Till Death Do Us
(Part 4)
After they departed, everything was very quiet in the house, and Leo finally started to move, moaning a little. Paul materialized right beside the sisters, a look of worry on his face that didn't escape Leo:
"Are they ok?"
Paul:
"Yes, of course," he said, but still went toward them anxiously. The poison he gave them to take still having effect on them, they had not returned to consciousness yet, and he administered injections of some kind to both of them. Thankfully, after a few seconds, they both woke up.
Leo went to Piper and helped her up while Paul did the same with Prue:
"So how did it go?"
Prue:
"Well all I can say is that Hollywood stuntmen don't have as good a time as I thought. For a second there, I really thought he was breaking my neck. That was a very unpleasant feeling."
Paul:
"And his mother?"
Piper:
"Well we can't be sure of course, but I think we were all pretty convincing."
Leo:
"You can say that again. I'm going to have a talk with this demon when this is all over."
Paul:
"I'm sorry Leo, but for your part, I couldn't think of any trick that would be convincing enough. And besides, you're already dead, aren't you," he says a bit mockingly.
Prue is still very serious though:
"Now how long do you think it will take before he can bring her back?"
Paul:
"I think that it might not be so easy, but at least until now he has played his part to perfection. Let's just hope that she believed it. Then unfortunately it's all up to him. I tried all I could to locate that demoness but her hideout is too well shielded. We need the key so to speak, and hopefully she will give him that…"
Back at the hideaway, Cole doesn't lose time:
"Now that you're satisfied, you will let me take her."
He said this with all the assurance he has accumulated in his years of evil dealings, but inside he was still very scared of what she might be thinking.
Elizabeth:
"I don't think that it's a good idea for you to bring her out of here…
At least, not until the baby is born."
Cole:
"You told me that she would be mine," he says with real anger now.
Elizabeth:
"Cool off, you will be aloud to come at your will. I'm giving you free entry to my domain now, but she cannot get out of here. I won't allow it. She is my only guaranty that you won't change your mind."
Cole has a sinking feeling of defeat now, but he tries his best to hide it:
"I see that you still won't trust me. At this point even the Source would, mother."
Elizabeth:
"He is not I. I know that there is still a chance that the witch could turn you. I will make sure that doesn't happen."
Cole is desperate and still pushes:
"There is nothing that she could do to change me back. Novelty has been gone from this relationship a long time ago."
Elizabeth still won't budge:
"You see, that might be true, but right now, I prefer guaranties. At least now those witches won't ever be able to interfere with our plans. I am very proud of you son."
Cole:
"I don't need your approval mother," he says in a hard voice.
"I have stopped needing it a long time ago."
Elizabeth:
"As those humans say, you'll always be my boy."
At this Cole starts thinking very fast. He knows that he has to stop insisting for fear that she'll see through his motivations:
"If you say so… But you might have a point."
Elizabeth:
"How so?
Cole, now more assured:
"You're telling me that I can come here whenever I want, aren't you?"
Elizabeth:
"Yes that is what I said."
Cole:
"Then I might as well leave her here too. This way she won't be able to escape me."
Elizabeth smiles at her son:
"Yes I see that you understand."
Cole:
"I understand that you want to hold her over my head mother. But it doesn't matter. I'm still better off to have her locked up and defenseless."
Elizabeth:
"Well you are turning back to me more and more every moment. Maybe my trust will be justified soon…"
Cole turns toward the room, unable to keep his expression straight anymore:
"Now I would like some time alone with her if you don't mind mother."
Elizabeth:
"I supposed that you deserve it. Just don't hurt her too much, at least not until the child is born. Then, well…"
Cole:
"As you said she's mine now. But I want this child even more than you do mother. Don't worry."
He goes purposefully to the door, not giving her time to change her mind and closes the door behind him in relief.
Phoebe comes to him right away, still free thankfully. She is very anxious to know what happened:
"Cole? What did you do," she asks when she notices his worried expression?
He just looks at her for a moment, still amazed that she is alive and not really listening to what she's saying.
Phoebe:
"Cole what happened to my sisters?"
Finally, he answers:
"Your sisters are fine… At least, I think so…"
Phoebe's eyes grow wide:
"What do you mean you think so?"
Cole:
"I mean I'm sure," he says more assuredly. But the events of the evening have left him a little shaken. For an instant, when he was at the house, he has wondered if it had all worked out as he had planned, or if he truly had done the worst.
But then, he was sure that Paul had done everything he told them. And besides, he knew full well that Piper had not been stabbed, so he stopped worrying about it and just turned his attention back to Phoebe who was still unsure:
"Are you certain of this? I have been torturing myself all day wondering what you meant?"
Cole:
"It's a long story Phoebe, and for now I suggest that we made a little noise to keep her out of here."
Phoebe:
"Like what?"
Cole:
"Screams would be good, and stuff breaking. That might even make you feel better…"
Phoebe:
"I have to agree with this."
And she proceeds to scream at him to the point that he has the feeling she might have been planning the recriminations all that afternoon. He himself makes sure that, as he said, stuff gets noisily broken. After a few minutes of this, he is convinced that she won't bother to come anymore and they stop.
Phoebe calmer now:
"Well that was fun. After all this time without moving, I must say that a little exercise was good."
Cole:
"You mean that you're already tired?"
Phoebe is a bit puzzled:
"You don't think…"
Cole smiles a little:
"Well what if she came back…"
Phoebe:
"You dog."
Cole takes her in his arms and carries her to the bed.
"I missed you."
Phoebe:
"Not more than me…"
If his mother checked on them, she most certainly had no doubts on their activities of the next hour.
At the manor, the girls are becoming impatient.
Prue:
"What is he doing?"
Piper:
"I thought that they would have been back by now."
Prue:
"Something must have gone wrong."
Piper:
"Please don't be so negative. I just got some hope back and I don't want to lose it."
Prue:
"I can't help it. From what Benjamin told us, his mother is a very powerful and suspicious demoness. What if she doesn't let them out?
I just hope that I am wrong. But where is he?"
Meanwhile the sisters were now the farthest thought from their mind. Neither one of them could let the other go. They were touching each other like if it was the first time again.
For a long while there was nothing beside them that mattered and when he pulled himself away from her reluctantly, she tried to pull him back to her in fear that somehow, it might be the last time also.
Cole:
"I have to go Phoebe."
Phoebe:
"You can't just leave me here."
Cole kissing her again:
"I have to. I can't fight her and I don't know how to bring you out of here. But she gave me the way to come back and I will bring help."
Phoebe is still unsure:
"Promise me, and please come back quickly. I can't stand this place anymore."
Cole:
"I won't take any more time than necessary, I swear. I can't stand to be away from you either. But I'm afraid that the only way to get you out will be to vanquish her, and I don't know how."
Phoebe is suddenly horrified. True, she has no lost love for the monster that held her captive, but she can't help remembering that she is still his mother.
Phoebe:
"Won't it be too hard for you?" She asks softly.
Cole:
"She may be my mother Phoebe, but she is still as evil as they come. I tried to stay as far away from her as I could, even before I knew you.
But now, I know that it's the only way. She will never stop trying to hurt us. And your family also."
Phoebe:
"I'm so sorry."
Cole:
"Don't be, it's something that I should have dealt with before. I actually had managed to forget that she even existed until a few weeks ago, when my father came to me."
At the mention of his father, Phoebe can see that there is something there too:
"What is it?"
Cole just looks at her for a moment, unsure if he should tell her. He lies back with her and then continues, secretly happy to have more time with her even though the subject is painful:
He sighs and then says:
"I was angry with him. He had been the one responsible for everything that happened."
Phoebe caresses his face and tries to encourage him to continue:
"And?"
Cole:
"For a moment Phoebe, I thought of really killing him…
Although, planting an arrow in his chest doesn't really qualify as not doing it."
Phoebe:
"What!"
Cole:
"Don't worry, he is a whitelighter after all, and there was no poison on the arrow. It had to look real and he agreed with it."
Phoebe is more and more astounded:
"He did!"
Cole felt that she might be a little shaken, understandably.
"But I didn't… I swear that idea left my mind long before it happened, you believe me don't you?"
Phoebe:
"Hum! I guess. What about my sisters?" Phoebe was now wondering what he could have done to them after this admission.
Cole:
"You don't think I would…"
Phoebe:
"Of course not. " But then she can't help but ad:
"You didn't, did you."
Cole:
"I don't think that your sisters even had a scratch, although I can't say the same for Leo…"
Phoebe:
"What about Leo?"
Cole:
"You really don't want to know… Suffice to say that they are fine but my mother has good reason to think that they are dead."
Phoebe:
"You know, I'm starting to think that I missed more than I thought, stuck here."
Cole:
"Nothing exciting anyway."
Phoebe:
"From what you're telling me, I wouldn't be so sure."
Cole:
"I can just tell you that you're sisters could make a career in acting.
But now I really have to go Phoebe. I have to go see them and figure out how to finish my mother."
Phoebe:
"That sounded so harsh."
Cole sighs:
"There isn't many other ways I can say this."
Phoebe:
"Alright, but come back soon…"
He extirpates himself from her embrace with a lot of regrets and as soon as he has his clothes on, he shimmers out, leaving Phoebe alone and wondering about his eventual return. She is so worried now that she has to force herself to stay positive.
As they had planned, the girls were now at Paul's house in order to maintain the illusion. He had even hired fake ambulances and actors to go to the manor and pretend to take bodies out of the house. It had been a good idea because Elizabeth had relished watching this after she was sure that Cole and Phoebe would stay put for a while.
Eventually though, she had to return and finding him gone made her
upset. She still worried that he might do something against her. But now at least, she was convinced that the witches were dead. And after all, she told herself, maybe he went to finish the wizard…
At Paul's, they were still waiting anxiously and Prue was pacing the room like if she wanted to leave her mark in the wooden floor:
"Where the hell is he?"
It had been almost two hours and they were despairing to see them back.
Piper:
"Something went wrong, I know that now. Maybe we didn't fool her."
Leo:
"You must not lose hope. Cole is a resourceful man if nothing else. I'm sure that he is trying his best right now."
The one they were talking about finally shimmered back in the house and they practically jumped at him.
Prue:
"Where is she?" She screamed.
Cole:
"My mother wouldn't let me take her away…"
Prue:
"You mean that we did all this for nothing?"
Cole:
"No don't panic, I can still go there and out as I please, which means that I can bring you there."
Piper:
"And how are we supposed to know that it wasn't your plan all along?"
Cole sighs:
"First of all, if I had wanted to kill you or anything like this, I could have done it without inventing that whole scheme."
Prue always the proud:
"If we had not participated in your scheme you probably would be the one rotting in hell right now."
Cole is irritated and says so:
"We both have our opinion on that one. Although I must say that the thought of twisting your neck did have some appeal."
Prue almost tks him then but he lifts his hand to stop her:
"Ok I see that you still can't take a joke."
Piper:
"And I see that your jokes still need a lot of work."
He grimaces at her but continues more seriously:
"Do you have the book?"
Prue:
"Of course," she says still irritated by his comment.
Cole:
"Did you find the spell?"
Prue:
"You know what? I'd like you to change this tone of voice. This was all your fault anyway, again…"
Prue regretted it the moment she had said it but it was too late to take it back.
Cole:
"I see. I have no time for your petty reproaches Prue; Phoebe is still in that place, so if you don't mind let's get back to it."
Prue:
"I'm sorry, I didn't mean it the way it sounded."
Cole:
"It doesn't make any difference because it's probably true."
In the silence that followed, the others looked at each other with real unease, but Prue moved to pick up the book:
"Well if we are going to do it, I guess now is as good a time as ever."
He shimmered out without a word and the others followed him with Paul and Leo. The trip was rather weird for them, as they realized that it was different then usual orbings and the sort. It was meandrous sort of, and took them at least 2 minutes, which in transportation as they had gotten used to, was like an eternity.
Prue:
"What was that?"
But instead of answering, Cole went to check the door to the room, while the sisters forgot all about the trip when they finally saw their sister.
Piper:
"Oh my god, we were sure that you were dead."
She hugs her so tight that Phoebe has to pull away.
Phoebe:
"I thought that too for a while you know."
Prue went to her hesitantly as if she couldn't believe it was real.
Phoebe:
"Come on Prue, I'm real, not a ghost."
That is when Prue did something that made them all turn to her. She started crying again and after a fashion, Phoebe went to hug her.
Prue:
"I was so angry Phoebe. Don't ever die again," she says almost with irritation, but that made her sister laugh.
Cole interrupted their moment though, as he heard something.
The girls were already preparing their spell.
When she enters the room, she immediately understands how much her son has betrayed her again, but instead of directing her anger at him, she again tries to put the spell on Phoebe knowing full well that without their power of three they cannot vanquish her. Cole understands her intention and is faster, throwing an energy ball in her direction that doesn't kill her, as he knew it wouldn't. Still it gave them the time that they needed to chant:
"Queen of the Dark, Spreading Evil throughout
You reigned on
The Dragon Wisdom we invoke against thee
The demoness looked now toward her son and for the most fleeting of moment, he thought he saw regrets, and then she positively peeled away in front of them. In spite of what she had done, Phoebe could feel his pain at this moment and she couldn't look at her dying.
He stared at the place now empty where she had stood and no matter what he thought before, it did hurt.
Phoebe came to him and when she understood his dilemma, she just said:
"That is what it feels to be human." Then they just hugged in silence.
They could finally get Phoebe out of this place and she didn't even give it a second look before they shimmered out followed by the others.
That night they were so tired and so amazed that they were just sitting in the living room silently. But then Piper remembered something and it changed that:
"Hey Phoebe with all this, I forgot to give you the good news."
Phoebe still cuddling to Cole said:
"Hey come on, there cannot be enough good news today."
Piper:
"Well, we're also having a baby."
Phoebe jumped at this:
"Really? Oh wow, that is too good." And she went to congratulate her up close. Leo was just orbing in, returning from a little inquiry they had asked of him and Phoebe jumped at him before he understood what was the outburst about. Then he looked at Piper and, without a word exchanged, he understood.
When the effusions calmed down, they turned to him again to know the answer to their question.
Leo:
"The news is good. The Elders decided against punishing your father Cole. They understood why he did what he did. But in the meantime, he will have a kind of probation. Nothing terrible," he added when he saw their expressions. "And there's something else…"
Behind him, Benjamin orbed in also and Cole couldn't decide if he should go to him or not. Phoebe took him to his father and she shooed them to the foyer.
"Come on, I think you need to talk," and then she ads only for Cole,
"If only to talk about this arrow thing," she said with a mocking grimace.
Cole smiled weakly at the joke attempt and after she left, the two men looked at each other awkwardly, unsure of what there was to say. His father finally broke the silence:
"I just wanted you to know that I'm sorry about the trouble I caused all of you, and I'm so happy it turned out for the best."
Cole simply answered:
"Thanks to you."
Benjamin smiled. Then he was about to simply shake his hand but he took him in his arms instead. Cole simply didn't know where to put himself but he let him.
After his father left, Phoebe came back:
"You know that you have the most interesting family. And you were saying that your past wasn't very exciting."
Cole takes her in his arms:
"Are you sure that you want into this family?"
Phoebe:
"As long as you are a part of it, yes."