3/31 Instance: Eternal Promises

[tears~fall~like~glass]

timeline: after The Last Supper


Paige: Paige crossed her legs, holding her knees to her chest as she sat on her and Rachel's bed. She knew Rachel was back. She knew she was alive... but she didn't know if she was hurt. She'd have to wait, anxiously, until Rachel was finished. She rocked just a bit, nervous about what she'd find.

Rachel: Rachel wasn't entirely sure how many times she'd washed herself to get rid of the smell of sewage, but she reached to shut the water off, resting her head against the cool tiles of the shower as she sniffled. Regardless of the amount of body wash she'd likely wasted, she didn't feel particularly clean. After telling herself that she needed to move a few times, she actually did so, pulling pajamas on.

Rachel: By the time she'd finished dressing, the nauseous feeling had returned, causing her to grip the sink counter. She stared down into the basin, letting out a shuddering breath. Shit, Cassie was really dead...

Paige: Waiting after the water turned off was harder than waiting with the water running. Paige bit her lip, glancing at the door. Should she go in there?

Rachel: Rachel managed to pull her gaze up to the mirror and pulled a slight face at sight of herself, her face still pale, eyes red from crying. Releasing her death grip on the countertop, she turned her back on her reflection, sinking to the bathroom floor, as she choked on another sob, this time without the running water to cover the noise.

Paige: Without the water, Paige heard the sound. She carefully got to her feet, pausing against the door. She debated on going in or not, deciding Rachel could be the one to tell her to leave. She opened the door taking in the sight of Rachel. She wasn't herself. "Oh Rachie..." Paige moved to her, wrapping her arms around her tightly.

Rachel: Finally giving in to just breaking down, Rachel had rested her forehead against her knees as she cried, not offering any resistance as Paige appeared next to her, simply turning her face into the other girl's shoulder. While she'd generally feel ridiculous for something like this, the thought never occurred to her as she clung to Paige, taking gasping breaths, trying to calm herself enough to speak.

Paige: The sight of Rachel crying made Paige break down and start crying. She held Rachel protectively, rocking her a bit as she rested her head on top of her's and cried with her.

Rachel: She didn't know how long she'd spent sitting on the bathroom, crying with Paige, but she was vaguely aware that it was incredibly uncomfortable. The grip she had on Paige went slack as she hoarsely managed while pushing herself up, "Gonna be sick."

Paige: Paige grabbed the trash can, pulling Rachel's hair back in one smooth motion as she guided her to the toilet.

Rachel: Rachel managed to make it to the toilet before she began to heave, forcing herself back up and over to the sink to brush her teeth and rinse her mouth.

Paige: "What can I do?" Paige asked her softly.

Rachel: She didn't even know what to do with herself at this point, let alone have any idea what Paige should do. She slid back down to sit on the floor once she was finished. "She... I j-just... just saw her the other day, and now..."

Paige: "Just saw who, sweetie?" Paige brushed back Rachel's hair from her face. She got up to wet a cool wash cloth, then sat back down, pressing it onto Rachel's face.

Rachel: "C-Cassie..." she stuttered out with a sniffle, "I... I went t-to get her, y'know, with Jess and J-Jean. I-I signed to g-get her from the police station, and she..." Rachel trailed off, brow furrowed as her jaw worked for a moment, eventually forcing out, "She's d-dead."

Paige: "Whaaaat?!" Paige let the wash cloth drop slightly in disbelief. "She's dead?! But how?!"

Rachel: "Found her today... in a church. I pried the information from Quire's mind, but..." Rachel shook her head. They'd been too late. "There were some of..." she swallowed, "Some of Jamie's duplicates, and fuck... I still have to tell Jean..."

Paige: "Shh...." Paige pulled Rachel into a protective hug again. "I can do that with you, if you want. But you need to rest..."

Rachel: She leaned into her once more, mumbling, "They were in p-pieces, and I-I have to tell her..."

Paige: "I know you do... but you need to be in one piece to do that." Paige smoothed her hair, holding her tightly.

Rachel: "I can be in one piece," Rachel insisted, adding after a moment, "In a minute."

Paige: Paige kissed Rachel's forehead softly, smiling just a bit. "I'm right here with you."

Rachel: She simply nodded as she told herself she could actually pull herself together, though she had yet to actually convince herself. She shifted, not finding the bathroom floor any more comfortable than she previously had, and looked up at Paige, "I shouldn't have told her she could go after Shaw."

Paige: "You couldn't have known, Rachie... and she might have gone without your permission." Paige held out her hands to help Rachel up, not liking the floor much herself.

Rachel: "Then, I should've figured something out," Rachel muttered as she accepted the help up.

Paige: "Rachel... this isn't on you." Paige brushed Rachel's hair back from her face again, letting her hands rest on her cheeks. "This is not your fault. This is theirs."

Rachel: She sucked in a breath, deciding to let that subject drop. As she studied Paige's face, she sniffled and slowly let it out, searching for something to say. "I... I've seen so many bodies, but it... This was bad. It was really, really bad, and I-I should've taken you more seriously..."

Paige: Paige wrapped her arms around Rachel, snuggling into the crook of her neck. "I'm so, so sorry, Rachie." She closed her eyes, wishing she could take that memory from her.

Rachel: Rachel was still for a few moments after Paige had attached herself to her, eventually slipping her arms around her as she quietly admitted, "You were right... It's scary."

Paige: "Can we just hide? In our bed? And not leave until it's over?"

Rachel: "Well, I sort of have to talk to Jean," she sighed heavily, starting toward the bed despite what she was saying, "I should get it over with."

Paige: "Yeah... do you want to do that alone?" Paige moved to sit on the bed, feet dangling off the edge. She reached into the bedside table, pulling out a bag of gummy worms.

Rachel: Rachel flopped down behind her, sliding her arms around Paige's waist as she curled up against her, answering, "I planned on doing it alone, yeah."

Paige: She turned her head, offering Rachel a gummy worm over her shoulder. "I'll be right here when you get back." She slid her free hand over Rachel's, snuggling back into her.

Rachel: Pulling a slight face, she shook her head at the candy offering, not particularly hungry, and she wasn't sure it'd stay down. Instead, she kissed Paige's shoulder, though she didn't make any move to get up, mumbling, "I know what you can do."

Paige: "Mmmm and what's what?" Paige closed her eyes at the kiss, forgetting about the gummy worm.

Rachel: Resting her cheek against Paige's shoulder, Rachel watched her as she hesitated at the question, even though she knew it'd been coming when she brought the subject up. She swallowed, her hold on Paige tightening slightly as she whispered, "Don't die on me."

Paige: Paige could feel her throat tighten, tears threatening to spill over once more. She sniffled a bit, turning just enough to catch Rachel in a kiss. "I promise I will stay as safe as possible. You can't die either... I can't lose you now." Paige nuzzled Rachel's cheek, pressing her face gently against her girlfriend's.

Rachel: "I think I can manage that," she mumbled, stealing another kiss before loosening her hold. "I'll be back in a bit. Hopefully, stuff with Jean won't take very long."

Paige: "Alright." Paige kissed her again before running her hand through her hair. "If you need me... you know where I'll be." Which translated to hiding under the covers.