A/N:It was a little hard to write this chapter. I wanted Paige and Tori to finally have a little moment between the two. In this chapter we see a little into Paige's past. I hope everyone likes it and don't forget to review. Thank you to everyone for the nice comments. Also, thank you for reviewing, following, and for all the favorites for this story.
Disclaimer: I do not own Victorious or Charmed.
Chapter 7: Memories & Family Bonding
(17 years ago)
(Paige's Pov)
It was like a never-ending movie. Every time Paige closed her eyes she would remember. She would remember how she found herself outside the burning car, and the explosion.
Her parents died because of her, it was her fault, and she knew it.
"Paige, honey come out of the room please?" Her aunt Julie had asked for the hundred time that day it had been almost a month since her parents funeral.
She didn't respond, she reached under her bed and pulled out an empty beer bottle. She was fourteen too young to drink but she had started drinking a year ago when she started hanging out with her "cool" friends. And now beer was the only way to forget the accident. But it seemed like she had to get more.
"Why did I tell them that I hate them?" She asked herself as tears silently left her eyes.
"Honey. I know it's not easy but please you know your parents wouldn't like to see you this way." She wanted to scream at her aunt. How would she know that? Her parents weren't even her real parents that means that she wasn't her aunt. She probably didn't want to take care of her. She probably was just a burden to her.
"Paige, could you at least get some fresh air? You don't have to go far just walk for a few minutes or hang out with your friends?" She shook her head. Hanging with her friends? If she hanged out with them she would probably just get drunk. Maybe it wasn't such a bad idea.
She wiped her tears put a little make up on and grabbed her black jacket. She looked at her clock it was six in the afternoon. She slowly opened her bedroom door.
"Paige honey!" Her aunt scream as she hugged her, Paige awkwardly hugged her back.
"I'm going to hang out with some friends." Paige said. She had only been crying so it wasn't that surprising that her voice sounded so raspy.
"Sure honey. I'll drive you there." Her aunt said and before Paige could politely refuse her aunt had already grabbed her car keys and went to the car.
Paige gave her aunt the directions, they arrived at Paige's best friend's house.
"I'll come pick you up at eight okay?" Paige shook her head.
"Do you mind if I stay the night here?" Her aunt wanted to refuse but decided against it. Maybe it would do Paige good to talk with her friend.
"Sure. I'll pick you up tomorrow?" Her aunt asked. Paige nodded and waved goodbye.
Paige knocked three times before her friend finally opened the door.
"What do you want!?" Her friend, Emily, screamed but her words died out as she realize who it was.
"Damn, girl. It's been too long. Heard your parents died, must be great not having someone nagging you all day." Emily said as she gesture Paige to come in. Paige didn't know if she wanted to cry or hit her friend.
"It's not so great." Paige said. Her friend Emily took her to the backyard. Paige wasn't surprised when she saw a lot of teenagers drinking their hearts out.
"Sure if you say so. Here, you seem too sober." Emily handed Paige a beer. Paige finished it in a big gulped.
"That's the Paige I love. Here come on let's have some fun." Emily gave Page another beer and then dragged her out to a couple of guys.
Paige took a seat next to them but she didn't pay too much attention to any of them. She continue to drink. She wanted to forget everything.
She should have notice something wrong when one boy kept handing her drinks. A couple of hours later, she was too drunk to actually see clearly. She remember walking to her friend's bedroom and then everything went black.
She woke up to find herself without any clothes on. She looked to the other side of the bed but there wasn't anybody there. She immediately stood up but regret it when her legs almost gave out. She found her clothes on the floor and she immediately put them on.
She wanted to cry but she couldn't because her aunt would be here any minute. Instead she refuse to acknowledge what had happened.
Her aunt picked her up and she didn't say anything. It wasn't until a few months later that her fear became a reality.
She was pregnant. She was pregnant at fifteen that was the news she received on her birthday. She cried as she waited for the pregnancy test. Her aunt knew something was wrong, the morning sickness, was a clear sign of her fears.
They gave her back the results and it was positive. She was four months old and she soon learned the sex of her baby, she was going to have a girl.
"I don't know what to do? We can't raise a child Julie, we're too old for that and she's too young." Her uncle told her aunt. They were discussing what to do with her child and Paige was listening against the door.
"But Dave what are we supposed to do?" Her aunt asked and Paige felt her tear leaving her eyes. She gently touched her stomach as she decided for all of them. She knew that her aunt and uncle didn't have a lot of money, and she knew that raising a child could be costly. So she did, what she thought would be the best for her baby girl.
She opened the door and answer her aunt's question.
"We'll give her to the church were my parents found me." They were both shocked they didn't want her to know what they were discussing, they were thinking of her too.
"Paige maybe there's another way you don't have to-" Paige shook her head and started talking before her aunt made her back out of this decision.
"This is the best thing. I can't raise a child and I'm still fifteen, I can't work. It doesn't matter what happens they will take my little girl away from me. At least I want to put her in adoption in the same place were my parents found me. Maybe she can find a wonderful family like I had." She walked away before they could discuss it further.
She spent crying that hold night. She didn't want to choose what her real parents chose. But she knew it was for the best. She was doing exactly like her real parents who gave her away had done. She wanted to stay with her little girl, but she couldn't. She hated it. She couldn't do anything.
The months passed by so fast, she had a home tutor so no one actually found out about her pregnancy. It was a secret that no one knew but her aunt and uncle.
The day came and she finally had her baby girl with brown eyes identical to her own. She was perfectly healthy. She asked for two days, and for two days she raised her baby girl. She tried to memorize everything about her baby girl. She took picture after picture, she wanted for the two days to never end.
But they did and just like she promised she took that little girl to the church.
She was standing in front of the door. She had her baby in her arms. She looked down at her little girl she kissed her cheek, her forehead, and her little nose. "My little Tori please forgive me. I know you don't understand but this is for the best, baby girl. One day we will meet again. I'm sure you're going to have a great family like I had."
Paige hated it but it was the best for her little Victoria. She remember putting the paper in the little basket by the little girl's feet. Brown eyes met brown eyes one last time and she kissed her little forehead one more time and knocked on the door. She hid behind a bush and waited for someone to open the door.
Before the door could open she heard her baby girl crying and she wanted so bad to grab her. But instead she let her tears fall as the door finally opened and an old nun picked her little girl.
The nun read the note and smiled. "So your name is Victoria what a lovely name."
Paige waited for the door to close and she ran she could barely see, she was crying, and she did everything in her power to not look back.
(End of Flashback)
Paige immediately woke up. That dream again. It was like a haunting memory. It happen more often now. She wiped her eyes and stood up from her bed. She looked at her cellphone and she wasn't surprised to see that it was two thirty in the morning. She couldn't sleep now so she decided to prepare herself something to drink.
She saw the light turn on in the kitchen she thought that maybe one of her sisters couldn't sleep either.
But it wasn't her sister but the least person she expected to see, Tori was sitting with her hand on the table, and she had a glass of water.
"Hey. I didn't woke you up did I?" Tori asked and Paige smiled as she shook her head. She couldn't ignore the connection. Tori's eyes were identical to her, her name was Victoria, and the biggest connection her whitelighter powers. She was the only half whitelighter, so she knew that Tori had inherited her powers.
"No. I just couldn't sleep." Tori was about to stand up when Paige grabbed her shoulder.
"You don't have to go. I'm going to drink some tea do you want some?" Tori slowly nodded. Paige smiled and put the water on the kettle. It didn't take long for the water to be ready. She put a tea bag in each cup and gave one to Tori.
"Are you okay?" Paige asked. She had been extremely concerned that Tori wouldn't be back but when Cat checked on Jade she found Tori sleeping with Jade.
"Yeah. Kind of. How did you take it?" Tori asked Paige.
"I did the same thing you did. When Piper and Phoebe told me I was a witch and that it was my destiny to fight demons I turned around and left." Paige smiled, it seems that both handle the magic news the same way.
"Really?" Tori asked. Paige chuckle and nodded.
"It was hard for me I just found out that they were my lost sisters and the oldest had just died. It wasn't something that I could believe so easily. I had just learned that I had gained two sisters, lost one, and not only that but magic was real and I was a witch." Tori looked shocked.
"You didn't know they were your family?" Paige shook her head.
"Not at first. I was given away at birth. My foster parents decided to tell me the truth and I took it hard. Every time I did something bad they tried to punish me accordingly. But I would always tell them how they shouldn't care because I wasn't their daughter." Paige said it took her by surprise when Tori reached out and grab her hand.
"You know they still loved you right?" She didn't know if she should cry or be proud of Tori. She was consoling her, her baby girl had grown so much.
"Yeah. But it was too late when I realized it. I was fourteen when I lost them in a car crash." She saw a single tear roll down Tori's eye. Tori stood up and hugged her. Paige was utterly shocked.
"I'm so sorry. No one should have gone through that. It most of being really hard." Tori said, Paige smiled a sad smile. Her daughter had become such a caring girl.
"It's okay. It was a long time. It's not like I'm alone you know? I have my two sisters and my uncle and aunt." She said. Tori didn't let her go though.
She felt tears landing softly on her shoulder.
"What's wrong?" She asked as she hugged Tori.
"I recently learned that I was also adopted. My mother just told me like it was the most normal thing in the world. I just haven't grasped it until now you know?" Tori told her and Paige held her tighter.
"It's hard to understand but they are your parents you know? Even if you guys are not related by blood." Paige told her. She didn't want to take Tori's foster parents place. She knew that she could never take their place. She just wanted Tori to know that she will always be there for her baby girl.
Tori nodded and cried for a little longer. Once she finally composed herself she took her seat again.
"I'm sorry. I just haven't talked to anybody about it." It was Paige's turn to grab her hand.
"You don't have to explain. I understand." Paige told her. Tori smiled and held Paige's hand back.
"Thank you. It's nice to know that someone understands what I'm going through." Paige smiled.
"No problem. I'll gladly listen to your problems." Tori nodded and yawned. Tori stood up.
"I'm sleepy again. I'm going back to bed." Tori said and Paige nodded.
"Don't forget I'll always be here if you need someone to talk to." Tori stop a few feet away from Paige.
"I'm not upset that they gave me up. I just keep thinking what if they didn't want me? Or what if they couldn't raise me? I don't want to search for them because I'm afraid of finding out that they forgotten about me. Even if they had a hard time then they could have at least contacted me now you know? I know it's stupid but a part of me is afraid of finding out that I was just someone who was born a mistake." Tori said as she walked away.
Paige wanted to run and tell her that she cared about her. That she was not a mistake. Even if she had half whitelighter powers and half demon powers. She was her daughter and Paige would do anything for her. There wasn't a day that she didn't though of her. But she just wanted her daughter to have a normal life. When she learned about magic she was afraid that the demons would hunt her if they found out that she was the daughter of a charmed one.
Each step Tori took felt like a hit to Paige.
She could have just told her. But how could she do that? It's not like she could just told her to wait and said casually "hey, guess what I'm your mother."
How could she do that now? Especially when the girl just told her all of her fears. She wanted to explain, but it wasn't easy. Not now when Tori had just trusted her with her insecurities.
If Tori would have turned around she would have seen Paige's tears, and pain. She would have realize that the words that she had just said cut deeply into Paige.