A/Note: Well, I generally don't leave the synopsis at the opening of the chapters, occasionally just a teaserline, but I kinda just wanna leave this here. I was going to be posting this chapter after I completed Chapters 26, 27 and 28, but since I'm having potential laptop issues, I wanted to leave something for you guys. I didn't want to mess with any continuity that might bite me in the ass later, so I simplified it in this chapter. I hope you enjoy, this is one of my favorites right up there with "Halliwells". I hope the finale is written with as much effort as I put here.
Chapter 25 – Ghost Whitelighter
Teaserline: As her spirit stays still, time goes by...
Synopsis: After the eventful battle against Valen's power, the family has been shattered as Paige is under an intense coma cast by primeval magic. While the family's safe due to Billie's magical assistance, the barrier she has projected for them has left them in a predicament that will only work against freeing Paige from her cursed slumber.
Unfortunately for Paige, the world still cycles in natural order as her spirit is confined to the hospital room her body rests in. What forces lie beyond that may save Paige from this dark enchantment?
July 1st, 2007.
Shackled to the body that wouldn't move, Paige in the transparent vision of a spirit, stared at her actual body resting peacefully atop the white sheeted bed, dressed in a matching gown with blue speckles and her dark hair against what she assumed to be a comfortable white pillow. It was too much white to the point it nerved her, but there was nothing she could do. She was connected to a couple machines, pressure wraps around her arms, and wires that monitored her heart rate and other things, but she hated this sight of her, so beyond vulnerable. As she had learned already, there was nothing she could do.
Her spirit had been ejected from her body for over a week, confined to this room as wherever her body went, so did she. She was a conscious prisoner inside the hospital ward, as her body didn't even feel to be a part of her any longer as she felt so distant from it, even if she was just a couple ghostly footsteps away.
All the times she banished or studied a spirit, she'd never tried to make sense of how long it took them to be able to use the deathly abilities they wielded. She just wanted to be able to possess someone for a few minutes, just so she could speak to Henry and let him know that she wasn't dead (obviously) nor in a coma forever and would eventually find a passage free. She wanted to see her son and daughters, even if she still clearly remembered how they looked and didn't seem to be losing any memory or anything else in her time between the world of life and death. Except her sanity.
Everything was out of her control and beyond her power. There would be no orbing away from this problem, whenever she talked, her voice wasn't heard and she couldn't even break the barriers that kept her room-bound. She didn't want to be a spirit, hovering between life and death for so long that she was able to teach herself these powers, but if it was her only option, she would just have to find patience. Through patience, power would follow.
In her short time as a spirit, that felt twice as long than a week due to her inability to rest, Paige continued to practice her meditation techniques to preserve the peace in her spirit. As much as she was willing to wait until she could develop spiritual powers, she didn't want them to be channeled through anger, resentment or fury.
The door opened and Billie transpired, a gothic black leather bag fastened around her shoulder and a crystal vase assorted of different, colorful flowers. Whether Paige was in a coma or not, Billie was the type to knock and enter without waiting for a reply; at least she had the sense to not bother knocking. The sorceress looked exhausted, her usual excessive energy absent. Paige wondered if it was because she had finally settled down after getting many of her affairs in order, such as fulfilling her quest to embrace her inner sorceress and finding Christy, or if she was up to something new.
Apart from the poorly combed hair and the dark circles under her eyes, the bounce in her step was gone. She approached Paige in such a sluggish manner, looking like an employee going through the same routine at work every morning. She planted the flowers down besides Paige on the push-a-way table next to her after having had to move some other flowers and cards from family, friends and charges.
"Hey, Paige," Billie said, the red in her eyes evidence of her guilt. "I don't mean to disturb you, I just wanted to make sure you're okay. I can't seem to make much sense of my power in saving you, I figured I'd share. Cameron's mother told me I'd be able to commune with spirits easily, but I can't find you." The young blonde sat on top of an uncomfortable black chair, but she lounged back, seeming to find rest in sitting alone. "Maybe it has something to do with whatever black magic Valen imprinted on your soul."
Paige walked over to the opposite side of the bed and just gazed at a guilty Billie. "I wish you would just rest and stop blaming yourself." She recognized this same Billie from when she was only a witch who had killed her sister in defense, but the difference was that the only thing Billie could do was to accept her actions as attempting to use her power to return through time only failed. The next time she'd seen Billie, who had done soul-searching in her actions, was close to the same Billie she'd learn to love before the trials of the Ultimate Battle. She feared Billie would be clinging onto desperate hope to save her and as touched as she was, she didn't want the young sorceress to direct her life around her.
But, her ghostly words were spoken to the air around her and never reached Billie's ears.
"Um, but I've been going through some books Cameron got me. One of them spoke of cursed comas and suggested some things I can do to help you out or maybe give you some strength. I figure anything is worth a shot, you know," Billie sheepishly looked down to the floor. "I don't even know if you can hear me, but it's just easier to believe you're still in there somewhere."
She turned to the flowers and said, "Now, these all may play some effect in healing you." She reached for one, then discarded it back into the vase before fully pulling it out and said, "Actually, I can't remember which is which, but I know it's safe. Some flowers, like ingredients within a potion, don't come off as well as others. I got some basil and clover for good wishes and luck, borage for something else and boxwood for endurance. Oh, courage. Borage is for courage. I forgot, I even made that little jingle to it so I wouldn't forget. It went like..." she stopped herself, resisted a yawn, and kept quiet for a couple of seconds. "You probably wouldn't want to hear that anyway, awake or not."
Paige's heart argued, urging for Billie to sing whatever silly memory song she had thought up.
"Anyways, I got a single ambrosia because it represents a love returned, and I just want you to return back to us, the people who love you," Billie said, her eyes bordering tears. She picked up Paige's hand, instantly sending some warmth through Paige's freezing spirit and it was these moments that the Witchlighter loved how her spirit was chained to her body. "My favorite would have to be Angelica, the flower of the angels. I hope they're taking care of you, whether you're walking on some spiritual plane or trapped inside your body, I just hope this flower helps the angels find you if they haven't already."
Billie picked her bag up from the floor and withdrew a purple candle, holding it up. She feigned a grin for Paige, realizing how unnecessary it was as she didn't know of Paige's current presence. "I was going to try a ritual, but I just can't seem to call upon the Powers the spell requires. I was just sampling it back at the house and I couldn't seem to call forth those damn Powers and I really wanna call upon the Powers, Paige, because then I can save you and then you can help me save Christy for the third time."
"Christy?" Paige asked, wondering if a whisper of a thought played into Billie's mind when she responded accordingly.
"Since the night you fell into a coma, I haven't seen Christy. I don't know if she's alive or dead, but I can't track her. I tried the stone and nothing. Summoning spells, nothing. A spell to bring me to her and even in your sleep, you guessed it – nothing." She dropped the candle back into the bag, returned it all onto the floor and buried her face into her hands. "Just like I hope there's something to find in you, I hope there's something left of Christy for me to find. I can't function without knowing either, especially when I became a sorceress who should be able to know these things."
She unearthed her face and took ahold of Paige's hand once more, "I promise you though, I'm looking after your family. I'm protecting them at all times with extra precautions. Crystals, warding spells, and a spell I cast which is aided by my projection power. It has us all hidden from Rose or Valen or whoever the hell she is now along with Avo. It came with a cost though, but to stay hidden from an ancient power such as Valen, we have to keep our powers to a minimum. That's why I'm terrified it might take us forever to save you because we wanna be sure that we won't be exposing everyone at the risk of something backfiring. Just know, Paige, your sisters have been reaching into their connections and hopefully we'll come across something. Someone has to know something. An Elder, a dwarf or whatever." She yawned, not having enough strength to contain it. She stood up, let go of Paige's hand and forced her back into the deathly chill of her spirit.
Billie retrieved her bag from the floor and told Paige, "I'll be back around soon enough. I know Henry wants to stop by to speak with the doctors, so I'm going to get back to the house to stay with the kids." She looked as if she wanted to say more, but she gazed around the room with her doleful green eyes, almost as if she believed Paige was only a foot away from her in some presence. "Yeah..." she turned her back, struggling in a battle with her tears again and vanished from the room.
Henry.
Peter. Sarah. Samantha.
The thought of each and everyone one of them cast about an even icier chill to her spirit, causing her to feel as if she'd never be able to hold her husband's hand again or kiss her children's forehead, and as each memory stemmed from another, the root of Paige transforming into a malevolent spirit began.
(X)
July 2nd, 2007.
Nurse May entered the room the next day to shut the blinds by mid-afternoon, accidentally forgetting to have done so the night before. The grim thought of Paige not knowing anyway ran through her mind and she terminated her guilt instantly. "It's a terrible day out there, Mrs. Matthews. Very heavy rain. It looks like those April showers were very much delayed, don't you think?"
May rolled her eyes at herself as she was one of those people who spoke to a comatose patient, unaware if her words were actually processing through their brain waves. It was too early to make sense of anything yet, in terms of Paige. She clapped her hands together, much like a cheerleader, and joyously added, "Well, at least you'll have your daily visitor today. I saw your sister signing in downstairs, I expect she'll be here in a moment. You must really be loved to have so many people coming in to see you since you arrived."
The nurse inspected some of Billie's flowers and noticed some of them were drying out already, "I'll go see which of these I can go save." She took the vase of flowers, robbing Paige of their potential sorcerous effect for the time being when she left the room.
Paige's spirit had just watched the entire scenario in a corner of the room, upset that May closed the blinds. That was her only opportunity to watch the city, awake or silent, and without the power to move the blinds herself, she would only be allowed to listen to the heavy rainfall and thunderous roars, both of which she suspected to be a sign of Valen's plotting. Or was it Rose? She knew she'd seen Rose's body on the exterior, a bit aged with ancient wisdom, but the power she displayed was too tremendous to be that of her own. If only she had saved her last year...
Moments later, Phoebe walked into the room and threw her broken umbrella into the garbage once she reached it. Paige knew her sister to afford those sturdy umbrellas, but it appeared the storm championed a win over Phoebe regardless. Her suede jacket was drenched, possibly ruined beyond saving, but the usual vanity sister didn't seem to care. She approached her sleeping sister, visiting her for the second time after the battle. Paige wondered if this time, Phoebe would actually speak to her.
Phoebe sat on the same chair all the visitors sat on, drenching it, as well as dripping a pool of water around her feet. She tucked her hands between her knees and just stared at Paige's still face, mentally urging her to reawaken this instant. But too many instants passed before Phoebe relinquished the thought.
"You, know, Paige... I just can't believe how you could be so stupid," Phoebe insulted, never looking away from her younger half-sister as she scolded her. "I mean, I've made the same mistake before as well. Running into the Underworld to rescue someone I love, not even scared that he might be in some huge demonic district. Prue died because of my mistake. The difference is, you knew very well where Billie was going to be and you only brought Piper and Cameron with you. I have my powers back, I could've helped you fight her off. But no, you wanted to protect my wedding."
Paige looked on, horrified at how upset Phoebe sounded. She thought she and Piper were doing the right thing when they decided to leave Phoebe out of it; a demon-free wedding day, uninterrupted by magic. Looking back on it now, this was the worst interruption for any of the sisters, having won over Prue's astral soul running loose and Phoebe herself going invisible before unknowingly committing to a black wedding.
"Paige, I may never have the perfect wedding and I've made my peace with that. If only one demon stops by, I can handle that, but to realize I was left out from what you knew to be so big a fight that you had to recruit a Phoenix to tag along, I can't help myself but be pissed with you. I love you for what you did, but for all I know, you may never come back to us and if that's because of how you wanted to protect my wedding, I just don't know how I'll be able to go on. It'll be my fault for wanting to be a true Cinderella, finally, and most importantly, there's you. I can't lose another sister, Paige. Piper can't either," Phoebe's eyes were brimming with tears and slowly began to flow down her already wet cheeks. "We need you to come back to us because if you don't, I know for sure I won't be able to move forward anymore."
Phoebe brushed Paige's hair and cried, "I need you to show me that everyone I love won't die so tragically. I wanna be able to believe Piper, my father, you, and Coop and everyone else in this family will pass of age, with the family gathered around, in their sleep. I wanna believe we can leave happy memories of when we pass and not have to relive nightmares of old battles that claimed the lives of the people we love. Paige, I wanna believe that there's a chance that I may die in my sleep and as selfish as that sounds of me, there's no way I'll be able to relax if you don't come back from this. Me, Piper, and everyone else who can, we will take down Valen and Avo and every other son of a bitch in the Underworld and we'll even destroy the Underworld itself. If we can vanquish all the evil in the world, we can rest then. Not before."
"Please," Phoebe begged, sitting there for moments and minutes and even an hour, before she realized her pleas weren't heard. No matter how much she loved Paige, it was going to take more than her begging to wake her up. She touched Paige's hand again, hoping to trigger a concentrated premonition on when Paige would wake up, but no colorful glimpses came to the eyes of the witch. Just some additional bruising to her heart at the thought of her younger sister sleeping to death.
(X)
July 4th, 2007.
Paige missed her children most of all. The son she never birthed, but treated so, as well as the gorgeous daughters who's mirrored looks doubled the love and appreciation of their faces. She missed helping Peter read as he was very smart for his age, a little too smart actually, and Henry shared that Peter's birth mother, Liberty, was intent on her son growing up to be a genius who could escape the crowd of lowlives. Henry hadn't brought them around, only cards and pictures that Peter made because he didn't want them seeing her in that condition. Despite how at peace she looked.
Her thoughts were interrupted at the familiar sound of the door opening and Henry had left awhile ago and didn't purposely leave anything this time around so he could justify why he was always returning to the room, when all he wanted was to spend as much time there so he would be the first face she'd see when he woke up. She was right to think it wasn't her husband, but instead, it was her first love.
Glenn awkwardly approached Paige with his shoulders high and hands buried in his jeans pocket. He looked capable of dropping on top of Paige, pulling her up into an embrace as he cried for her. Instead, he continued to move towards her and never sat down, only looked down on her. "Noogie, you really need a better alarm clock."
Paige smiled, in love with Glenn's humor even if no one else found it funny. Just seeing him again, she wanted to hug him. She'd only seen him recently through pictures over email and at her anniversary dinner.
He moved over, retracted one hand from his pocket and held her seemingly lifeless hand, swinging it like they used to when they were only young teens. "You know, I would've never thought that something like this was going to happen to you. Sure, I worried a lot since my Stretch-Armstrong days, but as I kept hearing your voice every now and again I just figured you would be alright. I mean, come on, you swapped Jess out on our wedding day and left her in Hell, and if our friendship could survive that, I figured you must be Wonder Witch against monsters and demons." He chuckled, then looked down at her face with a concentrated gaze. "It looks like someone caught you without your Amazonium bracelets on."
The Witchlighter's spirit smirked slightly, rolling a mental eye at what a comic book geek Glenn always was. Just to treat his eyes on Halloween one year, she'd even dressed up as Wonder Woman which lead to a rather unforgettable first night together.
"Remember how we were discussing kids, Paige? Well, when you were telling me about your little ones and how Jess and I might start to settle down? Settle down we did. I'm going to be a Daddy, Paige, and whether you can hear me or not, you're still the first person I've told apart from my parents. Jess and I were going to surprise you at your house, but I thought it best to just stay away unless I knew that you weren't wrestling with demons. Jess has no intentions on ending up in that Hellworld place again," Glenn joked, lightening a cruel, dark mood as he always did with Paige. If she was to die, Glenn would cry but would joke with her at her grave. It's just who he was. "I think you traumatized her for good. I was so upset though when I called the house earlier and your friend Billie told me what happened. I rushed right over and two hours later, I still can't wrap my head around this."
He now held her one hand in both of his, squeezing tightly and sending warmth through Paige's spirit. "You're my best friend and even if we grow apart or don't get to have a six hour conversation every other week, I'm sure I'm still yours. I love you so much, Paige, and I'm betting that even though you must miss your family, your life is too exhausting and you'll wake up in a couple days, stretch your arms out all cat-like and feel refreshed."
If tears could've formed on Paige's face, they would cascaded down as Glenn feigned his feelings once more. As they were connected, a slither of his thoughts, being that he was slightly glad she was only in a coma and not dead, entered Paige's own being. She wondered if he was even happy that since she was in a coma, she couldn't fight demons.
Glenn descended down a bit and kissed Paige's hand, not intimate at all, and gently placed her hand back down beside her body. "It's Independence Day so I won't judge your decision to sleep the day in, Snow White, but remember you have a lot to come back to. You better be stretching your arms out soon, Paige. Love you." He composed himself, almost as if he knew Paige was watching him, and slowly exited the room.
(X)
July 6th, 2007.
Paige looked onto the city as the sky was torn apart from quick successions of lightning with an accompanied applause of high-volumed thunder. The streets of San Francisco should've been dark at this time of night, leaving many Innocents who would naturally stumble into alleys prey to warlocks and demons, but the flashes from the lightning left all corners exposed. The heavy rainfall also kept the streets rather deserted, which relieved Paige into believing that none of her charges would be left victim if they were staying home and not making targets of themselves.
"Someone save me already," Paige pleaded aloud to no audience, apart from her body which was looking paler each passing day. Hours, hours, hours, ago, Paige argued with herself that she couldn't possibly get any paler than her natural creamy tone, but even though she was the only thing to look at on the days and nights May shut the blinds, she could tell this difference in herself. It wasn't the same as not catching your skin darken because you look at yourself in the mirror everyday; she could tell her body wasn't looking its healthy best.
Thunder masked the sound of the intense buzzing, but when it died down, Paige looked behind her to see black particles swimming through the air in an impressive rushed elegance by the open door, coalescing into the finely-crafted mercenary, Cameron. He shut the door closed, just as a combination of lightning and thunder were unleashed onto the city. "If only the weatherman knew enough to warn his viewers not to go outside at the risk of rain and dark, demonic, ancient powers brewing." He approached Paige's resting body and out of all her visitors, he looked the least mournful.
He looked around the room, almost as if he knew for a fact that her spirit was floating around. With the knowledge he gained from training in his coven and how he was the first to know she was comatose, she wouldn't have been surprised. If he did know, Paige didn't understand how he could be so damn selfish and keep it to himself. Even from Billie.
She didn't stop to think about it, but this was an early sign of rage that was taking her down the path of a vengeful spirit. The kind that Cameron was well within his ability to banish.
"I know you really don't think too much of me, Paige. I'd be too surprised if I was anywhere near your Top Eight actually, after all I've done. I threatened to kill Christy after using Billie to help find me my target, but I want you to know, I really had nothing but good intentions. Had I also followed the Code, there's a chance that I would've had Christy dead the second I wanted her to. I got sloppy and began to fall for Billie," Cameron admitted, retreating away from Paige's body as he leaned his back and foot against the wall. Arms folded, he continued, "Never would I have thought I could like her. She just seemed to have too much energy in her, the kind that would make me wanna kick her out the car for talking too damn much, but it's grown to be my favorite thing about her."
He looked to the same floor, as many people had before him, and then turned his gray eyes to the window. "She's changed..." He seemed to be looking right at her, maybe through her, but his eyes were in the right place. "Losing you now and Christy again for the umpteenth time – who, by the way, I swear, needs to have a map made in her name because she's forever lost – has changed her. That energy in her is gone and the passion she has is dying away. I can tell, she's starting to hate this life and is ready to throw in the towel. Things must've been simpler for her before that first time she figured out she could move things around the room. I'm sure she's missing those gossip wars and shopping or whatever it was she concerned herself with before she made her first potion."
Paige only stared, suspecting what Cameron's words were coming to. No matter how much he had protected Billie in the past, she feared Billie's judgement would prevent her from seeing what falling in love with an assassin who takes out those with threatening abilities would be like. For instance, Billie herself. This could all be a ruse. An attempt to get closer to Billie so he can make it short and sweet with a slit to her throat in her sleep.
Also unaware of this stage, a deepening sense of paranoia on events around her began to grow unto the wickedness of her spirit. The rate was slow, but the roots were growing faster than usual.
"I care a lot about Billie. I lead a life of death and I've never seen a girl radiate of so much damn, blinding, and somewhat annoying, light before. Like I said, it's everything about her that makes me..." Cameron stopped, inhaling a breath before continuing on. "Care a lot about her. If the situation every demanded, I would die for her. And I don't just mean dying the Phoenix-way and returning moments later, I would submit to my final breath for her. I don't know if it's because I haven't been around many other girls before, because I'll admit this to you – a great part of my life was lost to me when I was in a coma before. Mine's was cursed as well. I was tricked into living under assholes for parents while my real parents were psychically ignorant to it all, to even each other still living. That part of my life was a huge mess and ever since coming back, all I wanted to do was be able to protect myself so I engaged in this life."
Cameron kicked off the wall and just moved over to the window, staring out as Rose's external happenings outside the city, standing right beside Paige. Once again, almost as if he knew where she was. "I just began to hate who I was a bit after attempting to kill Christy. It's not so much targeting her that I had a problem with, it's what I did to Billie by doing so. I never want to put that hurt on her again and I'm damn lucky she forgave me this time around. I won't screw up again with her, Paige, I promise."
He turned to her still body, now taking on a mournful look upon his face. "And that's why I'm here. I'm sure if I hadn't been distracted that Billie remained untouched, even if she can take care of herself, I feel like I could've prevented this. I certainly could've prevented this. I'm looking into my resources to see if I can get someone to help you, but I'll always find myself tending more to Billie. You and Christy mean so much to her, so my goals are a bit split at the moment, but I'm racing equally towards both because I think that if I can save one of you, that one person could help us save the other. Not to mention, bringing one of you back into Billie's life would let her breathe a little easier."
He combed his hair with his hand, holding it in place as he reflected on a thought. "I swear, Paige, that girl feels as if every breath used where she didn't discover something new is a complete waste. Honestly, I've had to induce slumber into her with spells, potions, and this little neck-trick-thing I know." A grin surfaced and then went away. "I just want you to know, I have regrets for not taking better care of you. Luckily, Piper is alright. I just think Rose had it out for you and with Valen's magic inside her, those two think as one, so she must've mastered these powers easily. I wonder what she must've done to prep herself for these abilities, but I've already been researching a ritual to exorcise her and I'll drop Rose to the ground. With Billie's new magic, we can do this, but we'll need the help of everyone who can. Hopefully, this will be a fight to get your revenge against her."
Cameron didn't stop to realize just how alike he and Paige's vengeful spirits were; both were driven by revenge and would exercise their powers against all, even if they had avenged a fallen loved one or even themselves. "Just hang in there, Paige. Don't lose yourself." He glanced at the window one final time, before exploding into a mass of particles which moved towards the window in a cyclone-fashion and escaped through very tight creases out onto the world.
"Don't lose yourself."
"As if I ever really knew who I was to begin with," Paige mourned.
(X)
July 7th, 2007.
For the ninth time this week, Henry appeared without his kids just for an update with the doctor. Paige was tired of seeing Dr. Reeves' face already and figured the feeling must be mutual in the doctor's regard for Henry. "I assure you, Mr. Mitchell, we devote our time to your wife when we have doctors available. This is most unfortunate and we do in fact tend to her, but there are some more demanding cases at the moment. Comatose patients are mainly monitored and your wife hasn't been resting long enough for us to carry out some procedures for patients of a later stage." His pager went off, ringing obnoxiously through Paige's ears as those sound waves seemed to be stronger on her prison plane, and Dr. Reeves checked the screen and informed Henry, "I'm sorry, I must go." He urgently sped from the room, leaving Henry feeling rather dismissed.
Henry moved towards his wife, looking as exhausted, if not more than Billie. He sat down on the bed besides her leg, placing a hand that delivered warmth to Paige's spirit as usual. "Hey, Paige." He stared at her closed eyes, almost as if he thought it would be disrespectful to look around when he spoke to her. "I had to go back to work today, a parolee of mine got into some trouble and the boss thought I should use that as an excuse to get my mind off you. No new results there. I just want you to wake up already and then we can just rest together in our bed, in our home, with our children tucked between us and just live, you know." He reached inside a pocket of his leather jacket and withdrew a folded piece of paper. "Peter drew you another picture. He was in a rush, so it's only a bunch of lines, but it's a Picasso to us parents, right?" He unfolded the paper and Paige stood as ghostly as ever besides Henry, overlooking the piece. Paige was depicted as a stick figure against sand-colored construction paper and Peter had apparently run a white crayon over her originally black figure to resemble her paleness. He'd colored her eyes green and purple along with big scribbles of blue around her body. "He told me that he wants you to just orb home already."
Paige felt her spirit tearing apart, being pulled left and right, up to the heavens and down to the fiery pit, all at the thought of her son wanting her home. To think that someone who hadn't even been in her life for a year yet loved her so dearly made Paige reflect on the kind of person she must be. Downside was that anytime Paige tried to think about who she was, she would slowly lose some memory and be forced to forget something of herself.
"I'll be back sometime tomorrow morning, Paige. I got some paperwork I'll try and get done home, but if not, I'll just swing by and finish it here," he tried to stand up, but his legs resisted. "I should really go though, I left Coop and Billie back at the house with the kids. Or was it Leo?" He couldn't remember, the entire family had been taking shifts with watching the kids he lost track with a mind as dazed as his. He found the strength in his legs and kissed Paige on the forehead before walking to the door. With hopeful expectations, he silently waited by the door in case he heard Paige slightly move. As ever, she was still.
(X)
July 13th, 2007.
When Piper arrived the moment visiting hours started, she merely sat and just watched her baby half-sister all morning and into early afternoon. Her phone was off, not wanting to screw with the machines that were breathing for Paige, but her family had been fine when she left and knew she could be summoned with a spell that she left for emergency's sake. She had fidgeted with her purse, played with her phone, and shifted her seating positions throughout the hours, currently finding comfort with her leg folded over the other.
Like many times before as Paige observed, Piper seemed to be focused on getting something off her chest, but had trouble bringing herself to freeing the words from her heart. "God, Paige, if I'm ever going to say this, I need to say it now." Her leg slowly drifted down from her knee and both feet were planted on the floor as Piper kneeled over to Paige and held her hand, invoking the familiar warmth Paige had grown to cherish in her time as a spirit. "We've been looking so hard for you, sweetie, and there's been no results. I've summoned creatures of the community, bit my tongue as I spoke with Odin and another jerk of an Elder, and I called Mom and Grams to see if they've glimpsed you anywhere and no one can find you. Me and Phoebe have tried spell after spell from home and Phoebe is working on another spell right now, it should be done tonight. She's trying to be extra careful with the wording, but hopefully you can give me a sign already. Anything, Paige, anything to let me know you're alright. Touch my shoulder, a cry in the wind, anything."
Paige moved over to Piper and placed her ethereal hand on her shoulder, hoping Piper would feel that ghostly shiver and confirm contact between the divide. When Piper sat there, that same hopeful look on her face, Paige tried putting her other hand on Piper's shoulder and although both hands sunk in slightly through Piper's shoulder blades, she made no sign of knowing. Piper sheeted her forehead with her palm in sadness and just looked back at Paige, grabbing both her hands with such a pleading force. "You're starting to make me really desperate, Paige. I'm near willing to do just about anything to get you back to us. Sell my powers to the highest demonic bidder or something else that I'm aware is completely irresponsible because I can't keep sitting around, getting excited when the phone rings, thinking it's Henry calling to deliver the good news. I keep resisting the urge to blow up everything in the house because I don't wanna scare off my children, but I just have this need to get something off my chest."
Paige moved out from behind Piper, wanting to look in her tearing eyes as she said whatever she needed to say. She watched as Piper stopped again while she was blanketed in the warmth Piper was transferring through her, wishing her loved ones would just hold her at all hours.
"As much as it pains me to say this, I think that I needed something so severe like this to happen to really be sure that I wasn't faking how I felt, just because I needed to fill a space in my heart that Prue left. The way I've found myself lately could be nothing short of how much I love you, Paige. I really do and I'm sorry I never said it sooner, but I didn't want you to believe that I was only saying it so you could find comfort with our family – your family – and I didn't want to fool myself either. For someone who was an only child, you really make a great sister, one that I wish grew up with me, Prue, and Phoebe. Phoebe alone was trouble, I can only imagine how much you would keep me and Prue on our toes."
Tears escaped Piper's hold, flowing down her face in small streams. While she sat there, feeling alone with her emotions, she had no idea just how much warmth she'd continue to shelter Paige's cold spirit with. "I accepted you quickly as a sister, that didn't take me long, it was just loving you. Over the years, I had doubts that my heart was just fooling me into believing I loved you so I would feel better, but who knows what morning I woke up and just realized, you are my baby sister and I do love you. You're just as much a Halliwell as any of us."
Piper let go of Paige's hand and rushed to her purse, reached in and pulled out a roll of parchment, the likes of which could've only fit inside Piper's large shoulder purse. She unrolled the sand-colored sheet where Paige could see brackets and names printed in black. "I felt bad that I had never jumped to update the family tree because I really do believe it gives a feel of how long our line has descended from and with all the effort you made to be super witch that year, your name should've been amongst the names of Warren witches." She grinned at the sleeping Witchlighter, still gently crying, and continued, "Your name, Henry's name, Peter, and the twins have all been added to the tree, deservedly so. I feel so selfish that I had pretty much ran to the attic to look for this damn thing when Wyatt was born, but as soon as I find out I have another sister, I just tried to get down to the meaning of it all. I never even bothered to update it 'cause I felt so guilt-ridden after that. I just wanted to believe that it was just a piece of paper."
She dropped the family tree to the floor, unconcerned with it once more, as she clung onto her sister's hand again and assured her, "I love you so much, Paige, and I need you to wake up for us all. Without you in the picture, everything has fallen apart. We can't function and that's because we can't count on the little things, like you orbing to the manor for food when Henry's burnt dinner or even when you just drop on in to tell us the latest drama of being a Witchlighter. Demons stopping by, I'll never want again, but there's no way I'll enjoy rest without think there might be a chance that my baby sister is going to orb on it, needing advice on being a witch, Whitelighter, wife, and mother. Come back to us, sis."
Piper, like everyone else before had, waited on a response. She just bided her time, occupying herself with throwing away some flowers that looked ill, after not having been tended to properly. Hopefully Phoebe would be here soon with the spell that would pull Paige awake from her coma.
(X)
It was early evening when Phoebe finally appeared, wearing a grim yet hopeful look on her face as she entered through the door. Her and Piper consoled each other with a wordless hug, before Piper pulled herself away and held Phoebe by her wrists, "What do you think the chances are that this spell is going to work?"
The empathic sister could only shrug and said, "I don't know. I aimed to undo the curse, while not trying to call forth any additional magic but our own at the risk of breaking Billie's spell."
Piper let go of Phoebe, walking to the opposite side of the bed as Paige's spirit looked on at her own feet. "I think that we're never going to get any results if we keep worrying about Billie's protection over us. I say we get all the kids to Magic School, the guys as well, and we call forth every universal power within our reach and attempt to call the ones out of it."
"Are you sure? We know what we're risking by doing this," Phoebe lamented, looking over at Paige. "You have children who need you as well."
"I know they do, but our sister has children who need her too. I love my family just as much as she loves hers, so we have a duty to them. Call Billie, let her know in case we desperately need her to put up the shield again," Piper said, moving back over to the other side of her purse to retrieve a small notepad and pen. "I have a spell that's been floating around in my head all day."
Minutes later after Phoebe argued with Coop to respect her decision and Piper wrote one copy to her spell, the two joined hands over Paige's body as both sisters clasped a hand of Paige's. The spell was on top of Paige's chest and both leaned down to immediately read from it:
"Powers above ours, Hear this call,
Awaken our sister from her cursed fall,
Obliterate the dark magic tainting her soul,
Reunite her spirit and body whole!"
The two sisters looked to each other as winds howled above, but Paige's eyes remained closed. Piper quickly told Phoebe, "Again, but with the add-ons."
"Powers above ours, Hear this call,
Awaken our sister from her cursed fall,
Obliterate the dark magic tainting her soul,
Reunite her spirit and body whole!
Free Paige from the shackles that bind,
While saving her from crossing the Great Divide,
May her spirit travel across the right lane,
As our sister journeys back onto this plane!
The eerie echo of the two sisters came to a stop as the storm increased outside, calling forth Paige's unresponsive spirit with their lyrics of her soul possibly leaning near death. If their spell wasn't going to bring her back, they hoped they would at least keep her at bay, refusing to submit her to crossing over. Piper and Phoebe broke the hold, letting Paige's hands fall gently back beside her, and the two conscious sisters just moved to each other, embracing one another.
"We'll get her back, right?" Phoebe asked.
"Whatever it takes."
(X)
Piper and Phoebe left together an hour later, and Paige felt as if they deserted her, leaving her in an outrage. She'd attempted to punch walls, only seeming to go through them for a fraction of a second before it reappeared by her side. She swung her arm in a violent gesture, hoping the ethereal powers she should possess would shatter the window open and the wind would carry her back out onto the world, but no results. She was a powerless spirit, merely tempered and desolate whenever she was left alone.
Even though she wanted company, she would've preferred being on her lonesome when she saw a slithering shower of inky black and bruised purple orbs appear out of the air, composing together to ultimately construct her sinister opposite, Avo. The demonic-Darklighter hybrid walked over to Paige's sleeping body, the tail of his black trench coat sliding against the white floor, and he unsheathed a dagger with the half of blade shaped like a crescent moon. Intricate markings were engraved into the blade and it seemed to be moist with a black liquid.
He approached Paige as her spirit was terrified, screaming for him to stay away from her.
"I could kill you now, Paige, I want that to be made clear. I could've had Rose kill you as well, but it's been brought to my attention that killing you would only provoke more trouble than I care for right now," Avo mourned, placing the unique blade which dripped of Darklighter poison back into it's awkwardly-shaped sheath. "That time will unfortunately have to be when you're awake, as annoying as you were, I need your help in my approach to take down Rose."
He turned to Paige, staring directly at her spirit and in her amber eyes. "What do you say to that, my little specter?"
"You can see me?" Paige questioned, taking a step back. "How?"
"I know the curse I had Rose use on you and I know the ways around it," Avo replied, turning back to her body. "You don't seem to be looking too well."
"You son of a bitch, if you have any agenda on waking me up, it's only going to be your death sentence. I'll brew the best potions, write the ultimate spell, and put up the biggest fight, all in the name of vanquishing your ass!" Paige cried out.
Avo appeared bored, glancing to the window before staring at her again. "Feels good to let that out your system on someone who can actually hear you, doesn't it?"
She hated to admit it, but it did. "So you're coming here now so I can help you take down Rose. I'm assuming you're the one who gave her those powers and now what? She's become too much for you?"
"Precisely. You see, when I was missing in action for so long, I'd been prepping her to be able to withstand those powers, but to also allow her own mind to hold a dominance over Valen. It appears, Rose, as psychically strong as she was with her clairvoyance, wasn't enough to fully compete in a battle of the minds against Valen. Valen has way more of an influence over Rose then I like. I was also counting on the ways of the Old Age where demons would respect and bow down to those who have done them a favor; such as freeing someone from a prison of shadowed eternity. This was a respect some of us had in the Underworld before the chaos of Source after Source being vanquished by the likes of you and your sisters," Avo informed, approaching Paige with a couple of footsteps. "The Underworld has changed and while some love the disarray, I preferred when there was the control of one voice. Army after army would have clan leaders, but they all bow down to one. As I said, these are the ways of the Old Age and I try not to make sense of what's become of demonkind."
"So Valen or Rose or whatever, they're just in the way now? Sure seems like a waste of time on your end," Paige argued.
"Believe me, I know. I'll have to start over, I suppose. Problem is, Rose could defeat me with Valen's power in an embarrassing amount of short time. I haven't lived all these years so I could die by my own Frankenstein. I'll need you to play you part in getting Billie to perform the Ritual of the Spiritus Rector."
"Which is what, exactly?"
"I can't say the words aloud, it's too risky. Have your little protégé do some homework and should she look outside the box, she'll uncover it. I don't have all the time in the world right now, should Rose figure out I'm outside her sensing reach, she'll suspect the worst and I'll be begging to be turned to ashes," Avo admitted, finding this situation most unfortunate that he had to display such a weak side. "If you're ever to escape this prison plane, where none of your family will ever find you, you'll need my help, for some of the most challenging tasks in our world are for us to unite with the other side in order to reach a resolve."
"So you're going to work alongside good to save me? Wow, you must have such little confidence in your persuasion abilities. Much less than when you convinced Rose to join your side," Paige rebutted. "The wrong side, I might add."
"Just because she wasn't on your side, doesn't mean it was wrong. She was destined for Evil. Good would have never suited her and if I had failed that day, dark forces would've found their way to her later on in the road. You failed because you were working against fate, now get over it."
"Like I'm supposed to trust you, but seeing as I'm not left with many options seeing as the universe is only allowing me to talk to you. Talk about the damn date from Hell," Paige remarked, earning a small snicker from her enemy. "Who exactly are you planning to tag team with you?"
"Someone who I'm sure is hard at work with helping you, but don't you worry about that. It's as you've said, I have a way with words," Avo said. "Now, this matter with the sorceress."
Paige shook her head side to side, thinking about what she could say to Billie. "She'll never go for it without Christy back. She'll let you die and I'm willing to let that happen. So..." Sure of herself, sure of the control she was in, she stopped shaking her head and remained still. "Where's Christy?"
"Cursed on the grounds you all left her on, acting as a slave to Valen's will. Rose enjoys putting her through the most disgusting of work though since you had orbed her true target away. If Billie wants to be able to live a free life, she'll want to play along because Rose has some terrible things planned for her." The demonic hybrid scoffed. "One even earned a shiver out of me. That little spell she has camouflaging all of you from Valen won't hold for long as a rift already broke, allowing me to find you here."
She decided not to share the event of the failed spell and quickly changed the topic. "So if you free me, we'll take down Rose, but this doesn't clean your plate. I'm not done with you," Paige threatened. "Everything you've put me through, it's had an impact on my family."
"Just as I wanted," Avo sneered, that same sinister grin marked across his face. "The perks of having you in a coma. I haven't been able to watch the show as I intended because of Billie's censorship, but I can just imagine all the crying and begging for you to come back."
"Shut your mouth."
He ignored her, pressing on with the urgency, "Don't think I can do this all on my own. You may have quite some time slaving in this plane before we can bring you back. I need you to find those spiritual powers and start making contact. It takes a lot of concentration, but I expect the best out of my Public Enemy Number One. If you disappoint, it'll only mean my death and your eternity on this plane. I'll at least be benefited with being put out of my misery." With a final smirk, he dissolved into those dark orbs, vanishing into the air.
Hope washed over Paige's spirit, as well as the despair of what would happen should she fail.
(X)
July 17th, 2007.
Nurse May seemed to have disappeared from being charged with her small duties of tending to Paige and in her place, was a young male nurse.The new nurse, known casually as Ronnie around the hospital, signified to Paige that the reality of time passing by her at the thought that May had moved on from her duties. Maybe this was something she could channel into accessing powers restricted to her kind. She turned again to the window, focusing her energy into shattering it and deemed it to be too large a task. She would have to start smaller.
Phoebe and Coop appeared just as Ronnie was carrying out a vase of near-dead flowers and the middle sister looked at him inquisitively, "Are you the new nurse for Paige?"
"Yeah, I'm Ronnie. I was told by Doctor Reeves that a relative or two may be dropping by today," the nurse replied, shaking both Phoebe's and Coop's hands.
"I'm Phoebe, her sister. And this is my hus-" Phoebe cut herself short, obviously stuck in the mind frame that her and Coop should've been married by now. "My fiancé, Coop."
"Good to meet you," Coop said, turning over to Paige's body. "How's she doing, you know?"
"She's stable and I looked over the chart the Doc presented to me and her body is faring well. There's a couple of regiments I'll be wanting to start soon, but I want to look over her history with Doctor Reeves first. I'm no doctor clearly, but I want to be able to answer any questions your family may have should the doctor be busy, so I'll be studying her closely," Ronnie replied, then held up the flowers and said, "I'm going to go and toss these now, though. You mind?"
"Not at all, go right ahead," Phoebe allowed. "I wanted some time with my sister alone anyway."
"No problem," Ronnie concluded, leaving the two with a final, "I'll be seeing you around then." The door closed behind him.
Phoebe turned to Coop and said, "Go. Try whatever cupid mojo you can."
"Phoebe, I don't think there's much I can do, it's just-"
"It's just nothing, Coop. You've been busy with your bow and arrow to come by and see my sister, the sister who's like this because she wanted me to have my perfect day with you. Everyone else can wait a week or two before they find their true love, have their first kiss, lose their virginity, or whatever. If Paige is floating around somewhere, she's not doing it peacefully," Phoebe argued, her temper striking clear. "Going back in time already failed, the same went with Billie's power, and my spell. Fine, I've made my peace that the curse won't allow us to try and prevent this from happening. It's stamped down in time, but maybe you can do something to break. Don't you parade around this whole 'Love can heal anything' motto?"
Coop looked hurt, almost as if Phoebe didn't believe in the essence of who he was. "Phoebe, it's not that simple. Love isn't simple. It took you years to find me and even then..." He stopped.
"Even then what? The Elders had to send you to me like a pity prize? And don't go making yourself look all arrogant that you're the man who finally captured my heart, truth or not, I'm not having it today. If you love me, you would exercise your powers to no end to make sure I'm happy and you haven't done a damn thing to see to that," Phoebe shouted, ruby in the face and appearing near aggressive. "Maybe it's a good thing we didn't have the wedding. Who knows if I would be able to trust your vows then when I can't even trust your love now."
"Can't trust my love, Phoebe? You know how it feels that the first person who really loves me is in love with me after seeking a committed relationship as hard as you did? It's a lot to live up to, especially for my own first relationship," Coop exclaimed, then stopped to look at the ring which blessed him with his abilities on his fingers. "You know how it feels to just be a Pinnochio of love? I have no background, no parents of my own to look back on. I'm a recycled spirit, shaped into an agent of love. You have to give me time to find some understanding in these ways. It doesn't come easy to me just because I'm good at what I do."
Phoebe took a deep breath, the rage in her calming down. "Are you going to do something or not, Coop?"
Coop walked over to Paige's body, waved his ring over her entirely and while his ring glowed a dim pink, he turned back to Phoebe with a blank look. "I can't get pass the blockage. This curse is far stronger than what you did to yourself all those past years, I can't just break that with my own magic. It's beyond my power."
She nodded, "I just have to try all my options. Spells haven't worked, going back in time failed, your magic has no results, and I think that leaves us with a very mortal option. I'll need your help though with this one."
Coop looked uneasy, unsure of whether he should forgive Phoebe so quickly for her questioning of his love for her, but realized she was hurt. Whether those feelings were true to the fullness or not, she was hurt and was at a point where she couldn't hurt alone. "What do you need from me?"
She walked over to him, picked up his hands and stepped closed to him. She leaned her head on his chest as they held hands in the tight space between them and said, "We have to go to where Paige's heart is." The cupid instantly realized where she was talking about and the two faded into a powerful pink light where their hearts glowed bolder and carried them away, leaving no sign they were there.
(X)
July 18th, 2007.
Success had briefed Paige a day earlier when she managed to destroy the vase, triggered by anger, but frustration blocked her from achieving the same results on the new and sturdier vase this afternoon. It was tougher to use these powers and Paige wondered if other spirits were far more desperate than her that they managed to wield the powers much easily or if her focus on these abilities made them less available to her because her mind should've been on the bigger meaning of her being a spirit.
Footsteps were heard outside and Paige recognized the familiar echo approaching, unaware she had been sensing with her spiritual abilities. It was Henry, but there was more than one presence approaching. They were small in size, from what she could sense, but large in importance to her.
The door opened and Henry paced slowly behind a twin-stroller, a white, yellow, and blue chariot for his and Paige's beautiful twin girls. They were only two of her children and she wondered where Peter was instantly, but found that very same thought split once she truly looked at her daughters. More light brown hair sat across the tops of their still small heads and while little Samantha was still asleep, her curious twin looked around the very white room, unsure of her surroundings.
Paige found herself floating towards them, attracted to them like magnets, and thought nothing of the spiritual upgrade. She just drifted towards them, stopping when she was right in front and she lowered down to the floor, barefoot. "My angels..." she whispered, feeling that blanket of warmth around her body without having to feel the physical contact. If Henry was to put their children in her sleeping arms, she would be deliriously lost with how warm she would be in this spiritual prison plane and might even possibly find comfort in staying there forever. It would be Utopia if Henry, Peter, and her sisters were added to the warm presence.
Henry rolled the stroller besides Paige's bed and parked them there, moving over to brush Paige's hair back. The warmth added on...
"Paige," Henry said. "I brought the girls to see you. Peter's downstairs with Piper, Phoebe, and the boys, but I just felt a little uncomfortable bringing him here. He's a smart kid, he might actually find hurt in seeing you like this whereas the girls are about to be two months, so we can expect them not to make much out of this. He just wants to see you really bad, so this is a chance I'm going to have to take."
Paige heard everything he said, but what struck out the most was the realization that her daughters were almost two months old. On the twenty-first of this month, they would be two months of age. And that would mean she's been in this place for already a month, missing half of their short-lived lives already. Anger and sorrow washed over her, diminishing the warmth her husband's touch and daughters' presences gave her, and leaving the ghostly shell of her spirit embraced in a deathly chill once more.
Henry continued, "I just thought that if you maybe saw them and if you were around, you'd be able to find some more reason to fight your way into waking up." He picked up Sarah, gently maneuvering her into his arms with a professional ease and bounced here side to side. When he saw Sarah's eyes take notice of Paige, he told his eldest daughter, "Yeah, that's Mommy."
Sarah's amber eyes glimmered before she howled the cry that Paige missed keeping her up at night, waking up her sister in the process like an alarm clock. Paige wondered if this was perhaps Sarah's way of asking her to wake up, just as Wyatt would cry his infant lungs out when he was left alone. Children of the Charmed Ones were a little too smart, a little too early.
The mortal placed Sarah back into the stroller, pushing both the girls back and forth in hopes of calming them down. It was seeming impossible as Sarah knew her mother was there and wanting her attention and it was possible that Samantha had sensed her with her Whitelighter abilities. No matter how smooth they moved back and forth, being alert to their mother's presence upset them far beyond than Henry anticipated.
Paige found herself feeding off the desperate wails of her children, adding to an appetite of powers and the hunger made her want to succeed. She didn't remember it all too well, but this was a snack of the hunger she tasted when she absorbed the Hollow and killed off Nomed's demonic buddy, eating away at his magic. She didn't want to frighten her children with an attempt to blow up the vase of flowers she never cared about, but she had to try something. Blowing up the machines could be fatal for her if they were truly keeping her together, but spirits had other powers. Their voices could exist in the wind if they needed to. Ghost cries, she remembered them to be.
"Henry," Paige said aloud, but he didn't hear. She kept repeating his name, but nothing. She felt the intense rush of channeling dimming down although the girls cried on and she lost all control when she saw Phoebe enter the room with Peter holding her hand. Seeing her foster son made her just as desperate to return into her body, but she was sealed off by the curse.
Phoebe looked at Henry and asked, "Why are the girls crying?"
"I picked up Sarah, she saw Paige, cried, woke up Samantha, and then she started crying I'm guessing because she was woken up and-"
"Or maybe she senses her mother in the room," Phoebe suggested, leading Peter further in from the door so he could see Paige lying on the bed. She made a mental note to suggest trying the Spirit Board again.
"Paigey?" Peter asked.
Paige just looked on, curious as to how Peter would handle this. He approached her body, taking a hold of her hand as he shook it. "Paigey, wake up." A combination of loving warmth and cold heartache tugged at Paige, not allowing her spirit to find a constant temperature. "Paigey, yous been sleeping forever. Wake up, sleepyhead."
The thought of forever returned to Paige. The Apocalypse could come to turn and she would still be chained to this plane, begging for an escape. Possibly even begging to haunt someone if it gave her some contact, assuming everyone wasn't wiped dead. The thought of Avo defeating her in death upset her as well. He was right that if it came down to their fatal ends, he would at least be able to cherish his final breath, despite whatever torture he may have gone through before. Paige on the other hand would be on her lonesome, stuck with other spirits cursed to this world and stepping amongst rubbish and cockroaches on the final days of the planet... And should the planet crumble, would she be shackled to space... But what if something happened to space? What would become of her then?
These thoughts floated through her mind, torturing her, and she declared, "I won't be stuck here long enough to figure that out."
"Henny, why won't she wake up?" Peter asked, looking over as he continued to tug at Paige.
Henry was attempting to drown out the cries, but to no success. He noticed Peter starting to cry and said, "We'll talk about it when we get home. Say bye to Paigey."
After a goodbye with tears, the girls still crying, Henry pushed the twins out of the room with Peter following foot. Phoebe cast a glance at her sister and said, "I thought bringing you the people you love the most would help. Paige, I'm running out of options here. If you can hear us, find a way to contact us. Please. We need to know that there is someone to save, alright?" She looked around the room, waiting for a sign, a whisper or anything, and as much as Paige tried, nothing resulted.
Downcast, just like every time she came here to fail, Phoebe left the room. Unsuccessful.
(X)
July 19th, 2007.
Armed with the Spirit Board on her lap, Piper sat besides Paige's body as Leo kept watch by the door. The Spirit Board was the first instrument they turned to the day after Paige first fell into a coma and was admitted to this hospital, but Leo advised they try again and with Phoebe bringing it up over the phone on the same day, Piper thought it had to be fate. Until everything seemed to be backfiring as it was now, so she decided to argue Leo's theory.
"How positive are you that Paige would really start showing the signs of a pissed spirit after nearly a month? If it was ever going to happen, it would be right now on the day she would be celebrating her daughters being two months old," Piper argued, frustrated that her plan to do this spiritual calling backfired. She looked about the room, "Come on, Paige, your beautiful, baby girls are growing up while you're sleeping away! Show me that this pisses you off!"
Paige just looked on, fatigued. Every time she touched the pointer on the flat, wooden surface, the curse of Valen's magic would weaken her, making her spirit feel aged and tired. When she initially tried, no results proved through and they certainly won't going to do so when her spirit felt so dotage. She would never achieve any results if she wore her spirit out, but she did have some colorful words on how intricate this curse was. Avo must've known her and her family well if he suspected they may turn to a spirit board.
"Piper, it's possible that Paige is resisting turning into the very evil you've been forced to banish on more than one occasion. That's something to admire, but maybe she has her own agenda. I only suggested that there's a chance she may have let herself fall under the influence of the abilities, only as a means to escape," Leo replied, too calm for Piper's liking. "This curse is pure dark magic and there's a chance it can only be countered by dark magic we won't have access to."
"How can we access it? What do we have to do? Kill Death?" Piper asked, up for anything.
"Death can't be killed. If Death dies, life ceases to exist. We can't have one without the other, but I don't know what dark powers to turn to, Piper. I was a Whitelighter for all those years, not a demon. I only know of this because I've come across an enchanted coma or two in my time," Leo explained, moving over to Piper. "We should get moving before someone comes in. We didn't exactly come by the mortal way and sign in."
"If someone walks in, I'll freeze them and the only thing that will happen is they might find themselves going to lunch a little later than they expected," Piper said, still rising to her feet. She knew the spirit board wasn't going to be any help if it failed for the past twenty minutes already. She looked over at Paige, a hopeful glint in her eye. "Um, a spell just came to mind. Every one counts." She handed Leo the board and held her hands over Paige.
"Like a prisoner, this soul is chained,
Release her from this ghostly plane."
Nothing happened. Piper's arms fell back to her side, wishing she could add more to her two-liner. She turned to Leo, another hopeful glint sparked in her eyes, and said, "Maybe I can think up a spell to help Paige gain some control over her powers."
"Try it, Piper, try it," Paige pleaded.
"It won't work if Paige is resisting though," Leo debated.
"But if she isn't, maybe this will help." Piper took a couple of moments, eyes closed and hands folded, and chanted the words to help Paige embrace these powers.
"Stuck between life and death,
Without having cast her final breath,
Accelerate the gray powers in which she possess,
May she be of spirit finesse."
For this time, Paige finally felt as if a spell had reached pass the barriers of her cursed plane, though she was unsure why. Maybe it was because all the other spells Piper and Phoebe attempted were made to free her from her coma. Just as the other spell prevented from her embracing death, this spell may just help her wield her spiritual abilities easier.
Piper looked around, waiting for a sign and even though Paige tried, nothing happened. "Another failed attempt." She turned to Leo, took ahold of his arm and said, "There's gotta be something we haven't tried."
"So what do you wanna do next?" Leo asked.
"I don't know, back to the Book, I guess," Piper said, well aware that there was nothing in there that offered available help. Just the idea of her looking through was a touch of comfort. She uttered a simple spell, which carried both her and husband away in a cyclone of small white lights, leaving Paige to focus on exercising her abilities with the trust that Piper's spell helped age them accordingly.
(X)
July 23rd, 2007.
Billie had just left the room with Henry, both having mortal responsibilities this evening such as tending to her server job at P3 and watching over his kids, respectively. As expressed, Billie found the whole idea of her even working at Piper's club a joke since she was too preoccupied with everything to have been there even more than ten times, but Henry advised that she would slow down with this magical rush as it was draining her of energy. Maybe some music and seeing people dancing would help relax her a bit. All of this had been impressively worded by Henry, almost as if he'd been touched by a muse. Instead, he'd been touched by his wife who was gaining control of crossing messages over her spiritual plane and placing inspiring thoughts into her husband's mind.
Whenever she tried to speak about how she was doing, she noticed there was a block and it appeared that's when the powers behind the curse would step in. If she acted innocently, only reaching out to her family through touch and planting a message into their minds only for it to come out their mouths, the dark powers didn't seem to care much. At least she could communicate to her family somehow.
The door opened and a face Paige wasn't counting on visiting her entered in a simple pressed whit shirt and khaki pants. Some dark streaks were evident beneath his aged gray hair, though the streaks kept a youth around Victor Bennett's face. He slowly walked over to Paige, sure he was alone as he glanced about the room, but then held a doubt if someone had been using magic to conceal themselves.
He tucked his hands into his pockets and casually asked, "So how's it going?"
Spirit Paige just watched on, unsure of his presence. Did Piper and Phoebe guilt him into visiting her? Honestly, she knew she could last without him. She had doubts that his touch could provide any warmth to her soul.
Victor looked around the room, "This is just ridiculous. Why am I speaking out loud? It's not as if you can hear me!" He chuckled awkwardly and said, "I'm not even sure why I'm here. I guess, it's just hearing my girls cry over you on the phone and when Piper dropped over to pick up the kids, she just collapsed. You must mean more to them than I thought."
Paige looked a bit offended. His comment made her jump to the paranoid thought of Piper and Phoebe never so much expressing their love over their younger half-sister to their father, making her feel like a true bastard child. She decided she would exercise her ability with a whisper into his mind in hopes he would express what he meant. She floated over to him and cast her hand on his shoulder, which he didn't recognize as a touch. "Why wouldn't you think I mean more to them?"
The whispered words traveled through Paige's spirit and journeyed successfully through the destination of Victor's mind. He shrugged, looking as if Paige had asked this question to his face, "I don't know, it just seems as if the girls would speak so little of you when we were around, but I've come to terms that I'm the one to blame. They just wanted to protect my feelings and make sure I didn't abandon this family again just because you filled a huge hole in their hearts when Prue left. They just wanted to make sure they didn't lose anyone else, because outside Leo, the boys, and this Coop character, me and you are the only ones that they care the most about; their father and their sister." He moved around the bed, standing beside her shoulders as he talked down to her face, carrying on with his original direction of thoughts. "It was always just so difficult for me to accept the idea of you. It's nothing against you, you didn't exactly have a say in being born, but I'm just a tired man who looks at you as Patty's daughter, but not mine. I'm sure I would've been honored if you were my fourth child, but I see you as a walking and breathing reminder of the reason that Patty and I separated."
"Just slap me in the face and get it over with," an offended Paige remarked. Did Victor even stop to consider the words coming out of his mouth? No, he didn't. He thought she was asleep.
Victor continued, "But there's so much that you've done for my family for me to not appreciate you wholly. You've saved my girls and helped them win a battle that's allowed them to just live free and I thank you for that. I sleep better alone because of that and that's all thanks to you." He looked out towards the window and said, "I just feel as if all this time I've spent resenting you, I've been missing out on really knowing an addition to a family we're all equally apart of. It's taken me a while, but I've learned to consider you as family as I should've instantly. I want Piper and Phoebe to be able to tell me stories about you, almost as much as I wanna hear what you think of my daughters."
He took a hold of her hand, awkward at first, but settled into the idea of touching her very being with his own comfort, apart from family gatherings where he would courteously hug her because he knew it would his daughters happy with his behavior around her. This was his choice and a reflection on the man he's struggled to be to her and Paige felt how truthful he felt as his touch instilled an unexpected warmth onto her.
"If you can hear me, Paige, which I hope you can because I'm not sure I'd have the courage to go through this all over again, I want you to know I'm not doing this only for Piper and Phoebe. I'm doing this for Patty as she is something we have in common. She's a woman that you will forever love, even if you find yourself separated from her. I want her to be proud on me as I know she must check in on me every now and again, even if Penny must push her away from the window...or however it is see can look down on us."
He let go of her hand and concluded, "I'm sorry for every cruel thought I have ever had or wanted to say. You deserve more than that." He walked around the bed and towards the door before stopping one last time. He looked at her with sadness, "Those girls need you more than I think they need me, Paige. Come back for them."
Victor left the room and Paige applauded how strong he must've been to accept who she is, obviously having fought with himself on countless occasions over the year on what her existence meant between him and Patty.
(X)
July 29th, 2007.
Still in a coma, Paige reflected on how she'd been titled as a Witchlighter for a year now. After nearly a year of saving people through careful words and her powers as weapons, she was still a victim who was now in need of saving. Her charge, Evelyn Wendell, the Oracle, had visited her with Billie and found no results for searching for Paige in the mystic world. She was off the map to all but Avo and Rose and it frightened her that her enemies were the only ones who knew where she was. She didn't want to wait a minute longer, she wanted to be saved now. She was furious with how much time was passing by her, her thirtieth birthday was coming up and while many women turning that age saw as something to avoid, Paige wanted to embrace it as tightly as she did her kids. Heaven forbid she could just wake up already and continue on with her life...
The door opened and Henry strolled in with one hand pocketed and the other dangling free. Behind him was an older man with light, sandy hair and gray streaks. His face was gentle, but slightly torn with wrinkles and he inched toward Paige slowly. "So this is your Sleeping Beauty, huh, Henry?"
"Yeah, Dad," Henry replied to his foster-father, Gregory Mitchell, the man Henry was proud to share a last name with. "Though it takes more than a kiss to wake her up." Gregory cast an awkward glance at him, before Henry added, "Or maybe that was Snow White. Or both. I don't know, I'll ask Paige when she wakes up."
"Or when the twins start watching all that," Gregory suggested.
"Paige will be awake long before the girls grow up knowing the ends to their favorite Disney princess movies," Henry said with a clear tone of certainty present in his voice.
Gregory approached Henry and laid his hand on his shoulder, "Son, I know this girl here must mean everything to you-"
"She does."
"I'm sure, but just because you want her to come out of this coma doesn't mean it's just going to happen. She's special to you, but to the rest of the world, she's just another Jane Doe coma patient who may or may not wake up," Gregory replied, never cushioning the blow. He always thought important time was wasted whenever someone would beat around the bush. "Have you considered this might hold some truth in it?"
"Don't give me that crap!" Henry exploded, slapping his foster father's hand away. He found himself victim to keeping suppressed around his children when all he wanted to do was scream to the heavens, shoot down all the stars, extinguish the fire in the sun, and kick the moon to a different universe. Gregory looked offended at how Henry chose to press him, but Henry didn't care. "That's my wife you're talking about and it's crap like this that I've avoided introducing her to you! You would be difficult with who she really is and if you can't accept who she is, you'll never accept my daughters for who they are, and if you can't accept my family, the only thing I can do is just remove myself from being a Mitchell."
"Henry, what in the hell are you talking about? You're breathing nonsense. I accepted your daughters and your son just fine, they're great kids. Even as she sleeps, I accept your wife now before even meeting her because I trust that you love her for a reason," Gregory replied. "A multitude of reasons."
"Not this, this is different. This isn't her having a past drug trouble or guilty of three abortions, this is something way bigger than you can even begin to comprehend. You've lived more than half a century understanding how the world works and what Paige can do, it will blow everything up right in your face. You'll find yourself asking a thousand questions and hundreds of them won't have answers! I still find myself thinking up questions that I'll never ask because it makes it look as if I judge my wife and who she is!" Henry looked weak, almost ready to collapse to the floor and drift into his own state of energy deprived unconsciousness.
"Come out with, Henry. What are you talking about?"
Not being able to look Gregory in the face at the fear of his foster father looking at him as if he was insane, he looked at the resting, beautiful love of his life that would send him to psych ward in Gregory's eyes. Spoken softly, he replied, "She's a witch with a little bit of angel in her. And she's saved people before and in her own way, she saved me just by loving me. I've never felt alone with her around."
The two remained quiet for minutes on. Paige watched her husband proudly and felt warm waves being emitted from his own being where he stood and they empowered her greatly. Maybe it was a declaration of his love while confessing to his father a secret that wasn't his and was scared to share, but this was a high moment where Paige felt that Henry's courage couldn't express love for her like he did right now.
"Look, Henry, I can't make any sense of what you just told me. I can trust you, but I have no idea what any of it means. I just wanna ask you this: If you're so confident that your wife is going to return back to you and your kids, why is it that you're spilling your guts out right now? Why is it that you felt the need to finally remember I'm a part of your family? Be honest to me and be honest to yourself."
Gregory looked at him intensely, in the same fashion he did when Henry found himself having problems in school or any other troubles he had while growing under Mitchell parentage as a teenager. Henry, even as a man of his own three children now, still found himself too cowardly to meet this gaze for more than a minute. As he answered, Henry looked up for a split of a second and finally admitted, "I'm scared my wife isn't going to come back to me."
(X)
Hours later, the sun fell and the moon ascended, accompanied with a sheet of stars barely visible because of the the city lights. The only difference from this room earlier was Gregory now absent, having had to catch his flight back home and Paige was more determined than ever to accomplish mastering her abilities. Henry doubted that she would come to, and somehow, that motivated her to get her act together and to work faster and longer. Paige reflected on how she had been feeding off of her family's faith in her being strong enough to recover that it would happen so naturally, but they were talking about Paige the fighter, the one who stumbled into her old family and fallen intensely in love with them so much, there wasn't any destination she'd think twice about orbing into to save them.
Henry was fast asleep in the chair, undisturbed by the doctors as they allowed the spouse of the patient to sleep along their partner, since Paige was still in an early stage of comatose. Eventually, it got to a point where the doctors found it inappropriate for a spouse to sleep side-by-side their unconscious lover after a couple of years.
Paige was going to make sure that the two would be in their own bed at home soon enough, but whether or not she would be sleeping anytime soon was another thing. She felt the power flowing through her, well aware it existed within her spirit, and while she couldn't access her own natural powers, she felt fairly equipped with this new arsenal. She just wasn't sure what she was supposed to do with them? Haunt Henry as he slept? Speak to him in his dreams, if she could even do that?
Paige looked to her sleeping self and whispered, "My body..." She floated over to her body and placed her hand over her heart, fighting her way through a near invisible shield which pulsed of electric black waves, emitting sparks which remained unseen to the living eye. Paige fought against the painful friction, finding this was the closest she had ever gotten to her body since all her past attempts to jump back in and she found that this must've been her trying to possess a body, except in this case, it was repossessing.
"Finally," the echo of a voice sounding through the room said as orbs descended down, depositing an unshaven Sam Wilder in a flannel shirt underneath a brown vest. He moved quickly, but silently, not seeming to disturb Henry at all, confusing Paige.
"I was going to say the same thing," another voice said as opposing orbs dropped into the room, revealing Avo. "Your daughter has a talent for snoozing her life away, I'll give her that." He spoke with insincerity, immediately waking up Henry and waving to him.
Henry was startled, withdrawing in his seat until he noticed Sam. "Sam, that's a demon!"
"A demon who is going to help bring Paige back, now just stay quiet. We have to concentrate," the Whitelighter firmly said, placing both hands over Paige, though his left hand was palm-side up.
"Yeah, it's taken your wife forever to find the strength. Hopefully the recruits the old man here will be enough to somewhat match my power or this won't work," Avo told Henry, but quickly placed his right hand on top Sam's left and slid the other underneath the Whitelighter's right.
The two counter-lighters closed their eyes as Sam's hands shone gold while Avo's glowed gray. They began to scan their hands all across Paige's body, bathing her in a sun-warm light that blazed her so much it hurt. She screamed in pain and closed her eyes as the light grew too bright and as she was ready to break the connection between her soul and body, a voice spoke out to her.
"Hold on, Paige, it'll be worth getting you back to your family."
The voice seemed familiar, but she had to put a face to it, so she braved the light and saw Keith, Peter's biological father who was gunned down by his old gang. He looked at rest, but appeared transparent as he hovered behind Sam, lending his assistance to the healing wave as his hands were outstretched, resonating of gold light. He quickly explained to her, "What you've done for my son is what brings me here right now...to this moment...so he doesn't have to live without you like me and Liberty."
Another voice appeared, recently familiar to her but was easy to pick out, even before the beautiful brunette appeared in the same fashion as Keith, transparent and with healing hands. "I was so stubborn to my abilities and wanted to fight who I was so bad, and you were right, Paige, the afterlife is amazing," Rebecca said, the Amish charge of hers who was destined to be a Witchlighter. "I accept my death and I'm privileged to be here, to do this one final act for you before I just rest."
Like a magnet, Paige found herself being vacuumed into her body, ushered in by the composite of gray and gold lights of Good and Evil's healing amalgamation. As Paige found herself falling back into place, she heard Keith whisper one last time before dispersing with Rebecca, "Thank you for treating my son as your own."
Then her mind, body and soul were one again. The lights stopped washing over her as she inhaled that promised breath when her body jolted forward, breaking free from a couple of cannulas in her veins. Henry pushed Sam aside as he gripped Paige in a tight hug, completely forgotten that he was less than a foot away from a demonic being who could decimate the three in the room while vulnerable. The machines besides them went off, signaling Avo and Sam to orb away to their respective locations or wherever they pleased, having successfully done their part. Over a month of time had passed by, leading to a year's worth of heartache, all to be healed by Paige's awakening.
End of Chapter.
A/Note: Hopefully the chapter was worth the wait, especially for those who knew this chapter was incoming for the past couple of years. Drop a comment, por favor.