Who: Paige Matthews What: Arrival When: This afternoon, around 3:30 Where: Various points in the city. San Francisco for a few minutes. Rating: PG Status: Closed/Completed
Paige looked up from the book in her hands, an expression that was mix between apprehension and shock coloring her features. She was with the book. In the middle of a sidewalk. Albeit a not very crowded sidewalk-thank goodness for small miracles-but amount of people on the sidewalk, really didn't factor in. Not when you held it in comparison with the fact that she was no longer in the attic. She was no longer at home. Turning around quickly, she took in all around her. Yep, and she was willing to bet she was no longer in San Fancisco and none of it was her doing.
This .. this was not good. Sure that was a vast understatement but this wasn't good at all. And couldn't have come at more of a bad time. Closing the Book of Shadows with a quick thud, she looked around again, for safety measures. No one seemed to have seen anything but you could never be too careful. She made her way down the street, trying to figure out how she was so very sure that she wasn't in San Francisco anymore. Something about this place was very familiar. But it was hazy. She wouldn't be surprised if this was one of the places that she'd snuck off in her misspent youth. She didn't have time for this.
Everything happened for a reason. She knew that she got that. Paige had learned to deal with it when it happened when she wasn't in a mood to be all for it. When she had enough on her plate to deal with. And she did. She had two sisters, who'd be very pissed off to find out that she was missing. That is, if they even noticed she was missing. They hadn't noticed that time she'd ended up in another dimension because of Cole; however, that'd been because she'd been gone, to them anyway, for barely an instant. However, the thing was. She hadn't orbed this time. She hadn't sneezed and she most definitely hadn't sneezed-orbed. What she had been doing was researching a demon. In the Book of Shadows. Researching a demon while thinking about how she had two sisters who would be loosing the men they cared about pretty soon. Phoebe, because Drake had a short lease on life. And Piper, because the Elders were idiots. Paige was pretty certain that they wouldn't risk taking Leo away from them, at least permanently. They couldn't be that dumb to think they would take that sitting down. Either as the Charmed Ones or the women who loved Leo Wyatt as family. Still, she knew them. She knew enough of them weren't, had never been, on the side of Piper and Leo's epic and romantic love and would most definitely try something.
Which was why she didn't have time for this. Not at all. Her sisters needed her. Her nephews needed her. Leo was going to need distraction from Piper being stressed and Phoebe shooting him worried looks. Her school needed her. Yes, she was tired beyond tired of not having a life and being stuck in the ins and outs of Magic School but it was her school. It was hers at the moment. Her responsiblity and she wasn't going to let the Elders try and ruin that too just because she suddenly went missing. Or worse yet, but not surprisingly, they took it in their heads to send her away for some ridiculous reason.
Determined and more than a little irritated, Paige snuck into an ally and orbed for home. Or at least tried to. And tried became the very operative word. Because she ended up right by the sign that said 'Welcome to Los Angeles'. So that's where she'd seen some of those buildings before. It really had been because of her misspent youth. Paige glared up at the sky, then at the ground for good measure. Whoever was responsible for this ... She was liking their sense of humor less and less with every minute.
Tucking the Book properly against her, Paige yelled out, "Okay, whose smart idea is this? I know it's not Cole because he's dead. For good this time. It isn't the Avatars because I know you guys wouldn't mess with me again after what you did." If she ever saw an avatar again ... Now wasn't the time for that thought. "You had better send me back right now before my sisters here about this!" Not that she couldn't handle this on her own. Hello, she'd been the Headwitch for a year while Phoebe got her life together and Piper had Wyatt. And that had been during her second year as a witch. She just thought it was fair to warn them. Because with the mood Piper was in? Ha! It'd be very ugly. (Yes, Paige was going with the theory that her sisters knew she was missing ... it comforted her, and besides they just had to). Nonetheless, despite the yelling she got no response.
Of course she hadn't. Still. Not anything about this made sense. She hadn't touched any of Grams old clothing. In fact the only thing she'd touched was the book ... A small frowned came over Paige's features as she rememebred something. Phoebe told her once how Grams used to send messages to the Charmed Ones, pre her own arrival, to help them out. The thing is, Paige doubted Grams had the power to send someone to another dimension (as power as she had been), and this had to be some weird version of LA since she couldn't orb out, when she was alive let alone now that she was dead. However, she didn't discount the idea. Grams was a wily, crafty woman. If she wanted to find a way, because the woman had a whole lot of will.
But why here? Why her? Why now? Unless ... it was to take Piper's mind off of things. Unless it was because out of the three Grams knew that Paige was the only one who'd be more open to some big adventure, especially now. Especially when all three of them would need it (Phoebe needed it too, even if things were currently all honky-dory with Drake). It was the only thing Paige could think of, because if it'd been the olders. Wouldn't they have showed up by now to gloat? The idea was, admittedly, more than a little far-fetched. But it was worth a shot. "I can't help out weird version of LA with my sisters if you don't let me go get my sisters or send my sisters."
Nothing.
"I want to help. I do." And even though she didn't know what was going on, she did want to help. She always, almost always, wanted to help. And even when she didn't, she ended up doing so. That's just who and what she is. In fact, being half-whitelighter, Paige was pretty sure it was genetically impossible for her not to want to help in some way. No matter what dimension, time, and hell, planet innocents were from. "But I need to go find my sisters. I'll bring them back straight here, I promise. Even Piper." Oh, yeah. Even Piper.
Still nothing.
Getting frustrated, Paige muttered a curse word that would have caused Piper and Leo both to glare in her direction before trying to orb home again ... which ended up working.
Not exactly.
There was no 1329 Prescott Street. She'd ... it just didn't exist. It wasn't there. Nothing was there. It was a vacant lot. Okay. Alright. In another dimension. It was quite possible that her house didn't exist where it should be. She'd seen movies like this. It .. it could be somewhere else right? After all. She hadn't been able to orb out of LA before but now she just did. So that had to mean something right? Okay. Okay, she'd just be more specific, think it and say it. "Halliwell manor!" She cried out, trying it again.
Paige let out a sigh of relief, when she ended up in front of her home. Her sisters were never going to believe this. But she'd explain it on the way there. After they dealt with the demon, she was orbing them back. Somehow. After they talked to Grams and ... She'd find a way. She'd just given her word to ... something. Whatever it was had let her find her home, she wasn't about to break her word. She'd find out what was going on. Save the day and then end the night at P3 with a nice virgin version of the firecracker.
To make a very long story short, she quickl discovered that she'd have to put that virgin version of the firecracker on hold. Because that wasn't her house. It just looked like her house. 1329 Carroll Street in Los Angeles. Paige was very quickly going back to being frustated and unhappy.
She needed answers. She needed and wanted them now. And she was going try every which way to find them.