Fic: Comes Out of Darkness, Morn (12/37)
Title: Comes Out of Darkness, Morn
Rating: PG
Warnings: none
Summary: Pax's disappearance shattered Paige. Losing Prue, three years later, reopens old wounds that she thought she'd managed to close off, forever. But, through tragedy comes a sliver of light, and discovering that she's a witch is only the beginning...
*****
"And that should do it," Ava Nicolae told Paige, as she placed the last stitches into the wound on her forehead. "I'm impressed, Paige. Thirty-seven stitches. What, exactly, did you do to hurt yourself, again?"
"I slipped and fell on the roof," Paige said, tactfully omitting the part where a demon had helped her to it. "And, you only used so many stitches because you're a perfectionist."
"I used that many stitches," Ava countered, "because your head wound wouldn't stay closed. Which means that you've earned yourself a night in one of our fine beds, on concussion watch."
"What? No!" Paige protested, immediately, staring at Ava in shock. "Oh, come on, Ava, it's not that bad."
"It took five minutes for the bleeding to stop long enough for me to stitch you up," Ava reminded her, stubbornly. "Paige, head injuries are nothing to fool around with. You need to be lying down and not exerting yourself."
"I'm fine," Paige insisted, thinking of Shane, his panicked face as he stared at her like she was some kind of monster, and her face plastered all over the evening news. "Come on, I don't really need to stay here all night, do I?"
"Two hours," Ava capitulated, after a few moments. "Long enough for me to be sure that you're not going to pass out in a ditch, somewhere."
"It's San Francisco; we're not exactly overrun with ditches," Paige shot back, sarcastically. "Half an hour. I'm already going stir crazy."
"One hour, and that's my final offer," Ava said. "Now, would you please lie down and let the painkillers do their work?"
"Fine," Paige sighed, as she stretched out on the exam bed.
"And try not to bleed all over the room, huh?" Ava teased her, as she left the room, laughing as Paige stuck her tongue out at her.
Paige closed her eyes as soon as she was alone, letting herself drift in the relative silence of the empty room. She didn't quite doze off, but she was certainly startled back into awareness when someone put a hand on her arm, and she opened her eyes to find Henry standing beside her bed, a concerned expression on his face.
"What is it with you, and me, and hospitals?" Henry asked, grinning down at her.
"Yeah, except last time, you were the one bleeding all over the place," Paige retorted, as she sat up on the bed. "What are you doing here?"
"Ava called me," Henry told her. "I'm your ICE-One, remember? So, what happened?" he prompted, dragging a chair over beside the bed.
"That's a long story," Paige told him, with a sigh. "I don't know if you'll believe me. Hell, I don't know if I believe me."
"Try talking it out," Henry suggested.
"Couldn't hurt," Paige agreed. "Okay, I was up on the roof, and I was attacked by a demon."
"I beg your pardon?" Henry asked, surprised. "A demon? Like hellfire and brimstone?"
"One and the same," Paige replied. "Big, gray guy throwing around energy balls. Knocked me off the freaking roof."
"Well, I'm glad to see that it didn't stick," Henry told her, his light tone at odds with the worry in his eyes as he squeezed her hand, gently. "Are you all right?"
"For the most part," Paige reassured him. "Just scrapes and bruises. I'm mostly pissed. I mean, why was that thing even after me?"
"Who knows?" Henry said, with a shrug. "Hey," he added, a moment later, "how did your date with Shane go?"
"Well, when you consider that being attacked by a demon was the better part of my evening-" Paige said, shaking her head. "How does unmitigated disaster sound?"
"Why, what happened?" Henry asked. "No, wait, let me guess. He's married."
"No," Paige said, a smile creeping slowly over her face at Henry's teasing tone.
"Um, he found out about that sixth toe," Henry went on. "You've got to admit, that thing is creepy."
"I don't even have a sixth toe!" Paige exclaimed, laughing, and Henry chuckled.
There was a moment of silence, and then he asked, somberly, "Did you tell him that you used to be a man?"
He managed to hold a straight face for about two seconds, right before Paige smacked him in the face with the pillow from her bed.
"Shut up!" she said, fighting back laughter. "Would you please be serious?"
"All right, all right," Henry said, holding his hands up in surrender. "I'm being serious. What happened?"
"Shane found out about me," Paige told him, her own laughter dying. "He saw me use my powers. And he freaked out. And I'm worried that he's going to go running straight to the cops, or Channel Six News, or something."
"That's not good," Henry declared, and Paige rolled her eyes.
"You're telling me," she replied. "Henry, I'm screwed."
"No, you're not," Henry said, reassuringly. "No matter what happens, we'll handle it."
"I hope so," Paige sighed. "The last thing I need right now is to have my every secret spilled out for the world to see."
Henry opened his mouth to say something, but he was interrupted by a knock on the doorway. He and Paige both looked toward the door, Paige's eyebrows flying up in shock to see Shane standing there.
"Shane-" she began, and then she trailed off, for once, completely at a loss for words.
"I'm glad to see that you're all right," Shane said, entering the room, and now it was Henry's turn to look surprised.
He blinked at Paige, leaning close and whispering, "This is him freaking out?"
"I'm really sorry for running off like I did," Shane was saying, as he stopped beside Paige's bed. "I felt so guilty when I heard that you got hurt."
"I'm okay, really," Paige said, even as she marveled at Shane's complete one-eighty. "Are you all right?" she asked, seeing the way Shane was keeping his weight off his right leg.
"I'm fine," Shane said, shrugging her concern off. "Oh, hey, there's a cop out there that's going to want to talk to you."
"What?" Paige demanded, exchanging a panicked look with Henry. "Why?"
"I told him that you saw the guy that attacked us, up on the roof," Shane said, sounding baffled by her reaction. "You did, right?"
"Um," Paige stammered, but Shane wasn't listening to her.
"Anyway, the doctor said that I should go home and lie down," he said, blithely. "I'll see you later, okay?"
Then, he dropped a kiss onto her forehead and sailed out the door, leaving Paige to stare after him in amazement.
"What the hell just happened, here?" Paige asked, looking to Henry for some kind of explanation, but he looked just as confused as she was.
And before he could say anything, a second knock on the doorframe had an irritated look crossing his face, Henry clearly annoyed at being interrupted, yet again. Paige gave him a sympathetic smile at the way he fought to force the scowl off his face.
"Can I help you?" she asked the man standing in the doorway.
"Inspector Marco Cortez," the man introduced himself, as he entered the room. "I'm here to talk to you about the man who attacked you, Ms. Matthews."
"I'm sorry," Paige lied, a guileless look on her face. "I didn't see the guy. I can't really help you."
"Are you sure?" Cortez pressed, insistently. "Anything that you can remember, even the tiniest detail, could help us catch this monster. He's already killed two people," he added, clearly hoping to shock her, "and you and your boyfriend were lucky that you weren't victims three and four."
"I'm sorry," Paige repeated, "but I just didn't see anything."
Cortez shook his head as he glared at her. "Now, see, some people might believe you," he hissed, quietly, "but I can see in your eyes that you're lying. Who are you trying to protect?"
"Hey, back off," Henry growled, before Paige could protest. "She already said that she didn't see anything."
"I know you know something," Cortez went on, undaunted. "Just like the Halliwells."
"Halliwell?" Paige repeated, suddenly.
"Yeah," Cortez said, a strange glint in his eyes. "Prue Halliwell was murdered last week, and her family is protecting the monster who did it. Just like you are."
"I'm not protecting anyone, Inspector," Paige said, coolly. "Now, I think you need to leave."
Cortez glared at her, but Paige just stared impassively back, not giving an inch. Finally, Cortez stalked out of the room without a word, and Paige slumped back against the bed.
"Do you think he's right?" Henry asked, quietly. "Do you think that Prue was murdered by the same demon that attacked you, up on the roof?"
"I don't know," Paige replied, with a sigh. "But, I think that I need to talk to her sisters."
Continued here
Rating: PG
Warnings: none
Summary: Pax's disappearance shattered Paige. Losing Prue, three years later, reopens old wounds that she thought she'd managed to close off, forever. But, through tragedy comes a sliver of light, and discovering that she's a witch is only the beginning...
*****
"And that should do it," Ava Nicolae told Paige, as she placed the last stitches into the wound on her forehead. "I'm impressed, Paige. Thirty-seven stitches. What, exactly, did you do to hurt yourself, again?"
"I slipped and fell on the roof," Paige said, tactfully omitting the part where a demon had helped her to it. "And, you only used so many stitches because you're a perfectionist."
"I used that many stitches," Ava countered, "because your head wound wouldn't stay closed. Which means that you've earned yourself a night in one of our fine beds, on concussion watch."
"What? No!" Paige protested, immediately, staring at Ava in shock. "Oh, come on, Ava, it's not that bad."
"It took five minutes for the bleeding to stop long enough for me to stitch you up," Ava reminded her, stubbornly. "Paige, head injuries are nothing to fool around with. You need to be lying down and not exerting yourself."
"I'm fine," Paige insisted, thinking of Shane, his panicked face as he stared at her like she was some kind of monster, and her face plastered all over the evening news. "Come on, I don't really need to stay here all night, do I?"
"Two hours," Ava capitulated, after a few moments. "Long enough for me to be sure that you're not going to pass out in a ditch, somewhere."
"It's San Francisco; we're not exactly overrun with ditches," Paige shot back, sarcastically. "Half an hour. I'm already going stir crazy."
"One hour, and that's my final offer," Ava said. "Now, would you please lie down and let the painkillers do their work?"
"Fine," Paige sighed, as she stretched out on the exam bed.
"And try not to bleed all over the room, huh?" Ava teased her, as she left the room, laughing as Paige stuck her tongue out at her.
Paige closed her eyes as soon as she was alone, letting herself drift in the relative silence of the empty room. She didn't quite doze off, but she was certainly startled back into awareness when someone put a hand on her arm, and she opened her eyes to find Henry standing beside her bed, a concerned expression on his face.
"What is it with you, and me, and hospitals?" Henry asked, grinning down at her.
"Yeah, except last time, you were the one bleeding all over the place," Paige retorted, as she sat up on the bed. "What are you doing here?"
"Ava called me," Henry told her. "I'm your ICE-One, remember? So, what happened?" he prompted, dragging a chair over beside the bed.
"That's a long story," Paige told him, with a sigh. "I don't know if you'll believe me. Hell, I don't know if I believe me."
"Try talking it out," Henry suggested.
"Couldn't hurt," Paige agreed. "Okay, I was up on the roof, and I was attacked by a demon."
"I beg your pardon?" Henry asked, surprised. "A demon? Like hellfire and brimstone?"
"One and the same," Paige replied. "Big, gray guy throwing around energy balls. Knocked me off the freaking roof."
"Well, I'm glad to see that it didn't stick," Henry told her, his light tone at odds with the worry in his eyes as he squeezed her hand, gently. "Are you all right?"
"For the most part," Paige reassured him. "Just scrapes and bruises. I'm mostly pissed. I mean, why was that thing even after me?"
"Who knows?" Henry said, with a shrug. "Hey," he added, a moment later, "how did your date with Shane go?"
"Well, when you consider that being attacked by a demon was the better part of my evening-" Paige said, shaking her head. "How does unmitigated disaster sound?"
"Why, what happened?" Henry asked. "No, wait, let me guess. He's married."
"No," Paige said, a smile creeping slowly over her face at Henry's teasing tone.
"Um, he found out about that sixth toe," Henry went on. "You've got to admit, that thing is creepy."
"I don't even have a sixth toe!" Paige exclaimed, laughing, and Henry chuckled.
There was a moment of silence, and then he asked, somberly, "Did you tell him that you used to be a man?"
He managed to hold a straight face for about two seconds, right before Paige smacked him in the face with the pillow from her bed.
"Shut up!" she said, fighting back laughter. "Would you please be serious?"
"All right, all right," Henry said, holding his hands up in surrender. "I'm being serious. What happened?"
"Shane found out about me," Paige told him, her own laughter dying. "He saw me use my powers. And he freaked out. And I'm worried that he's going to go running straight to the cops, or Channel Six News, or something."
"That's not good," Henry declared, and Paige rolled her eyes.
"You're telling me," she replied. "Henry, I'm screwed."
"No, you're not," Henry said, reassuringly. "No matter what happens, we'll handle it."
"I hope so," Paige sighed. "The last thing I need right now is to have my every secret spilled out for the world to see."
Henry opened his mouth to say something, but he was interrupted by a knock on the doorway. He and Paige both looked toward the door, Paige's eyebrows flying up in shock to see Shane standing there.
"Shane-" she began, and then she trailed off, for once, completely at a loss for words.
"I'm glad to see that you're all right," Shane said, entering the room, and now it was Henry's turn to look surprised.
He blinked at Paige, leaning close and whispering, "This is him freaking out?"
"I'm really sorry for running off like I did," Shane was saying, as he stopped beside Paige's bed. "I felt so guilty when I heard that you got hurt."
"I'm okay, really," Paige said, even as she marveled at Shane's complete one-eighty. "Are you all right?" she asked, seeing the way Shane was keeping his weight off his right leg.
"I'm fine," Shane said, shrugging her concern off. "Oh, hey, there's a cop out there that's going to want to talk to you."
"What?" Paige demanded, exchanging a panicked look with Henry. "Why?"
"I told him that you saw the guy that attacked us, up on the roof," Shane said, sounding baffled by her reaction. "You did, right?"
"Um," Paige stammered, but Shane wasn't listening to her.
"Anyway, the doctor said that I should go home and lie down," he said, blithely. "I'll see you later, okay?"
Then, he dropped a kiss onto her forehead and sailed out the door, leaving Paige to stare after him in amazement.
"What the hell just happened, here?" Paige asked, looking to Henry for some kind of explanation, but he looked just as confused as she was.
And before he could say anything, a second knock on the doorframe had an irritated look crossing his face, Henry clearly annoyed at being interrupted, yet again. Paige gave him a sympathetic smile at the way he fought to force the scowl off his face.
"Can I help you?" she asked the man standing in the doorway.
"Inspector Marco Cortez," the man introduced himself, as he entered the room. "I'm here to talk to you about the man who attacked you, Ms. Matthews."
"I'm sorry," Paige lied, a guileless look on her face. "I didn't see the guy. I can't really help you."
"Are you sure?" Cortez pressed, insistently. "Anything that you can remember, even the tiniest detail, could help us catch this monster. He's already killed two people," he added, clearly hoping to shock her, "and you and your boyfriend were lucky that you weren't victims three and four."
"I'm sorry," Paige repeated, "but I just didn't see anything."
Cortez shook his head as he glared at her. "Now, see, some people might believe you," he hissed, quietly, "but I can see in your eyes that you're lying. Who are you trying to protect?"
"Hey, back off," Henry growled, before Paige could protest. "She already said that she didn't see anything."
"I know you know something," Cortez went on, undaunted. "Just like the Halliwells."
"Halliwell?" Paige repeated, suddenly.
"Yeah," Cortez said, a strange glint in his eyes. "Prue Halliwell was murdered last week, and her family is protecting the monster who did it. Just like you are."
"I'm not protecting anyone, Inspector," Paige said, coolly. "Now, I think you need to leave."
Cortez glared at her, but Paige just stared impassively back, not giving an inch. Finally, Cortez stalked out of the room without a word, and Paige slumped back against the bed.
"Do you think he's right?" Henry asked, quietly. "Do you think that Prue was murdered by the same demon that attacked you, up on the roof?"
"I don't know," Paige replied, with a sigh. "But, I think that I need to talk to her sisters."
Continued here