paulson one shots

The Gift // billie dean howard (pt. 1)

Prompt: Billie adopting a teenage girl? Like maybe the girl is also a medium and has issues controlling her gift but Billie finds her and helps?

"Billie?" Billie whips her head around, seeing her long time assistant standing in her doorway expectantly. "Hello Darren, what is it?" she responds smoothly.

"I uh, well" he starts, ringing his hands in front of him, "I got a call from a family friend and they asked about my boss, so, well.. you, and about your abilities as a medium and I-"

"Please Darren, the point?" annoyed at his ramblings she snaps, "Sorry just, I have a meeting soon." she catches herself.

"They have a daughter. She's 16 and they've had a lot of trouble with her. They think she's like you, a medium, and we're hoping you could maybe help?" Darren's words come out fast and rambled, Billie takes a moment to decipher them.

"Help her? How on earth am I supposed to do that?" Billie is confused, what on earth is she supposed to do with a 16 year old child who can't control her powers yet? Hell, she learned how to control her powers on her own... why was it her duty to help someone else perfectly capable of doing the same thing?

"Look after her for awhile? Help her learn her gifts? Her parents left her with me, they kind of abandoned her Billie... I don't know what to do. You know it would be last resort for me to ask you something like this." Billie can tell Darren is desperate. He is a wonderful assistant, never once has he stepped out of line. She knew it took a lot from him to come to her like this.

Billie sighed, "I guess I could... meet with the girl, see what she can do. But she's going home to you Darren. Do you understand that? My house is too pristine for a child and I intend to keep it that way."

"Billie she's 16, she's not a child, but I understand. Thank you so much. You have no idea what this means to me." Darren rambles further. "You're the best assistant i've had Darren, i'll do what I can.

Darren leaves and closes Billie door behind him softly, the latch echoing through her office. What the hell had she gotten herself into now?

***

There's a knock on her office door a few hours later, Billie is busy typing a business email, but calls out, "Come in!" A small framed teenage girl enters her office, catching Billie off guard until she remembers her earlier conversation with Darren.

"Hello," she says timidly, waving slightly to Billie, still standing in her doorway. "Come sit, you must be Darren's family friend. The little medium." Billie smiles friendly, watching as the girl shuts her door and sits in a chair opposite her desk.

"He didn't tell me your name." Billie says calmly, shutting her laptop after hitting send on her email. "Bella," the girl states, the words barely hitting Billie's ears. "Bella?" Billie repeats, wanting to be sure she heard her correctly. "Yes, that's right."

"So Darren tells me you're a medium, like myself?" Billie starts, unsure of how to conduct something like this. She'd never "mentored" anyone before... like ever.

"Um, yes. My grandmother was a medium as well... she passed away last year. We had just found out that I too, had the gift. She barely had any time to teach me anything before she... passed. My parents have struggled with accepting it and when Darren spoke about how he worked for the famous medium, well, you, my parents thought maybe that's how I could find help." Bell spills her story out, talking quick and soft but Billie manages to understand her every word.

"I see, I'm sorry for your loss. Have you connected with her yet?" Billie asks and Bella's face contorts in confusion, "Connect?" she asks and Billie sighs. Bella truly wasn't in touch with her gift at all.

"You say she's passed, you're a medium Bella. It's what we do, connect with those who have passed onto another realm. You're saying you haven't tried to talk to her? At all?" Billie explains as Bella's face turns down in sadness. "It's... confusing for me. I don't know how to pinpoint a singular spirit... spirits come to me as they please, I don't have a say in who appears or who speaks to me. It's not exactly... fun." Bella admits, slightly frightening Billie as she remembers her youth and how scary it was for her to not be in control.

She decides in this moment, that she will take Bella under her wing. Help her find her gift and use it properly. The first step, contacting her grandmother.

a/n
[unedited]
part 1 of... 3? maybe? not sure yet! but I like this little storyline. It's very different from usual things I write, or read, so I'm excited to see where it leads! I hope you guys don't mind the obscure theme of this mini story.