Author: Pirate Turner
Especially Dedicated To: My wonderful, beloved Jack, King and Captain of my heart!
Also Written For: Our #1 Fan, Cathie: Thanks for the inspirational challenge.
Rating: PG
Summary: "I'm kidnapping you, Miss Halliwell."
Warnings: Het, Unconventional Pairing, Alternate Universe
Word Count: 2,735
Date Written: 15 August 2010
Challenge: Cathie's Challenge of the Week on Ficcers Unite for the week of 12 August 2010
Disclaimer: Prue, Piper, Phoebe, and Paige Halliwell; Cole Turner; P3; the Charmed Ones; and Charmed are & TM Aaron Spelling and any other respective, legal owners, none of which are the author; are used without permission; and may not be used without permission. All other recognizable characters and places are & TM their rightful owners, none of whom are the author and are also used without permission. Everything else is & TM the author. The author makes absolutely no profit off of this work of fan fiction, and no copyright infringement is intended.
Piper sighed wearily. P3's Friday the 13th dance had been a success, but she was exhausted. She'd been working three hours before the club had opened and had only sat down twice all night, once due to Cole's insistence and once because of her sisters'. Even with the crowd finally beginning to dwindle, there was still work to be done, and Piper was in the room that had once been her favorite, the kitchen, preparing a salad for an order while her one remaining chef took a smoke break.
She paused in chopping up the carrot before her to wipe sweat from her brow and then jumped when a butcher knife pressed against her throat. Behind her, a Demon smiled, and she stilled as the cold steel of the knife touched her flesh. Then the Demon snaked his strong arms around her, and Piper sighed with relief and instantaneously relaxed. Her brown eyes flashed playfully up at the man whose smile she could not see. "And just what do you think you're doing, Cole Turner?"
"I'm kidnapping you, Miss Halliwell." He squeezed her gently in one arm while he took both his knife and her own with his other hand and set the instruments down on the table in front of them. "You've been working too hard this week. It's past time you took a break."
"I can relax when tonight is over," she replied. "We need the money."
"You can relax now," Cole countered gently, hugging her. "Your sisters can take it from here."
"They're - " Piper started to say only to be interrupted by Prue's gentle but stern voice.
" - in total agreement with Cole. Take the rest of the night off." The eldest Halliwell smiled gently at her little sister, and although her green eyes twinkled happily, they also held a stern message that she would not take any argument from Piper on the matter.
"Yeah," Phoebe chimed in, walking up behind Prue. "We'll finish the salad and take care of everything else. We'll pay the band - "
"With money, Phoebe," Prue put in.
"Of course!" Phoebe cut eyes at her older sister, who just grinned mischievously. "And we'll make sure everybody gets out and on their way okay."
"Somebody's got to clean up after the party."
"That'll be us too," Phoebe said. "Paige is already working on the bathrooms." At Piper's surprised, questioning look, she explained with a shrug, "She lost a bet."
Piper rose a single eyebrow. "Do I want to know?" she asked warily.
"No." Phoebe giggled at Prue's quick response. Her oldest sister shook her head in a movement that sent her long, jet black hair tumbling down her slender, revealed back in waves of ebony silk. "I wish I didn't, but we'll take care of everything, Piper. We own part of the club, too, and it's past time we did our share of the work this time. Go on and have a good time with Cole. I promise the place will be spotless when you return."
Piper smiled. "Thank you."
"You're welcome," Prue replied with a bright smile and would have hugged her little sister if she hadn't been completely surrounded by Cole's loving arms. "What else are sisters for?"
Phoebe laughed as Paige trumped in with a thoroughly disgusted look on her face. "For cleaning toilets?"
Prue rolled her eyes. "Go," she told Piper.
Cole gently squeezed the woman he loved. Lowering his mouth to her ear, he whispered, his breath deliciously tickling her tender flesh, "So, my dear, are you ready for a little . . . "
" . . . romance?"
Piper gasped as wind rushed up at them. She gulped nervously; blinked in the bright, morning sunlight; and then forced down the tight ball that had suddenly formed in her throat as she stepped to the side of the platform upon which they now stood. Cole kept his arms around her and moved with her as she walked to the edge of the building they were now standing on. Piper leaned forward, gasped, and was even more grateful to have his arms wrapped safely around her. "Wow . . . " she breathed. "That's a long way down!"
"Yes," Cole agreed, tightening his arms around her just additionally enough that she would be sure to feel his protection, "but I'll always keep you safe if you'll let me, love." He kissed the top of her head.
"I know," Piper said, smiling and turning in his arms. She gasped suddenly as the sweet music of violins met her ears and she realized just where they were standing. Her mouth fell open. "This is the Eiffel Tower!" she gasped a moment later when she managed to speak pass her shock again.
"Yes, my darling. Now would you care to join me for a candlelit dinner?" Cole stepped slightly to one side, and Piper's smile grew even larger and more radiant. Laid before them was a blanket on which was placed a bowl containing French breadsticks, Chinese cartons, two crystal goblets, and a bottle of Piper's favorite wine. A candelabra stood on the center of the blue checkered tablecloth, its white and pink candles aflame in symbols of love. There was no need for candlelight as a new day had already dawned in France, but Cole had set them up for for the pure symbolism.
Piper's shimmering, brown eyes misted as Cole gently led her by her hand to the picnic he had set up for them. He raised her hand to his lips and gave her a gentle kiss upon her hand before releasing his hold on her. Then he shrugged out of his long, dark jacket, laid it before her feet, and bowed. "Your dinner, mademoiselle."
Piper turned her completely enraptured and astonished gaze up at her love. "You're amazing," she whispered in awe.
"No," Cole gently countered, softly kissing her cheek, "you're amazing." He reached into a pocket on his black shirt and pulled out cloth napkins. Shaking them out, he gestured again to their picnic. "Now will you do me the honor of joining me for dinner, sweetheart?"
"Of course," Piper assured him, but then she wrapped her arms around him. Her hands cupped his neck, and her fingers caressed the curling tendrils of his dark hair. She pressed her body to his in a perfect circle of love and kissed him deeply. "I love you!"
"And I love you!" Cole breathed in response when she had lifted her mouth from his. Then he recaptured her mouth and gave her a kiss with such passion that every inch of her body, heart, and soul was completely melted by the time he moved again to begin feeding her their favorite Chinese by hand.
After dinner, they danced to the music of the violins and their shared song of love that played through their hearts. Piper's head rested against Cole's chest, and she listened to his heartbeat as well as he swung her around the Eiffel Tower. They were hundreds of miles up in the air, so high up that gazing at the fluffy, white clouds beyond Cole's broad shoulders made Piper feel as though she could reach out and touch them. She wondered, absently, if the clouds would taste anything like the cotton candy she'd always dreamed of them being as a little girl.
In Piper's mind, the dance she shared with her wondrous Prince Charming began to travel through the wide, blue sky. They danced on the tops of clouds as they swirled underneath their feet, and Cole swung her around again. She had perfect rhythm in her dreams and was able to match Cole as though they were the best dancers in the universe.
Cole smiled as he realized that Piper felt so safe, contented, and loved that she was beginning to doze off on him, but his plans to give her the most magical Friday the 13th she had ever known were far from completion yet. He waltzed his love around again and drew her back into the safety of his strong and loving arms as she blinked sleepily, the action having returned her to consciousness.
Holding her once more, Cole bent his head and whispered into her ear, "I love you, Piper Halliwell, more than I'd ever thought I could love any one." He gave a slight snort of self-derision. "Before you, I didn't even know what love was, doubted it even existed, and definitely didn't think I was capable of it if it did, but your light shone into my world, chased all my darkness away, and made me love and believe in something again - believe in you and the miraculous way you make me feel. I love you! You are my sun, my moon, and my stars! You mean everything to me, and I would give you the world on a silver platter if only I could. But, alas, this Demon's power doesn't stretch that far!"
"I don't want the world, Cole," Piper murmured sleepily. "I only want you. You're all I could ever want and ever need! I love you, too!" Then she stopped talking and moving as she realized that she no longer heard violins playing or felt the hard, steel beams of the Eiffel Tower beneath her dress shoes. She jumped and gave a startled cry as a huge gonging sound resounded through the area.
"It's okay, darling," Cole said with a smile and a gentle kiss to her forehead. "It's just an old friend of mine, Big Ben."
"Big Ben?" Piper exclaimed in shock. She twirled around and stood with her mouth open as she gazed up at the ancient, huge clock through the thick, misty fog that covered London. "Wow!" She marveled at the sight before her, but the moment was ruined by a woman's scream of "HELP!"
Cole and Piper turned in the direction of the cry and saw a young man dressed in street clothes running with a black, leather purse. Cole stepped into his way, and the man pulled a knife. "Cole!" Piper called, but he silenced her with a single shake of his head. She had faith in him and watched quietly as he dealt with the thief in a way that only made her smile bigger.
Cole shook his head, his dark eyes zeroed in on the thug. He smirked at the flash of the punk's knife, turned one of his hands upside down so that his palm faced the sky, and created an energy ball. He quirked a brow in question and expectancy as he tossed the energy ball effortlessly up and down in his hand.
The thief promptly paled; screamed in a high, shrill voice; ran back the way he had just come; and threw the purse at the old woman from whence he had originally stolen it. Instead of focusing her attention on Cole's energy ball glistening in the fog, the old woman struck out at the young thief, knocking his feet out from underneath him with her umbrella and proceeding to beat him with the same umbrella and her purse over his head.
Cole laughed deeply at the sight, and Piper joined him. He smiled at the musical lilt of her laughter and pulled her to him once more. "Shall we go, my darling?" he questioned.
"Yes, love," Piper agreed, and he shimmered them a third time as he kissed her with all the passion and love he'd always feel for her alone. She returned his heated lips' embrace with all the infinite love and passion she'd always possess for only him in turn.
Piper yelped as her feet went out from underneath her. Cole swept her up into his arms, and she gazed around them, her mouth wide open yet no sound coming out, at the snow-filled landscape. Cole smiled down at an old Eskimo who looked up at him as though he'd been expecting him. "Two bowls, please," he announced.
Piper shivered, wrapped her arms more tightly around Cole, and tried to bury her face in his broad chest away from the biting wind. Her shock grew when the Eskimo thrust two bowls of ice cream at them. Completely dumbfounded, Piper accepted the bowls. Cole smiled, nodded his thanks, winked, and promptly shimmered them along their way.
Seagulls cried from high above their new location, and Piper heard the gentle roar of the sea as waves lapped up against the beach. Ever so gently and carefully, Cole placed her on her own two feet again. "Cole, what in . . . ?" Piper asked in amazement.
He made a gallant bow, his smile and eyes sparkling mischievously. "Your dessert, my lady." Piper gazed down at the bowl of ice cream in her hands. "Ice cream made from snow, darling. Have you ever tried it before?"
Piper shook her head slowly. "No." She had rarely even seen snow as she had spent almost her entire life living in San Francisco.
Cole smiled charmingly down at her, scooped up a bite of ice cream, and held it before her. Piper glanced at the cream before lifting her eyes back up to his dark, enticing orbs. Keeping her eyes locked with his, Piper slowly wrapped her lips around the bite of cream and drew it off of the spoon. A cold chill tingled all the way through her body, but yet delight also struck her tongue and went zooming through her being behind the cold. "That's delicious!" she exclaimed, licking her lips. "You've got to get me the recipe for that, sweetheart!"
Cole laughed merrily, his head tossing back with the motion. Then he looked at Piper again and offered her a sweet smile of amused understanding. "You've got to have the snow first, love. Sit with me?" he asked.
To Piper's surprise, she discovered a sheet of the finest Italian silk spread beneath their feet. Her smile filled her entire face as she nodded, handed Cole his bowl, and sat down. No sooner had Cole sat, however, than he took another scoop from her bowl and held the ice cream before her. Piper laughed merrily, completely enchanted by this wondrous date and the charming King of her heart who had created it for her, before taking the cream into her mouth. Slowly, savoring each second and heartbeat spent together in the magical atmosphere around them as well as the best ice cream on the face of the planet, Cole and Piper fed each other.
When they were done eating, Cole pulled two breadsticks from his pocket and offered it to Piper. Together they fed the birds, and Cole wrapped his arm around Piper and pulled her close against his chest as they watched the seagulls dive down and nibble up the bites of bread. He felt her growing sleepy again, let her rest her head against his chest, kissed the top of her head once more, and then proceeded to hold her and watch the sea playing before them as she slept soundly for the first time all that week.
He had known how tired she was from planning the party at P3 and had been all too aware of the hours she'd put in this past week both as a Charmed One and as the main owner of P3. He'd tried several times during the week to make things easier for her, but she had continued to push herself as she always did until her jobs were completed. He smiled down at her and softly brushed some loose strands of her soft, black hair out of her face as she slumbered peacefully.
He had but one job in truth, but that was the most special "job" he could have ever had. He would give anything, including his heart and soul which had already been freely handed over to the wonderful woman he chose to work for, to make sure he could keep doing the only things he wanted to do even beyond the end of time itself: taking care of Piper and loving her with all his heart, body, and soul forever more. Moving slowly so as to not to wake his love, Cole laid down against the sand, held her nestled into his chest, and finally let his own eyes drift closed while gazing down at the woman he loved.
"I love you," he whispered right before he fell asleep, and to his amazement, even in her slumber, he heard Piper reply quietly, "I love you too!"
The End