Heavenly Union
(I do not own any part of Charmed. I just write about it. This continues a storyline begun in Degrees of Evil, and continued in several other stories).
"Good Morning, sweetie," Piper said as Phoebe came downstairs. "And a fantastic morning it is."
Phoebe smiled, and said, "Yes, it is going to be a GREAT day."
"Well, of course it is honey. You're getting MARRIED!" Paige shouted as she walked in. Both sisters walked forward and pulled Phoebe into a hug.
"Are you sure everything is alright?" Phoebe asked nervously.
"Absolutely," Piper said. "Everything is set up at the church downtown. Cole has been sequestered somewhere by my husband, and most of the guests you wanted are here."
"Who hasn't shown yet?" Phoebe asked. "Do you think a demon got them?"
"Don't worry," Paige reassured Phoebe. "It's been almost two weeks since the last time we saw a demon. Which reminds me, this wedding sure came together fast."
"Well, when the groom is a new partner at one of the best law firms in San Francisco, you can apparently get things together very quickly."
Suddenly, two new cries split the air. Piper and Phoebe smiled, and said together, "Feeding time."
As they headed upstairs, Paige remarked, "Has anyone noticed that the babies only cry together? I've never seen them cry at separate times. Is that normal?"
"Probably not," Piper said, "But I talked to Leo, and he's of the opinion that they're doing it to be convenient."
"Why does that not surprise me?" Paige replied.
"After all, if they were willing to suppress the birthing symptoms, I'm not surprised that they want to be as convenient as possible." Phoebe said defensively.
"Don't go wounded mother on me, please," Paige said as she held up her hands in mock surrender. "I was just curious, that's all."
Both babies quieted when the sisters walked into the room. As Piper and Phoebe got settled in, Piper asked, "So, how does it feel to be marrying the love of your life, again?"
"Honestly," Phoebe replied, "I'm a little scared."
"Honey, it's normal to be a little nervous today," Piper replied.
"That's not what I meant." Phoebe sighed, and then continued, "I'm worried. The last time Cole and I were wed, it was a false very evil wedding. I married the Source, not Cole."
"Honey, that was different," Paige soothed.
"I know, but I can't shake that feeling. I just wish there were some way to be absolutely sure that this wedding is a good one." Phoebe remarked. Since none of the sisters were watching, none of them saw Gabriel's eyes briefly glow.
"Don't worry, honey. I'm sure it will be great." Piper said. "This time, you and Cole will be wed in a very holy ceremony. We even got the best priest in town to give the blessing."
"Are we still going to do the Baptism after the wedding?" Paige asked.
"Of course," Piper replied. "Why take the chance? Once they are baptized, they are a little safer from demonic influence. Besides, Phoebe already agreed to it."
"I know, it just seems like it takes away from the moment." Paige said.
"Don't worry, this day is special enough." Phoebe said. "I am getting MARRIED today. Nothing could top that. The baptism will be fantastic." She then looked down at Gabriel and Melinda and smiled. "Come on, the babies have had their fills. Let's get dressed and get ready. We only have about 6 hours till the ceremony."
***
"Are you sure everything is in order?" Cole asked nervously.
Leo laughed, and said, "As sure as I was the last time you asked me, five minutes ago."
"I know, I know," Cole said as he ran his hand through his hair. "I'm just a little nervous. I've never really been married. Before, it was the Source, and so I want this to be perfect."
"Don't worry, everything's been taken care of," Leo replied. "We've invited all the guests, and the chapel looks fine. You'll do fine."
"Thanks for everything, Leo." Cole said. "I don't know what I'd have done without you."
"Probably crashed and burned." Leo joked. "Come on, let's get to the chapel. We need to start seating guests."
As they turned to get in the car, Cole asked, "Are you sure everything is in order?"
***
When the sisters arrived at the chapel, they found many of the guests were already milling about. Darryl saw them, and walked over.
"Hey Darryl, I'm glad you could make it," Phoebe said.
"Think nothing of it." Darryl replied. "I wouldn't have missed it for the world."
"Neither would I," a new voice said, and the sisters turned in shock.
"Mortanos," they exclaimed. Phoebe stared for a second, and then said, "Wha.why..how?"
"What am I doing here?" Mortanos asked. "I may be the Guardian of Death, but that doesn't mean I don't enjoy a wedding. And I would never miss the wedding of the parents of a Guardian. It is too important to us."
"What do you mean?" Paige asked.
"Well, I know how much Gabriel loves you, and so I wanted to make sure the wedding went off well. Isn't that right Gabriel?" Mortanos asked. Gabriel smiled, and communication seemed to pass between them.
"Close your mouth Darryl," Piper remarked as she shifted Melinda to her other hand. Darryl mouth closed with an audible snap, and then he said, "You.you're Death?"
Mortanos sighed, and then said, "It's a little more complicated than that. By the way, there are a lot of magical creatures at this wedding, but don't worry. I've worked a spell so they look normal to everyone but us, and told them to behave."
As the sisters walked into the chapel, they stopped in their tracks. The right side of the chapel was full of normal guests, people Phoebe knew from work and from school. On the right side however.
Over half of the guests were ghosts, and in fact one of them was floating over to them now. Darryl looked at him for a second, and said, "He's not just an old man, is he?"
Phoebe shook her head, and watched the man approach. As he got closer, he seemed to solidify, until he was as solid as they were when he got to them. He was average height, with an aristocratic bearing and brown hair. He smiled, and said, "You must be Phoebe. It is an honor to meet you."
"Um, hi. Have we met?" Phoebe asked as she shook his hand.
The man's smile widened, and he said, "Not formally, or at all. My name is Benjamin Coleridge Turner. I'm the father of the groom." As the sisters stared in shock, Ben looked down and said in a wondrous voice, "Is that.my grandson? Can I see him, please?"
Phoebe automatically handed him over as her mind tried to recover from the shock of meeting Cole's father. Ben smiled, and the sisters could see tears running down his cheeks. He looked at Phoebe, and his eyes were full of gratitude, "Thank you. You saved my son from evil, and gave me a grandson. My son couldn't have chosen better."
Phoebe felt tears come to her eyes as she realized that she actually felt better now that she had the father's blessing. She smiled, and said, "Thank you."
Ben looked back, and said, "I guess I'll go to my seat." As Ben walked off, Paige turned to Piper and said, "This is going to get very interesting."
***
As everyone migrated to their seats and sat down, Cole looked around nervously. "Where is the priest?" he asked.
Leo also looked around, and said, "I don't know. I'll go find him."
Before he could go off, Mortanos commented, "Don't worry, It's been taken care of. Just go on with the ceremony, and he'll get here."
"But." Cole began, but then the music started. Mortanos smiled and put his finger to his lips. Cole looked back just as Phoebe entered on the arm of her father. Behind her walked her sisters and each one carried one of the children. Piper carried Melinda, and Paige carried Gabriel. They proceeded down the aisle at a stately pace, and everyone watched with a smile on their face.
As Phoebe looked around, she saw her mom, Grams, and Prue sitting next to Benjamin Turner. She smiled, and nodded. Both ghosts held up their fingers in a thumbs up, and Phoebe noticed her mom and Grams seemed to be crying. Looking around, she saw pretty much everyone she had asked was here. She felt happy, but still, she still had that deep fear. At every step, she kept expecting evil to show up, or for this wedding to go wrong.
Then she was in at the front, and Cole was there, smiling. She took his hand, and looked up at the altar. However, the PRIEST WASN'T THERE.
"Where's the priest," Phoebe asked desperately.
"I don't know," Cole whispered back, and as Phoebe looked around, everyone near her was also puzzled. She felt panic grow inside her, as she realized that things were going wrong.
Suddenly, Mortanos stood up. He gestured, and all the doors closed in the wedding hall. He said, "I know what everyone is wondering. Where is the priest? Well, I have the answer to that." He turned to Phoebe, and a rare smile came over his face. "You should really know better than to talk about problems and things you are feeling around Gabriel. He has a tendency to try and fix them."
"What?" Phoebe asked.
"You were worried this was all a fake wedding, like last time?" Mortanos said. As Cole looked at her, Phoebe nodded slowly.
"Well, your son heard you say that, and he decided to take steps. I'm afraid we've found someone a little higher up." Mortanos held out his hand, and suddenly holy music began to sound in the chapel. A white being appeared in front of the altar, and everyone felt the sheer presence of the being. No one spoke for several moments, and then Paige said, "Oh my God."
The being smiled and said, "Yes, what is it?"
***
"We are gathered here to join two people in holy matrimony. Do you, Cole Turner, take Phoebe Halliwell to be your wife, to be the love of your life, to have and to hold, to support in all endeavors, in sickness and in health, for all eternity?"
"I do," Cole said seriously.
"Do you, Phoebe Halliwell, take Cole Turner as your husband, to have and to hold, to be the love of your life, to support in all endeavors, in sickness and in health, for all eternity?"
"I do."
"Then, as the God of Creation, I hereby pronounce you."
"I am KRISIS, DEMON OF POWER!" A small demon appeared, and began to shout, "Surrender now, or I'll.um." As he looked around and saw two Guardians and an army of witches, he said, "Uh oh, I can tell this is a bad time.I'll come back.um, never!" He faded out.
God blinked, and then said, "Does that always happen?"
"Yes sir." Phoebe said in an awed tone.
"Interesting.as I was saying, I now pronounce you man and wife. You may now kiss the bride."
As Phoebe and Cole kissed, the audience broke out into applause. When the applause died down and the kiss ended, God continued, "Bring forth the children."
As Piper and Paige walked forward, God reached out and took a child in each hand. He said, "As they are new to life, and life continues, I now give them my blessing, and wish them well in all endeavors." The light spread from God and overcame the children. A few seconds later, the light receded, and God returned the children to Paige and Piper. He smiled, and then was gone.
No one spoke for a little while, and then Leo said, "Shall we get started with the celebration?"
THE END
(I do not own any part of Charmed. I just write about it. This continues a storyline begun in Degrees of Evil, and continued in several other stories).
"Good Morning, sweetie," Piper said as Phoebe came downstairs. "And a fantastic morning it is."
Phoebe smiled, and said, "Yes, it is going to be a GREAT day."
"Well, of course it is honey. You're getting MARRIED!" Paige shouted as she walked in. Both sisters walked forward and pulled Phoebe into a hug.
"Are you sure everything is alright?" Phoebe asked nervously.
"Absolutely," Piper said. "Everything is set up at the church downtown. Cole has been sequestered somewhere by my husband, and most of the guests you wanted are here."
"Who hasn't shown yet?" Phoebe asked. "Do you think a demon got them?"
"Don't worry," Paige reassured Phoebe. "It's been almost two weeks since the last time we saw a demon. Which reminds me, this wedding sure came together fast."
"Well, when the groom is a new partner at one of the best law firms in San Francisco, you can apparently get things together very quickly."
Suddenly, two new cries split the air. Piper and Phoebe smiled, and said together, "Feeding time."
As they headed upstairs, Paige remarked, "Has anyone noticed that the babies only cry together? I've never seen them cry at separate times. Is that normal?"
"Probably not," Piper said, "But I talked to Leo, and he's of the opinion that they're doing it to be convenient."
"Why does that not surprise me?" Paige replied.
"After all, if they were willing to suppress the birthing symptoms, I'm not surprised that they want to be as convenient as possible." Phoebe said defensively.
"Don't go wounded mother on me, please," Paige said as she held up her hands in mock surrender. "I was just curious, that's all."
Both babies quieted when the sisters walked into the room. As Piper and Phoebe got settled in, Piper asked, "So, how does it feel to be marrying the love of your life, again?"
"Honestly," Phoebe replied, "I'm a little scared."
"Honey, it's normal to be a little nervous today," Piper replied.
"That's not what I meant." Phoebe sighed, and then continued, "I'm worried. The last time Cole and I were wed, it was a false very evil wedding. I married the Source, not Cole."
"Honey, that was different," Paige soothed.
"I know, but I can't shake that feeling. I just wish there were some way to be absolutely sure that this wedding is a good one." Phoebe remarked. Since none of the sisters were watching, none of them saw Gabriel's eyes briefly glow.
"Don't worry, honey. I'm sure it will be great." Piper said. "This time, you and Cole will be wed in a very holy ceremony. We even got the best priest in town to give the blessing."
"Are we still going to do the Baptism after the wedding?" Paige asked.
"Of course," Piper replied. "Why take the chance? Once they are baptized, they are a little safer from demonic influence. Besides, Phoebe already agreed to it."
"I know, it just seems like it takes away from the moment." Paige said.
"Don't worry, this day is special enough." Phoebe said. "I am getting MARRIED today. Nothing could top that. The baptism will be fantastic." She then looked down at Gabriel and Melinda and smiled. "Come on, the babies have had their fills. Let's get dressed and get ready. We only have about 6 hours till the ceremony."
***
"Are you sure everything is in order?" Cole asked nervously.
Leo laughed, and said, "As sure as I was the last time you asked me, five minutes ago."
"I know, I know," Cole said as he ran his hand through his hair. "I'm just a little nervous. I've never really been married. Before, it was the Source, and so I want this to be perfect."
"Don't worry, everything's been taken care of," Leo replied. "We've invited all the guests, and the chapel looks fine. You'll do fine."
"Thanks for everything, Leo." Cole said. "I don't know what I'd have done without you."
"Probably crashed and burned." Leo joked. "Come on, let's get to the chapel. We need to start seating guests."
As they turned to get in the car, Cole asked, "Are you sure everything is in order?"
***
When the sisters arrived at the chapel, they found many of the guests were already milling about. Darryl saw them, and walked over.
"Hey Darryl, I'm glad you could make it," Phoebe said.
"Think nothing of it." Darryl replied. "I wouldn't have missed it for the world."
"Neither would I," a new voice said, and the sisters turned in shock.
"Mortanos," they exclaimed. Phoebe stared for a second, and then said, "Wha.why..how?"
"What am I doing here?" Mortanos asked. "I may be the Guardian of Death, but that doesn't mean I don't enjoy a wedding. And I would never miss the wedding of the parents of a Guardian. It is too important to us."
"What do you mean?" Paige asked.
"Well, I know how much Gabriel loves you, and so I wanted to make sure the wedding went off well. Isn't that right Gabriel?" Mortanos asked. Gabriel smiled, and communication seemed to pass between them.
"Close your mouth Darryl," Piper remarked as she shifted Melinda to her other hand. Darryl mouth closed with an audible snap, and then he said, "You.you're Death?"
Mortanos sighed, and then said, "It's a little more complicated than that. By the way, there are a lot of magical creatures at this wedding, but don't worry. I've worked a spell so they look normal to everyone but us, and told them to behave."
As the sisters walked into the chapel, they stopped in their tracks. The right side of the chapel was full of normal guests, people Phoebe knew from work and from school. On the right side however.
Over half of the guests were ghosts, and in fact one of them was floating over to them now. Darryl looked at him for a second, and said, "He's not just an old man, is he?"
Phoebe shook her head, and watched the man approach. As he got closer, he seemed to solidify, until he was as solid as they were when he got to them. He was average height, with an aristocratic bearing and brown hair. He smiled, and said, "You must be Phoebe. It is an honor to meet you."
"Um, hi. Have we met?" Phoebe asked as she shook his hand.
The man's smile widened, and he said, "Not formally, or at all. My name is Benjamin Coleridge Turner. I'm the father of the groom." As the sisters stared in shock, Ben looked down and said in a wondrous voice, "Is that.my grandson? Can I see him, please?"
Phoebe automatically handed him over as her mind tried to recover from the shock of meeting Cole's father. Ben smiled, and the sisters could see tears running down his cheeks. He looked at Phoebe, and his eyes were full of gratitude, "Thank you. You saved my son from evil, and gave me a grandson. My son couldn't have chosen better."
Phoebe felt tears come to her eyes as she realized that she actually felt better now that she had the father's blessing. She smiled, and said, "Thank you."
Ben looked back, and said, "I guess I'll go to my seat." As Ben walked off, Paige turned to Piper and said, "This is going to get very interesting."
***
As everyone migrated to their seats and sat down, Cole looked around nervously. "Where is the priest?" he asked.
Leo also looked around, and said, "I don't know. I'll go find him."
Before he could go off, Mortanos commented, "Don't worry, It's been taken care of. Just go on with the ceremony, and he'll get here."
"But." Cole began, but then the music started. Mortanos smiled and put his finger to his lips. Cole looked back just as Phoebe entered on the arm of her father. Behind her walked her sisters and each one carried one of the children. Piper carried Melinda, and Paige carried Gabriel. They proceeded down the aisle at a stately pace, and everyone watched with a smile on their face.
As Phoebe looked around, she saw her mom, Grams, and Prue sitting next to Benjamin Turner. She smiled, and nodded. Both ghosts held up their fingers in a thumbs up, and Phoebe noticed her mom and Grams seemed to be crying. Looking around, she saw pretty much everyone she had asked was here. She felt happy, but still, she still had that deep fear. At every step, she kept expecting evil to show up, or for this wedding to go wrong.
Then she was in at the front, and Cole was there, smiling. She took his hand, and looked up at the altar. However, the PRIEST WASN'T THERE.
"Where's the priest," Phoebe asked desperately.
"I don't know," Cole whispered back, and as Phoebe looked around, everyone near her was also puzzled. She felt panic grow inside her, as she realized that things were going wrong.
Suddenly, Mortanos stood up. He gestured, and all the doors closed in the wedding hall. He said, "I know what everyone is wondering. Where is the priest? Well, I have the answer to that." He turned to Phoebe, and a rare smile came over his face. "You should really know better than to talk about problems and things you are feeling around Gabriel. He has a tendency to try and fix them."
"What?" Phoebe asked.
"You were worried this was all a fake wedding, like last time?" Mortanos said. As Cole looked at her, Phoebe nodded slowly.
"Well, your son heard you say that, and he decided to take steps. I'm afraid we've found someone a little higher up." Mortanos held out his hand, and suddenly holy music began to sound in the chapel. A white being appeared in front of the altar, and everyone felt the sheer presence of the being. No one spoke for several moments, and then Paige said, "Oh my God."
The being smiled and said, "Yes, what is it?"
***
"We are gathered here to join two people in holy matrimony. Do you, Cole Turner, take Phoebe Halliwell to be your wife, to be the love of your life, to have and to hold, to support in all endeavors, in sickness and in health, for all eternity?"
"I do," Cole said seriously.
"Do you, Phoebe Halliwell, take Cole Turner as your husband, to have and to hold, to be the love of your life, to support in all endeavors, in sickness and in health, for all eternity?"
"I do."
"Then, as the God of Creation, I hereby pronounce you."
"I am KRISIS, DEMON OF POWER!" A small demon appeared, and began to shout, "Surrender now, or I'll.um." As he looked around and saw two Guardians and an army of witches, he said, "Uh oh, I can tell this is a bad time.I'll come back.um, never!" He faded out.
God blinked, and then said, "Does that always happen?"
"Yes sir." Phoebe said in an awed tone.
"Interesting.as I was saying, I now pronounce you man and wife. You may now kiss the bride."
As Phoebe and Cole kissed, the audience broke out into applause. When the applause died down and the kiss ended, God continued, "Bring forth the children."
As Piper and Paige walked forward, God reached out and took a child in each hand. He said, "As they are new to life, and life continues, I now give them my blessing, and wish them well in all endeavors." The light spread from God and overcame the children. A few seconds later, the light receded, and God returned the children to Paige and Piper. He smiled, and then was gone.
No one spoke for a little while, and then Leo said, "Shall we get started with the celebration?"
THE END