Disclaimers: I don't own Charmed or any of the characters that already appeared on the show…bla bla… but I wish I own Cole!

 A/N: Again all your wonderful reviews helped me write faster and –hopefully– better. Just forget the grammar mistakes OK?? lol  A special thanks to Cindy, Barb and Kell [sorry if I can't really well tell you where it's going but all I can say is that you might like it! ;-) ] but I don't forget any of you guys! All your reviews, even the shortest, go straight to my heart.

A/N 2: Many of you asked for a Phoebe/Emily scene, here it is! So any rippings eyes out in sight? *wink at bubbly pop*

A/N 3: Now, I know I announced that the end was near, last chapter, but don't worry there is still a couple chapters to go. I'm even thinking about a sequel… well I don't know. A new twist to this story popped up in my mind but I don't know where to end Another Chance and where to start the sequel, so maybe I just will prolong Another Chance… and make it a fifty-chapters story!

***

This story takes place after Daddy Dearest (Sam I Am)

Summary: As Cole is now invincible the Elders decide to send him a Whitelighter, Emily (much to Elder Aaron's displease) With her help, Cole recovers slowly his sanity. Piper is pregnant with Melinda. Paige met Prue's ghost and dates Steve. When, Lauren, Cole's secretary, who is also an empath, is attacked, the sisters accuse Cole and try to vanquish him only to find at the last minute that he is innocent of this crime. Emily nearly dies in the process. This event leads the girls to converse about last year and they realise they were mistaken about Cole. When the Avatars kidnap Piper, the remaining Halliwell family turns to the half demon who finally brings her back only to lose himself in the clutches of the Avatars. He is now the seventh Avatar and must help Arthus and Valeria to rule the Underworld while the other Avatars (Baltus, Hector, Lemanis and Meneon) plot to assault Heaven and get their revenge on the Elders. When Cole is brainwashed by his new powers and the Avatars' spell, Emily decides to bring him back to Good and avows her love for him…

***

Another Chance

Chapter 38:  Living up to your ideals

Steve's ghostly white face found a semblance of life again and he grabbed forcefully Cole's hand.

"What are you here for? Finish me up?"

"Don't be ridiculous…" he sighed and helped Steve up. "I made a mistake, now GO!" he ordered sensing troubles.

Steve didn't think twice about it and blinked away.

Cole stared for a moment to the spot Steve had just vacated. How would he explain that?

"What the hell are you doing?" came a calm yet ominous voice from behind.

Cole turned around surprised, fighting to keep a straight face. Valeria stood there watching him suspiciously. He couldn't help a shudder to course down his spine when her blazing blue eyes dived in his icy ones as if she could pierce through the barriers of his mind. If the Avatars couldn't sense his inner goodness because he was one of their own, Cole wondered if he was powerful enough to prevent them from reading his thoughts.

"Righting a wrong" Cole answered simply.

Valeria's face barely registered surprise when she raised an eyebrow:

"He betrayed us."

An evil grin appeared on Cole's face:

"On the contrary, he will serve our purpose fully now."

The fallen Angel and only female Avatar starred at him:

"What do you mean? He is working for Them" she said bitterly "we can't keep a traitor in our ranks, it's too dangerous."

Valeria could see the confidence on his face as he added in a steady and calm voice, inviting her to follow his reasoning:

"First, he still work for us. Second, I already have a demon tracking him down, watching his every moves. He will kill whoever he might have told about the Avatars. We might even know if there are other traitors among us.

Then we will use him to falsify the Elders' information about us. He will help us lead his own camp to its fall."

The fallen Angel didn't seem to buy it for one second and Cole started to fear for his cover until Valeria voiced her opinion:

"You should have told us first. You don't lead the Underworld alone, Arthus and I are…"

"…really useful allies and companions." He said advancing slowly on her like a lion on his prey "But Arthus is just too impatient, he would have killed the guy before we even had a chance to discover anything about his crew."

Valeria stared at his blue eyes, he had that kind of felinity that she had found in only one demon before, the love of her life for whom she had given up everything, for whom she had killed.

Cole could see her soften and remembered what Hector had confided him about her. She was so cold, like she was dying little by little in the inside while showing an incredible strength of mind on the outside.

"I'm sorry for what I told you the other day, about not knowing demons. I empathised with your pain."

A look of hurt and confusion clouded Valeria's flawless face. And Cole for the first time since he knew her, could detect a faint, very faint trace of goodness. Her petrified heart seemed briefly lighten up by emotions but it was so prompt…

"How do you know about that?" she asked coldly.

"I know how it feels to lose a loved one."

Valeria stared at him for a second, her eyes weren't able to shed tears anymore. She regained composure and said:

"All the Avatars are awaited at the temple, we need to consult each other for the continuity of this plan. Don't be late." She warned and disappeared in a corner of the dark corridor leaving Cole to ponder his solutions.

***

Steve appeared at the penthouse, searching for Emily. He was almost sure to find her there and yet…

*Where the hell is she?*

He had tried to call her for half an hour already and got no answer. He was worried, what if Cole had hurt her?

No Cole wouldn't do that… he hoped. She was his only link to the Elders. He couldn't blink there without their permission, their guards might be up and at full strength right now! He had to find her. All his pains would be proven worthless if he couldn't share the information with the Elders! Good was in danger and as much as he sometime despised their self righteousness, the former warlock believed in the Elders' ideals. And he had already been rewarded for that… he had found Paige.

He had tried to stop a bunch of demon from attacking the Manor to save Paige and her sisters but he had been caught  by Arthus and his stupidity had earned him a quick trip to Hell. His body still ached in places he didn't even suspected could ache. If Cole hadn't been there…

*Wait! Did I just thought that? That sick bastard ended up saving my ass!* a smile appeared on his lips * hey! Things change after all!*

 He remembered how confused his childhood friend looked yesterday, he truly thought for a moment there was nothing to do for him at that point but Cole had finally proved him wrong. He didn't quite know what drove him to go talk to the new Avatar. After Belthazor's betrayal, he certainly didn't trust Cole like he did when they were only two children fighting together to outlive the Underworld's natural selection. He had seen that strange ceremony had changed him… and still he had tried to save him against all his resolutions. For old time's sake, for those memories of a boy who had shared his childhood and who, he believed it now, never lost that unique spark in his heart. He carried his humanity through the most awful demonic training, imposed by the Source himself to enter the Brotherhood and he didn't know if even he would have survived it.

So he nodded to himself, proud as a big brother: *That guy won't stop surprising me!*

He profited of his time alone to take a look at his surroundings, the penthouse was empty but clearly someone had slept here last night. He glanced at the table: *Breakfast for two?? Hmm… Is that lucky bastard  back with his witch?*

Apparently they had left hurriedly, maybe Paige and her sisters were still in trouble despite his best efforts?

*Damnit! Where are you Emily?* he growled and disappeared.

***

Emily hesitantly came out of the bathroom wearing a bathrobe, her wet hair still draped in a towel.

Where was Paige? She had said she wanted to lend her some clothes but she was nowhere in sight!

*Calm down Emily, calm down…* she sighed to herself. This day had begun like a sweet dream, in Cole's arms,

but it turned out it would end up just like a nightmare.

She was powerless, and basically useless. What could she do in a world she had once left without a look over her shoulder? She had always considered helping others as her main aim. She had done it all her life and it opened her the golden doors of Heaven. She was certain being a Whitelighter was the accomplishment of her Destiny. She felt fulfilled the day  she received her wings by the Elders. What would she do now? Was it the way it should have been?

She was saying the truth this morning: She didn't regret what happened with Cole. She loved him sincerely. Last night was the best of her life (after-life included) and she didn't want to leave him. He deserved her love, and so much more.

Though she couldn't quite comprehend how the Elders could sanction such an act of love. She had mended his heart. He wasn't afraid to love anymore. Everything happened so naturally, like this one moment was always meant to be. How could they punish her when she had done exactly what they awaited from their Whitelighters? Helping their charges was their main aim, and she had done nothing wrong.

She shook her head and glanced over her shoulder at her white gown, the cloth she was used to wear as a Whitelighter. She sighed sadly. Cole was worth it, he would be there for her… she hoped.

She walked slowly out of the bathroom. A chill ran down her spine. Strange how the Manor wasn't as warm as it looked… it certainly have something to do with the Halliwells' not-so-hospitable attitudes. They hadn't exactly welcomed her with open arms. She felt more and more like a burden, having to count on Cole's ex-wife to protect her, but she couldn't avoid the sisters anymore in their own house!

"Paige? Piper?" she called but no one answered. She heard a faint noise in one of the bedroom. She started to go toward it but she hesitated.

*Don't be such a child, Emily! * She sighed to herself.

She opened the door to Phoebe's bedroom…

***

Phoebe jumped, startled as Emily opened the door.

"Oh sorry" she apologised, more and more embarrassed.

Phoebe was sitting on her bed, working on her advice column. End of the world or not, she still had a delay to respect and no demonic attack could ever surpass Elise's outbursts. She glanced quickly at the new comer and closed her laptop, upset.

"What are you doing here?" she asked brusquely, adjusting her glasses on her nose.

Emily frowned. She never hold Phoebe in her heart and it appeared that it was reciprocal. After everything that woman had done to Cole, she had no claim over him anymore. When he came to her, begging for help, begging for comfort and hope, she turned her back to him, telling him she hated him and that everything they shared didn't count for her.

Since they were apparently alone at the Manor, she couldn't count on anyone's interruption to save her from Phoebe.

"Where is everyone?" asked Emily back with the same tone.

Phoebe rolled her eyes and reopened her laptop to continue her work without a look at Emily:

"Piper needed some herbs for her protection potion and Paige orbed her to the store."

Emily nodded and glanced at her surroundings. Cole had lived here for almost two years and there was no sign of his passage, no sign he ever existed for her. Phoebe clearly had been trying to get over him. She had completely erased everything that could remember her of her ex-husband, as if those last two years hadn't happened at all.

And yet, her attitude was speaking a whole other language.

She heard an upset sigh coming from the Charmed One as she started typing more animatedly. Emily just watched Phoebe silently. She had read her article once and surprisingly, it was really good. Her advice columns were really interesting and didn't reflect at all the woman she appeared to be right now. It was poignant and direct, sometimes naive even and always imaginative. Phoebe was gifted when it came to deciphering others' emotions, how come she wasn't able to regard hers with the same wisdom? Or Cole's for that matter?

"OK that's it!" Phoebe turned to Emily, clearly upset, "What do you want?"

The Ex-Whitelighter was about to ask the question that had preoccupied her ever since she first came to Cole but refrained from it and spoke instead:

"Do you know where Paige left those clothes for me?"

"No, I don't! See I've a deadline to respect and it seems I won't have much time to work in the next few days and if we survive the Avatars and the attacks of the whole Underworld and recover a semblance of normal life, I'd really like to keep my job which isn't sure yet since it's only 9 am and Elise already threatened twice of firing me!" Phoebe took her breath and gestured for the door, signalling the exit to Emily. "No please, If you'd just…"

Emily glanced over her shoulder at the open door and walked slowly to it, lost in thought.

Phoebe sighed loudly, clearly relieved, and started working again – That is before the bang of the door startled her. She looked up and found Emily was still there, staring at her decisively, hands on her hips.

If the ex-Whitelighter had lost her powers, she certainly didn't have lost her skills when it came to help people overcome their problems.

"What is the problem with you? I swear if you could vanquish me, you would have done it twice already! If you have a problem with me, please, by all means, tell me or get over yourself!"

Phoebe's mouth hung open in a half-shocked half-surprised expression. She had heard Leo venting onhow Emily had lectured him about their attitudes with Cole but she never really thought she would dare open that big mouth of hers with her. After all, if she was naïve enough to fall for Cole, Fine! But she will only have her eyes left to cry when she realised they had now future together. She was - used to be a Whitelighter and she couldn't be farther than that from Cole. Human or not, there would still be that insurmountable gap between them.

Phoebe had learnt that lesson herself: Cole was like the Apple in the garden of Eden, take one bit of it and be doomed for eternity.

She had also realised that she hadn't really moved on like she thought she had. How could she when she couldn't even deny to herself that she always loved him anymore? That morning, Cole had just opened a new wrench in her broken heart… This one worst than them all… She felt cheated even if she knew that legally speaking, she wasn't married to him anymore.

Phoebe frowned dangerously:

"Oh dare you speak to me like that! I'm tired of playing your bodyguard. OK you're an innocent, so… what?! We are offering you our help and all you're doing is complain. Is it the loss of your power that made you cranky or the lack of sleep?" she snapped bitterly.

Emily didn't recoil. Instead she returned Phoebe's glare with one of her own:

"That's rich of you to bring up the loss of my powers. Do you think I like being around you? Like it wasn't difficult enough already!"

"Oh please, you knew what you exposed yourself to when you decided to… to bed him! Don't put on an act and play innocent, you got what you sought! I lost, You won and now you have to face the other side of the coin." Replied Phoebe with a strangled voice.

"LOST? 'Lost' what? What did I do to you?" replied Emily.

"Cole! I lost the love of my life to you! And you're asking what you've done!" almost screamed Phoebe, her eyes clouded with tears.

Emily's facial expression changed immediately. She had put on her angry face to upset Phoebe and have her avow her true feelings for Cole. Thing that Leo as her Whitelighter should have done a long time ago if he wasn't so blinded by his own fears. However, it appeared she had succeeded more than she thought. Phoebe was obviously pained to see him go, and the situation, namely her being here in her own house, was too much for her to deal with.

A sympathetic smiled appeared on Emily's angelic face. Even if she wasn't the angel she used to be, love and care radiated from her and touched Phoebe deeply.

Dazed by the power of her feelings, Phoebe buried her face in her hands, and cried. One tear shed for every good moment she had with Cole, one tear shed for each time she tried to forget him, she could cry like that for hours… Crying over the loss of the only man her heart and soul belonged to.

She had finally let on the open what was plain to see for so long: her love for Cole. And even if she was in a mess, she felt like a burden had been heaved of her shoulders. She wouldn't deny her love for Cole anymore, to anyone, even her sisters.

Emily was near tears too. She placed a supportive hand on Phoebe's shoulder and the Charmed One didn't push her away. She sat on the bed beside her and waited patiently until her sobs calmed down. When it was over, Emily stroke a lock of her brown hair away from her face and looked Phoebe in the eyes, showing her all the compassion she held in her heart.

She wasn't too sure if it was in her own interest to make Phoebe realise her feelings for Cole – Hell! She loved Cole so much she couldn't bear to lose him now – but as much as it seemed damaging for her own relationship, she couldn't help but feel happy she had helped someone even without her powers. The Whitelighter in her was stronger than anything else, with or without her wings, it made no difference. Her aim in this life was to help people. It was something no one could take away from her, be it the Elders, Fate… or Cupid himself.

Emily took a tissue on the near table and gave it to Phoebe:

"I'm sorry it had come to this but it was necessary. You can't let your feelings eat you away like that Phoebe. There is no point denying things like that, it only hurts more. Believe me, I know."

"Oh no missy! Don't go all Whitelighter on me!" replied Phoebe with a sympathetic grin, her nose wrinkled as she whipped her last tears away.

Emily smiled in return, she felt accomplished.

"Did we just miss something or do I accidentally orbed to the third dimension?!" teased Paige, as she entered the room, Piper high on her heels. Both of them wore a wide smile on their faces at the scene before their eyes. They had taken the risky bet to leave Phoebe and Emily alone at the Manor for only one hour and almost expected some cat fights but thankfully they hadn't ripped each other's eyes out while they were gone.

Phoebe and Emily secretly smiled to each other under Piper and Paige's curious stares.

***

"NOOOOO! Please leave me alone! I don't know anything! Please mister!" cried out the little girl, tears rolling freely down her rosy cheeks as Baltus squeezed her arms forcefully and shook her in order to get the answer he asked for. Arthus watched the scene with amusement from the other side of the dark room, bathed in the soft glow of the burning fireplace.

"I told you the little vixen was useless! She can't even control her powers! If she can't get a premonition on command, what's the point in keeping her alive!" sighed Arthus, his patience had reached its limits already, and so did Baltus's.

The tall black man turned to his fellow man, not releasing the powerful grip on the young child's arms.

"I told you already, that child is much more important than that. She not only has a useful power, she is also a mean to an end. With her, we can make pressure on him to get what we want!"

"Oh yeah, I forgot…" Arthus rolled his eyes in exasperation "But he is a damn strong head and didn't know about her until recently, how do you know he will care about her enough to repudiate everything he worked for?"

"Of course you can't understand feelings like that! You're evil! You don't care about anyone else than yourself!"

"That's not true" defended Arthus with a grin "I care about the Avatars!"

"Of course it serves your purposes! Same as me and everyone else. We are in this to assert our point of view and show our powers, which ultimately will lead us to Heaven. We will command to all those who destroyed our lives and took our revenge."

"Well spoken!" agreed Arthus with a yawn.

Baltus turned his dark eyes on the little girl again and she shivered with fear at their dangerous glint:

"Now you've better be co-operative or I swear you will suffer a lot more than that. Understand?"

The little girl nodded animatedly:

"I'll try, I'll try!" she said, her voice trembling as a tight knot formed in her throat at the idea of the sufferings ahead.

"No I will ask you one more time, is he with us or against us?"

"I'll tell you mister but please…" she said, her puffy red eyes begging for a little compassion "You're hurting me…"

Baltus grunted and threw her on the floor violently, effectively releasing her arm.

Suddenly the girl's eyes went bloody red as she was transported into another prophecy.

Arthus walked at Baltus's side, waiting for the answer. "I hate when she does that! Blood injected eyes! So common…"

"Shut up!"

One minute later, the blue of her eyes came back and she sat straight up in front of the two Avatars.

"Well? What did you see?" asked the impetuous young demon.

"I saw a bright light, and I saw men and women dressed in shiny white clothes… I saw them using powers. A bright light again, blinding me and then I saw you [she pointed at Arthus] and you [she pointed at Baltus] with the other Avatars, smiling and laughing. You were happy about something."

Baltus forcefully grabbed the little girl's blond hair and pulled hard. She started crying again:

"That's all you saw!! I can't believe it! You really are worthless!!"

A fireball appeared in his hand and he was about to incinerate the young girl when Arthus cleared his throat discreetly.

"Fine with me if you want to fireball her but think about your plan. You might regret it afterwards. You know what they say: 'one minute of happiness, a lifetime of regrets'."

Balthus's nostrils flared with anger for a moment but he soon resumed his composure and laughed at Arthus's statement as to a good joke.

"You're right"

The fireball disappeared.

Suddenly the large wooden doors opened, and the two men looked up, as the little girl crawled to safety under the large table.

Two Avatars entered the room.

"Valeria? Cole? You let the Underworld without supervision?"

"Don't worry Baltus," answered Valeria and the tall black man listened attentively to her wisdom "We made a strong first impression on the demons, they will obey us regardless."

"You OK with it Belthazor? After all, the Underworld had been yours too before."

"Yes, everything is under control" he replied with certitude, truthfully he was more worried about the Elders' reactions, right now. Suddenly a strange impression invaded him as he heard a sniff and a murmur. He scanned the room and spotted the poor infant he had seen only once before. He felt his heart jump as he watched her. Her knees brought against her chest, she was rocking herself forward and backward, her teary face hidden in her ample and soiled long blue skirt. What had those monster done to her?

Valeria continued, not seeing the distress on Cole's face:

"I believe Meneon need you, Baltus. Arthus and I are going back to the Underworld. Cole, here, wanted to talk to Hector."

"OK thanks Valeria" said Baltus as he headed quickly out of the room.

Arthus took Valeria playfully by the arm, which earned him a hard glare, and turned to Cole:

"Hey, would you put the little harpy back to her cell for me please? Thanks!"  he disappeared without waiting for an answer.

As soon as he was alone, Cole hurried to the little girl. He kneeled near the table and remarked she hadn't any visible wounds, except a large bruise on her arm. She was trembling with fear and her face was hidden in a cascade of her curly blond her.

"Are you OK?" he asked genuinely concerned. The child didn't answer.

Cole pitied the little girl. Demonic or not, no child deserved such a treatment, it remembered him too much of his own childhood.

He crawled under the table too and sat near her. She jumped slightly as he gently stroke her hair away from her face and tucked the locks behind her ear. She let him do and didn't protest. She was in some kind of state of shock. Cole even wondered if she acknowledged his presence.

"Are you OK Sweety?" he repeated in a sweet voice. He didn't want to scare the poor girl more than she already was. "I promise, I won't do anything to you. Cross my heart!" he added with a smile.

The little girl turned her gaze on him, her puffy eyes still clouded with tears.

Cole caught his breath, he hadn't remarked how blue her eyes were before, they seemed to see right through him, dissipating all his defences.

She sniffled a little, as the last of her sobs died down.

Cole took a tissue from his pocket and offered it to her. She watched him with round eyes, like she didn't understand he could even care a little about her.

"Here take it! You don't want everyone to see a big girl like you cry, do you?"

The little girl hesitantly took it from his hand, and started wiping her nose noisily.

Cole watched her do silently. He never really was confronted to that kind of situation. Solacing children wasn't his  forte, perhaps because he had killed so many of them before. A sudden dizziness overcame him at this moment, how could he had a heart so cold that he didn't feel the slightest remorse at killing such beautiful creations? The little girl might not even have turned eight yet and she was already involved in situations that were beyond him.

His heart sank in his chest as he remembered the few things Hector told him about her. She was a powerful young prophet and according to him, she was also from an evil lineage… Yet Cole couldn't help but wonder about that statement. With her, he didn't feel the little warning that he felt every time demons were around. Maybe that had something to do with the fact that Evil was all around but he had the feeling that the true reason was that she wasn't evil at all. She had an innocent heart, a pure soul.

Purer than most of the human children of her age in fact.

He was taken aback when she turned her deep blue eyes to him and gave him back the wet tissue:

"I'm sorry, it's all filthy now…"

Cole eyed the tissue and wrinkled his nose, dismissing it with a smile:

"You can keep it! It's on the house!"

The little girl grinned at it, her tiny blue eyes sparkling with naïvety and kindness.

"You are funny" she said with a tiny voice that melted Cole's heart.

Strange how he felt drown to her, somehow.

He never really liked children, in fact, he always considered them like little demons in disguise. He had laughed every time people talked about children's innocence! That was only a myth, children weren't innocent! They were capricious, temperamental, irresponsible and annoying. Come to think about it, most of them drove their poor mothers up the wall more often than not. Besides, parents always had to look for their offspring and be behind them every time they disobeyed. He suspected he hadn't the patience required to be a father.

Of course he was thrilled last year when Phoebe announced him she was pregnant, but at that time he couldn't very well discern  where ended Cole and where started the Source. Both of them wanting control so much, their personalities had somehow been mixed up. His little baby would always hold a special part in his heart though. Yeah HIS little baby, not the Source's, 'cause a child could only be conceived with love and the Source surely didn't love Phoebe. As much as Phoebe tried to deny it, the baby had been theirs and not only an empty shell for the Source to control or purely evil.

He suspected that it was easier for her to think that way, it was a lot more simple to just brush it of . He could understand she preferred to see it as a demon's vanquish and not as an infanticide. A lot more ethical, you know. Besides, she was partially right in a way, the potions and the Seer's influence had killed the goodness in him in-utero.

To put it in a nutshell, Cole never really had good experiences with children. He didn't really liked them and as a matter of fact it was reciprocal… well most of the time.

The little girl was staring at him with awe and happiness and Cole simply smiled back at her uneasily. He should have tried to help her sooner, make her escape this misery… The Avatars had dressed her like a doll, a long blue Victorian-like dress with frills and little black patent-leather shoes, but now her clothes were all dirty. The past days might have been hard on her, she was deadly pale and not in very good shape. Surely the little girl never had any contact with Earth. Had she always been living as a slave to the Avatars' purpose? How could she had survived that long among them?

He was brought back to reality when a drooly tiny finger landed on his cheek.

"Thank you Mister for helping me." She said with a sad voice and hugged him tightly, surprising Cole who didn't really know how to react. She nuzzled in his neck  "I knew you weren't like the Others"

"It's Cole. My name is Cole." He raised an eyebrow and gently pushed her away "what's yours?"

"I don't have one, mister – uh Cole!"

"Of course you have one, everybody has a name!"

The little girl scratched her head:

"Well Avatar Hector calls me his 'little angel' "

Cole frowned: "Don't you have a Mom and a Dad?"

"I had a mom before but she has gone away…" she said sadly.

Cole easily concluded she might be dead.

"How did she call you then?"

"Angela" she answered with a nod of her cute little head.

"Then Angela it will be! Nice to meet you!" he took a look at his surroundings, they were still seating on the floor under the table "Do you mind if we get out of here?"

Cole was about to crawl away but the little girl grabbed his arm in a panic:

"Please, don't let me!"

Cole sat down again:

"I won't let you down. I promise those bast… – uh – demons won't hurt you anymore."

Angela stared back at him intensely, as if she could read in his eyes whether he was saying the truth or not. All she found there was sympathy and caring. Her gentle mister was back and he wouldn't abandon her – ever!

She crawled behind him and stood up. She had to raise her head to look at his face so tall he was. She felt safe whenever he was around, she felt protected for the first time in her life.

Cole probably remarked the way she looked at him, so he kneeled to be at the same eye level.

"Listen Angela, you will soon be free, I promise. No one will ever hurt you again… but for now don't talk about what I told you, OK? You understand? We can't risk being caught."

The little girl put her thumb in her mouth and nodded, she knew she was too old for that but it felt like her mother was still with her whenever she did that.

Cole smiled, satisfied with her response and messed up her hair. She stuck out her tong and pushed his hand away playfully. Cole grimaced and tickled her. She laughed wholeheartedly for the first time in her life. And hearing her giggles simply made Cole happy. However laughter weren't common in the Avatar's Temple and Cole feared they might attract unwanted attention.

He scooped Angela up in his arms.

"Do you wanna go with me for a little while? We won't be long gone, I just want to show you someplace."

Angela looked a little disappointed, maybe because she was afraid to go out, maybe because she was afraid to come back, Cole didn't know which one, but all his worry went away when she encircled his neck of her little arms and rested her head peacefully on his shoulder.

He placed a light peck on the top of her head and shimmered away.

***

That's it for now… I think it's the longest chapter so far! I might not update until next week.

Anyway, please REVIEW and tell me what you think, good or bad, even if it's short or if you have any question you want to ask me, go!

So who really is Angela?

What will happen to Emily now that she doesn't have her powers anymore?

How will the Elders react when Leo tell them Cole is good now?

Will Phoebe try to get Cole back or is it too late?

You want answers? Please review!