Into the Unknown
Part One
By: Sapphire (aka Malachite157)
Writer's Note: I've been mulling over this fic for so long now. I have written more to it than you see here but due to my impatience I've decided to post it up in parts. This is part one and as soon as my writer's block for this passes, I'll finish and submit part two.
Chapter 1 - Changes
Phoebe giggled as Cole came up behind her and started tickling her.
"Oh, you! Stop that!" she laughed and turned around. He grinned down at her and she sighed happily.
"You know, you really shouldn't be here the night before the wedding. You should be at that new penthouse you secured, having a bachelor's party," she told him in a husky voice.
He looked away thoughtfully. "Hmm. Party with the guys, or stay here with my lovely bride to be. What a choice."
She pushed him away lightly with a chuckle. "You're going to be seeing me every day for the rest of your life! Enjoy your last night of freedom," she said.
"All right, if you insist. It is a nice penthouse. When are we going to move in there? You know it's got an extra room for a baby..."
Phoebe's smile faded somewhat and she sighed. "Cole, I told you I'd think about it."
He wrapped his arms around her from behind again, and snuggled against her neck. "But it's so crowded here. And you know Piper's planning on having kids, too."
"Mmm. I know. But it's a big change. I've been here with my sisters for so long. What if they need me?"
"Well you'll be just a shimmer away."
She turned around and faced him with an inquiring look. "Or an orb away," he added.
"We're gonna have to talk about your having powers after the baby's born, you know," Phoebe said earnestly.
Cole grumbled and let go of her. "Yeah, yeah, well, we'll cross that bridge when we come to it."
He headed for the door but paused as he reached it, and turned and looked at her. "Can't wait to see you in that white dress."
Her face lit up again with a bright smile. "Can't wait to see you in a handsome suit."
He winked at her, and left the room. As soon as the door shut, Phoebe sank down onto her bed with a quivering sigh. Putting up this facade of relaxed happiness was draining. In truth, she was extremely nervous. It wasn't that she didn't want to marry Cole, it was just happening very quickly, and she was anxious. She had reason to be anxious. So many things could go wrong at a magical wedding. One just had to look at poor Leo and Piper.
But they got it right, eventually. And now they were happy. She could have that too.
There was a knock at the door and she looked up. "Come in."
The door opened and Piper stepped inside with a mug of tea. "Hey there. I saw Cole leaving. Is he off to have a bachelor's party?"
Phoebe grinned slightly. "Yeah, after I chased him away!"
Piper laughed lightly and handed Phoebe the mug. "It's chamomile. Good to calm the nerves."
Phoebe took it with a nod. "I'm that obvious, huh?"
Piper sat down next to her on the bed. "Call it sister intuition. And experience. I remember how nervous I was on my wedding day...s."
Phoebe gave Piper a sideways glance. "See? That's what I'm afraid of. That our first attempt at marriage will be spoiled by something or other. As it is the Elders have their gowns in a knot at my marrying an ex-demon. Who is kinda a half-demon now, only not quite." She frowned. "What exactly IS Cole, in terms of magic?"
Piper shrugged. "A human with black market demonic powers. It's a new one on me."
At that moment, Paige entered the room. Phoebe had hardly seen her sister all day.
"Your dress is in the attic, under a plastic cover so it doesn't get dusty," Paige informed her with a smile. It may have been forced, but Phoebe knew Paige meant well.
"Oh! Great! Let's go see it, Piper! And thank you, Paige."
Paige nodded once with a tight-lipped smile.
Piper and Phoebe left the room and followed Paige to the attic. Phoebe came up to her dress and removed the plastic cover. She took it off the railing and held it up against her. "Perfect."
"You're going to look beautiful, tomorrow, honey," Piper said.
"It is lovely, isn't it?" Phoebe said, glancing up at both her sisters.
"Good pick," Paige commented.
Phoebe put it back on the railing and Piper helped her re-cover it.
"You're gonna have a big day tomorrow. Perhaps you should get an early night?" Paige suggested.
Phoebe leant into Piper, who cuddled her. "Yeah, I guess you're right."
"Where's Cole?"
"At the penthouse, having a bachelor party, I hope," Phoebe answered Paige. Paige withheld the comment that he didn't have many friends to have a party with. She had to be nice to Phoebe. Especially over the next few days.
"Oh I'm sure he will," Piper said. "I figured you'd kick him out eventually, and asked Leo to set some plans in motion."
Phoebe looked at her sister with surprise in her eyes. "Really, now?"
Piper just grinned.
When he saw that nobody was in the parking lot, Cole was tempted to shimmer up to his apartment. Yet, he knew that doing so would further prove Phoebe's point of relying too heavily on his demonic powers. Powers which, if Phoebe's sisters had their way, would be extricated as soon as his son was born.
So, grudgingly, he took the elevator, but halfway up, he remembered something.
Abe.
The blasted demon had been impossible to locate thus far, but through some sneaking around, Cole had managed to find out where he lived. This information was gained by means of a Demon Directory, of sorts. A book of telephone numbers and addresses of demon habitations. He used to have one, and had managed to sneak one out of the Underworld, when no one was looking. It'd be extremely handy for the Charmed Ones, only he was reluctant to show it to them, because then they'd know he'd popped down under, and that never impressed them. Especially Paige.
The elevator reached the penthouse with a cheerful 'ding' and the doors opened. He entered the spacious, luxury apartment and headed straight for the safe. The already partially-furnished penthouse was as good as his, but he had yet to move into it with Phoebe. He had to wait for her to come around to the idea. He couldn't imagine himself living in the cramped Halliwell Manor with Paige's scolding glare on him for the rest of his life. It'd drive him nuts!
He opened the safe and took out the directory. He located Abe's address. For a brief moment he debated on whether to bring an athame or not, but then figured that he could just toast Abe with a fireball.
He shimmered directly into the Collector demon's living room. It was dark and unkempt. Cole grimaced. There was a horrible smell in the air.
He took a few tentative steps forward, listening out for the slightest noise. His eyes wandered across the room, until he spotted some scorch marks on the wall. He turned the corner and saw, in the passageway leading off from the living room to the front door, a pile of ash.
"Abe?" he barely spoke.
A haunting, moaning wind blew outside and long shadows from the swaying trees leering into the window, flickered across the grey pile.
Cole shrugged his shoulders. "Guess someone beat me to it!" He turned and gave the surrounding area one last glance, and then shimmered away.
When he returned to the penthouse, he immediately heard a knock at the door.
"Cole? You in there?" came a voice.
Cole frowned and walked over to the door. He had barely opened it when Darryl, Leo and none other than Phoebe's father walked in.
"Heeeey, Cole!" Darryl said cheerfully as he patted Cole on the shoulder. He was carrying a few beers, as was Leo, who smiled politely. Victor gave Cole a hearty slap on the back as he too entered. Cole blinked.
"Did Phoebe set you all up to this?" he asked.
"Actually, Piper did," Leo informed him as he put the beers down on the table. "Gee, nice place!"
"Good old Piper," Cole said softly. She'd been pretty accepting and welcoming of him, now that he thought about it.
"We thought we'd cheer you up your last night before you take the long walk," Darryl told him with a twinkle in his eye.
"Well, I"
"Don't you worry about it. We've brought some video entertainment, some drinks and some pretzels!" Victor said.
"Pretzels?" Cole remarked curiously.
Leo grinned. "Actually, I'm the pretzel fan, but they're a really nice brand!"
Before he knew it, Cole was caught up in an unexpected little party, and all thoughts of Abe disappeared from his mind.
The following day: Morning
Paige watched as Phoebe nervously applied some make-up to her face. Paige had given her some face cream the night before, and Phoebe had already commented on how soft her face felt.
"The make-up glides on so easily, but I can't seem to keep my hands from trembling!" Phoebe laughed falsely.
Paige put a hand on her shoulder. "You look fine. Do you want me to do your eyes?"
"Would you please? I'm scared I'll poke them, and then they'll water and my mascara will run."
"Only you haven't put mascara on, yet," Paige pointed out.
Phoebe paled. "Oh yes, I haven't. Ooh! We're going to run out of time!"
Paige scoffed. "You've got another hour before we have to leave. Relax!"
"But you know how long it takes to get into that dress!" Phoebe cried.
"Yes, about three minutes, now keep still, and hand me your eyeliner..."
Piper straightened Leo's tie for him. Her hand movements were fluid and seemingly relaxed, but Leo could see the hint of worry on her face.
"Honey, are you okay?" he asked.
"Hmm?" she hummed and looked up at him. "Oh, I'm fine," she said with a nod.
"Piper.."
She finished the tie and stepped back with a little sigh. "Well, truth be told, I am a little nervous for Phoebe. I know how magical weddings can be, especially if you have as many enemies as Phoebe and Cole have."
Leo nodded. "Yeah, I know what you mean. A lot can go wrong, but then, there are going to be a lot of powerful magical beings there to prevent that."
"Oh, the pressure!" Piper exclaimed good-humoredly.
Leo smiled and gave her a little hug. "Don't worry. You just keep an eye out for any suspicious looking people in the audience. At least you can freeze everyone if things go awry."
"Yeah, heaven knows how handy my freezing power has been," she commented dryly.
"You should check on Cole. See how he's doing," she told her husband.
"Okay. You sure you'll be all right?"
"I'm sure," Piper replied and patted his arm lightly. Leo orbed out and Piper headed for Phoebe's room.
When she got there, she saw Phoebe gazing into the mirror. "You're so good at make-up application, Paige..." she was murmuring.
She turned with Paige to see Piper walk in. "Hey!" Phoebe chirped.
"How're you doing?" Piper asked cheerfully.
Phoebe rose to her full height and glanced at Paige. "Thanks to Paige's help, a lot better. Now I need to get into the dress!"
"The highlight of the morning, until the actual ceremony, that is," Piper said. "I'll go get the dress."
"Be careful with it!" Phoebe called after as she turned to leave.
"I will!" Piper called back, concealing any irritation at Phoebe's fussing.
Phoebe let out a trembling sigh. "I hope Cole's not as useless as I am right now."
Paige wrapped her arms around her and squeezed lightly. "Stop worrying! Be excited, happy, gay!"
Phoebe gave her a sideways glance.
"You know what I mean!" Paige laughed.
A moment later, Piper came back in with the dress draped over her one arm.
"Time to doll you up!" she said.
Phoebe was unable to suppress a small squeal of glee.
The Collector demon used his shape-shifting power to make himself look like one of the guests. Said guest was knocked unconscious as he walked towards the chapel and thrown into the bushes lining the parking lot.
Patting his hands together, Abe, or 'James' as he was now known, ambled out of the parking lot and began the short walk to the chapel where he knew Belthazar was going to be. He had taken the bait well. Abe had vanquished a fellow demon in his apartment and left the ash pile there, to confuse Belthazar and make him think that was actually a dead Abe piled on the floor.
Abe's real goal was to trash the happiest day of Belthazar's life, kill his bride, and then him. He was quite aware he might die in the attempt, but he didn't mind. As long as he got his revenge. It's not like he had much of a life, anyway. He'd been kicked out of his clan, and Byron had been vanquished, so the invitation to join Byron's clan had been vanquished with him. Abe was an unwanted loner, all because of Belthazar.
He joined the stream of guests entering the chapel, and tried to look inconspicuous.
Cole adjusted his tie a little, and took a deep breath. He'd lived a century but in all his long life, he had never felt so apprehensive as he did this day. He was ecstatic to be marrying Phoebe, but he was nervous, too. Not at the prospect of marriage, but about things that could go wrong. He had a lot of history with demons, as did Phoebe, and any one of them could decide to rear their ugly heads today, in order to stop the official union of two powerful beings, who together would raise another mighty being on the side of good. Yup, this was a great time to try and stop all that. And with so many guests as hostages, well... The attacking demon would have plenty of bargaining chips.
He tried to force such thoughts from his head. Today was meant to be a happy day. The happiest day of his life. He couldn't worry constantly about what might go wrong. He had to think positive. Phoebe would want him to.
"Time to get up there, Cole. Phoebe's limo has arrived," Darryl informed him, inclining his head towards the altar.
"Right," Coe breathed and made his way to the altar, unaware of the one guest in the pews who was glaring at him.
Phoebe was ushered to a back room and there she hyperventilated as quietly as she could.
"Calm down, sweetie! We're going to be right behind you," Piper soothed.
"The ring bearer..."
"Is Merryl's daughter. She's even rehearsed bringing the ring. She's a very capable little lady. Don't worry," Piper assured her.
"Oh yes, Suzy. She's so sweet. I wonder if she's nervous, too," Phoebe said, her voice trembling.
Paige walked into the room. "They're ready," she told them.
"Ohhhh, ohhh..." Phoebe fanned herself with her hand.
Piper took her hand and led her to the doors that would open up to the aisle. "Calm down, smile, and look happy for Cole! You're going to scare him looking like you do right now!"
"What, is my make-up smudged!"
"No! You just look so terrified!" Piper laughed.
Phoebe laughed a little with her. Paige opened the door, and the ceremony began.
The organ started to play, the guests rose to their feet and Cole turned to see Phoebe begin her slow walk up the aisle. She looked breathtaking. He smiled and felt his heart pound in his chest. It sounded so loud in his ears, he wondered if anyone else could hear it.
It seemed to take an age for her to reach him, but in reality, it only took a minute. She stepped gracefully up the three stairs that led to the altar, and then turned to face him. Her thin veil could not hide the joy an anxiousness on her face, and Cole flashed her a reassuring smile. The music stopped, the priest stepped forward, and began. "Dearly beloved..."
Abe had only seen weddings on television. Christian wedding, anyway. Demonic weddings were rather different. But he knew there was a line he had to wait for, before he should attack. Something about, 'if anyone disagrees'... It'd be a stylish way to destroy the wedding.
The priest droned on, and Abe was getting increasingly impatient. Finally, the line arrived.
"If there is anyone here who objects to this"
Piper felt a sudden, overwhelming urge to freeze everything, and an unknown force grabbed her hands and jerked them upwards. She felt the familiar surge of power she experienced whenever she blew up or froze things. And suddenly, everything was frozen.
It took Phoebe a couple of seconds to realize that her fiancé, the priest and almost everyone else was still.
"Piper!" she cried and turned on her heels to face her sister, who was standing in the aisle, bewildered.
"Why did you freeze everyone? I don't see any demons!"
"I...I didn't. Well, I did, but I didn't intend to..." she stammered.
"Wait," Paige interrupted. "Look over there!"
The three of them looked to where Paige was pointing, to see James with his hand in the air, a half-formed fireball suspended in his palm.
"Oh my gosh! James is a demon?" Phoebe cried.
"No way! Piper, how'd you know?" Paige asked as she walked over to the frozen man.
"I-I didn't! I swear, it was like something forced me to use my powers andPhoebe!"
Phoebe glanced down at her stomach and saw a strange red light emit from it and charge towards James. Paige gasped and stepped away from him, just as the beam of light hit him. Suddenly, he morphed into another man, and unfroze.
"Huh?" the strange man blurted and then stared at the witches, who stared back.
"It's Abe! A demon!" Phoebe exclaimed.
"Oh!" Piper tried to freeze him again, but it didn't work.
"Can't freeze me twice little witchie!" he snarled and tossed a fireball in her direction. A sudden burst of orange light came forth from Phoebe's midsection. It absorbed the fireball and channeled towards Abe. The demon barely uttered 'uh oh' before he was destroyed in a blaze of fire that quickly faded and sputtered out.
The three of them blinked at the pile of ash on the seat. Piper turned to Phoebe. "Your baby saved me."
Phoebe nodded slowly, mouth slightly agape. "Uh huh..."
"I'll...go clean this up," Paige said, frowning. She placed her hands over the pile and orbed it away.
Phoebe stood stock still and stared across the chapel at Piper. "P...Piper..."
"Yeah?"
"I think my baby's got my power of premonition."
"Yeah. And managed to tap into MY powers," she added, her voice expressing her concern and dislike of this new development.
"Well, we can talk about that later. We have a wedding to finish," Paige reminded them.
"Right, yes," Piper agreed and went back to her spot, her mind a whir of fears and thoughts. How had that child managed to tap into her powers like that? Or did it simply, in some vague way, transfer the premonition to her? While she had no control over her freezing everyone, it did feel somewhat instinctive. Maybe the child communicated to her, and she just reacted... Somehow, she felt that was the most logical explanation. It wasn't entirely her, but it wasn't entirely him, either, that did the freezing. It was both.
She chewed on those thoughts for a bit, before being woken out of her daze by Paige clearing her throat. "Um, Piper, you're going to have to unfreeze everyone."
"Oh, yeah"
"But before you do, I think I should mention that we're going to have to find the real James after this, if he's still alive."
Eerily on cue, James staggered into the room, rubbing the back of his head. Piper quickly unfroze everyone.
"union, speak now or forever hold your peace," the priest continued. Phoebe faced Cole again, who smiled down at her, blissfully unaware of the events of the last few minutes. She forced a smile back on her face, accepting that she'd have to tell him later.
Paige rushed over to James as unobtrusively as possible. "Oh, James! What happened to you?" she whispered, acting as if she had no clue.
"I dunno, some guy just whacked me on the head. He didn't even steal anything! I don't know why he did it."
Paige ushered him to a seat. "Tell me about it later. The priest is just about to finish the ceremony," she spoke softly.
She looked up to see Cole slip the ring on Phoebe's finger, with Suzy standing by. The little girl must have skipped up there!
"By the power vested in me, I now pronounce you husband and wife," the priest finished. Phoebe sighed in relief.
"You may kiss the bride."
Cole lifted Phoebe's veil and kissed her. The guests 'awwed' and clapped, while Paige and Piper clapped a little less zealously. Both were on edge.
As Cole pulled out of the kiss, he whispered. "You look like you've seen a ghost."
"I just created one," she replied softly. Cole gave her a curious look. "I'll tell you later," she said through her teeth, grinning falsely.
He linked his arm with hers and they proceeded down the aisle, while the children of the guests threw confetti at them eagerly, obviously enjoying their moment.
Piper and Paige met up and followed everyone to the garden outside the chapel, where there were tables of eats, and the wedding cake.
"What happened back there, Piper?" Paige said privately to her.
Piper paused a little before answering. "I'm not entirely sure, but I have a hunch..."
Same day: Late afternoon:
Piper sighed heavily as she walked into the Manor, her family following her in. She walked straight to the living room and put her bag down on the table. She turned around and put her hands on her hips, and waited for Phoebe and Cole to stop kissing.
"Ahem..."
Phoebe pulled away and looked at her sister. Paige and Leo walked over to Piper and stood behind her.
"Right, what's this about a demon attacking during the wedding?" Leo asked.
"Yeah, you were pretty vague," Cole said as he gazed down at his new wife.
Phoebe sighed. "Abe, who you were supposed to vanquish..."
"I said I was sorry. How else would you interpret an ash heap in an empty demon's home?" Cole defended.
Phoebe continued. "Attacked, during the wedding. But the reason you guys never saw this, is the same reason Piper is glaring at me right now."
"Yup," Piper confirmed.
Cole and Leo both frowned. "Elaborate," Cole said.
"Allow me," Piper cut in. "Junior here," she said, pointing at Phoebe's tummy. "Decided to tap into my powers, and forced me to freeze everyone. Then Paige spotted who we thought was James at the time, holding a fireball. Then junior decided to pull another stunt, and channel some kind or red beam into James, which revealed him to be the infamous Abe. Abe attacked, junior did his force field thingie, and Abe was vanquished. Now, I'm fine with the whole demon being discreetly vanquished at the wedding thing, but what I am not okay with, is your son's ability to tap into MY powers!"
"Wait, so, you had not control?" Cole asked.
"No control. It just felt like this overwhelming instinctive desire to freeze, and my hands jerked up, and everything froze. The thing is, Abe had only just stood up - his fireball wasn't even fully formed, yet. It was like your baby saw it coming."
"There's a strong chance he did," Leo said. All eyes were on him. "If it really felt instinctive, Piper, then I think I know what happened."
"Oh? Well tell me then, 'cause I'd love to know," Piper said, her voice edging on being furious.
"It's possible that Phoebe's son had inherited her power of premonition and taken it once step further. Telepathic transference."
"Telepathic what?" Paige uttered.
Leo shifted on his feet, not enjoying this kind of limelight. "It's a very rare power. It's when a being can have very short-hand premonitions, and transfer them to another magical being. It's a defensive tactic, for when said being is unable to fight. Basically, the child saw Abe's attack just before it happened, and transferred the premonition to Piper, and she reacted. Only it's instantaneous, so it's almost subconscious, and her reaction becomes almost instinctive."
"Wow. That's some power," Paige commented.
"So wait, you mean this little guy can see a premonition, like, a few seconds before it happens? So, in effect, he can see who is knocking on the door before they come in? That's a short-hand premonition, right?" Phoebe asked.
Leo nodded. "Correct."
Cole looked at Phoebe's tummy and grinned. "That's my boy!"
Piper folded her arms crossly. "Well it didn't feel nice having my arms jolt like that."
"Piper, it's only because you were caught off-guard. Surely you had a small window of time before you reacted?" Leo asked.
Piper looked at the floor, thoughtfully. "Yeah, it kinda took a second to happen. I was almost watching my hands move in slow-motion. It was like an overwhelming desire to just freeze everything."
"It makes sense, although it's a little creepy," Paige commented.
"But it's a defense tactic, as you say, and my child is far from defenseless," Phoebe pointed out.
"Yeah, but he couldn't just toast the guy in front of everyone. Magic would have been exposed," Cole said.
"How could he possibly know all that! Worrying about exposure!" Phoebe cried.
Leo shrugged. "He's a very magical being. All magical being have had to mask their powers for thousands of years. I suppose it's almost second nature now to protect our identity. Perhaps our children are evolving and being born already understanding that."
"Veeeery philosophical, Leo," Piper grumbled. "But I gotta tell ya Pheebs, that son of yours has me worried. He has so much power, it's kinda scary."
"Ease up a little on him Piper! He saved your life, remember?" Phoebe reminded her.
"He did?" Cole said.
"Yeah, he deflected a fireball. His force field spread all the way to Piper, from my position at the altar, just to protect her."
"You know we're all going to have to have a family sit-down and discussion about this," Paige said.
"Family discussion about what?" Victor asked as he walked in. "Found a place to park my car."
"Oh, hi dad..." Phoebe said uncertainly, and exchanged glances with her sisters.
"What's with the looks?" he asked.
"You know what, we'll tell you later. Right now, Cole and I have a honeymoon to get to," Phoebe said and gave Piper an adamant look. Piper just tightened her stance.
"It's true, Hawaii is awaiting," Cole said and snuck his arms around Phoebe and drew her into him.
"You're right. Enjoy your honeymoon, and we'll discuss this at a later stage," Piper finally sighed.
"Thanks. See ya," Phoebe said with a weak smile.
"Bye," Paige said and she watched them shimmer away. After that she let out a very long sigh.
"Getting more complicated by the day, isn't it?" Piper remarked.
Victor stared at them, clueless. "Why is everyone so uptight?"
"You'd better sit down," Leo suggested. "We haven't told you all the reasons why Phoebe just married Cole..."
1 week later:
"Ouch. Another vanquish by this kid," a demon called Frank commented. He was looking at a holographic replay of Abe's death over a black marble table. Standing on the other side was the Seer.
"But he was careful how he did it. This child possesses more than power, but great intelligence," she said.
The hologram ended, and Frank glanced across the table at the Seer. "So, how many of these hidden cameras do you have? I mean, I'm not really a moral guy, but you seem to be watching the Halliwels twenty four-seven."
"It is a precautionary measure. I have to make sure that the child is not being too tainted, and I want to monitor the growth of his powers," she informed him.
Frank was a tall brunette with deep green eyes. As far as an upper-level demon with a human mode went, he was quite handsome.
"Yeah... I get that. But, well, I still don't know why..."
"Because I plan on taking the child to the Underworld," the Seer explained and walked over to another table of potions, which she started to fiddle with.
"Ah-hah. Right. Okay, so this baby is toasting upper level demons from the womb. Just how exactly are you planning on taking this child in?"
The Seer turned on him sharply. "You signed a contract whereby you gave your soul to me with the promise of great power in return. This will be your great power. I would not have made this deal with you if I was not certain on how to get it. So stop asking so many questions."
Frank scowled at her. "Okay I'm not big on the signing-one's-soul away thing. But I did it because you promised me exactly that. Forgive my curiosity on how exactly you plan on delivering this power. You did say you'd explain after I signed the contract."
The Seer sighed and her hands fell to her sides in exasperation. "Very well, seeing as you continue to relentlessly persist! I had a vision. I saw the child at seven years of age. He was vulnerable, insecure and undecided. This is the perfect opportunity to take him in. I had a second vision of a woman extending her hand and taking him away. He took it willingly, trusting this woman. The woman was myself, in one of my ulterior forms. A popular choice of mine when I shape-shift. I now know the only way to get to the child is to get him to trust me."
Frank nodded. "I see. But, you saw what he did to Abe. He can"
"Expose evil, yes. Well, I am immune to that power of his. At least I will be for the first twelve years of his life. It takes a long time to fully develop, and while he may be powerful even now, my magic is stronger. He will not discover me."
"A lot of this is speculation," Frank said, his tone of voice a little menacing.
"My visions are never wrong. How long have you been around, Frank?"
Frank straightened up. "Two hundreds years."
"Well I have been around for thousands, so stop questioning me! I plan on making you the boy's chief advisor for when he becomes the new Source. I will remain his Seer, his mother-figure. But you will be his right-hand man, his lieutenant, if you will."
"Oh, so it's secondary power," Frank grumbled.
"It is still power, and greater power than any demon of your pitiful position could ever hope for! You tell me, would you rather be working under or against him, or with him, when he comes into full strength? You have seen just hints of what he is to be!"
Frank chewed on that for a moment, and began to feel uncomfortable under the Seer's intense gaze.
"Very well, I understand. It'll be seven years at least until I get this power. I'd better lie low. Wouldn't want to die before then, seeing as my soul is now owned by a being as evil as you," he said coolly.
"Yes, you'd better. And as for your soul being owned by myself, it too is a precautionary measure. I don't want you betraying me at any point. If you expose me, or try to take matters into your own hands, I promise you...your punishment will be worse than death."
Frank nodded sagely. "Point taken."
"Good, now go. And I'll contact you in another seven years," she said absently as she started to mix potions.
Frank watched her for a moment. "Before I go, Seer, I just want to know... Why, out of all the other, more powerful demons you could have chosen for this task, did you pick me?"
The Seer paused in her work, and looked at him with a wicked, enigmatic smile. "Because I have seen you doing great things, too."
Frank tilted his head and raised his eyebrows. "Hm!" He liked the sound of that.
With that confidence-booster in mind, Frank turned away from the Seer and left her secret hideaway. She continued her work, and busied herself making the longest-brewing but most powerful magic-masking potion there was ever to be.
Cole had managed to convince Phoebe on their honeymoon to move into the penthouse. She had been in a very good mood the whole week, and he had spoiled her and been as charming as possible to the point where she simply couldn't refuse.
Now their holiday in Hawaii had come to an end, he shimmered her and their luggage back to her room in the Manor.
It was evening and Phoebe was quite tired after making the best of her final day on the island. She'd partaken in a few beach and water sports and had had a long walk with Cole before they left, talking about their son. Both agreed that tomorrow they'd talk to her sisters about his powers and the events of the past few months. Until now, no one had really discussed how they were going to handle having such a powerful magical being in their lives.
Cole put down the heavy suitcase with a weary sigh. Phoebe headed straight for her bed. "Bed!" she said with tired enthusiasm. She kicked off her sandals and flopped onto it.
Cole started unbuttoning his island-style shirt. Phoebe had insisted he buy the thing. It was light blue with pineapples on it. She'd giggled constantly when he first tried it on. 'A memento' she had said! Ah, but he didn't mind all that much. Seeing Phoebe laugh made him happier than anything.
There was a tentative knock on the door. "Hello?" came Paige's voice.
Cole turned and opened the door. Paige stifled a small chuckle when she saw him. "I see you're back. I never would've guessed it was Hawaii you'd returned from," she teased.
Cole sighed and frowned slightly, but he knew Paige was just being playful, this time. Phoebe pushed past him. "Paige!" she cried and hugged her sister.
"Did you have fun?" Paige asked her as she warmly accepted the embrace.
"Yeah, it was great. I'm just SO tired, now."
"Hmm. I can imagine. Well, Piper's at P3, if you have the energy to see her."
"I think I'll just give her a call. I'm useless, right now," Phoebe replied and then yawned.
Paige nodded with a small smile. "Okay, well, good to see you. Have a nice rest."
She started to turn but stopped when Phoebe called after her. "Wait, Paige, did you get any attacks while we were gone?" she asked earnestly.
"Nope. It was a quiet week, thankfully," Paige said. She hesitated for a second, then turned away. Phoebe couldn't help get the feeling that Paige was holding back on something.
"I'm gonna take a shower," Cole said softly and turned into the room. Phoebe knew she was a little sandy still and should have one herself.
"Ooh, can I come with you?" she asked with a teasing grin.
Cole smiled a little wearily. "Sure. I was counting on it."
"Lemme just call Piper and let her know we're home," Phoebe said. Cole nodded and left her to call her sister.
Phoebe waited as she listened to the dialing sound of her mobile. It rang for a little, and then she heard Piper's voice.
"Hello Piper! We're back..."
The following day, at breakfast, Piper announced she had waited long enough for a family meeting, and come hell or high waters, they were going to have one later that morning after her doctor's appointment.
Phoebe took it surprisingly well. "Oh that's fine. Cole and I have something to discuss with you, too."
Piper had been expecting a little more resistance considering the meeting was going to focus around her baby's demonic powers, so for a moment she just stared. "Well, uh, okay. We'll have it in the living room at 11:30."
Cole watched her curiously. "A doctor's appointment?"
"Ah, just a regular checkup. Nothing to worry about," Piper dismissed and asked Leo to pass the butter.
"Have you guys got something to tell us?" Phoebe asked.
Leo nodded. "Well, I found out quite a bit about"
Piper squeezed his arm. "What?"
"At the meeting, dear. Now we eat, peacefully," Piper nearly commanded.
A silence settled over the family until Paige finally spoke up. "I know I should save this for the meeting, but I bought something for the baby, Pheebs."
"Oh? Really, what?"
Paige smiled. "A bib. Yeah, I know it's a bit soon for that, but it had this really cute" Paige's eyes widened as a demon shimmered into the kitchen in front of her.
"Demon!"
"Demon?" Phoebe asked, before she spotted the grey-skinned demon back away against the counter, looking bewildered.
Everyone leapt to their feet. Cole had a fireball in hand, Paige orbed a kitchen knife to her hand, Piper had her hands held up menacingly and Phoebe just waited for her baby to fry the demon.
"Wait! Don't kill me!" the demon cried. "I'm not here to hurt any of you! Damn, I need to learn to shimmer into less crowded rooms..."
Piper regarded the demon suspiciously. "Nobody shimmers into the Halliwell Manor without bad intent!" She paused and shot Cole an apologetic look. "No offence, Cole."
The tall, grey demon looked human except for his skin colour and purple eyes. He had a shock of black hair and was wearing blue jeans and a black t-shirt, unusual dress for a demon.
"Well the little one hasn't deemed me a threat, yet!" he cried, pointing to Phoebe. Phoebe glared at him. "How'd you know about..."
"Everyone knows about it. It's like the hottest topic in the magical world. It's kinda why I'm here."
"Spit it out, before I turn you into an ash pile," Cole threatened. Phoebe held his arm gently. "Easy, honey."
"I'm here on behalf of a psychic. She's hurt at the moment so I have to deliver her message. I really don't want to linger, because I hate to leave her alone."
"A psychic?" Phoebe tilted her head curiously.
The demon relaxed his stance a little. "Yes, my wife. She's a good psychic. Like old Belthazar here, I've turned to the good side. Unfortunately, I don't look like the good type. Anyway, basically she wanted me to give you this," he said and took out a smooth, black pebble from his pocket with a small symbol on it. It was made up of three lines with a circle in the center line. Phoebe felt her stomach heat up, but she held back on saying anything.
Nobody dared touch it. The demon sighed. "Look, if you don't believe my intentions are good, then I'll just leave the Drawing Stone here and go."
"Drawing stone?" Cole blurted. He stared at it and then his eyes widened. "It is! I thought those were all accounted for and destroyed."
"Hang on, what's he talking about?" Paige asked Piper. Piper shrugged. "Cole?"
The grey demon put the stone on the counter. "The message is that this might change the balance in your kid. We don't want this child to go all-out evil on us as much as you do, so it's a well-meant gesture. She also said to meet her at the annual Autumn Fair after he's born."
"You know he's a he?" Phoebe asked.
"Well, yeah. He was a he in her vision. I'm sorry, that's all I know. Take the stone, please."
With that, he shimmered out. Piper blinked. "What was he on about!" she suddenly cried.
"Yeah and what the heck is a Drawing Stone?" Paige asked Cole. She noticed the former demon was deep in thought.
"Cole?" Phoebe urged.
Cole snapped out of his thoughts and regarded them all. "A Drawing Stone is an ancient, blessed stone used to draw out magic. There were only a few of them, and no one has seen one in five hundred years. We presumed they were all destroyed."
"Draw...out?" Leo pressed.
"Yeah. White stones draw out good magic, and black stones like this one, evil magic. Basically, these stones were used on young magical children that had been kidnapped and taken to one side or the other. Their guardians would place the stone in their crib and leave it there as the child grew. What the stone does, over time, is tap into their evil or good powers and slowly draw it out. It's a very gradual process, but it's painless and strong."
Phoebe nodded slowly. "So they want us to put this in our baby's crib to"
"Soften his evil magic. Phoebe, this stone only works properly on third level demons or witches. Our son is more like, sixth level. Over time, it would probably lighten his demonic powers, or suppress them. The stones only reacts to young beings. That's why both sides felt threatened by them and destroyed them, although it was mainly evil that had a problem with it."
"Very convenient, don't you think?" Paige uttered. Phoebe shot her a glance. "What? It's meant for babies to draw out evil magic. There weren't supposed to be any left. Now, I'm all for junior having a little power dampener on his demonic side, but this thing would be beneficial for any attackers, too. If your son is less powerful when he is young, they have more chance at getting to him."
"Hmm. And it was delivered by a demon," Piper said.
"Ex-demon," Leo reminded her.
"You sure of that?" Phoebe asked.
Leo shrugged. "He seemed genuine."
"He did. And he dresses like a good guy, and spoke nicely," Piper mused.
"Yeah, maybe. But we all know how well demons can act," Paige stated. Cole frowned at her. "What?" she said. "It's true."
"But my son didn't react negatively to his presence, at first," Phoebe said.
"At first?" Paige queried.
Phoebe shifted uncomfortably. "Well, he did get really warm when the guy revealed the stone. I have a strong urge not to go near it, but I think it's more his urge than mine."
"Like a kid refusing broccoli," Paige murmured.
"Hey, it's only natural for magical beings to want to protect their powers," Cole defended his son.
"Ok, ok! Enough. Leo, please visit the Elders to see if you can find out more on these stones. As for the rest of us, we'll discuss this and other things at the meeting. I have a doctor's appointment to get to, Paige you said you have some work to do and you two need to start figuring out where you're going to put this baby," she addressed the last part of her sentence to Phoebe and Cole. She stood up and quietly stormed out of the kitchen.
Leo sighed. "You know how much Piper hates her breakfasts being interrupted," he said, took a piece of toast, and orbed away.
Paige was the last one left with Phoebe and Cole. She looked at Cole coolly for a moment, then quietly left the room. Cole turned to Phoebe once she had gone.
"Is it just me, or is the dissension between Paige and I getting worse?"
Phoebe rubbed her head. "I think I need another holiday."
Cole sighed and glanced at the stone. "So, are we just going to leave it there?" he asked. "Unguarded?"
"Hmm, I guess we should put it elsewhere." Phoebe moved towards it and suddenly the stone went flying and hit the wall. It slid down and landed on the floor.
"Did you just...?" Cole started.
"Not me, the baby. He obviously doesn't like it," she said, then groaned. "That's a good sign."
"I'm sure if he were a purely good child and the stone was white he'd do the same thing. Don't worry," Cole said and walked over to the stone. He picked it up and started towards her.
"Cole stop!" she cried. He did. "What?"
"If you're carrying that thing, don't come near us. He might do something."
Cole looked at the pebble in his hand, and then clenched it. "I'm prepared to risk it. In fact I'm curious to see if he'd harm me now that I have it. It's a good test of how 'evil' he really is. So far he hasn't done anything to hurt me or anyone else in this family."
Phoebe looked worried. "I dunno Cole. I don't want him to get panicky and incinerate you."
"He won't. The worst he'll do is send me flying with his telekinesis."
Phoebe thought about it a moment, then gave in. "Okay, but outside the kitchen. I don't want you crashing into knives or anything."
"Right," Cole said and she waited until he had left the kitchen before she exited cautiously. When she stepped outside, she saw him clenching the stone, a look of curiosity and determination in his eyes.
"All right, Cole. It's your funeral," she said sarcastically. Cole advanced forward and Phoebe tensed. She felt her stomach warm up again, as if the baby was getting uncomfortable and building up for a force field.
"Cole, I don't know about this," she warned, feeling increasingly uneasy.
Cole was now walking slowly towards her and was just four feet away. Three feet. Two feet...
And then he was right in front of her. He knelt and opened his hand directly in front of her stomach. He felt a tiny ripple of energy pass over the surface of his palm and the stone was blown off it relatively peacefully. It hit the floor and skidded three feet. Cole stood up with his brows raised. "He didn't hurt me. He removed the stone from my palm without any violence. A very promising reaction."
Phoebe smiled a little. "Yeah, I'm relieved. Maybe you can work at it, getting him to trust your judgment on it, if we decide to use the stone."
"Do you want to?" he asked her, looking at her earnestly.
She withered under his gaze. "I-I-I don't know. I'm not sure. Cole I..."
She turned away from him, suddenly feeling cornered and confused.
"Phoebe..." he put a hand on her shoulder. She slowly turned to him again. "Cole, I know I haven't shown it much, but I'm scared. I'm really, really scared. He has so much power...and there are so many factors and mixed signs and...and I don't how I'm going to cope, or what's best for him. I really don't know what to do."
"Phoebe, it's going to be all right. You're not alone. You have me, you have your sisters and Leo. We're all going to help you through this."
"Yeah but they're all mixed in what they feel about it too," Phoebe reminded him. "I know Paige doesn't like the fact he has demonic powers, and now Piper is unhappy, too. Leo's with the Elders on binding his powers, which Piper is against, but then again, since the wedding she might feel differently. And you're pro him having all this power and I just don't seem to have a say anymore."
"Your say is the most important," he told her, placing both his hands firmly on her shoulders. "You're the mother. You do what you feel is right."
Phoebe sighed and looked downcast. "I will, if I ever figure out what the right thing is."
Cole cuddled her silently, trying his best to comfort her.
Piper had gone into her doctor's appointment very uptight and anxious about events at home. She was more worried about Phoebe's baby than the prospect of having her own, at that moment. As soon as she'd entered the room, her doctor noticed the frown on her face and the distant look in her eyes.
"You look very uptight, Piper," he commented.
"Ohhh, I know. Family problems," she sighed.
"Are you managing all right?" he asked.
"Yeah... I'm okay. So! We tried a blood test this time, and you said that the results would be in by now."
The doctor smiled briefly. "Yes, but you usually come with Leo..."
"Yeah, but he had an important errand to run," she explained.
The doctor nodded and got out her file. "It was given to me a few minutes ago, actually. So I haven't checked," he told her as he looked over the results. Piper had had so many disappointments that the Doctor's next words came as a surprise.
"Well! The blood test obviously proved fruitful! You're pregnant."
Piper's jaw dropped. "I...I..."
"Congratulations!" he said cheerfully. "I know how much you've wanted this."
Piper's gape changed to a very happy smile. She covered her mouth with surprise, but her eyes were sparkling with joy.
"I'm happy for you, Piper. Remember, now you have to have regular check-ups to make sure the baby is all right, and so are you."
Piper recovered a little from her initial shock. "Yes, yes, definitely! Please excuse me, I have got to call my husband," she said as she got out her mobile and headed for the door. "No problem," the doctor chuckled.
Piper went straight through the waiting room and outside into the lobby area. Conveniently, no one else was there.
"Leo!"
He orbed by her side a few moments later. He looked at her with concern. "What? Is something...wrong...?" he trailed noticing the broad smile on her face. His eyes widened.
"Piper are you...?"
She nodded, grinning, and moved forward and hugged him. He received the hug with joy. "Oh honey that's wonderful! I'm so happy!" he cried, surprised at the tears that had welled up in his eyes. He blinked them back, still a little shocked but overjoyed at the news.
Piper looked up at him, her eyes bright. "I guess we have something else to talk about at the meeting!"
"We certainly do," Leo said with a smile.
The Seer materialized in front of her greatest rival. Of course, her rival's being a psychic prevented her from getting a fright at the Seer's sudden appearance.
"Well well well, look who's here," the blonde middle-aged woman with bright green eyes stated. She was sitting at the counter of her own little shop. She sold magic cards, dream catchers, books on witchcraft and fairies - all the commercialized goods that had stemmed from mortal's interest in magic and the like.
The Seer glanced at her surroundings with disgust and turned back to the woman. "I find your business repulsive. Selling cheap junk and passing it off as magic."
The blonde woman snorted. "I find YOU repulsive. Now what do you want?"
"You already know!" the Seer snapped. "How dare you give the witch that stone! Her son's powers are not for you to meddle with."
"I did it to offer him some protection against hunters like you, who want him for his powers, and of course who want to turn him. If he is less inclined to go evil because his evil powers are suppressed or at best, softened, then I've done him a service," the woman retorted.
"Miranda, you are dealing with things beyond your control. The child is evil, he was conceived by a powerful demon. You cannot prevent what is inevitable," the Seer leaned across the counter threateningly.
Miranda held her stance and gave the Seer and equally hard stare. "You and I both know that visions can be changed. I owned the last Drawing Stone in the world with the knowledge that someday it might be useful. Now I have a reason to give it away."
The Seer glared at the woman, who was in a wheelchair with a broken leg and cracked ribs. A demon attack that had left her severely injured.
"You'd better watch your back, Miranda, because very soon, there might be a knife in it," the Seer hissed, and disappeared, just as a customer came through the door.
Miranda swallowed hard and realized how tense she had been. She clutched at her racing heart. She had been afraid, and with reason. Not only did the Seer mean to kill her, but she was bent on turning the Charmed One's child evil. That couldn't happen. If it did, it would spell the end for the world of good. Miranda knew this, because she had seen it.
Chapter Two - Confrontations.
Phoebe munched on some grapes as she waited for Piper and Leo. She was on the sofa, in the living room, resting against Cole's shoulder. Her husband was staring into space thoughtfully. Paige walked in.
"What is this, a meditation festival?" the youngest witch asked.
"Is it eleven thirty, yet?" Phoebe asked drearily. Paige checked her watch. "Eleven thirty exactly. Piper should be here any minute."
On cue, Piper's car could be heard pulling into the driveway outside.
"And so our glorious family meeting begins," Phoebe sighed. Her mood had changed considerably after the arrival of the Drawing Stone. It put a whole new light on things, and she wasn't sure how her sisters were going to react.
They heard Piper and Leo come walking through the house and all three turned to see them enter the living room. Piper was smiling ear to ear.
"I can't hold it any longer," Piper declared. "I'm pregnant!"
Phoebe and Paige erupted in cheers and both hurried over to their oldest sister and embraced her.
While the girls cooed and laughed together, Cole glanced over at a content Leo.
"Yo, Leo?"
Leo turned to look at Cole. "You da man," Cole grinned. Leo blushed.
"Oh my gosh, that's magical baby number two!" Paige said jovially, but everyone picked up on the serious undertone to her words. Their laughter died a little, and Piper pushed them away ever so gently.
"Yeah, yeah, I know! And as much as I'd just like to celebrate, we'd better talk about it. This seriously changes things, for all of us."
Phoebe and Paige nodded sagely and seated themselves on the couch, one on either side of Cole, as Leo and Piper took the other couch.
Piper's sigh came out as a mixture of joy and weariness. She looked up at her sisters and Cole. "Right. First things first. Leo, take the stand."
Leo cleared his throat. "Well, I did some research on the powers your son has displayed thus far. So far, he has a defensive and offensive force field. It's extremely powerful, and requires a lot of energy from the child. So basically it's not good that he keeps using it. It's stressful."
Phoebe looked down at her slight bulge and sighed. "I'm sorry, sweetie! I'll get your daddy to deflect fireballs from now on."
Cole smirked. "That makes me feel a little more useful."
Leo continued. "The other powers are short-hand premonitions, which are a different, somewhat lesser form of psychic abilities. Basically he can see what's going to happen a few seconds before it does. It's handy in a battle, but it doesn't give one much time to react. The Elders reckon it's going to be one of those powers that grow stronger as he gets older, maybe into fully fledged premonitions."
"Guess he won't be spilling coffee on anyone," Paige spoke up. If she could have seen those annoying little office accidents just a few seconds beforehand, she could have spared herself some embarrassment, and, come to think of it, saved some nice shirts.
"However," Leo's change in voice reeled in everyone's attention. "Coupled with his third power of Telepathic Transference, even shorthand premonitions can prove far more potent. What he did to Piper was telepathically transfer his vision to her. With time and practice, he could do that to a number of people. So, if he ever has a team of people going into a battle with him, he'll ensure they're always one step ahead of the enemy. It's a war tactic, as well as a defensive one, for when he is exposed or vulnerable and needs help."
"What a complex little power!" Piper exclaimed and gave Phoebe an intense look. Phoebe shifted uncomfortably. "Yeah, yeah it is. It'll be even more impressive if he could transfer fully fledged premonitions. He could warn us all, even when we are separated, about events to come."
"There's more," Leo said, and his facial expression told everyone he was not overly pleased with this fact.
"It's possible the telepathic transference could also develop into full telepathy. It'd take years of practice and he'd probably only get it right when he's about thirty, because it's not a congenial power. It's one that needs to be trained."
"Right. And the red light?" Phoebe asked.
Leo's eye brightened at the mention of it. "Now this one, I like."
Cole and Phoebe exchanged hopeful glances and then turned back to Leo.
"The red beam is an 'evil revealer'. It does exactly what its name states. It can show up shape-shifters for who they really are, uncloak Transparency demons, reveal the demonic side in half-human demons, and so on."
"I like that power too! It would've proven so useful when we were fighting those Transparency demons," Paige commented.
"Why didn't the baby use it then?" Phoebe asked.
"He was too young. You're four and a half months pregnant now. His powers are growing with him," Leo explained.
"So," Piper half-sighed, "He's developed a power a month, so far. Four powers. He's more powerful than me."
"He's more powerful than all of us, excluding Cole," Paige remarked dryly.
"Well at least we know he can hold his own. I hope your daughter can, too," Phoebe said to Piper. "Which brings me to my next point. There's no room for two babies here. So, I've decided to move into the penthouse."
Piper blinked at the bold statement. Phoebe had a look of adamancy on her face and her eyes begged Piper not to argue with her. Piper glanced at Paige, who shrugged.
"Well... I guess I can't force you to stay," Piper dragged with a disappointed, sad expression.
Cole came to Phoebe's aid. "Piper, you're starting your own family with Leo, and we have our own on the way. There's just not enough room in here for all of us. I promise you that we will keep in regular contact. Between the baby's powers and my own, our son will be well protected."
Piper felt that she should argue because she felt unhappy at the thought of the Power of Three being broken up like this. But she'd known it was coming. It had only been a matter of time before Phoebe decided to move out. It was true - things were getting cramped, and there wasn't enough room for everyone.
"I understand," she said eventually.
A little silence followed, before Leo spoke up. "I also found out about that stone. Believe it or not, that demon's legit. His name is Neil Baker, and he turned to the side of good twelve years ago. He's been married to a psychic, who is definitely on the force of good. The Elders say she deliberately stays elusive, because so many demons and warlocks want her dead. She's foiled many an evil plan. The stone is also real, and the Elders believe it was truly meant with good intent."
"Yeah, but should we use it?" Phoebe questioned everyone. "I mean, is it really our decision?"
"The baby is not going to be able to make decisions until it's much older, and by that stage it might be too late," Paige voiced her opinion. "I say we use it. It only affects demonic powers, and like Cole said - your kid's bound to turn out to be more along the lines of a 6th level deerm, 'magical being'. So, for his own protection..."
Piper gave Phoebe a sympathetic but serious look. "Honey, I think it's for the best. He's half witch, you know, so he would also have good powers. Telepathy and premonitions are stemmed from you, so they'll remain strong, and they're both powers we'd want him to develop."
A deep frown had creased Cole's face. He turned and looked intensely at Phoebe, whose face was downcast as she tried to negotiate her conflicting thoughts and feelings. Suddenly, her head jerked up and she stared at Piper searchingly. "Would you use a white stone on your child?"
Piper looked taken aback at that. Her mouth dropped open slightly, and then she regained her composure. "No, because my daughter is a mix of good and especially good," she said, inclining her head towards Leo. "I have no reason to."
"A good child can easily be taken and turned, too, you know," Phoebe pressed on.
"Phoebe!"
Paige stood up. "Ok! Ok! Please, let's not fight about this. Both of you are now moms to be, and the decision on what to do with your respective kids should remain with the mother. Personally, I think using the stone on a potentially evil kid is a good idea, but he's only half formed, so you have plenty of time to decide on it. So why don't we adjourn this meeting, while it's still fairly civil."
"You haven't said much on the matter, Cole," Piper commented, her voice low and a tiny bit sour.
Cole folded his arms and regarded her impassively. "I've left it up to Phoebe. Her maternal instincts are the best guide, I think."
"Great! Then we're all settled!" Paige cried, exasperated.
Piper stood up, looking a little flushed. "I think we're far from settled... But I agree that now's a good time to end this discussion." Her face remained grim for a few seconds later, then softened. "I'd really like to celebrate my pregnancy, now."
"Aww, sweetie! Sorry we've stressed you out so much," Paige came to Piper's side. Leo stood up and smiled gently, and took her hand. "How about we go out for a nice lunch to celebrate?" he suggested.
Piper nodded enthusiastically. "That's a great idea. Ph...Phoebe? Do you and Cole want to come?"
Cole shrugged his shoulders to express he didn't mind, but Phoebe made the decision. "Not today, thanks. I've...got some work to do," she said slowly, her eyes dark.
Piper nodded slightly and then flicked her hair back and faced her husband with a warm smile. "Guess it's just you, Paige and I. Got a restaurant in mind?"
"Oh, I know a good one!" Paige piped up. The three of them walked out of the living room, chatting merrily.
Once they'd left, an oppressive silence filled the air. Cole gazed at Phoebe inquisitively. He noticed how moody and solemn she looked.
"What are you thinking?" he asked gently.
Phoebe remained dead still, her eyes distant. She replied slowly. "I'm thinking that now's as good a time as any to start making plans to move into the penthouse."
With that, she stood up, and quietly left the room. Cole watched her go worriedly. From the moment Phoebe suggested Piper's daughter could also be turned, a rift had been opened between the two. It would remain there for a long time after.