Chapter 8

Somewhere a Clock is Ticking

Paige tugged the hairbrush through her hair for about the thousandth time as she stared at her reflection in the mirror with a dazed look upon her face. Abruptly she snapped herself out of it and set the brush down on her dressing table. Standing up, she straightened out her outfit and took steadying breaths. She was nervous because she was going back to school that day for the first time since having Emma and she just knew the kind of reaction she was going to get from everyone.

She heard Piper call her name and then poke her head round the bedroom door, smiling sympathetically, “We’ve got to go now.”

Paige gulped and nodded weakly. “We got your back,” Phoebe promised, appearing at the door too. “So do your two boyfriends downstairs,” she added with a grin.

Paige did not look amused. “They’re both here?” she cried in alarm.

“Relax, Glen’s not going to tell Kyle anything.” Piper assured her. “But you probably should … and soon.”

Paige sighed. “I know and I will. Let me just get this day over first.”

As soon as Paige got to the bottom of the stairs, Kyle and Glen were at her side asking how she was feeling. She felt so guilty about everything with Glen she couldn’t even look Kyle in the eye the last few days.

“Give the girl some room boys,” Phoebe grinned coming behind her sister. She put her hand on her sister’s shoulder, “You ready to go?”

“About as ready as I was when I had Emma,” she joked with a wry smile.

XXX

With her head held high, Paige walked into her first class alone and took a seat near the back, hoping to fade into the background.

No such luck.

“Wow, you’re back. We thought you’d be like your sister and drop out,” her old friend Becca said, surprised to see her.

“I’m not Prue,” she replied evenly.

“You both have a lot in common though right?” she smirked and Paige began to get uncomfortable as the class filled up and started to listen in. Whispers and stares were aimed at her.

“Why don’t you just say it Becca? In case no one got the memo she’s referring to the fact that we both were pregnant,” Paige snapped.

“Nice to see being a mummy hasn’t made you soft, that would have been a shame,” Becca said mockingly. “So tell us all Paige, who’s the daddy, ‘cause we’re all dying to know. Is it that Kyle guy or is it Glen?”

“Why don’t you just leave it Becca,” someone Paige didn’t recognise said.

“Look Paige you’ve got the new girl fighting your battles for you, how sweet.”

“Ah Becca nice of you to show up to class today,” their teacher said upon entering the room. “Can I have a word please?”

Becca groaned and made her way to the front of the class. The new girl took the seat beside Paige and smiled at her. “I’m Kerry.”

“Paige,” she replied, “thank you for… Becca can be a real bitch sometimes.”

“I’ve been here for two weeks now and I’m pretty sure its all the time,” Kerry grinned. “So did you get moved classes or something?”

“Actually I’ve not been at school for a while,” Paige answered vaguely.

“Sorry, it’s none of my business-“

“No, its fine. You’ll hear about it in the hallway, if not from me,” she said dryly. “I had a baby girl a few months ago.”

“Oh.”

Paige picked up on her tone and turned away, busying herself with getting her books out.

“So whats her name?” Paige looked back at the girl surprised and smiled, grateful if just one person wasn’t judging her.

“Emma, her name’s Emma.”

XXX

“I’ve got a proposition for you.”

“I’m sorry, I’m already married,” Prue grinned at Scott as he stopped her at the coffee machine at work.

He laughed. “Funny, very funny.”

“Thank you, I’m here all day, literally. I don’t mean to sound ungrateful but do you know how many cups of coffee I’ve got just this morning?”

“Then my proposition will cheer you up.”

“Oh really?”

“Yes really. There’s a charity banquet tonight and I’m the assigned photographer and I’m inviting you to go to.”

“So I’d actually be using a camera, not a coffee machine?”

“Unless you’d rather waitress at it?”

“Funny.”

“See I can be funny too. What do you say?”

“I’m so in and you’ll never be as funny as me.”

XXX

Paige exited her first class and made her way to her locker but stopped in her tracks when she saw Glen heading her way and turned to go in the opposite direction, hastily stopping again at the sight of Kyle coming her way. Quickly she headed for Phoebe’s locker instead.

“Hey, how was your first class?” Phoebe asked when Paige reached her.

“Good, sort of. I made a new friend.”

“That’s nice,” Phoebe grinned. “So you still avoiding your boyfriends?” she asked seeing Paige glance around her.

Paige just glared at her. “I’m leaving now.”

Phoebe smiled as she walked away and called out to her. “Have a good day sis!”

XXX

Paige sat down beside her two sisters and Cole at lunch and sighed when she saw Kyle come towards her.

“Paige can I have talk to you?” he asked and she forced a smile, motioning for him to sit down. “In private?”

“Do we have to? I just sat down-“

“Okay we can do it right here.” He began and then drew a breath before confronting her. “Do you want to explain why you’ve been avoiding me lately?”

His raised voice made her cringe. “Kyle don’t you think I’ve given people reason enough to stare at me without you causing a scene too?” She asked, her voice shrill as she glanced around the tables of people, some staring at her paranoid.

He looked slightly apologetic and sat down, lowering his voice. “Tell me quietly then.”

She sighed and bit her lip.

“You’re not breaking up with me are you?” he joked but upon the solemn look on her face, he swallowed. “Are you?” he asked, serious this time.

“We should go outside and do this,” was all she said as she stood up leaving her full tray of food behind and led Kyle outside.

Piper and Phoebe exchanged looks and sighed. “What was that all about?” Cole asked them.

“No idea,” Phoebe lied.

“You’re lying but that’s okay its sister confidentiality stuff, I get it.” He stood up with his empty tray. “I’m going to leave you to you sister melodrama and go deal with my brother melodrama.”

“Whats wrong with you?” Phoebe asked concerned. Cole planted a kiss on her cheek and grinned.

“Oh it’s not me. Its Leo.” Phoebe watched him go before explaining further and so turned to Piper curiously.

“Whats going on with Leo?”

“Uh…” Piper shrugged and scratched the back of her head awkwardly. “I don’t know,” she lied.

“You’re lying and that it not okay. Sister confidentiality remember?”

“What about boyfriend, girlfriend confidentiality?” she countered rising from her seat and leaving too. Phoebe jaw dropped as she looked around her.

“How did I end up sitting on my own?”

XXX

“Okay we’re outside. So start talking-“

“I kissed Glen. Or he kissed me. I’m not really sure… point is we kissed.” She blurted out, not able to keep it in any longer.

Kyle was just staring at her, mouth hanging open. With effort her closed it and found his voice. “Do you want to kiss him again?”

“No!” That was her instinctive answer then she winced and bit her lip. “Maybe.”

The bell rang before Kyle answered. He looked at her, “I’ve got to go to class now but you should go and find Glen and maybe kiss him or maybe not. You decide.” With that said he stormed off and she sighed.

“Kyle!” she called after him but he didn’t turn around just waved his hand at her, dismissing her almost and she sighed heavier this time.

“That could have gone better,” Paige turned to see Piper behind her, leaning against the wall, arms crossed over her chest.

Paige rolled her eyes, “You think?”

XXX

Phoebe spotted Piper down the hallway at the end of the day and sped up to catch her. Once she did, she linked arms with her sister and informed her. “Piper we’re going round to Leo and Cole’s.”

“What right now?” Phoebe just nodded. “Why?”

“Why not? They are our boyfriends are they not?”

Piper glanced away uncomfortably and then narrowed her eyes suspiciously at Phoebe after a moment. “You have an ulterior motive I think.”

Phoebe sighed dramatically. “Cole still wouldn’t tell me whats up with Leo so I figured we’d drop by and find out for ourselves.” She cast a suspicious look at Piper. “Although I’m still not convinced you don’t know.”

“Are we going or not?” Piper asked impatiently, striding ahead.

Phoebe raised a brow, confused, “I guess we are…”

XXX

“God, you take your time coming out off school,” Glen moaned as Paige made her way to the gates.

“Did I ask you to wait?” she snapped then immediately apologised. “Sorry, it’s been a long day.”

“Can I walk you home?” he asked, undeterred by her snapping at him.

She sighed. “Glen I don’t think that’s such a good idea. Kyle knows about the kiss,” she said by way of explanation.

Glen nodded slowly, “Does he know that I want to keep kissing you or does he think it was a one off?”

She raised her hand to her head and rubbed her forehead. He got the hint. “Okay I’m stressing you out but you have to tell him.”

“Why do I have to? Maybe I don’t want to keep kissing you, maybe I just want Kyle.” She shouted aggravated and from the look on Glen’s face, cringed. “He’s right behind me isn’t he?”

“Yeah, he is.” She turned around to look at Kyle, who was glaring at Glen.

Paige tried to talk to him and then tried with Glen but neither was listening, just seemed to be immersed in a glaring competition with each other.

“Fine, you two stand here and keep doing… that while I go home and see my daughter, okay?” With that said she took off while they suddenly came to their senses and called after her to no avail.

“She’s my girlfriend,” Kyle said firmly. “And you kissed her.”

“I’m sorry. This has nothing to do with hurting you, I just need her.”

“I’m not letting her go without a fight.”

“She’s worth it.”

XXX

Piper and Phoebe had been at Cole and Leo’s for about half an hour and in that time Phoebe couldn’t help but notice Piper and Leo had avoided all eye contact the whole time and Cole just kept grinning at the two secretly and winking.

After another ten minutes had passed and nobody but Cole had spoke and that was only to tease Leo or Piper about something that she just did not get, she snapped. “Can someone please tell me whats going on with the three of you?”

Again Cole just grinned while Piper and Leo avoided eyes. Phoebe sighed in frustration and stood up. “Fine I’m going to go and leave you to your secrets.”

“Wait I’ll come with you,” Cole announced and got up too.

“Are you going to tell me what’s going on?” she asked, raising a brow. Cole glanced at the other two, who were shaking their heads and sighed. Then he winced as he heard the door slam. He looked back at Piper and Leo.

“You should go after her,” Piper advised him.

He looked at her, bewildered, “you think?”

“No,” she admitted, “but you should leave so we can talk.”

“Gotcha.” And he was gone.

“You Halliwell girls are great at avoiding things,” Leo remarked thoughtfully after a few moments silence.

“Excuse me?”

“You are all evaders. Something you don’t like or cant handle comes along and you avoid the hell out of it,” he explained.

“We are so not… okay maybe a little,” she admitted. “But you freaked me out-“

“-I think I got that.” He smiled at her and earned a slight one back. “So to stop you freaking out I’m taking it back.”

She raised her eyebrows. “You’re un-proposing?”

He chuckled lightly. “I’m un-proposing,” he confirmed. “You still freaking out?”

She shook her head slowly. “Good then we can get back to normal. Whatever that is.”

They settled back on the couch, his arms around her shoulders and she calmed down until they reached a commercial and he shifted. “Actually I want to take that back.”

She looked up at him. “What back?”

He swallowed. “The un-proposing.”

“So we’re now back to where we were earlier?” she asked, confused, pulling out of his embrace and sitting up straighter.

“No,” he answered with a small smile.

“No?”

“’Cause now I’m proposing again. I’m re-proposing.”

She froze and laughed nervously. “All this un-proposing and re-proposing can really confuse a girl. Maybe we should just watch TV-“

“-Or I could get down on one knee and do this properly,” he smiled at her and did exactly as he said. He took her hands, which were shaking visibly. “Now I don’t actually have a ring… but Piper Halliwell will you marry me?”

She swallowed the lump in her throat and could only concentrate on the clock ticking as the seconds of silence passed. She looked at Leo who was waiting patiently but growing more nervous as the seconds ticked by. Eventually she opened her mouth to answer.

“I… I don’t know.”