ilovedrew88: Cole may find Chris to be tougher than he thinks. 
piperleo4eva: it's Cole...you know he's going to do something.
red-rumm: awesome name. Shining is a good story. Thanks btw.
karone evertree: cole isn't completely evil, and courtney has a few tricks up her sleeve.
christine marquez: no worries
padfootcc: don't worry

CHAPTER 21

When the Halliwells and Courtney stepped through the portal, Chris immediately felt something was off. His heart was pounding just a little faster, and the first thought that popped into his mind was Courtney. As his foot touched the ground of the attic back in his own time he spun around to see the mother of his child stumble out of the portal with a look of fear in her eyes. Considering that he had never seen her afraid of anything, Chris felt his worries were more than justified. He began to move toward her, but Wyatt came flying out of the portal and crashed into him sending both men toppling to the floor.

Chris saw as Courtney tried to move to him, probably to see if they were okay, but she jerked to a halt as soon as she took her first step. "Court?"

It was at this moment that a man appeared beside her, holding her arm tightly. Wyatt and Chris shared a look. The guy looked familar. Where had they seen that demon before? It hit Chris like a bus. "Cole...how the hell...?"

"Glad to see I haven't been forgotten." Cole replied smiling, a dark edge in his eyes. He turned to Courtney. "Courtney, of all the people in the world, why did you have to go and get involved with Piper Halliwell's son? I'm surprised she hasn't blown you up by now. Or do they not know who you really are?"

Chris was on his feet now. At the mention of his mother, he winced. "Don't you dare even say her name. You don't have the right."

"What the...?" Cole frowned as suddenly he understood the pained look on both boys' faces. "She's...dead?" For a moment the demon almost looked saddened by the news, but before anyone besides Courtney could read him, he began to smile darkly again. "Who did it? Would love to shake their hand."

Wyatt raised his hands and flicked his wrists but nothing happened to Cole. He just stood there smiling. The Twice Blessed's eyes grew wide. "My powers..."

"Are equal to mine. If you're the oldest, then you are the one that made Piper invincible. When we fought, we always came to a standstill. In other words, you can't stop me. No one can."

Courtney looked to Chris, saw the panic in his eyes. She knew he was scared for her. She was scared for him. Cole was the most powerful being the Charmed Ones had come across. He had been an avatar! Only the power of three had been able to stop him, and that was in combination with the nexus. Chris should be scared. Courtney didn't know what her uncle planned on doing next. She turned to him as best she could as he held her arm. "Please, just leave them alone. I'll go with you...do whatever you want me to. Just leave them alone. Please, Uncle Cole."

Cole frowned as he saw the look in her eyes. She was in love all right. It was a pity. He knew from experience that loving a witch only leads to pain. So much pain that a person will attempt to take their own life...repeatedly. He remembered his own failed attempts. He had longed for death because without Pheobe his life had been worthless. In the end he had been granted everlasting peace, only to be drug back into the world by his niece's lover...a witch. Well, he would end that affair. Courtney would not go through what he went through. No way. "You'll come with me? Do whatever I say?"

"Yes."

"Courtney, no!" Chris shot forward to grab her, but with a raise of his hand Cole shot him in the stomach with an energy ball. Both Wyatt and Courtney screamed out as Chris fell to the attic floor.

Courtney thrashed against her uncle's hold hitting him with her free hand until he grabbed it and held her tighter. Tears were streaming down her face as she cried her lover's name over and over again. "Chris! Please, god, don't do this to us. Chris! Wyatt, do something!"

Wyatt was at his brother's side holding his head in his lap. "Dad! Chris is hurt! Hurry!"

"Leo is still alive? Damn. I would have thought a darklighter would have managed to kill him by now." Cole turned to Courtney who was hysterical by now. It hurt him to have to do this to her, but it would be better in the long run. "We're going."

Orbs appeared by the door to the attic. Leo materialized and was about to run to Wyatt's side when he saw who it was that had hurt his son. "Cole?" He shook his head. "No. It isn't possible. You're dead."

"Dad, heal now, be confused later!"

Leo moved next to Chris and started healing him. The bloody wound began to close, the blood returning to his son's body as well. Light green eyes shot open, and the young man bolted up right. "Courtney!" But it was too late. She and Cole were both gone.

000

Courtney and Cole materialized in an old mausoleum. The young woman was still crying too hard to even fight him anymore. When he released her arm, she slumped against the wall holding herself. Just as the uncle moved to comfort her, she turned on him sending flames flying at his head. Nothing happened. So, she began hitting him as hard as she could. He rolled his eyes. "Courtney, it was for your own good."

"My own good?" She paused in beating him long enough to scream at him. "I love Chris! I am engaged to him! We have a beautiful daughter together already! I'm going to have two more sons in the future! We were going to be happy together until you came and damn near killed him! You stupid son of a bitch!"

Cole sighed and folded his arms. "Courtney, just because you saw that future doesn't mean it would come true. The future is always changing. Besides, maybe you would be happy for the first decade, but what about later on? What about after the kids? He's going to age and die, Courtney. You never will. What then?"

Just the thought of having to watch Chris die made her want to be physically ill. She shook her head. "It doesn't matter...I love him."

"Love isn't enough, Courtney!"

"Why the hell not?" She lifted her head up and stared him down. "It was enough when you and Pheobe were together. Everything would have been fine if you hadn't gone back to being evil."

Cole glared at her. "Turned back to being evil? Is that the crap they've been feeding you? I saved their lives! Yes, I became the Source, but I didn't know that would happen. I tried to fight it, and I nearly succeeded, but then Pheobe killed the wizard and decided to join me. We could have gone back to the way things were if she hadn't done that! Then, when she decides to be good...she just vanquishes me! I understood. I did. I was harboring the Source, but the Source was gone after that. We could have been together, but she was too afraid of me. Afraid of me. I would have done anything for her, Courtney. I did do everything for her. How was I repaid? She scorned me, said she hated me. The pain is unimaginable, Courtney."

"That won't happen to me and Chris. He trusts me."

"Hmph." Cole shook his head. "He's a witch and you're a demon. Trust can't exist. In the end he will betray you."

"Chris isn't like that! He knows the temptation, and understands me because of it. He has gone through hell and come back stronger. He knows what it is like to lose people he loves, but continues to love anyway. Chris has battled evil when it was in the form of those he cared about most. Most importantly, and listen well, Cole, Chris doesn't give up on the people he loves. Ever. No matter how badly they hurt him...how twisted they might become...Chris will never stop loving them, and never give up hope of saving them."

Cole smiled sadly. "I thought the same thing about Pheobe, Courtney. Look where that got us."

"He's the father of my child, Cole. I'm not going to give up on him either."

Cole frowned. "I can't believe you had a kid with him. Do you have any idea how painful your daughter's life is going to be. She will be trusted by no one. Hated by everyone."

"Go back to hell, Cole."

The man sighed shaking his head as his frown deepened. "You are the only family I have left. We have a bond of pain that others can't understand. We are half-demons. Souls that make us feel human, but powers that make us evil. We long for a life with love, but are given one of solitude and pain. I know what you are feeling, Courtney. I have lived it. What kind of an uncle would I be if I let you go through that? Let the chance remain for your death at the hands of the man you love?"

Courtney saw the softness in his eyes and felt her own resolve begin to melt. He wasn't evil. He wasn't. Cole was just worried for her, angry about his own fate, and maybe lonely. He was family, and she couldn't turn her back on that. Not when all he wanted to do was save her from pain. She just had to find a way for him to understand that Chris wasn't going to hurt her. If Cole could just meet Chris, get to know him better then maybe he would realize that things would work. A plan began to form in her mind.

000

Chris had needed to be alone for a minute. Needed to think. The only way to do that was to be by himself. Well...mostly by himself. He had Piper in his arms, the little girl fast asleep in the nook of his left arm. She was so beautiful. He stroked her cheek lightly with one finger. The baby smiled in her sleep. The father sighed. "I'm going to get mommy back. I promise."

A soft knock came at the door. Chris looked up to see his brother leaning against the frame. Wyatt looked like hell worn over. Dark rings lined his blood shot eyes. The younger brother imagined he looked the same. Neither of them had slept at all for almost two days. Chris watched as Wyatt rubbed his hands together nervously. When his brother spoke, the words were almost too soft to hear. "I'm so sorry, Chris. I should have been able to stop him."

"Wyatt, the charmed ones were barely able to stop them. Don't blame yourself. Besides, we are going to get her back." He looked down at his daughter. "I promised. Everyone knows how I am with promises."

Wyatt nodded smiling softly. "Yeah. You've never broken one before." He shook his head. "I should have summoned exacaliber. Sliced him into tiny demon pieces."

"You can do that when Dad tracks him down." Chris shifted Piper to his other arm as his left one started to go to sleep. "Courtney is going to be fine. She's a fighter. She'll be ok until we get there."

"You are way too calm about this. Who are you and what did you do with my real brother?"

Chris shrugged slightly. "I don't know. I guess I just have this weird feeling that everything is going to be all right. Have felt like that ever since I came up here and started holding Piper. She just has this calming affect on me. Besides, we can't do anything until we find them, and Dad's already on that."

Orbs appeared next to the crib in the nursery. Leo materialized with a worried look on his face. He turned to his youngest son and swallowed. "Cole wants to meet with you. Alone. Tonight in an old masoleum. He sent word through a lower level demon while I was searching in the underworld."

"Chris, you can't go alone. He'll kill you."

"Wyatt, I'm going. I have to." Chris looked down at his sleeping child. "I am not going to let my daughter grow up without her mother."

tbc...