Title: Joy to the World
Author: frickangel
Summary: It was never about mourning, but everything to do with celebrating. Part five of the 'Angel in my Arms' series.
A/N: All onboard the angst/hurt/comfort train.
Timeline: Post season six, pre season seven. Set during the exact moment of part four of the series.
Warning: Totally Un-beta'd.
Disclaimer: Don't know, don't own and don't I wish.

"'Fade away? What—what do you mean, he just faded away?'
'In Leo's arms, after he died.'
'Yeah, maybe he didn't die. I mean, maybe he was just going back...'"
-It's a Bad, Bad, Bad, Bad World (Pt II)

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The world was upside down, distorted and filled with odd and shapeless colours that bled into each other. Each and every image was either too small or too inflated to make out, but she knew what it all signified.

"Paige?"

Her dark hair tickled bare shoulders as she jerked her sight from the chandelier to the source of the voice. She hadn't even realised just how weird it must've looked; she standing there, unmoving and looking up. "Hey…" she replied and watched her older sister step into the same room.

"You okay?" Phoebe asked, her question filled with unmistakable concern as she ambled towards her.

"Yeah. I'm fine," she struggled by forcing a smile, but that's what it turned out as—forced. "What'd you ask?"

"For one thing, you've been on this same spot for a while."

"Nah, I was just thinking," she shrugged and threw her hands out, an attempt to seem carefree. Paige was glad that the empath blocking potion was working its magic—or else Phoebe would be on her case and never let go. The woman was like a rabid dog when it came with emotional problems that needed sorting. She would bite down and wouldn't release her grip until it's somehow solved, no matter how messy the solution was.

Turning around, the half-witch treaded towards the dinning hall, hoping to avoid the precarious situation, "Piper back yet?"

It took a while for Phoebe to reply and Paige glanced back to find out why. She had decided to follow Paige before answering, "No…" Reaching out for one of the dinning chairs, Phoebe pulled it and sat just as Paige had from across of her. "Leo's still with her at P3."

Lips set into a tight think line, Paige could only imagine what her sister and brother might be going through. Could it be joy and grief at the exact time for the same yet different person?

She leaned her elbows on the polished wooden table, watching as her reflection followed suit.

Maybe it was easier the second time round—losing someone so close. Everyone else knew Prue and had lost her, but this was her first time suffering the actual pain of letting family go—and she had helplessly watched him die. It seemed to her that Phoebe was holding this down well enough.

Fingers tracing the wild patterns, loops, and curves on the table runner, hoping to herself that doing something so fruitless would allow her to avoid the tears. But the emotional bubble deep within grew, unwilling to release its hold until at last it could hold no more; the tidal wave crashed.

And the laughter came.

"Paige?" the empath repeated the familiar name.

Waving it off, Page was vaguely aware that a sudden bout of laughter wasn't sane, and to be perfectly honest, she couldn't figure out the reason either. "I'm sorry," she breathed shakily to calm her outburst. "It's just that I called him a sex offender from the future." So, her brain had discovered the purpose behind her laughs.

It didn't take long for Phoebe to join in as she broke into a wide smile before succumbing to her own hysterics. "When?"

"During that time you granted his wish for Piper and Leo to sleep together."

Paige recognised the humiliated look on her sister's face. Then again, who wouldn't be embarrassed to find themselves dressed idiotically like a blonde genie? "What were you thinking, pervert?" she questioned, rubbing it in.

"I resent that!" Phoebe lifted a finger to object. "I wasn't in control of his wishes. And nothing happened, right?"

Still chuckling out loud, Paige only managed to shake her head.

"But that still doesn't beat what I did."

"Oh?" Raising an eyebrow, Paige could only wonder curiously.

"I hit on him"

Her jaw dropped, "Okay, this…" she sat up straight and eyed her companion. "…I have to know."

Phoebe leaned back against the heavy set chair and tried suppressing a shameful smile. "You know, you were Xena warrior princess and I was little miss cupid of love. I seriously didn't know he was our nephew—neither did you!"

"This is just very disturbing on so many levels…" Paige's eyes widened, "I think I wanted to castrate him."

"The whole time travel thing, really messes with your mind," Phoebe made circling motions with her hand to emphasise what she meant. Somewhere in mid-circles, the younger witch caught her sudden expression change. "Oh god…"

After this collection of sudden revelations, Paige was fearful what this might bring to the table. "Should I ask?"

"He kissed me."

Definitely shouldn't have asked. "You didn't…" a sudden overwhelming urge to throw up was beginning to grip her. The internal struggle of her last meal making its rounds at the pit of her stomach like a washing machine on spin-dry.

"No, no!" Phoebe suddenly denied, obviously getting confused herself. "I mean not actual me-me, but the blonde-impostor-me!"

"Now you've lost me."

"The three dumb blondes who stole our powers. What's their names again? Milly…something and something." She snapped her fingers in the air.

"Mitzy, Margo and Mabel."

"Them!" Again more finger pointing from the empath. "He kissed the one impersonating me."

"Wait, how did you know? Weren't we frozen?"

"Another small flash of a sheepish smile, "I cast a 'replay' spell—what?!" Phoebe exclaimed in reply to Paige's suspicious look. "I just wanted to find out how he did it…"

"This whole family needs shrink," Paige muttered as she tried shaking the mental image of her nephew making out with his aunt.

No amount of disinfectant could help.

Both sisters sat there like that, just giggling at the light-hearted moment they had built amongst them. Now it was gone, bringing back them back to the dismal emotions; the loops and curves of the table runner beckoned to Paige once again.

"I miss him, too…" Phoebe whispered as she stared blanking into the distance of some unseen vision, before gazing back at Paige.

The Whitelighter noticed the slight redness colouring her eyes, the ghost of tears that were. Maybe it hadn't been so easy on her after all.

Swallowing hard, she felt comfort while they mourned the loss of their loved one not through tears but with laughter.

"Oh, for chrissakes!" Phoebe pushed the chair away as she stood. Practically running like a madwoman into the kitchen, Paige could only watch in bewilderment as the other witch rummaged through the cupboards before disappearing out of sight. She only heard the loud clatter as Phoebe dug around through kitchen treasures. She finally reappeared.

"Here," she gently laid the long champagne glasses and held out an unopened bottle of bubbly. Peeling away the silvery foil, she skilfully popped the cork, though with the absence of its messy white foam. Paige merely stared in wonderment as her sister poured the alcoholic drink into the flute chalices.

"What are we doing?"

"This…" Phoebe offered Paige a glass and accepted it. "…is leftover champagne from Wyatt's birthday. And we're celebrating the arrival of our nephew."

On her feet now, Paige smiled and lifted her glass high. Phoebe was right, they should be celebrating and not mopping about like two spinsters. "May he have the future he fought so had for."

Together their glasses clinked and clanked, and tipped their drinks to their lips.

Watching as the bubbles rise from the depths of the golden brew and broke to the top of the liquid, Paige smiled.

Not a forced smile but one that truly meant what it did.

Pure joy.

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END

Thanks for reading.
-Cheers
Jo