Kevin leaned back in his chair, closed his eyes, and let himself doze. He was so tired, had been ever since the arena hallway had started to go grey.
"Kevin." The voice was vaguely familiar, echoing in his memories. "Wake up, Kevin."
"Lacey?" he asked foggily.
"What happened to Nana?"
"She died," he said finally.
She came closer; he could feel her on the outside of his left knee, then her hand touched his left arm. "How?"
Pressure built up in his chest. "I don't know."
"Why?"
"Because I couldn't see."
"Why did she die?" Her voice had become more demanding, then her other hand gripped his right arm, and pain exploded behind his eyes. He moaned low and tried to get out of her grip, finally managing to push her away.
"She was trying to kill me," he said, and stood up. The movement made his head pound more. He tried to get away from her, but his flight was short lived; he stumbled over a chair and his head hit the floor hard enough to daze him.
"Does that mean you'll kill me too?" she asked, straddling his ribs and sitting on him. Her hands rested on his shoulders and she leaned close. "Explain that to your precious brother."
He was barely aware of her words and couldn't even put up enough resistance to get her off him. Suddenly she was gone, and he heard soft chanting interspersed with spitting and cursing he guessed was from Lacey. Then there was silence.
The pain behind his eyes got worse and he began to feel nauseous. He rolled onto his side, his back to where the noise had come from, and covered his eyes with his arm, trying to cut down on the pain. It helped a little, so he stayed where he was, willing his stomach to calm down.
"Kevin, are you okay?" He thought that was Phoebe. Her hand brushed his shoulder and he flinched.
"I think I'm going to be sick," he said thickly.
"Well, come on, then." She helped him to his feet. The movement made it worse and he swallowed hard. Someone else took his other arm, and they walked him swiftly into the bathroom. They helped him to sit down then left him alone, closing the door behind them.
Kevin leaned his head against the wall, eyes closed. It was blessedly quiet, blessedly dark in there. The pain had begun to fade almost as soon as the door had been shut, but he didn't want to move. His thoughts drifted, touching on a lot of things; Brian and the group gone on without him, his mother gone too, his brothers and their families safe now.... The thought of Tim and Chirelle worried sick about Lacey was enough to get him to move. He opened his eyes and climbed to his feet.
A candle flickered on the vanity, lighting the room enough for him to see it. He'd reached to open the door when the impact of that thought shook him. His arm, on auto pilot, pulled the door open and he winced at the bright sunlight. A young lady, shorter than himself, stood in the doorway, arm raised to knock. She had dark hair that had a tendency to fall in her face.
"Oh. Hi," she said, a little flustered.
"Hi. Which one are you?"
"Prue. I guess I never did introduce myself."
He nodded, distracted, his eyes roving over the beautifully furnished living room. "Oh. Is Lacey okay?" He brought his eyes sharply to hers, and she blinked.
"You can see!" she exclaimed and a smile covered her face. "Lacey's fine, we think. She hasn't woken up yet. But you being able to see is a good sign," she added.
"Can I see her?"
"This way." She led him into the kitchen, where Phoebe and Piper sat around the table Lacey lay on. They looked at him, then again, and both smiled widely. "So, you can see again," Phoebe said. "That's good."
He looked at the two women inquisitively. "What's she doing on the table?"
"She doesn't look very comfortable," Piper said, "but we were a little nervous about moving her. There shouldn't be a problem."
"True," Phoebe agreed, "but we really didn't want to risk it."
"So, what exactly did you do?" he asked, sitting down at the table.
The sisters exchanged glances. "We... I guess you could call it an exorcism," Prue said. "We took the taint out that the demon put in." Kevin winced slightly, but didn't correct her.
"Do you know how long she'll be asleep?" he asked.
"No." Piper smiled. "Would you like something to drink?"
"Thanks, I'm fine," he said, then Lacey began to stir, muttering sleepy protests about being cold. After a minute, her eyes opened.
"Uncle Kevin?" she asked sleepily.
"Hey, Lacey. How do you feel?"
"Tired. Can we go home now?" she asked, sitting up. Phoebe helped her down.
Kevin smiled. "I'll call your dad and let him talk to you." He turned to Prue with an apologetic look. "Can I use your phone again?"