A/N: This fic started off as a prompt fill drabble (from Reddit's May fanfiction prompt fill list) and has taken on a life of it's own.
May 23: Your character has been given the chance to change another's fate, but how will they use it? (400 Words)
It's set after the series finale, but goes AU before all of the flash forwards occur. I hope you all enjoy and any feedback is appreciated!
Piper had a tough choice to make. The Angels of Destiny had granted her and only her the chance to change Cole Turner's fate. She knew exactly why. A few years ago, he'd been such a help to her and Leo and had saved her life and essentially his, bringing them back together despite what the Elders had tried to do to pull them apart. The Angels had also informed her that he'd been the one to bring Drake into Phoebe's life, convincing her to love again. He'd also been busy now, pulling the strings from the void he was trapped in, calling in favors whenever he could to help the side of good.
The Angels of Destiny had deemed that he had earned another chance at life, but there were limitations. As things were, Cole was tipping the balance of the Grand Design from outside it and they couldn't have that, but they also couldn't allow him to come back and influence either side with powers, as his return hadn't been part of the Grand Design to begin with. As it stood, Piper was faced with bringing Cole back as a human without any powers at all, but whether he remembered anything about his past life or if he had a new one was entirely left up to her.
Piper knew she couldn't consult Paige and especially not Phoebe on this. Phoebe was with Coop, happily married. Piper was as worried about bringing Cole back into her sister's life as she was bringing Cole back into a life where he'd have no one. She remembered how unstable he'd gotten after he'd lost Phoebe. But would he really want a life full of falsehoods either? None of it was fair to anyone, but at least if he was given another chance, he might be able to find happiness even without his memories. Still, that didn't sit right with her. How could she strip away everything that he was?
"This shouldn't be up to me," Piper finally said aloud, knowing the Angels of Destiny were listening. "He should have a say."
Years ago, Piper would have thought she'd have what Cole wanted sussed out - that he'd surely choose retaining his memories so that he could insert himself into Phoebe's life again, but now... now Piper wasn't so sure. She didn't exactly like the idea of doing to Cole what the Elders had done to Leo. It wasn't right and she wouldn't be part of it without getting his input.
An Angel of Destiny appeared before her and Piper crossed her arms, knowing she'd already heard what she said before. Without another word, the Angel of Destiny waved her hand and Cole Turner stood before them. He was wearing a suit without a tie, collar open just as it had been when Piper last saw him in the void. Even in the afterlife, he'd been dressed to a tee.
Cole took stock of his surroundings, realizing very quickly that he was in the familiar attic of Halliwell Manor. Also not unnoticed was the Angel of Destiny next to him.
"What is this?" He asked both Piper and the Angel, still a little on guard, but trying not to seem rattled by the presence of an actual Angel of Destiny.
"This is your second chance, Cole Turner, should you choose it," The Angel supplied and Cole looked to Piper for a more guidance, not fully trusting the Angel, for fairly obvious reasons, considering his past.
"Do you mind being a little less cryptic?" He asked, looking moreso to Piper for that. He trusted her far more than he ever would an Angel of Destiny.
"The Angels of Destiny have decided that you still have a place in the Grand Design. They're willing to bring you back as a human - no powers," Piper explained. "But it's up to me to decide whether or not you remember everything or if you're given a completely fresh start somewhere."
"You?" Cole asked, confused as to why it would be Piper's decision.
"Well, us now," Piper amended. "It wasn't right that you didn't have a say at all. I couldn't do that to anyone - not even you," She told him.
"What if I say no?" Cole asked, as he walked over to a chair in the attic and made himself comfortable. It was a power move and he knew it. He'd put on a little bravado and keep up appearances.
"No?" The Angel hadn't counted on that and genuinely looked shocked. Good. It was working then.
"What if I tell you to send me back to that void?" He challenged, looking a little smug.
"I'm afraid that is not possible. You have been influencing far too much and tipping the balance. We cannot allow that to continue," The Angel explained. "Though your efforts to help the side of good have not gone unnoticed, which is why this is the deal being offered to you."
He was quiet a moment as his options sunk in and his show of arrogance faultered. The thought honestly scared him. Either way, he couldn't influence anything. What good was being entirely human in a world so full of magical beings? How could he protect himself or anyone else? They really weren't giving him much of a choice at all. "So those are my only options? To come back as human with or without my memories?" He finally asked, looking towards the Angel of Destiny.
"It was thought of as a kindness to offer a chance to start anew," The Angel explained. "We cannot send you back to your void, nor can we have you with any powers."
"Who would I be? If I chose to forget, what would my life be like?" He asked and it was Piper's turn to be surprised.
"Cole? You're seriously considering that as an option?"
He looked sad and a little pensive as he answered. "You can't miss what you can't remember. If everything else is stripped away, I'd like to know what kind of man I'd be able to be."
"A good one," The Angel told him without missing a beat. "You've proven you're capable of as much. The potential has always been there. You will be given a new life, but without the outside forces tipping the balance, it will be truly left up to you to decide what you do with it and the difference you make on the world."
Cole stood up and began to pace some of the length of the attic, quietly weighing his choices. If he left everything behind it would mean he'd be rid of all the pain he'd caused and of all the pain he'd endured. He finally paused in his stride, looking at the pair. "Do it," He said softly.
"This is a big decision, don't you think you should take some more time?" Piper asked him, concerned for what he was choosing to do to himself. She thought he was being reckless. "You won't know who you are. You won't remember anything. They'll put you someplace else and-"
"And what, Piper? What else do I have to come back to if I'm coming back completely powerless? I've been there. I've done that and I felt helpless. I was helpless and that's the reason everything fell apart to begin with," He reminded her. The whole Source debacle had been, in part, because he'd been so powerless to help that he'd fallen for the Seer's lies. By the time he realized, it was too late and things were never the same again. At least now he wouldn't remember what he was missing. He wouldn't know about magic or the underworld or the woman that still had his heart.
"You'll still be powerless regardless. Do you really want to be someone else entirely?" She couldn't fathom how he could choose that, no matter how bad things had gotten.
"When has being me ever worked in my favor for long?" Cole asked her. "There's nothing left for me here now."
"This is what you've chosen then?" The Angel of Destiny asked him. "You wish to live a new life without the burden of your past upon you?"
"Yes," Cole answered. It was better to look at it as a fresh start instead of simply giving up.
"Then it is done," The Angel declared. She waved her hand and in an instant, Cole was gone. She looked to Piper. "Thank you for your input."
"That's it? Where did he go? Where did you put him?" Piper demanded, finding herself actually concerned for her ex-brother-in-law. Even after everything that had happened between them all, there was still a small part of her that felt like he was family.
"He is exactly where he needs to be. You have played your part. Rest easy knowing that the balance has been restored." Without another word, the Angel of Destiny vanished from the room.
"Hey! HEY!" Piper yelled. She felt a little unsettled by the whole encounter and her stomach was in knots. Everything had happened quickly... too quickly. She didn't doubt it was an Angel of Destiny that they'd dealt with, but she did question whether the Angels' motives were entirely pure. She knew what she had to do as she stomped out of the attic.
"LEO!"