henry stopped himself, keeping his back turned to Paige as he was too ashamed to face her. "It's just hard for me... it's hard for me to talk about my life with that man."
"Henry, who have you talked about this with?" Paige asked. "I mean... I don't mean to kill a really good day, but there is only so long that I won't get offended by you keeping this from me. The only reason that I let it go for so long is that when we first started dating and you didn't know about the witch thing, I had to keep straying from the truth. I eventually found the courage to share who I am with you and I'm hoping for that same respect."
Henry remained quiet as he turned off the oven. He reached into the cupboard of plates and pulled out two white plates that Paige not only received from Piper, but practiced her telekinetic ability on with Prue. He loaded an omelet onto each plate, collected the proper silverware and moved over to Paige. He placed one plate in front of her and asked, "Do you want anything to drink?"
"Yeah, how about some iced tea with that cold shoulder?" Paige firmly shot back, staring down her husband. "Do you intend on answering me? I've never been pushy with you, Henry. I've never harassed you to let me meet your foster father and I never pushed you to tell me what was this horrible experience you had with that old foster father you ran away from. How long are we going to keep doing this?"
"This is definitely too heavy of a discussion for my birthday," Henry commented, sitting down at the table.
The Witchlighter extended her arm out and pointed towards the digital clock on top of the fridge, "Your birthday ended an hour ago, so that excuse is suspended in time until next year. Henry, you know how much I love you, but I would have to be the most desperate woman to stay married with you for another year without you sharing who you are with me, or more importantly, what you've been through. I'm having enough trouble figuring out who I am and I don't need to put more time into figuring out who my husband is."
Henry remained silent, pressing his fork down in the omelet as he cut off a piece with his knife. He stabbed the piece with his fork, slightly harder than required. He raised it to his lips and ate it, ignoring his wife.
Paige stared in awe. This week had been good, especially Henry's birthday, but the mood seemed to have vanished at the discussion of youth years. She never pushed Henry, but always hoped he would one day pull her to the side with the courage to discuss the hardship he went through. He never did. He always left her out in a mysterious cold, freezing as she wondered the conditions he went through as a child and why it's left his heart so cold in terms of family. She thought she was doing so well with warming it up with her family, but this was a constant block that never seemed to melt.
"Fine," Paige said, slapping her hand down on the table. "Sorry you made the extra plate for no reason." She fastened the black hip hugging shorts around her waist and angrily left the kitchen.
Henry considered chasing after her, but wasn't sure he had the will to discuss the tormenting experiences he went through as a child. He picked himself up, but thought against it and dropped back down. He rubbed the back of his head, brushing his hair up and down. He finally got up from his seat and said, "This is ridiculous." He charged after Paige and didn't see her. If it wasn't for hearing the door slam on the floor above, he would've assumed she orbed off.
He made his way up the stairs and onto the second landing. He inspected the rooms down the hall and saw the bathroom was open, Billie's unoccupied room was open, the children's room was also unoccupied and that left two rooms; the bedroom and altar room. He moved to the bedroom and opened the door, not seeing Paige in sight. He briskly exited the room and down the hall where he entered the altar room, finding his wife.
Paige was flipping through the Book of Shadows with a hunched back and she craned her neck up to look at Henry, "Do you intend to speak now or shoot a couple more silent stares?" Her neck dropped back down as she continued to look through her tome.
"What are you doing?" Henry asked, receiving nothing but silence on Paige's end. "Paige, what are you doing? Paige, seriously, you're scaring me with looking through the Book while upset. You're not planning on hexing me or anything, right?"
"If that would've been case, I would've been hearing a frog's croaking as opposed to human speech," Paige sniped, informing him of the threat wandering in the back of her thoughts. She looked back down and continued flipping through the pages. "If I was capable of harming you with magic, I would've just sent a very colorful truth spell your way." She rose back up to full stance and stared at him. "I just don't want anything to come between as we've been managing a pretty stable relationship despite our financial worries and three kids who we may love, but weren't expecting at this point in our lives. We've managed, but this marriage is going to need more than just stability. I need you to start being open to me."
"So how is that Book going to help you?" Henry asked, still concerned Paige might try to act out with magic. This would later lead to concern with his daughters defying him with their magic, knowing he can't do anything.
"I want to see if there is something harmless that can help us out," Paige answered, returning to her research.
"Which means you are planning on using magic on me," Henry stated.
"With your consent of course," Paige replied, aggressively flipping the pages. "I might be an inch over aggravated, but I wouldn't just cast a spell on you." She huffed in her continuing annoyance and she mocked a grin for nearly a second, "That's the respect I have for you." Paige looked up at her husband and returned to her self-conjured tome and stopped at a page. "This just might work."
"What is it?" Henry asked, glad to hear Paige dismiss her scathing tone.
"We summon a soothsayer," Paige answered, sliding her hand under the red header of the aged page. Along the sides was the illustration of a silhouette constructed of white and red roses, demonstrating a mystical figure. "Piper and Leo used one before, and as long as he doesn't throw us in each other's bodies, he should be able to help us out here."
"Paige, you do realize you're pretty much forcing me into this, don't you?" Henry questioned.
"Henry, you love me, right?" Paige asked, holding her weight by pressing against the Book of Shadows. He assured her with a nod and she said, "Then look... we've made it this far without confronting things we've been through and we're kinda lucky to actually have magic to help us through this. A soothsayer will give us the opportunity to assist each other by comforting... or whatever he can think of. We'll leave it in his hands."
She walked around the podium and approached her husband. She looked down at his hands and gently picked one of his up with both of hers. She encased his fist with a tight grip and her brown eyes remained fixed on the floor, more specifically, Henry's bare feet.
"Paige... I just... I don't want you to see a different man in me after you've learned about the child I was and the child I could no longer be," Henry explained above a whisper, staring at her gentle face with a gaze of his own.
Paige finally willed herself to look up at him and said, "But the child you could no longer be is what shaped you into the man you are and the man I love. If anything, I would only think of you as a stronger man who respects everything his marriage stands for. So whether or not we try to do this now is up to you, but holding this off... I highly doubt it's going to do us any good." She sorrowfully peered in his eyes with a slight tear-clouded vision and said, "We have a family now. We have kids who need us at our best and if I can't even feel comfortable around you, we're not going to be able to pull that off."
Henry put his hand over both of Paige's and said, "Let's do it."
(X)
Henry sat alone in the Great Hall of Magic School wondering about his children as Paige walked off to get a book with a summoning spell. The sight of students working this late into the night with concern they wouldn't do well on their assignment or coming test made him think about the conflicts that would come with enrolling Sarah and Samantha to this school and not being able to enroll Peter. Would they all be better off going to a mortal school together? But how was this fair for the twins who might need to learn how to better wield their gifts? He buried his face in his hands as the possibilities continued to run through his mind.
A young brunette with her binder pressed against her chest called out down the hall, "Professor Matthews! I wish you would come back and teach the classes." She stopped in her spot as Paige appeared in a cream-colored skirt and a black sleeveless top with strapped heels to match, looking a little too impressive for a one in the morning Magic School visit, as Henry commented on.
"Oh, sorry, honey. Professor no longer," Paige replied back. "I have three little kids under my care now and it's important that I'm there for them. Not that your education isn't important, but I'm trusting Professor Gallagher can take on the position. How's he working out for you?"
"He's really drilling us to to these past midnight study sessions," the young girl answered. "Now I need my beauty sleep. Good night, Professor Matthews."
As the girl walked off, Paige hollered back, "Just 'Paige' will be fine now, Angela." She walked over to Henry and said, "Sorry that took so long." She pulled a piece of paper out of her skirt pocket and said, "I have the spell to summon a soothsayer."
"Too bad your first spell didn't work. Could've saved us some time," Henry commented.
"Yeah, I guess this spell is supposed to be specific," Paige guessed. "There was nothing in the Book and winging one sucked, but I got what we need here." She waved the paper and unfolded it. "Hopefully this piece of paper is the end to our troubles."
"What exactly is this guy going to do, Paige? He's not going to cast some magic on us against our wishes, is he?" Henry asked.
"We'll just have to see about that," Paige answered, eyeing the spell and chanting:
Being made of elemental essence, Respond to this call,
For you can prepare the answers to all,
Solution to troubles is what we yearn,
We're prepared to journey and expect to learn.
A couple of feet away from them, a culmination of white and red roses appeared before them in small flashes of their respective colors. The roses began to sway back and forth in their descent as a both gentle and mystic breeze pushed them around. The fragrant flowers gave off their wonderful smell of untouched nature which was never disturbed by the pollution of the world. The powerful scent continued as the roses formed together and in a gentle flash of both red and white, a woman materialized with hair as red as the roses and skin only a few tones darker than the white. Her attire was a pink wavy dress with many ruffles along with a crimson sleeveless shirt. As she fully formed, the roses fell out of their gentle flash and completely fell to the marble floors of Magic School.
"Well, that's new," Paige commented. "And I've seen a lot of things."
The soothsayer stepped over her roses in her tan flip flops and placed her hands together, gently bowing, "My name is Claira. It is to my understanding that you have called on me."
"Yes, we have," Paige said. "Though we were kinda expecting a guy soothsayer."
"To which difference does it make?" Claira replied, pulling apart her hands and lifting her index finger with one. "And you have made two miscalculations; one being that I was a guy and the other being that I am just a soothsayer. To each soothsayer, there are specialties amongst them all. Some guide those in need of search through use of nature as nature is one of the honest things in this world while others are also sages who work through trips through time to better understand history. I am the latter."
"We weren't looking for a trip through time," Henry argued. "Just kinda some counseling."
"What better counseling is there than better understanding what your marital opposite has gone through? These trips are known to never hurt a relationship, but only heal," she turned around at the white and red roses scattered around the floor. "Silly me! I swear I've been at this job for two centuries and I can never seem to remember that I shed with each teleportation."
"It's better than being blown up and leaving an ear behind," Paige replied.
Claira slowly rose her hands as high as her shoulders and the roses began to fly into the air in a near rapid circle. The roses closed in on each other and a pink flash hid them all and when the flash vanished, a bouquet of the roses was hovering in the air, urging for their mother to carry them. The soothsayer grabbed the bouquet, feeling the same love she always felt after doing so. She turned back to the Mitchells and said, "We can always send the roses back to our homely planes, but I prefer to collect them as I'm always sure to use them in my practice."
"So what do we have to do for your practice?" Paige asked, resting a hand on Henry's shoulder to comfort him.
"I sensed when you summoned me that I was being called to help strengthen your marriage. Being the sage soothsayer that I am, I can help you better explore each other's past. Answers on questions you may not have answered for yourself will be unveiled during this journey of events," Claira informed, stepping closer to the couple. "You will need to brace yourself in the understanding that there will be no more skeletons in the closets and no more locked doors. You two will be open books post-journey."
"As a married couple should be," Paige commented.
"Not necessarily, Paige," Claira defended. "There are certain experiences in which the husband or wife prefer to keep confidential either because of shame or how terrible the memory is. A married couple should be able to each have their own secrets individually..." she stopped and turned to Henry, "As long as it isn't going to threaten the marriage itself. Here is where I step in. From my understanding, both of you share the same thought that this marriage was rushed and I can go even deeper in my sensing to see it was due to fear of losing one another. The same danger remains here as you aren't being open to each other. My question to you now is if you are ready to go on a quest through time to better strengthen your marriage?"
Henry looked up as Paige as she looked down on him. They both nodded and Henry turned to Claira, "We're ready."
Claira walked even closer to them and she slid two roses of each color out of the bouquet and rested the bouquet on the table. She handed the red rose to Paige and the white to Henry. "Careful of the thorns," she warned, then let off a light chuckle. "Actually, forgive me. I have to ask of you to prick your fingers with the thorn anyway. For your blood, that is."
"I guess a thorn is better than an athamae," Paige said, flipping her rose around like a baton. "But where are we putting the blood?"
Claira pointed to the bouquet on the table and through her natural lips which would never be touched by lipstick that was tested on animals in respect for the very nature of life, she said, "On the collective of flowers here. Nature will be carrying you through this journey in water and wind. As the blood stains the bouquet, the winds will carry you on a journey of growth and understanding. Please proceed now."
Henry turned to Paige as she casually pricked her finger with a thorn on the rose and allowed trickles of blood to fall from her index finger onto the bouquet. Her brown hair was instantly blown back and she vanished in an instant shimmer. He turned to Claira and asked, "What happened to her? Where's Paige?"
"Paige is waiting for you on the other side. Time tends to move differently over there, so I suggest you hurry before your wife grows impatient," Claira warned with a grin.
"Paige is always impatient. Having the power to be somewhere in less than a minute tends to put out a new sense of time for you," Henry commented, gently putting the thorn to his index finger and already feeling it pinch. He closed his eyes and took a deep breath as he pierced his finger with the thorn and felt his blood drop onto the bouquet beside Paige's. He felt a strong wind press against him and instantly carried him away as he experienced feelings of being lifted off of his feet and thrown around through time; something he couldn't begin to assume when he saw his wife vanish.
Claira grabbed a hold of the bouquet and closed her eyes as her body shone in a mixture of red and white flashes, soon blowing up in a mixture of roses in the same colors.
(X)
The floor was anything but a floor in this plane that Claira sent Paige and Henry too. When Henry arrived, he was welcomed to this plane by Paige tapping her impatient foot against the floor of a dark blue sea which gave off several ripples each time. Henry experienced this dazzling rippling effect as he walked over to his wife's side so they could discuss this watery platform. There was only one wall opposite of the struggling couple and trailing all around from there were a collective of clouds that continued to brush around in a cycle, even making its way around the wall. As they, more notably Henry, remained fixated on this new plane, Claira appeared in-between the cloudy doors on the wall.
"This is the plane where sage soothsayers bring their charges in need of our services," Claira explained, gaining their instant attention. "But you must not waste anymore time before your marital bonds begin to tear loose on their own, even without the conflictive arguments which are merely external problems." She noticed they were both confused at this comment and decided to spare another couple of seconds to better knowledge them, "Alone, you both share the feeling that your marriage might soon come to an end because of the unopened doors on each other's lives. These doubts slowly surface into arguments and when the arguments are experienced and nothing comes of it... the doubts are only made stronger. Now walk into a door of your selection and on the opposite side will be a guide waiting for you. Destiny will help you make the decision of which door to go into. Good luck."
Paige and Henry wordlessly walked to the cloudy doors and both stopped, unsure if they were going into the correct door. They both looked at each other and crossed paths, entering the cloudy doors and triggering their journey through time.
(X)
Henry passed the clouds and entered a box of ten feet long and wide that resembled space with its pitch blackness and scattered stars. He accepted the sight and gazed at it until he heard a masculine voice clear his throat behind him. He turned around to find his father in-law Sam Wilder standing before him in a relaxed posture with his hands folded behind his back. "You have got to be kidding me! Of all people in this world, I get you?!"
"That wasn't exactly the mature response I was expecting from a grown man, but yes, you get me. This is actually the same way I intended on helping you, so it all works out for the best," Sam replied. "So have you told Paige of my recent visits?"
"No," Henry replied, turning his back to look at the beaming illusion of stars.
"No wonder I've been called to help guide this journey. Why is it that you're being so dishonest with Paige?" Sam asked. "This surprises me, especially since you're the man who accused me of not being there for my daughter, yet you're the man now who is being disloyal to his marriage."
"It's my business as to why I want nothing to do with you," Henry said. "I have no damn respect for people who give up their children. Also, we've been a bit busy raising a family and I haven't had time to tell Paige how much you've been stalking me these past couple of months."
"Paige's mother actually told me of how Paige wanted me to come meet Peter but didn't because you were uncomfortable with my presence. Now are you truly raising a family if you're denying your son the opportunity to meet his grandfather?" Sam asked, then gently bowed his head down only to lift it soon after. "Granted, he isn't my grandson by blood, but I think of him as if he was in the same manner as you and Paige respectfully do so to him." He walked closer to Henry and said, "I don't mean to challenge your fatherhood. As I told you when we met on the dock, you have it in you to be a great father and you have proven that. This isn't about your children though. This is about you and Paige."
"I'm not going anywhere with you," Henry stubbornly said. "I'm just not."
"Fine. If you don't wish to travel back in time with me that's one thing, but how about I orb you to the courthouse so you can get started on those separation papers now because this is no doubt where it's heading?" Sam stated without a hint of regret in his voice. "Believe it or not, Henry, I care about you because of the respect you've shown my daughter, so I want you to make this work. Allow me to earn your forgiveness by helping you do so."
"Forgive you?" Henry repeated, scoffing as he returned his vision to Sam. "Can you really say you know what I've been through?"
"This isn't about what you've been through. It's what Paige has been through," Sam explained. "Once we cross out of this boxed up space, which is slightly ironic in a sense, I'll gain the knowledge I need to know to help you understand the events you're witnessing." He held out his hand and asked, "Are you ready?"
Henry muttered in embarrassment, "Is it really necessary we hold hands?"
"Through this initial stage, yes," Sam stated. "Just one pat down from your end and one clasp from mine, we'll be on our way." He grinned as he watched Henry hover his hand over his own and quickly drop it, where Sam clasped it and they vanished in a white shimmering glow.
(X)
Paige grinned at her guide. It was the one person who she wasn't sure she would see again and couldn't have been more excited that she crossed paths with Henry to enter the door he originally stood in front of, "Hey, sis."
Prue stood across from Paige with a grin across the face that radiated proudness at how far Paige had come since their last time meeting. These two sisters were in the same environment Sam and Henry were in and that only made Prue look more outstanding at how much her long flowing white dress contrasted the vicious space imitation. The crystals that spiraled around her silk sleeves matched the exact tone of her icy blue eyes and her now raven black hair was cascading over her shoulders as always, "How have you been, Paige? I kinda have an idea but it's only fair of me to ask than just assume as to what I see from up above."
"Hold that thought," Paige said as she walked closer to Prue and embraced her in a tight hug, "I have thought about you so much ever since meeting you. I never even thought I would be granted this moment, but here we are." She broke the hug and said, "I'm fine, by the way. Excluding the whole foundation of my marriage slightly falling apart, of course."
"I know that soothsayer might have told you some things, but just because she can compile reasons to make you feel like your marriage is falling is simply a talent, not the truth," Prue said, folding her arms on the spot. "Your marriage is going as best as can be expected with adopting a son and giving birth to twins. Speaking of, where are your little ones?"
"Peter is sleeping over at Piper's. It's his first sleep over with Wyatt and Chris, so I'm sure they've become even better friends and the twins are over at Phoebe's. She needs to help get Coop more comfortable with children, so I figured I'd throw two over her way," Paige joked, earning a slightly disapproved look from her sister. "I was kidding. Humor is what I contribute to those around me."
"If you say so, but we'll further bond as we experience Henry's troubles," Prue informed, offering her hand. "We have much to see. So why don't we start at the beginning of where it started for Henry?" Paige accepted her hand, confused, as the both teleported in a white shimmering glow.
(X)
Henry and Sam appeared in the church where Sister Agnes brought Paige to, two days after she was given up. No one was currently in this grand hall, besides Henry and Sam who no one else would see. Although Henry could spot some changes, the mortal recognized this very holy house as the same one where they decided what they would do with Peter. "This is the church where Paige was given up."
"Yes, it is. Good eye," Sam complimented, not receiving any gratitude back from his son in-law. "The knowledge I've gained tells me that this is two days after Paige was given up and my own memory tells me that this is the day her foster parents adopted her. The day she was given a safe home."
They both heard footsteps from the end of the nearly immaculate halls as a man and woman entered the Church, both looking anxious. As they grew closer to Henry and Sam, the detail was easier to make out. The man, Frederick, had a full head of dark brown hair with glasses over his eyes and a strong jaw. His arm was wrapped against his wife's shoulders, and Sarah was without question feeling his suede jacket brush against her neck as her brown hair was wrapped in a tight bun while her bangs were tucked behind her ear. She had a very welcoming face, but anxiety was the empowering expression she was giving off.
"Fred, this is it. We're finally getting a child," Sarah praised, grabbing the hand that was hanging off her shoulder in joy. "Are you sure you're okay with naming her after my mother?"
"As long as we have a child to name, dear," Frederick replied, grinning at his wife as the two continued to walk down the aisle, passing through Henry and Sam who became temporary ripples.
Sister Agnes came out of her office as her good hearing heard chatter out in the serene and silent halls of the church. In her arms was a baby Paige wrapped in a tan blanket and the nun had a wide grin at the Matthews, "Good morning, you two."
"Morning, Sister," Frederick greeted, attempting his best to be respectful while he was honestly really eager to meet the daughter he'd be adopting. "It is a rather good morning, as well."
They met in-between the first couple rows of pews and halted. Agnes was in her standard habit which ceased motion as well. "This is her. The one I called you about. The parish has been helping me out dearly and there have been contributions and other missions to help you get started."
"May I hold her?" Sarah asked, already tearing in the bliss of a child who she would be able to call her own in a matter of moments. This child was a blessing from God as due to her being infertile with her husband, this was the only way she can share a child with the man she loved without betraying him. Their prayers had been answered by the heavenly Father they endowed so much faith in.
Agnes nodded at Sarah as she handed over baby Paige, who was still currently nameless. The nun watched as these promised parents took in the sight of this baby girl.
Sarah looked down at down at the calm baby and her porcelain skin with curious brown eyes. She had a lot of light brown hair in the center of her head with growing patches along the sides and she was simply breathtaking to the couple who always wanted to expand their legacy and be remembered for when their time passed. They also wanted to experience the cherished moments their friends spoke of and wanted memories that would remain just as everlasting as their own existence. "She's beautiful..." the new mother breathed.
Frederick bent his index finger and rubbed the baby's cheek with his knuckle and grinned, "She sure is, but do you think she looks like a Magdalene? I think she..."
Sister Agnes interrupted and said, "Apologies, but I've forgotten something since I've called you. There was one special request that her birth parents asked of me to pass onto you. I hope you don't think that this shouldn't be respected considering they gave their daughter up because from what I saw that night, they did love her. It just seemed that she was going to lead a safer life without them."
"What was the request?" Frederick asked.
"That you name her something starting with a 'P'," the nun answered, gently shrugging her shoulders. "I haven't the slightest on the reasoning behind this, but it is what they asked."
"Well, we kinda had a..." Sarah stopped herself and nodded her head to the sides, disregarding what she was going to say. "We'll honor it of course. These parents thought what was best for their child and gave her up, only for her to come into our possession by the grace of God. This will be our way of thanking them."
The new parents temporarily lost themselves in the thought of thinking of a name for their baby girl as their new little wonder reached out with her tiny hand and clawed the silver crucifix around Sarah's neck, opening her mouth to reveal her wide smile. Frederick and Sarah's smiles were naturally bigger, but this was it. They finally had a child.
Henry turned to Sam and said, "I wonder if Paige even knows about this."
"You'll see that she has some idea," Sam commented, nodding his head at the sight. "We should go now." Their bodies vanished in shimmering white glows to the next point in time.
(X)
Prue and Paige appeared in the familiar shimmering white glow in the lobby of a building with brown tile floors and creamy yellow walls. Paige turned around to see oak double doors wide open at the entrance with rain pattering down on the porch, flowing down the steps and onto the street. "Where are we?" the Witchlighter asked, unable to feel the breeze that was coming from the open doors on this terribly raining day.
"This is Henry's home, I should say," Prue answered, looking around at the foster center herself. "This is a prime place in his life up until he's finally adopted by the Mitchells."
Paige stepped back over to her half-sister and said, "I would've hated being in one of these places. Especially in Henry's case considering it took him a couple of tries to find the right family."
"Yeah, a family that he loved and was also loved by as well," Prue added, interlocking her arm with Paige's as she lead her half-sister down the hall. "Unfortunately, it didn't turn out so well with his first time being adopted. What I'm about to show you is little Henry returning after being given back to the foster care for reasons which are covered. Are you ready?"
Paige halted, causing her interlocked sister to stumble forward before stopping as well. "Am I ready to see my husband as a vulnerable child, you mean? I have mixed feelings on that one considering this isn't a condition he wants me to see him in as it's hard enough speaking about it alone, but on the other hand, I should be able to know this about my husband."
Prue nodded, understanding her half-sister's dilemma. "Paige, you have to stick this through. I'm sure Henry is being open to learning so much about you, but you have to open yourself with knowledge about him. It's clear you love him and that you want this marriage to work and Henry agreed to this, so assume he finds it easier for you to see it yourself then him telling you."
Paige smirked, "I'll do so, Prue. Lead the way." The two resumed walking down the hall and turned the corner where they instantly heard a child sobbing as their eyes were plagued with the horrible sight of a child who seemed to be tormented by a recent experience with tears rapidly sliding down his eyes as an older man consoled him with a simple arm around his shoulder. Paige touched her heart, instantly sympathizing for her husband at this young age. "Henry's three here, right?"
"Right," Prue answered. "That man is Jacob Williams and he runs the place, along with a team below him. Now just watch out as this plays out, Paige."
The Witchlighter nodded and turned to little Henry whose light brown hair was looking darker than usual at that age because of how wet it was. Strands were sticking to his forehead, but not as tight as his shirt and jeans were sticking to his skin. Tears were mixed with all the rain that splattered all over his face and the only thing dry on him was the sleeve of Jacob who hadn't even found time to get the young boy a towel yet as Henry just ran in.
"They hated me!" the boy cried. "They th- they tol' me that I should just go if I didn't wan-ta be there!"
"Why would they say that, Henry?" Jacob asked, his blue eyes locked on the little boy who was staring down at the floor. "You were so excited when they first came to pick you up and you wrote me letters telling me everything was okay with the River family."
"I lied," Henry admitted, crying instead of sobbing. "I just wanted a family who loved me! They kept punishing me. I never did anything right for them. I didn't want to be there anymore. Is it fine – is it okay if I stay here again? I don't want those two as my Mom and Dad anymore."
"We should go and get you in some warm clothes, boy," Jacob said, rising from the bench. "I'll call the Rivers in a bit and let them know you'll be staying here and that you got here safe."
"They won't care," Henry said, getting up from the bench as well and nearly slipping on the floor because of the puddle he brought into the home for many children. "There's no point."
"Whether or not that may be true, Henry, you always have to at least let the parents know where their child is," Jacob explained and held Henry's hand as the two began to walk off. "Even if they weren't the best of parents. Good parents will find you one day, Henry."
Paige watched them walk off into another room and turned to Prue, "So Henry ran away."
"The family drove him to it," Prue explained. "They weren't letting Henry be a kid. They were using him more as a servant to do chores the father was too lazy to do and would punish him if he did something wrong. It was too much labor for a kid who just wanted to have that family with the big nice home and even a pet. The Rivers family weren't the ones who were willing to give him that. Neither was this next family I'm about to show you."
"I'm already beginning to understand what made Henry so reluctant to speak about his life," Paige said. "Is this next magical clip the one where Henry gives a family another shot? I remember him telling me it was the second family." She waited for her non-responsive guide to answer her, but the only response she got was a solemn look from Prue. The two then vanished in the shimmering white glow from a time where Henry dismissed the name Henry Rivers and returned to just being Henry.
(X)
Sam and Henry appeared in the Matthews home in the living room where they instantly saw Frederick and Sarah Matthews who have aged approximately ten years since the last time trip. "Which event is this?" Henry asked as he watched Sarah pick at her cuticles as Frederick looked at his watch more times than necessary.
"This is the part in Paige's life where she suddenly began to feel lost as to who she is," Sam answered, watching the Matthews fret about this conversation as he was already familiar with it without gaining the extensive knowledge about the moments in his daughter's life.
"Paige! Please come downstairs!" Frederick finally found the strength to shout.
"Are you sure, Fred?" Sarah asked, moving closer to her husband. "A voice inside me is screaming that she might be better off just not knowing. She's never even questioned this before."
"It wouldn't be honest to her, Sarah. I know you want the best for her, as do I, but leading her on isn't fair her," Frederick admitted, hearing Paige charge down the steps.
The pale fourteen year old entered the living room with her hair in a ponytail and the tone was much darker than Sarah's. The headphones to her walkman were around her neck as she held the device in her pocket. She grinned at her foster parents with her new braces and asked, "Is this going to take long, Dad? I have to meet with Natalie at the diner for lunch."
"This might actually take some time, Paige," Sarah said as she walked over to Paige and lead her to the couch. They both sat down and she took a deep breath before saying, "This isn't easy for us to tell you, but we must be honest with you. Before I tell you this, please understand that we both love you very much."
Paige's eyebrows rose as she clenched her teeth tighter than a girl who just got braces a month ago should, "Uh... Oh my gosh, you two aren't getting divorced are you? Please don't! That would totally suck!"
"We're not getting divorced, honey," Frederick assured her. "We also hope our family doesn't fall apart worst in ways we imagine would be worst than a divorce after we tell you this."
"After you tell me what?" Paige replied, gripping her foster mother's hand. She turned to Sarah and asked, "What's going on, Mom?"
The word 'Mom' nearly crumbled Sarah's heart as she feared that may be the last time she ever heard it from Paige, a girl who she loved so much and always considered her a daughter of her own flesh and blood. Her eyes began to water and she couldn't find the strength to confess to Paige a secret they'd been keeping, "I can't, Fred. Look at her..."
Frederick looked at a very confused Paige and it hurt him so much to have to say what he was going to have to say, but realized it would hurt more for Sarah to hear it as she blamed herself for not being able to have children. He just had to be honest to Paige, "See, Paige, this is going to be the toughest thing we'll ever have to admit to you. Three days after you were born, we fell instantly in love with you when-"
"How is three days 'instant'?" Paige interrupted, squinting as she bit on the corner of her lower lip. She flailed her free hand around and asked, "Was there something so unloving about me when I came out of Mom or what?"
Frederick tried to choose his words carefully, but nothing would come out right. "That wasn't the issue, honey. It was just a matter of we adopted you on November 5th; three days after you were born."
The young teenager stopped biting her lip and her jaw quickly dropped. All breathing seemed to stop as she felt bizarre tingles spread down from her neck onto her shoulders. The tingles grew more violent as they moved down to her arms and the last time she felt her hand for a few seconds was when she removed it from under Sarah's. "I- I'm adopted?! But... you guys showed me pictures of me in the hospital? Or was that just some random baby you stampeded to with your cameras?"
"It was you, Paige," Sarah assured, a tear sliding down her blushing cheek. "We brought you to the hospital with the proper papers to get you a birth certificate and to make sure you were okay. We're still your parents, Paige, maybe not biologically, but we raised you as our child."
Paige found the strength to stand up and said, "I would ask you who my biological parents are, but you would probably lie and tell me you don't know who they are, wouldn't you?" She shifted a harsh glare at each of them and pressed further, "Well?"
"We don't know, Paige," Frederick stated. "There was a nun who your biological parents delivered you to, but even she didn't know who they were. We have no way of finding out who they are."
"Maybe a blood test?" Paige suggested. "That's kinda the obvious answer. You two didn't raise me stupid, just so you know."
"Why would you even want to find these people, Paige? It's like you said, we're the ones that raised you," Sarah said, standing as well now.
"I don't know what I want," Paige admitted, throwing the walkman out of her pocket and onto the floor in a sudden rage. She breathed and said, "This just changed everything. I... I don't even know what my proper response should be about this. Do I just completely ignore the fact that my real parents didn't want me or do I get mad at you for not telling me sooner?"
"Paige, we do know that you weren't given up because they didn't love you, there were just some problems they had to work out and knew you were safer with another family and you've lead a safe life with us," Sarah explained. "Please, take your time to understand this, but remember to keep us close as we're still a family; a tight little unit as you like to call us."
Paige put her hands to her face and turned her back to her parents. "I just can't be here right now. Nothing feels real. This doesn't even feel like my home right now and I feel like my name was just put on a sticky note and pasted onto your family tree." The young girl quickly proceeded out of the room and left the house, unsure of what was real in her fourteen years of existence.
Henry turned to Sam who seemed to be embarrassed as it was his suggestion to even hide his daughter. This was the first time Henry sincerely felt bad for Sam and he asked, "So how are you taking this?"
"I always knew Paige wouldn't take this well. I was watching in my own way, but didn't get to hear how confused she was after learning this," Sam said. "I did that to her."
Henry wanted to console him, but honestly still couldn't find the place to throw away all his anger towards this man, even if he managed to finally gain some sympathy from him. "Can we move on?" The mortal couldn't even find the courage to turn to Sam after being so disregarding and disrespectful.
Sam disapprovingly shook his head with the way Henry just expressed himself and sent them both on their way with a thought.
(X)
A dingy house with creaky floorboards, air tainted by the smell of cigarettes, stained walls, and rain dripping from the living room ceiling due to the puddle above it all welcomed two shimmering white glows which quickly formed into Paige and Prue. Paige looked up at the dripping ceiling and quickly moved Prue from under it as two more drops descended.
"It wouldn't have touched me," Prue commented, then smirked. "Thanks for the considerate assist though."
"I never got to save you from a famous fireball, so I guess protecting you from drops of water is my substitute," Paige joked, then looked around. "So, where would we be now? The next house to be found on one of those home makeover shows?" The hybrid tucked her hands into the pockets of her skirt as her heels walked over the floorboards, which weren't creaking due to her current spiritual features.
"This is the home where you'll be forced to witness the terrible memory Henry is keeping from you," Prue answered, walking closer to her youngest half-sister. "Sorry to be so blunt about it, but I was having trouble finding the right words."
"Well you did a bang up job on being blunt," Paige replied, removing her hands from her pockets. "You got the message across. Can you give me a little heads up on what I should be expecting? No guns are involved, are they?" The Witchlighter hated guns and found them to be more dangerous than demons, especially since having three children brought into her life. The thought of a gun being around her terrified her to the point where she would rather expose herself to orb a gun into a volcano than have it pointed anywhere near her children.
"No guns, but the sight is just as terrifying, if not more," Prue said.
The two then heard footsteps as a nine year old Henry appeared into the living room, naturally looking older with his now dark brown hair brushed back over his forehead and a mop in his hand. He walked through Prue as he began to mop the puddle on the floor without being told. He wiped as fast as he could with the worries of his foster father coming home and finding his living room in a cautionary state, not to mention having to run upstairs to lay out several towels to absorb the problem upstairs.
Paige looked around and said, "I can't find a single toy here. Not even a helmet to a bike or anything. It's as if a kid doesn't even live here."
"Henry is nine here and has accepted that he just can't be a child in this home. The foster mother at this time left a few weeks ago..." Prue stopped as she heard the front door open where she and Paige both saw a man in a trench coat with the hood from the sweater under on his head.
Henry tried to wipe even faster, not registering that he was only splattering more of the water around the living room in different spots. As the footsteps closed in on him, he turned around and faced his foster father and said, "Oh, hey. There you go. I was just mopping here."
The man took off his trench coat and muttered, "I see." He lowered his hood and revealed he was balding on the center of his head with dirty blond hair around it. "Why the hell is there water on my damn floor? Huh, Henry?!"
"It's raining out and there must've been some tiles still missing from that last storm on the roof," Henry guessed, rubbing his nose to hopefully distract him. "I called a guy to come fix it and he should be coming tomorrow."
"You called a guy? You used my phone?" The foster father, Ernie, closed in on Henry and smacked the mop out of his hand. "How do you intend to pay this guy? You workin'?"
"No," Henry answered. "I just thought you would want to fix the roof."
"Under my own damn conditions, not yours!" Ernie shouted, violently pushing Henry down to the floor where he slid a foot further because of the puddle.
Paige glared at Ernie and raised her hand, forgetting she couldn't make contact into the physical plane of the past. She slapped her hand against her thigh and told Prue, "I wish I could just orb this bastard to the middle of the ocean. He doesn't look like much of a swimmer."
"It gets worst, unfortunately," Prue said, running a hand through her hair as she knew what happened, but never got to see it personally. "At least you'll finally understand why Henry is so terrified by this moment."
"Fine, we don't have to hire him!" Henry cried out, holding up his defensive hands at the abusive foster father of his as he began to close in on him.
"Oh, really? So are you going to buy a ladder and fix the roof yourself?"Ernie shouted with a drunk slur, alcohol reeking from his breath. He smiled darkly and his teeth were stained so yellow no amount of toothpaste could recover from and a lot of plaque running below his gums. "I sure as hell don't think I'm gonna let the neighbors see you climbing up this house and fixing this place? I'm the man of this house!"
Henry began to crawl backwards from the base of his hands as Ernie continued to move in on him. It wasn't long before Ernie swung at him and Henry rolled out of the way, making his best efforts to get to his feet. "Don't touch me!" Henry cried once more, getting to his feet and running around the couch.
"You dare move from me, boy?!" Ernie shouted, chasing after Henry who was doing his best to run from the aggressive man. The abusive man seemed to gain favor by the weather as he watched Henry slide across the floor, falling onto his back. He snickered as he leaned over Henry, grabbing him by his throat with one hand and slapping him in the face with the other. He picked him up by both his neck and shirt collar and growled, "If I swing at you, you best learn to take it!" With one ferocious hurl, he threw Henry helplessly through the air at a wall.
Henry's nine year old body crashed into the wall, breaking the plaster at the great collision, and the boy crumpled to the floor with splinters in his back amongst various scratches. He couldn't even take the time to register what happened as he instantly blacked out once making the contact.
Ernie didn't seem to be remorseful as he walked past Henry's body to go to the kitchen and have another beer.
"Oh, my God," Paige whispered, putting a hand to her mouth as she watched Henry's limp body rest on the floor, urging to run over and heal him. She turned her back and stared at Prue with watery eyes, "I can't see this. Just tell me what happens next."
"Just like the foster mother who left, Henry leaves as soon as he gains conscious. Ernie is arrested for this abuse and Henry returned to the foster home badly bruised up," Prue answered, deeply disturbed by the sight herself. "You married a strong man, Paige. I can even see why he would try to hide this from you. He's simply haunted by this memory as he was abused so bad he didn't even get to realize what happened. It all happened so quickly. One minute he's mopping in fear of a man who's supposed to be his father, the next minute he's bullied and the minute after that, he's laid out."
"I want to go see him now, Prue," Paige begged. "Please. I have to see him."
"I have a couple more things to show you, Paige. Then I can reunite you with your husband," Prue walked over to Paige and gave her a consoling hug and a shoulder to quickly weep on. "Everything will be working its way back to fine after this journey is over." She enclosed her half-sister tighter and the two vanished in the shimmering white glow.
(X)
Sam and Henry appeared in the standard fashion in this time traveling trip on a rooftop and under the midnight blue sky where they saw a teenage Paige sitting a couple of feet away. Henry walked closer to her and asked Sam, "Where are we now?"
"Two days after Paige's foster parents died in that car crash. Since she was still underage, she came to live with her Aunt Jackie and her Uncle Dave," Sam answered, holding his own personal memory here. "She was suck a wreck."
"I can see that," Henry replied, eyeing the seventeen year old Paige.
Paige's jet black hair was wrapped up in a ponytail and the heavy bangs she styled over her forehead was combed back. The day she lost her parents was the day she lost her rebellious edge as they were the reason she acted out. She regretted it so much. As more tears stained her porcelain cheeks, her sobs evolved into full cries and she whispered, "I'm so sorry, Mom and Dad. I was a bad daughter and now it's too late for me to make that up. I feel terrible, so terrible... Why couldn't I just accept that you were my parents, the ones who were there when I first crawled, the ones that were there every Christmas, and more importantly, you two are my family. Blood or not and I treated you horribly."
Paige heavily sniffed her running nose as she wiped her flooding eyes with her gray sleeve. She pounded her fist against the rooftop and said, "How the hell did I even survive? I was in the same car as you were... and yet, I'm rolling through the streets as you two are left to die. How the hell is that? I was the bad one, you two didn't deserve to die for me. It's all my fault." The fierce wind blew Paige's hair back as she looked down at the concrete ground and said, "I don't even deserve to be alive while you two aren't. I should just..." Paige tightened the grip on her legs as she considered her thoughts of suicide.
The winds continued to whistle as Paige found herself more tempted by the thought of replacing all this guilt with a pain that would only hurt a little, but would be worth it. She rose to her feet and stepped closer to the ledge when she could've sworn she heard a voice in the wind.
"Don't do it, Paige."
She quickly turned around and the only thing she saw were leaves flying through the air as some unordinary specks of blue lights hid behind them, quickly vanishing. Paige looked up to the sky where she wanted to thank the heavenly angel that saved her from her destructive thoughts, but she was distracted by a constellation of a Roman numeral two just floating in the air. Little did she know the sign represented how her power was watching over her, having finally found her again after she orbed out from the car wreck. Now that the great representation of her power knew she was safe, it parted ways until the time would come for her to use her powers more often. This sign would also consciously embed itself into Paige's mind as something she liked, later using for her Book of Shadows.
The teenager wiped her eyes dry one last time before reentering the house through the window, shutting it close behind her.
Henry turned to Sam and shrugged his shoulders, "I don't get it. What was that voice?"
Sam remained silent, deciding whether or not he wanted to answer it. He sincerely wanted Henry's approval so he would feel comfortable in Paige's home to stop by for random visits and he said, "I told her. I quickly left after doing so, I was just hoping she would listen to me and I'm glad it made her think twice. I often watched her through her life. I was there for the first few days of her life with the Matthews, more importantly the day they adopted her, and whenever I felt her emotionally upset, I would get a hit. I always responded to that quicker than I did with any charge."
"So you didn't completely abandon her," Henry commented.
"Of course not. Just as Patty watched after her in the heavens, I personally kept watch over her as well," Sam explained. "She was my daughter. It was bad enough I couldn't raise her, but I couldn't just turn my back on her either. Look at what could've been the result here tonight."
"Why didn't you ever tell Paige?" Henry asked.
"It wasn't my place to pop up and state all this," the Whitelighter guide replied. He grinned. "I suppose you learned something about me tonight though."
"I guess so," Henry said, staring down Sam with more respect than he ever had for him.
(X)
Paige and Prue appeared, parted from their hug, in the clean hallway of the Mitchell home where a vast amount of pictures were hung on the wall with several sorts of different frames protecting them. The Witchlighter rubbed her forehead and said, "This teleporting thing is kinda getting on my nerves."
"Coming from a girl who orbs her way through everywhere," Prue replied, grinning. "Very interesting."
"Yeah, well I don't orb back in time. Although that would be one hell of an advancement," Paige pondered, going so far to exaggerate by rubbing her chin. She dropped her hand and asked, "Where are we now? House of Mitchell?"
"You got it," Prue answered, guiding Paige through the foyer of the beautifully clean house and into the kitchen where they saw a nineteen year old Henry with a cast on his hand as he sat at the table. Another man with sandy brown hair was at the stove, making a couple of omelets.
"This must be where Henry learned to make his Mitchell Omelet," Paige guessed with a smirk. "But he told me on his birthday that he just made it up on the spot..."
"Maybe he covered it up by saying so. My guess is that some things are harder to talk about than he lets on," Prue examined. "What we're viewing here is one week after Henry's foster mother died."
"Prematurely, you should add," Paige said, turning to Prue. "Henry told me she died in a car crash. That was another thing we found out we had in common."
"Is that all he told you?" Prue asked. Her half-sister nodded and the deceased Halliwell said, "Watch as this unfolds then." Both turned to Henry and his foster father, Gregory.
Gregory walked off to let the omelets sizzle and sat at the table across from Henry. The silence was still as Henry just stared at his cast before whispering, "I'm sorry, Dad."
"Stop blaming yourself," Gregory practically ordered. "It was out of your control and I'm glad I just didn't lose the both of you."
"It's just... a part of me feels like that I could've made some better choices on the road. I don't have anything else to blame it on. The roads weren't icy or slippery, it's not like I was drunk, so the only factor left was me," he raised the arm with the cast around the hand and shook his head, "And this is all I got from it. A cast that I can remove within a month while my mother is dead."
"So he was driving the car," Paige said above a whisper. "This boy was keeping way too many skeletons in his closet." She ran a hand through her dark hair as she continued to look on.
Gregory stood up and made his way back to the stove, "Henry, as much as I want someone to blame as well, there isn't. Some guy made a terrible choice on the road, and that guy wasn't you. It was the guy that forced you to turn into that building and poor Samantha was just on the wrong side at the wrong time. I don't blame you, son..."
"But...?" Henry said, feeling his foster father drag off.
"I miss my wife. I miss your mother. She was the one who decided she wanted a child and you were thirteen when we adopted you and you just seemed to have such great care for all the kids at the foster center, helping them all out with your advice. She originally wanted a child, but she saw someone more special in you. You know that, right?"
"Yeah, I had the special talent to kill her," Henry muttered, but it was apparently loud enough for Gregory to hear.
"Stop speaking like that!" Gregory shouted, turning away from the stove. "It was an accident! You didn't purposely run along the side of the wall until she died! You didn't kill your mother and this is the last I want to hear of it! Get over this guilt so you can properly mourn her. I don't want you being so scared on reflecting on the woman she was because of the guilt making you believe you're the reason she no longer is. Samantha wouldn't blame you for her death. Know that."
The foster father turned his back to Henry and left the kitchen, phasing through Prue as he stormed out. All he left in the kitchen was a guilty injured foster son, omelets cooking, and two invisible witches.
Prue rested her hand on Paige's shoulder and said, "I have one last thing to show you." The two were enveloped in the shimmering white glow and vanished from the scene.
(X)
Sam and Henry appeared in the very familiar environment of P3, but only a few years back. The Barenaked Ladies were playing on stage and the crowd seemed to be really enjoying themselves on the night such a prominent band was playing in their city. Henry spotted a younger Piper at the counter serving her customers and he turned to Sam, "Why are we here?"
"You've seen events of Paige's life which have shaped her to be who she is today, but as you know, she's found herself seeking enlightenment. After her parents died, she got this thought to just get on up and look for her blood family," Sam explained, nodding towards Piper. "Her search failed, but as I'm sure she would tell you, she always felt she had a connection with her sisters." The Whitelighter pointed to a small round table where a younger Paige, early twenties, was sitting enjoying a mineral water through a flute glass and had papers sitting in front of her.
Paige found herself singing along with the Barenaked Ladies before she managed to hear a scream on the other side of the bar where she found Prue and Phoebe clapping as Piper was hugging that boyfriend of hers. Little did she know that Piper had just accepted his proposal, but she couldn't help but grin, "Cool family," she muttered, secretly urging she was a part of them. She decided to mind her own business and returned to her mineral water as the band played on.
"As she always felt a connection to the club, she always felt a greater connection with her sisters," Sam explained. "Her parents telling her she was adopted set Paige off on the path to discovering who she really is and this new destiny of hers is what's going to help her achieve it."
"Take me back to Paige," Henry requested. "I have to see her."
"I understand," Sam said, offering his hand. "I may have forgotten to mention we have to shake on it again to leave this trip."
"I hold less objections to it this time," Henry stated as he clasped his father-in-law's hand, quickly vanishing in a shimmering white glow.
(X)
Paige and Prue appeared in an alley where Paige instantly sucked her teeth. "Even in a trip through time, I'm forced to find my way into an alley."
"Tell me about it," Prue said as she began to wander down the alley. "Though I'll take an alley any day over all the mist Up There. It really is quite annoying."
"That's just your witch nature speaking, but it seems to have the right idea in mind," Paige complimented, following Prue. "So what are we doing here? I don't think it got worst for Henry after he left home and moved to San Francisco."
"It didn't. In this final portion, I'm supposed to show you what all these events led up to," Prue explained, pointing down the end of the alley where they both saw a twenty-three year old Henry walking out of the alley with a young African American boy beside him.
"Are you sure you're alright?" Henry asked him. The boy nodded and he said, "Now, Connor-"
"Don't call me that!" The eight year old exclaimed, sucking his teeth. "I hate when people be callin' me dat."
"Fine, but what exactly would you like me to call you? Got a nickname?" Henry asked, then grinned. "I'll warn you now that I refuse to call you 'Pimp Daddy' or anything like that."
"Call me 'Speed'," the boy replied, slightly amused by Henry's remark but was trying to be too tough to show it.
"Alright, Speed. I've been assigned to watch over you and make sure you're alright, and let's just say that I was called to duty just in time. What's an eight year old like you doing messing with those teenagers? They're gonna get you killed," Henry said, reaching the end of the alley after both him and Speed phased through Paige and Prue.
"Age doesn't matter on the streets, man," Speed replied. "I gotta do what I gotta do, to make that paper and be able to live."
"I'm going to give you my phone number. I want you to call me if someone tries to threaten you into doing something against your will. You already got one strike against you and I want to make sure you can avoid anymore," Henry sincerely said.
"Who are you?" Speed asked, stopping at the curb.
"I'm Henry," the parole officer simply responded. "Henry Mitchell."
Paige turned to Prue and said, "This is actually a charge of mine. Ten years from this point, I mean. He's actually the one that brought me and Henry get together, now that I think about it."
Prue grinned, "Kinda makes you think a little more about your marriage, doesn't it?" Paige nodded and Prue took her half-sister's hand. "I would certainly expect so after this little trip. How about we go see him then?"
"Please," Paige responded, feeling herself returning back to the plane already the moment the white shimmering glow closed in on her eyes.
(X)
Henry and Sam were standing across from each other in the realm where this all started. The clouds were still rotating around them and the dark blue water was still under their feet. Claira currently wasn't there, for reasons unknown, but Henry didn't seem to mind as he was having a personal discussion with Sam. "Are you sure about this? This is really big... You know?"
"I'm positive, son," Sam said, pausing to see if Henry would object to the title. To his content, it was fine and he continued, "It's not as if I never got to use it, as much as I wanted too."
"Thank you, sir," the mortal responded.
Paige and Prue appeared and Prue smirked at Sam, "How's it going?"
"Successful. You?" Sam asked.
Prue nudged Paige in the arm and the Witchlighter quickly smiled at her father before running into Henry's arms. The two tightly embraced, now closer to each other than ever, and not in a physical sense. They both felt sparks that alerted the opposite of how much they clearly knew each other with the magical assist. Paige pulled apart a little and said, "I understand now, Henry. I'm so sorry for trying to force you to come out with that horrible, horrible day. It wasn't my place and..."
"It was your place, Paige. You're my wife, but after everything I learned about you today and that you learned from me, I think we're stronger than before. We should even start over. No more secrets, no more stories with pages missing," Henry let go of Paige as he kneeled down, wetting his knee in the watery platform of this realm, and he reached into his pocket where he pulled out a ring. The silver band held only one diamond melted in the middle and he looked into Paige's stunned eyes, "Paige, we're already married, but I want to start over. Will you remarry me?"
Paige grinned and turned to Prue out of shock. "I wasn't expecting this to come from this journey."
"He has my approval," Prue commented, grinning.
"Mine's as well," Sam added. "Assuming it matters."
"Of course it does," Paige replied, turning back to her her husband who was on one knee, waiting for an answer on his pending proposal. "Are you sure about this? Marrying me again? Are you addicted to weddings or something?"
Henry chuckled and said, "Paige, this all changed me. For the better. I'll feel more of an honest man and feel a little prouder with the way I've handled this marriage if we can have a clean slate. So will you remarry me, Paige?"
Paige nodded as her amber eyes gazed down at him, "Yes."
Henry stood to his feet and passionately kissed his fiancee, but still wife, and put the ring to her finger. He slid it onto the ring finger of her left hand where her wedding band was. The ring gently clinked with her wedding ring before the diamond emitted a small blue glow which matched the tone of orbs. Both seemed surprised and Henry turned to Sam as Paige stared at her husband.
"Uh, Henry. Where exactly did you get this?" Paige asked, returning her brown eyes to the ring, just in time to see the glow vanish.
"Your father," Henry answered. "What exactly was that, Sam?"
"Just a couple of orbs I managed to squeeze into the diamond. Whitelighter pay didn't grant me the money I needed to buy Patty a ring, so I needed my own way to make it special for her," the Whitelighter explained. "Of course, I never got a chance to ask for her hand in marriage, but I always carried it on me."
"Nice to know you more than just loved my mother and it wasn't just some romantic rendezvous," Prue said, never truly appreciating Sam for all he was, especially after learning about his joint decision with her mother as to what would become of Paige.
Paige, "Thanks, Dad." She turned back to Henry and said, "This day has just turned around more than anyone could've predicted."
"No kidding. Birthday yesterday, engaged again today," Henry replied, smiling. "We'll do everything right this time."
"I know we will," Paige said, taking his hands in hers. "We should go home and talk though. Heaven knows we got enough material to keep us up for weeks." She turned to Prue and Sam, "Thank you so much, you guys."
"Always a pleasure," Prue graced. "Keep taking care of yourself, Paige. You as well, Henry."
"Prue, right?" Henry asked. She nodded. "Nice to meet you. Thanks for the approval." He turned to Sam and said, "Come over soon. Meet your grandchildren. Please."
"I will. Good luck, you two," Sam wished as he Prue vanished in shimmering white lights, returning to different destinations.
"Now you got to meet the family and make up with them," Paige commented. "You're off to a good start on this new marriage thing."
"You know me, I like making the effort," Henry replied. "Let's just go home now. And talk."
"I'd like that," the Witchlighter replied as she tried to orb out, but only willed the teleportation method of the shimmering white glow, accompanying them out of this realm one last time.
End of Chapter.
A/Note: Even if I don't deserve, kindly leave some comments if a full-blown review is just too overwhelming for you.