Disclaimer: I don't own Charmed.
Confronting Piper
"Piper!" Phoebe called to her eldest living sister as soon as she and Coop appeared inside the Halliwell ancestral manor of her own time. "Piper, where are you?!"
"Calm down, Phoebe, I was putting Chris down for a nap. You have no idea what I've been through today. Some of Leo's old students were here and needed help. Paige popped in a couple times. I told her to get back to Henry and enjoy her honeymoon. Billie and Christy ran out of here a couple hours ago; I guess they'll check back in later. And... Phoebe? Are you OK?" Piper noticed the angry look her sibling was giving to her. "Pheebs?"
"Piper," Phoebe said calmly, "Just when were you going to tell me that Cole's your 'old friend' from Limbo?"
Piper's jaw dropped. "What... How?"
"See, my friend Coop here, he thought that a trip to the past to see all my relationships, would be an enlightening experience. Although the enlightenment he was thinking of was probably more along the lines of the reason why I'm not involved with anyone now. Who knew I would discover that my dead demon ex-husband isn't really so dead after all?"
"Phoebe, I wanted to tell you. I really did, but then I didn't know how you'd react, and I didn't want to reopen old wounds," Piper explained.
"Piper! Cole's alive!"
"No," Piper clarified. "He's definitely dead. Just a spirit who somehow figured out how to keep his body, and probably some powers, too, though he didn't admit it."
"He's not alive?"
Is it just me or does Phoebe seem disappointed? Piper thought. Maybe she just wanted to vanquish him again? "No, he's stuck in Limbo for eternity. Too good for below, too evil for above. And I think being able to see you, but not interact with you, is meant to punish him also."
"Why don't you seem upset, Piper? It's Cole! And how could you call him a friend?"
Piper shrugged. "He helped me in Limbo-"
"After he sent the thorn demons after you in the first place."
"He orchestrated the whole thing?" Piper asked. "That figures. Still, he did it to help me, and you. Plus, he helped us a bunch when he fought along side us, too. He saved us more times than I can count. Yeah, he made mistakes, but so did we, at least I think so. The one major one was condemning him for something he didn't do. Cole didn't want to become the Source. He was just trying to save all of us. I guess I've forgiven him. Hopefully, he's forgiven me, too. I think he realized I was sorry by the end of our visit, not that I said it, of course."
"So, you don't hate Cole?" Phoebe questioned. Was she in the twilight zone or something?
"No, I don't," Piper declared. "But, how did you come to find this out anyway? Cole helping me out in Limbo wasn't part of your relationship."
"Yeah, well, apparently Cole was busy last year. The 'little bird' who Drake said told him to come to me? That was him. He set Drake up with that sorcerer and then sent him to me."
"I should've guessed. After all Drake, wanted you to believe in love again, too. That was Cole's reason for helping me."
"I know. I watched his conversation with Drake, which happened by the way, right after I left Magic School after saying goodbye to Drake. If I'd stayed just a few minutes longer last year, I would've known."
"And, what would you have done, Sweetie? Cole's stuck in Limbo. He can't come out."
"What?" Phoebe nearly jumped. "I don't want him out. I would've punched him if I'd known last year."
"Right," Piper said. She glanced at Coop. He hadn't said a word, but he nodded as he met Piper's glance. She sighed. So, Phoebe was still in denial about Cole, or trying to be, anyway. This is what I feared, Piper thought. She would either let her hate or her love for Cole through if she found out about Limbo. But, I don't think there's anything she can do about it either way.
"Hey, I just remembered something. When you were in that coma last year, I thought I'd heard him. Being the dense idiot I am, I figured I was imagining it. But, he was there after all. Did Cole say something to me, Piper?" Not that it really matters, Phoebe told herself. I'm just curious. I hate that evil demon and if I'd known all this last year when he was hanging out around me in his stupid plane, I would've...
"I don't remember exactly. But, I know he quoted some Shakespearean line about beauty as you left the room."
"Okay. Just wondering." I would've kissed him! He does still love me! And I still- just what am I getting so excited about? This is Cole we're talking about. She tried to picture Cole's old demon half Belthazor killing the innocent witch Jenna; she tried to picture Cole as the Source killing an innocent she'd tried to save, even as an evil Queen; she tried to picture Cole choking her when he was under a Siren's spell, tried to picture him killing innocents in his obsessive quest to win her back or in his twisted sense of right and wrong. But, for a reason she didn't want to face, the only picture that came to mind was the Cole she fell in love with, the demon who gave up his heritage and way of life for her, who fought on the side of good for and with her. She saw the Cole who swore to love her forever. She remembered his spur of the moment proposal under a shower of green demon blood.
She remembered her promise to him that she'd always love him, that nothing could change that fact. And as she pictured his dark hair, his clear blue eyes radiating love for her, and his smile, she felt her heart break again. For though the promise remained true, she had led him, and herself, to believe otherwise more times than she cared to count.
Behind her, Coop felt her pain. But, he recognized it as a good thing, for the shield around Phoebe's hurt had just shattered.
