Chapter 10: Distracted

Paige sat crestfallen in her room, still in rather damp clothing. Leo had thought it best not to tell the others in what position did he find the youngest charmed one in at Cole's and what exactly did happen. She was even praised by her sisters for giving the demon the potion, which, to Phoebe's delight, worked a lot better than they were expecting. Although his body was still seemingly lying on the bed where Paige and Leo lifted it, the locator crystal confirmed that his essence was nowhere to be found on earth. From his vitals and a general examination Leo concluded that he was in a coma and there probably wouldn't be much brain activity showing up if they would've had a chance to test that at a hospital. You still couldn't harm his body, but he was as good as dead, like he wanted to be. Or not? Paige remembered Cole's expression when she last glanced at him before orbing out. There was no movement, you could say maybe not even much muscle tone, yet he didn't seem peaceful, he was just as anguished as before. Yes, his essence wasn't on earth, but where was it? Demonic wasteland, that must it, not completely dead, but almost there! And because he wants to, he will move on, he'll let himself be eaten by those monsters Phoebe was talking about and that would be the end of Cole Turner once and forever!

Just like when jumping into the shower, there wasn't any conscious decision or even thought process attached to her actions, all she knew was that she had to run and repeat what Phoebe'd done to go talk to him in the wasteland before it was too late. She orbed up to the thankfully empty attic and set the crystals round, but she had to pause when getting to the spell in the book of shadows. The take me to my love spell. Would it work? What did she feel towards him? There was some pitying at first, then compassion, care, perhaps concern, would that add up as love when it came to magic? She shook her head, well, neither did Phoebe love Cole, for sure not anymore when she read the spell to get to him, she wanted rid of him, that's proof. Paige herself would probably feel more positively towards Cole at this moment in time than how Phoebe did when she went to the wasteland, so there was every chance the spell'd work for her. "Writher my love, wherever you be, through time and space, take my heart near to thee."

Paige freaked out right the next moment. It wasn't the loud scary noises of the astral plane of the wasteland, nor the fire, the dark skies or the jagged rocks behind which there was nothing more than he abyss, but finding Cole lying on the ground in the same unresponsive position as she left his body in the apartment as well.

"Cole!" She ran to him, but contrary to her expectations he quickly sat up with a surprised expression on his face, "what are you doing here?"

"What are you doing here on the ground!" Paige was just as confused, but for a different reason.

"Just waiting for the beast to devour me."

"But I came to take you back. What do I need to do?"

"Nothing, go home. You came to help me commit suicide, it's done," then he turned towards the direction beastly noises were coming from, "here I am, come and get me! Come on, hurry up, end it!"

The snake creature poked his head out the ground a mere few feet away and tilted it in their direction.

tbc