Spoilers: Season 4 Finale, "Witch Way Now"

Disclaimer: All the characters from Charmed belong to the Charmed Productions and Spelling. I only lay claim on the character(s) that I created myself…

Author's Note: Although this fic is meant to follow the last episode of Season 4, it is not meant as a spoiler for Season 5. Personally, I have stayed as far away as possible from those spoilers, even though some things still seeped through to me. Therefore, if there are any similarities with the upcoming season, just put it on either the slight tainting that came from the spoilers I unfortunately couldn't avoid, or simply lucky guesses. I don't wish to discuss spoilers and would appreciate if you didn't put any in the comments you send to me. :) Thank you. :)
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Family Ties

Cole wondered what good it all was. He was now all-powerful but lonelier than ever before in his entire existence. The fact that he was in effect dead didn't enter in this reasoning. He barely felt dead. Overhead, the red sky, if one might call it that, only added to his depression. Somehow, he strained to look past this, imagining what Phoebe could be doing. Phoebe…how could it have all gone so wrong? Cole remembered clearly how happy and hopeful he had been after she accepted his marriage proposal. Granted, it hadn't been right away, and he had entertained some serious doubts about her commitment before that moment. However, after she said yes, he had chosen to forget all about the doubts and hesitations. Then, of course, fate had struck. In his mind, Cole still believed that he had done the right thing, no matter the ultimate result.

Without his intervention, Phoebe would be the one dead by now. And if he had outlived her, Cole knew that the loneliness he felt would have been much worse. After all, in spite of the gloomy situation, he could still hope that things would get better. Nevertheless, the last time he had seen Phoebe, the look on her face had been eloquent. At first, Cole chose to ignore the signs…the anger, the fear in her eyes that had not been there for so long. When she had left the last time, he got the distinct impression that she was truly trying to get over him. This hurt badly and also made him angry. This was not to say that he loved her any less, but the doubts about her dispositions returned fully at that point. Did she ever love me the way I loved her? Was it all a delusion on my part?

However, the doubts were not enough to keep his love in check. Cole knew that very well. He had risked everything for Phoebe and would again if the need arose. In the end what mattered wasn't so much whether she loved him, but that he could never stop loving her. Once more, he looked up at the reddened sky and wondered what she might be doing now.

Phoebe put the last touch to this week's column. She reviewed the pages with a satisfied expression. How good it felt to partake in other people's problems, just as long as they weren't her own. The months had softened the blow, but the anger was still alive inside of her. She tried her best to keep it to herself. Piper and Paige had suffered enough because of her blind love. Phoebe would never risk that again. Oh but that wasn't to say that she hadn't been tempted. When Cole asked her to bring him back, it tore her apart. On the one hand, she still felt the strong need for him at the time, but on the other hand, evil had been too much a part of their relationship. How ironic, she thought, that just when she had believed it to be all behind them at last, Cole turned out to be worse than ever. The Source of all Evil no less!

"How could I have been so blind," Phoebe questioned herself angrily, as she felt the resentment building again inside of her. All those weeks where he knew exactly what he was and still led her to believe that he was good… And she trusted him. She defended him to Paige and Piper vehemently. Cole couldn't be bad…not when she loved him so much. And then, to top it all, he had managed to corrupt this love and to bring her evil tendencies to the surface. Right then, Phoebe's anger threatened to overcome her, as it had many times before. That and the little doubt, the doubt that she didn't dare entertain for it would have meant that her anger and frustration were unfair and unjustified. Maybe if it hadn't been for her sisters or her duty to the Charmed Ones…maybe she would have allowed herself to believe that there was a slight possibility she was wrong about Cole.

At first this possibility had haunted Phoebe, even after she effectively dumped him. Their situation was definitely rather extraordinary. He was dead, but not dead, and it's probably what had kept alive the little flame, the small doubt in her heart. How could she have been so mistaken? Or was it that she wasn't mistaken? Was it that the Source truly took him over against his will? If that were true, then maybe he wasn't bad anymore… How many times did she stay up long hours at night debating this very subject? However, every time she came to the same conclusion. Even if she could believe that he was good…even if she could imagine that there was a chance to save him again, the risk was too high. How could she be certain that it wouldn't start all over again, with her being too weak to resist him?

No, she was deluding herself again; even now as she stood up to give her copy to the editor. It was all wishful thinking. Maybe it was an attempt from her subconscious to excuse her actions. There were no excuses for her actions. No matter what her sisters said, she didn't think she could ever forgive herself, let alone forgive Cole… Not this time…

Paige left the building quickly, only glad that today was Friday. Most of the time she liked her job well enough. However this week, she had faced quite a few unsavoury people and she needed the break. As she walked toward her bug, she noticed a tall man leaning against a fence across the street. She didn't even know why she noticed him as he didn't look suspicious or anything. In fact, he was standing near a bus stop… Yet, there was something about him…one of those sensations maybe, like she was getting used to having. Only, rather than sensing true evil, it was a vague malaise which could have meant anything. As if sensing her stare, the tall man turned to look directly at her. Paige was stunned when she saw the resemblance. He soon looked away and in retrospect, she realized that it was probably what attracted her attention to him in the first place. The man was just as tall as Cole with dark hair and his stance reminded her of Cole also.

That was surprising to say the least, although not unheard of. A lot of people had doppelgangers. The only thing was how likely was it that she would find one like Cole?

Then, as the man climbed into the public bus, she chastised herself for her doubts. All of this was probably more due to her resentment against her ex brother in law than any true danger. Hell, maybe the man had not looked like Cole that much after all and her mind was playing tricks on her. Ever since they'd learned of Cole's new powers, the three of them had been on their guards. There was no telling what he would do next. The fact that nothing happened after months passed didn't mean he wasn't biding his time.

As the bus left the corner, the tall man that Paige had noticed cast another glance toward her, but this time, he seemed much more interested. His eyes were cold and unfeeling even as an insincere smile spread over his lips. "Not yet," he thought as she fell out of his sight. "But soon pretty girl…"

Paige came home almost at the same time as Phoebe and seeing her brought back the memory of the stranger, not too surprisingly. She almost told Phoebe about it, but Paige stopped herself, convinced that Phoebe didn't need to hear about Cole or anything related to him, even if very little. Phoebe seemed to be getting along well now, but she wasn't fooling her sisters. If on the surface she appeared to have gotten over her husband's betrayal and death, both Piper and Paige knew that she kept a lot from them. At night, Paige sometimes heard Phoebe sobbing, although less and less as time went by. Maybe soon, she would really get over this, even though neither Paige, nor Piper believed that you really ever completely got over the loss of a soul mate.

Phoebe smiled and said hello, but that was the end of it and soon she was going upstairs. Paige watched her uncertainly, wondering if she should not give another try at talking to her. However, Piper and Leo orbing in made her set this aside for another time.
"Hey, where were you?" Paige asked.

"At work, where else," Piper answered offhandedly.

"Didn't care to take the car I see?" Paige asked with a mocking smile.

Piper didn't bite on that one, instead smiling at her husband.
"Why, thanks for the ride honey. Are you sure you gotta go back now? I was gonna prepare your favourite."

"If you put it this way, I'll try to come back as fast as I can," Leo answered with a grin. He kissed her lightly and orbed out almost immediately.

After Leo left, Piper turned toward the kitchen and Paige almost didn't stop her. Yet, this thing about the man bothered her still and she figured that Piper could help put this in perspective. She was pretty good at it usually.
"Hey Piper, can I a word with you?"

Piper turned back to her with a little annoyed expression.
"If you have any more comments about me orbing from work, I really don't care to hear them."

"Oh come on, Piper, I was just teasing you. If I had a whitelighter at my service, I wouldn't bother with the car either."

Piper snickered but only mildly.
"First off, if you wanted to, you could orb yourself, Paige…"

Paige smiled sweetly.
"Nah, if I did you'd be the first one on my case… and besides I was just joking; I love my car."

Ok then, what's on your mind?"

"Well…"Paige hesitated, again wondering if she wasn't gonna sound paranoid. After all, even if her doubts about Cole turned out to be justified, she had the feeling that oftentimes, it had come more from preconceived ideas than actual events. At least at first…

"So?" Piper insisted with a hint of impatience to her voice.

"Oh ok. I saw something, or rather someone, when coming out from work and it just stayed with me…"

"In what way?"

"Well, there was this guy at the bus stop and…I don't know…there was something about him that bugged me."

"What?"

"You're gonna think I'm paranoid…He looked like Cole…"

"Now wait a minute," Piper exclaimed. "Did he look like Cole or was it Cole?"

"Like I said, he looked like him but not quite. Although…since we know he's getting powers left and right, slightly changing his appearance shouldn't be too hard…"

"Do you really think it was Cole? And if yes, why would he go and wait at the bus stop in front of your work place and not here in Phoebe's bedroom or her work place?"

"I know, it doesn't make much sense to me either…"

"Was there something else?"

Paige hesitated again…
"I thought I felt something, but it was so vague, could've been anything…"

"Considering the business we're in… I think that we shouldn't dismiss your sensations too quickly. If you ever see that man again, maybe you should forego the car and orb straight to me. I'd like to see him for myself…"

"So you believe me?"

"Told you…After all we've been through, I don't wanna leave anything to chance…"

Paige grimaced a little, wondering if her talk with Piper made her feel better or worse. Maybe she wasn't the only one with paranoiac tendencies in this house.

In a clearing, four women were chanting around an altar. They all wore similar white colored robes that covered their entire bodies. All of them seemed to be enthralled in the chant. A fifth woman entered the clearing, wearing a similar outfit and she was soon followed by the tall man Paige had seen that very day. The newly arrived woman turned to the tall man with a weak smile.
"See, this is what I do…It must seem strange to you," she added timidly.

The man smiled warmly.
"Nothing about you bothers me, Sharon. You know that. I was curious, that 's all. What's it about?" He questioned while observing the other women attentively.

"It's a Wicca ritual for protection. I told you I was a witch…"

"Yeah you told me, but I didn't see it like this… I thought it was more like a hobby… nothing this serious…"

"Oh Wicca is very serious… Along with the danger to us…"

"Danger?" The man asked with a hint of worry, as he looked back at Sharon.

"Danger yes…I told you I was a witch because…I trust you…I…I think I'm falling in love with you…"

For a moment, he seemed to forget the reference to danger as he smiled anew.
"I feel the same about you," he whispered softly.

"Ok then, maybe I can trust you with something else. I really am a witch. Like in the stories… with powers… I can move object with my mind," she said, illustrating this by concentrating on a wood log and levitating it almost up to the man's shoulder before she let it drop.

This had the effect of interrupting the chant, as one of the other witches had noticed her gesture and the man with Sharon. The other witch glared severely in Sharon's direction but said nothing to her. Sharon stared back without flinching. She wanted her boyfriend to know everything about her and she didn't care for someone trying to keep her from it. However, faced with their reproachful looks, she pulled him further back.

He had also noticed the witches' stares, but he didn't comment on those. Instead, he glanced back at Sharon with an apparently astounded expression.
"How the hell did you do that?" He questioned after a long moment.

"I told you," Sharon answered with a soft smile, "I'm a witch…"

The man swallowed hard before speaking again.
"What danger were you talking about?"

"Being a witch is not all fun and laughs…There are evil beings, which are constantly after us… That's why I was so suspicious of you at first."

"Me?" The man exclaims.

"But I'm not anymore…I assure you," Sharon replied quickly, gazing into his deep blue eyes. He was so handsome…At first, Sharon had thought he was too good to be true. However now, she was hoping for a real relationship and he seemed ready for it.
"Anyway," Sharon pursued, "those evil beings are demons and evil witches called warlocks. They stop at nothing to get to us…"

"Really…?"

"Unfortunately yes… In numbers and secrecy we manage to protect ourselves. This is why showing you this place is my proof of trust to you."

"I'm extremely flattered that you'd do this and really happy, Sharon. I won't disappoint you."

Sharon leaned over for a kiss and then she went to rejoin with the other witches, not without giving another look at him to which he answered by another warm smile. Her sisters gave her more severe stares but again they didn't comment, keeping it for later, although they seemed uncomfortable at restarting the chant for a moment.

The man watched them intensely and when they finally returned to their ritual, his smile became triumphant. Closing his eyes, he muttered something under his breath and three men appeared beside him. They glanced quickly toward the tall man and then they went straight at the witches. It all happened very quickly. Fireballs hit each witch in turn, and their screams of pain and utter surprise could probably be heard from a great distance. Sharon was the last one to die and just before she was consumed by the flames, she turned toward the tall man and stared at him at once angrily and sadly. The man watched coldly and once it was over, he only nodded to his demons accomplices and then he shimmered out.

Cole flashed outside the Manor and looked up longingly at the upstairs window. He almost felt stupid for standing there like a stalker. Yet, he had not been able to resist coming here. There was no denying that Phoebe was the one for him. She occupied most of his thoughts although he still managed to keep busy otherwise now and again. He let a small smile spread over his lips at the thought of his last endeavor. However, Cole was immediately reminded of his reason to be there when the light went off in the window. How much he wanted to go to her, to hold her in his arms and convince her of his love. The anger threatened to overwhelm him again when he reflected that she would probably reject him again. As his resentment grew, he envisioned going to her and rather than the sweet thoughts he had earlier, he would make her listen, he would force her to understand… Was it this last thought, Cole didn't know but his anger deflated again as he sighed heavily. He could never do that. Phoebe had to want to come back to him. Cole could never force her into anything. At any rate, it wasn't her style. Her stubbornness was also part of her charms, even though now, it also was the very reason for his quasi despair. Why did it all have to go so wrong, Cole questioned again. He was ready to flash out when a sharp voice came from behind him.

"What the hell are you doing here?" Paige said.

Cole contained his surprise and turned to her with a mocking smile.

"Hey, it's a free country. Hell, it's a free Earth for that matter."

"I'm not in the mood to joke, Cole. Are you stalking us now?" Paige questioned angrily, wondering if Cole's presence there wasn't the confirmation of her suspicions.

"Frankly, I don't need to resort to stalking," Cole answered disdainfully, containing his irritation at great efforts. The fact that he had thought of this very word in relation to his presence there only exacerbated his resentment toward Paige.

"How long have you been sneaking around like this?" Paige pursued, unimpressed by his comment.

"Not that this is any of your business, but I didn't come here before. Can't a man take a walk out of hell without getting his head bitten?"

"Not when that "man"," Paige insisted angrily on the word, "almost killed us all. None of us want anything to do with you. Phoebe included…"

Cole flinched at the harsh words, wondering if she wasn't telling the plain truth. What if Phoebe truly didn't love him anymore? What if all his hopes were for naught?

Paige went on defiantly.
"Get out of our lives and go back to the hell you came from. We're done with you… for good!"

From the Manor, Piper called to Paige, obviously alerted by the loud voices.
"Paige? Is there something wrong?"

Paige turned briefly toward her sister, but she soon returned her angry eyes toward Cole.
"We're just having an unpleasant visitor and I was telling him to get lost!" She uttered sharply.

Cole glared at her for a moment, but when he saw that Piper was also coming toward him, he figured he had enough grief for that night. What's more, he feared that Phoebe would also be alerted and he couldn't bring himself to face her anger after this.

"I'll be back when I feel like it," He said as if none of what Paige said had any effect on him and then he flashed out.

Paige watched the spot he vacated with mixed feelings. There was a trace of fear within her anger. They had looked for ways to vanquish Cole but there were none. At least, she stubbornly added for herself, not yet.

"Paige," Piper called again, "Are you ok?"

"Yeah…I guess he just came to taunt us…"

"That was Cole this time?"

"Oh yeah, there was no mistake this time. Although, I'm more worried than ever about what I saw this afternoon. Maybe Cole's been stalking us with different faces for all this time…"

"That's not exactly a reassuring thought," Piper said while she looked around, as if she expected him to strike at any moment. "We've really got to find a way to protect ourselves against him…"

Paige was about to answer but both their attention was drawn toward the upstairs window when the light came on.

Paige looked up uncertainly.
"Should we tell Phoebe?"

"I don't know…It's gonna be hard for her…"

"Maybe, but she might be in real danger if Cole's stalking her."

"I find it difficult to think Cole could hurt Phoebe," Piper replied, dismissing Paige's unhappy glare. "I know what you're thinking," Piper pursued. "But I know he loved her deeply and I believe he still loves her now…I'm more worried of what he might do to us…"

"You and me both," Paige uttered dejectedly. She sighed in annoyance and worry before speaking again.
"So, what do we tell Phoebe?"

"I think it's better if she knows. At least, she'll be prepared…"