Fic: Comes Out of Darkness, Morn (19/37)
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...
*****
Prue had never felt more helpless as she did at that moment, watching her sister collapse to the pavement. Paige's skin held an ashy pallor, like all of the color had been leeched out of her face, and she slumped, unmoving, on the ground. Prue could also see the magic - the very life - pouring out of her youngest sister, and she didn't have the faintest clue how to stop it.
But she knew that she just couldn't sit by and do nothing.
Prue knelt down behind Paige, wrapping her arms around the younger woman before she remembered that she no longer had a physical form. Cursing herself for her forgetfulness, she tried again, this time letting her hands hover over Paige's chest, which was barely rising in slow, shallow breaths.
She couldn't actually touch Paige, but she could do what Paige had done to Emily and Henry, forcing her own magic into Paige's failing body. The difference being that hers was a controlled effort, rather than the wild spillage coming from Paige. Not that it helped, really; Paige's magic was still spilling out of her, it was just slowed down by Prue's efforts. Paige needed more help than Prue could give her; she needed Leo.
"Come on, Leo," Prue muttered, under her breath, as she kept carefully feeding energy into Paige, trying to keep her alive. "Come on. You can sense her. You have to."
But, she didn't know if the Whitelighter would be able to, or not. Before, the Source had been blocking Paige, the stick of his evil magic permeating the air around them. And now - Paige was so weak, had lost so much energy so fast, that Prue didn't know if Leo could find her. Prue pushed more energy into her baby sister, hoping that their combined magics would be enough for Leo to sense them.
A low moan drew her attention away from Paige, over to where Henry was slowly pushing himself up from the pavement. The gash in his forehead was almost completely healed, only a thin, pale scar marking its path up into his hairline. His eyes were wide with shock as he stared at Prue's transparent form, at Paige and Emily slumped on the ground in front of her.
"Prue?" he demanded, incredulously. "Is Paige-"
"She's hanging in there," Prue reassured him, hastily. "Henry, how do you feel?"
"Confused," came the reply. "I don't-" He trailed off, his eyes widening in horror as he remembered exactly what had happened. "Oh, god, what did I do?"
"That wasn't you," Prue said, her voice sharp, to get his attention. "Henry, that wasn't you; you were possessed by a demon."
"I-" Henry started, but Prue wasn't going to let him fall apart.
"I need you to stay with me, here," she snapped, briskly. "Henry, you need to get that kid out of here before he wakes up and goes after this girl, again."
Henry looked back at Troy, where the boy was slowly stirring, his eyes hardening as he took in the blood on the boy's hands. He pulled a pair of handcuffs out of his back pocket, hauling Troy to his feet and slapping the handcuffs on his wrists, ignoring the boy's indignant protests.
"You're under arrest," he said, his voice harsh. "You have the right to remain silent; anything you say-"
After he'd finished reading the boy his rights, Henry glanced over at her, Paige, and Emily, a clear question in his eyes.
"I'll take care of them," Prue said, softly, before Henry could say anything. "I promise, Henry."
"You're dead," Henry said, just as quietly, a waver in his voice and tears in his eyes that he quickly blinked away.
"Yeah," Prue agreed.
"I miss you," Henry went on, his voice rough. "I'm sorry."
Then, he frog-marched Troy away from the scene, his hands tight on the boy's arms to keep him from trying to get away. Prue turned her attention back to Paige and Emily, back to feeding energy into Paige to try and keep her alive. She lost herself in the effort, only coming back to herself when she heard the faint jingle of an approaching orb.
"Thank god," Prue muttered, as Leo and Piper orbed into the alleyway, with Phoebe and Cole shimmering in a couple of seconds later. "Leo," Prue snapped, urgently. "She's dying."
Leo snapped his head around at the sound of her voice, his eyes narrowing as he stared at her. Prue unconsciously glanced down at her hands, realizing that she'd expended enough energy into Paige that she was fading away. Soon, she wouldn't be strong enough to keep herself on this plane of existence. Leo's Whitelighter status was the only thing that allowed him to see her; her sisters and Cole couldn't see her, at all.
"Leo, hurry," she implored him, and Leo nodded, distractedly, as he knelt down next to Paige and Emily, holding a hand over both of their foreheads.
"I've got them," he murmured, reassuringly. Locking eyes with her, he added, softly, "It's okay. You can let go, now."
As he started to heal the women, Prue released her hold on Paige. She stepped back, watching as Piper and Phoebe dropped to the ground next the unconscious woman, concern on their faces. She reached out toward her sisters, feeling utterly helpless when her hands passed through Piper's shoulders like she wasn't even there.
"Piper, Phoebe," she said, sadly, but none of her sisters could hear her. "I'm sorry," she went on, after a moment. Even if they didn't hear her, she still needed to say it. "I didn't want to leave you. I hope you know that."
"They do," a familiar voice murmured, from behind her, and Prue looked up as a hand dropped onto her shoulder, her mother standing behind her with a sympathetic look on her face. "They know."
At the sound of Paige's voice, Prue looked back down to where her youngest sister was sitting up with Leo's help, a confused look on her face.
"Go slow," Leo was saying, quietly. "You almost died, Paige. You need to take it easy."
"Emily-" Paige protested, stubbornly.
"I'm over here, Paige," the girl spoke up, from where she was curled up against Piper and Phoebe. "I'm okay, I think. And so is my baby. I'm not sure how-"
"Magic," Piper interjected, a protective arm slung around the girl's shoulders.
"Where's Henry?" Paige asked, suddenly, looking around, her eyes widening at the sight of the blood on the pavement.
"I'll find him," Leo promised Paige. "You need to rest. I'm serious," he added, sternly, when she tried to get up. "What part of 'almost died' don't you get?"
"It's time to go," Patty interrupted, quietly, and Prue looked back at her, startled.
"But," she protested, glancing back at her sisters. "But, I'm not done."
"None of us ever are," Patty told her.
"I have to help them," Prue insisted, but Patty shook her head, sadly. Behind her, Prue could see a bright, white vortex forming in the air.
"This isn't your fight, any longer," she said, gently. "It's theirs."
"I don't want to go," Prue said, plaintively, but she could feel herself being inexorably pulled toward the vortex.
"It's time," was all Patty said, and after a few moments, Prue finally nodded, reaching out and clasping the hand that her mother held out to her.
"Are you ready?" Patty asked, and Prue took a moment to consider her answer.
"No," she finally said, honestly. "But, I think you're right; it's my time."
Then, she and Patty stepped through the vortex, into the unknown…
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...
*****
Prue had never felt more helpless as she did at that moment, watching her sister collapse to the pavement. Paige's skin held an ashy pallor, like all of the color had been leeched out of her face, and she slumped, unmoving, on the ground. Prue could also see the magic - the very life - pouring out of her youngest sister, and she didn't have the faintest clue how to stop it.
But she knew that she just couldn't sit by and do nothing.
Prue knelt down behind Paige, wrapping her arms around the younger woman before she remembered that she no longer had a physical form. Cursing herself for her forgetfulness, she tried again, this time letting her hands hover over Paige's chest, which was barely rising in slow, shallow breaths.
She couldn't actually touch Paige, but she could do what Paige had done to Emily and Henry, forcing her own magic into Paige's failing body. The difference being that hers was a controlled effort, rather than the wild spillage coming from Paige. Not that it helped, really; Paige's magic was still spilling out of her, it was just slowed down by Prue's efforts. Paige needed more help than Prue could give her; she needed Leo.
"Come on, Leo," Prue muttered, under her breath, as she kept carefully feeding energy into Paige, trying to keep her alive. "Come on. You can sense her. You have to."
But, she didn't know if the Whitelighter would be able to, or not. Before, the Source had been blocking Paige, the stick of his evil magic permeating the air around them. And now - Paige was so weak, had lost so much energy so fast, that Prue didn't know if Leo could find her. Prue pushed more energy into her baby sister, hoping that their combined magics would be enough for Leo to sense them.
A low moan drew her attention away from Paige, over to where Henry was slowly pushing himself up from the pavement. The gash in his forehead was almost completely healed, only a thin, pale scar marking its path up into his hairline. His eyes were wide with shock as he stared at Prue's transparent form, at Paige and Emily slumped on the ground in front of her.
"Prue?" he demanded, incredulously. "Is Paige-"
"She's hanging in there," Prue reassured him, hastily. "Henry, how do you feel?"
"Confused," came the reply. "I don't-" He trailed off, his eyes widening in horror as he remembered exactly what had happened. "Oh, god, what did I do?"
"That wasn't you," Prue said, her voice sharp, to get his attention. "Henry, that wasn't you; you were possessed by a demon."
"I-" Henry started, but Prue wasn't going to let him fall apart.
"I need you to stay with me, here," she snapped, briskly. "Henry, you need to get that kid out of here before he wakes up and goes after this girl, again."
Henry looked back at Troy, where the boy was slowly stirring, his eyes hardening as he took in the blood on the boy's hands. He pulled a pair of handcuffs out of his back pocket, hauling Troy to his feet and slapping the handcuffs on his wrists, ignoring the boy's indignant protests.
"You're under arrest," he said, his voice harsh. "You have the right to remain silent; anything you say-"
After he'd finished reading the boy his rights, Henry glanced over at her, Paige, and Emily, a clear question in his eyes.
"I'll take care of them," Prue said, softly, before Henry could say anything. "I promise, Henry."
"You're dead," Henry said, just as quietly, a waver in his voice and tears in his eyes that he quickly blinked away.
"Yeah," Prue agreed.
"I miss you," Henry went on, his voice rough. "I'm sorry."
Then, he frog-marched Troy away from the scene, his hands tight on the boy's arms to keep him from trying to get away. Prue turned her attention back to Paige and Emily, back to feeding energy into Paige to try and keep her alive. She lost herself in the effort, only coming back to herself when she heard the faint jingle of an approaching orb.
"Thank god," Prue muttered, as Leo and Piper orbed into the alleyway, with Phoebe and Cole shimmering in a couple of seconds later. "Leo," Prue snapped, urgently. "She's dying."
Leo snapped his head around at the sound of her voice, his eyes narrowing as he stared at her. Prue unconsciously glanced down at her hands, realizing that she'd expended enough energy into Paige that she was fading away. Soon, she wouldn't be strong enough to keep herself on this plane of existence. Leo's Whitelighter status was the only thing that allowed him to see her; her sisters and Cole couldn't see her, at all.
"Leo, hurry," she implored him, and Leo nodded, distractedly, as he knelt down next to Paige and Emily, holding a hand over both of their foreheads.
"I've got them," he murmured, reassuringly. Locking eyes with her, he added, softly, "It's okay. You can let go, now."
As he started to heal the women, Prue released her hold on Paige. She stepped back, watching as Piper and Phoebe dropped to the ground next the unconscious woman, concern on their faces. She reached out toward her sisters, feeling utterly helpless when her hands passed through Piper's shoulders like she wasn't even there.
"Piper, Phoebe," she said, sadly, but none of her sisters could hear her. "I'm sorry," she went on, after a moment. Even if they didn't hear her, she still needed to say it. "I didn't want to leave you. I hope you know that."
"They do," a familiar voice murmured, from behind her, and Prue looked up as a hand dropped onto her shoulder, her mother standing behind her with a sympathetic look on her face. "They know."
At the sound of Paige's voice, Prue looked back down to where her youngest sister was sitting up with Leo's help, a confused look on her face.
"Go slow," Leo was saying, quietly. "You almost died, Paige. You need to take it easy."
"Emily-" Paige protested, stubbornly.
"I'm over here, Paige," the girl spoke up, from where she was curled up against Piper and Phoebe. "I'm okay, I think. And so is my baby. I'm not sure how-"
"Magic," Piper interjected, a protective arm slung around the girl's shoulders.
"Where's Henry?" Paige asked, suddenly, looking around, her eyes widening at the sight of the blood on the pavement.
"I'll find him," Leo promised Paige. "You need to rest. I'm serious," he added, sternly, when she tried to get up. "What part of 'almost died' don't you get?"
"It's time to go," Patty interrupted, quietly, and Prue looked back at her, startled.
"But," she protested, glancing back at her sisters. "But, I'm not done."
"None of us ever are," Patty told her.
"I have to help them," Prue insisted, but Patty shook her head, sadly. Behind her, Prue could see a bright, white vortex forming in the air.
"This isn't your fight, any longer," she said, gently. "It's theirs."
"I don't want to go," Prue said, plaintively, but she could feel herself being inexorably pulled toward the vortex.
"It's time," was all Patty said, and after a few moments, Prue finally nodded, reaching out and clasping the hand that her mother held out to her.
"Are you ready?" Patty asked, and Prue took a moment to consider her answer.
"No," she finally said, honestly. "But, I think you're right; it's my time."
Then, she and Patty stepped through the vortex, into the unknown…
Continued here