CHARMED
"Tempting Fate"
by shel
© december 2002
| disclaimer: | the charmed ones, cole, and leo, and the rest of the cast of characters we've come to know and love, belong to spelling television, inc. and possible other copyright holders. i intended no true infringement on their copyrights; i only wanted to borrow these marvelous characters for a short time in my own scenarios and hopefully return them no worse for wear; the only things i've gained from this story are the satisfaction and pleasure of having written it and in knowing that others may have enjoyed it too |
| rating: | pg-13 |
| summary: | phoebe's fate is to lead a life without cole by her sideor is it? |
| timeline: | nearly a week after the events of season 5's daddy dearest' |
| archive: | please don't without expressed permission |
| notes: | the muppets and kermit-the-frog belong to the jim henson companythere's minor references to characters/events of the eyes have it' and charmed and dangerous'please let me know if you enjoyed my tale and why and, if not, why notand, please, don't bother wasting your time or mine by sending any flames |
"Morning," Phoebe mumbled as she half-stumbled into the kitchen. "I know I'm late. I slept through my alarm."
Paige, who sat at the table and held the morning's paper in front of her, gave half a glance to her older sister. "Fashion police seen you?" she teased as she went back to the day's comic strips. "I've been out of work too longdidn't know the latest trend calls for oversized T-shirts and sweat-socks."
Piper suddenly turned away from the eggs she was cooking on the stove to look at Phoebe. "You look terrible," she agreed. "Phoebe, you have got to get some sleep or you'll make yourself sick."
Paige, who had been about to take a bite from her bagel, thoughtfully remarked, "Maybe she already has." She put down the paper and told Phoebe, "You look like you're running a fever. You should probably skip work and get back to bed."
"I don't know, maybe," Phoebe considered as she poured herself a glass of water with an unsteady hand.
"No coffee?" Piper anxiously asked.
"Not in the mood," Phoebe replied before she emptied the glass in a few quick gulps.
Piper and Paige exchanged looks of concern but, before either could comment, Leo orbed into the kitchen and greeted the three sisters. "Phoebe? You don't look so good."
"Thanks, Leo," Phoebe muttered as she rubbed her forehead with the back of her hand. "If you're all through complimenting me on my looks, I've gotta get dressed for work."
"You're not really thinking of going to work?" Piper called out as Phoebe turned to leave. She turned back around and stared at Piper who continued, "I know you're swamped but you're obviously not well and you should rest before you make yourself worse. Especially after the last couple of days what with Cole bei--"
"I told you I don't want to talk about Cole," Phoebe sharply interrupted before she quickly announced, "I'm going to bed."
"Phoebe, wait," Paige began as she stood up but Phoebe was already gone.
Piper turned to Leo, "I didn't mean"
"I know," Leo assured his wife as he pulled her into a hug, "but Phoebe has been through a lot and, with her workload, she hasn't had much time to really process what's happened. I mean Cole's invincible now. The ramifications of that alone could beI don't know, maybe this also has to do with the letter."
"You think she read it this morning?" Piper inquired but Leo shrugged in reply.
"What letter?" Paige asked in confusion.
Piper refocused her attention on the eggs and turned off the burner. As she scraped the eggs onto a plate, she told Paige, "Last night, Phoebe remembered about seeing an envelope right before we were about to vanquish Cole and she asked Leo to go back to the penthouse to find it."
"It's why she figured Cole's real plan was to get us to vanquish him rather than actually harm any of us," Leo explained. "She thought it may have been some sort of good-bye."
"So was there a letter?" Paige asked with interest.
Leo nodded, "He wasn't around but it was still on the table, addressed to her. Along with his wedding ring."
"I'd say he's finally given up," Piper murmured.
"And?" Paige asked impatiently. "What'd it say?"
"I have no idea," Leo informed her. "She was asleep when I came back so I left them both on her vanity. But what's in the letter is meant for her alone so it's not a good idea to go up there now asking her all sorts of questions," Leo cautioned them. "She needs time. Especially if she's also sick."
Piper nodded in agreement. "She'll talk to us when she's ready." She handed Leo the plate of eggs and, as he brought them to the table, she added, "I suppose I should start making some chicken soup. I don't think she'll be interested in food for a while and Grams's recipe always made her feel better. Paige, why don't you go upstairs and make sure she takes some aspirin or something to bring down her fever."
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Phoebe had just curled up under her covers when she spotted the ring glittering in the sunlight. In spite of her aching head and chilled body, she threw back the covers and went to her vanity. Her legs trembled as she recognized the ring she had once so lovingly slipped on Cole's finger. It was sitting on an envelope and she hesitated a moment before she grabbed the ring and clutched it in her hand. She clenched her mouth and did her best not to start crying. Suddenly, she felt dizzy and reached for the support of the table. As she leaned against it, she closed her eyes and waited for the spell to pass.
After a moment or two, when she felt steadier, Phoebe opened her eyes and picked up the letter while she still gripped Cole's ring in one hand. But she was suddenly thrown into a premonition and she gasped as she quickly tried to steady herself again. But fuzzy images flooded her mind amidst a new wave of dizziness and she crumpled to the floor as darkness quickly overcame her.
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Phoebe groaned, opened her eyes, and, in a slightly dazed state, sat herself up. She had fallen on the floor between her bed and vanity and, as she waited for the dizziness to pass, she noticed that the ring and letter were gone. But, more importantly, instead of her old, worn T-shirt, she was now clad in her red satin nightgown with the tie-spaghetti straps. Her head ached and she felt like she was on fire. She was still looking at her new attire when, from the corner of her eye, she discovered a blistering red burn on her shoulder and she moaned as she gingerly touched its edges. But she didn't have any more time to wonder about it because she suddenly heard a clicking sound and, when she looked up, she found a bronze, tall, thin, insect-like figure standing next to the closed door of her bedroom. It was bent over what looked to be a bassinet and the upper two of its four segmented arms were raised in a stance of attack. "Hey!" she hoarsely shouted as she got to her feet.
The demon turned, its facial features contorted in anger, and its green eyes brightly glowed. It raised its upper arms, aimed at Phoebe, and fire erupted from its pincers.
"Piper! Paige!" Phoebe shouted as she dropped back down to the floor. The fire barely missed the top of her head. She heard a baby's cry coming from the bassinet and she rolled out of the way just as the demon fired at her again.
Just then, Piper threw open the door and shrieked in surprise when she saw her sister narrowly miss becoming charcoal.
"Piper" Phoebe weakly shouted. "Blow it up!"
Piper quickly waved her hands at the demon to her left but, when it didn't explode as she'd intended, she uttered, "Uh, oh." The demon retaliated by firing its flames at her and she fell down, narrowly missing the fire, back into the hallway. "Cole!" she screamed.
Cole suddenly flamed in behind her. "What's wrong?" he asked as he quickly reached out his hand to help her to her feet.
Piper accepted his help and pointed into the bedroom. "Big fire bug. In front of the bassinet and I think it got Phoebe."
From the doorway, Cole saw Phoebe roll out of the way of another fire bolt. In a fit of anger, he burst into the room and quickly threw a fireball at the demon.
The demon let out a clicking cry of pain as it was enveloped in fire. It still managed to release two final, harmless, bursts of fire before it was blown apart.
"Why didn't you fry it?" Cole questioned as he ran to Phoebe's side.
Phoebe stared at Cole. "Fry it?" she whispered in confusion as he knelt next to her.
"Are you all right?" He discovered the burn on her shoulder and turned to Piper. "Call Leo! She's been burned."
"Leo!" Piper shouted as a worried look crossed her face. "Oh, God, Melinda! Will you be okay?" Cole gave her a quick nod and she ran out of the room.
Cole stayed at Phoebe's side and hugged her tight. "You're okay," he repeated over and over. There was crying from the bassinet but he stayed at her side. She hadn't said another word and he continued to murmur words of comfort.
"Melinda's still napping," Piper announced with relief when she re-entered the room. "How that two-year old can sleep through demon attacks is beyond me but I'm not complaining," she commented in a light tone. She saw that Cole still tended Phoebe and went straight to the bassinet. "It's all over," she cooed. "The nasty bug's been exterminated. You're all right." She turned back to the couple and assured them, "They don't seem hurt at all. Probably just a little cranky that their naps were interrupted."
Cole breathed a sigh of relief as he carefully gathered Phoebe into his arms and lifted her up. "She's shivering pretty badly and hasn't said a word. She's probably in shock," he told Piper. He sat Phoebe on the bed and carefully pulled the comforter around her. He brought a hand to her forehead and added, "Damn it, I think she's running a fever. I told her to see Ava two days ago. I knew she was overdoing it. Where the hell is Leo?"
"Calm down, Cole," Piper said in a placating voice as she carefully lifted a baby from the bassinet. "You know he's with a charge as is Paige. I'll get the first aid kit and we'll patch up Phoebe until they get here. If it's that bad, we'll call Ava."
"I don't --" Cole began.
As she gently rocked the fussing baby, Piper interrupted, "You and Phoebe have both been overdoing it since they were born three weeks ago and you both need time to rest and recover. Maybe this attack will be the excuse you need."
"I don't understand," Phoebe finally commented in a weak voice as she ignored the pain in her shoulder and struggled to free herself from Cole's embrace. "What's going on? Cole, what are you doing here?"
Cole propped some pillows behind her to support her and smiled, "I know I was driving you crazy before but I didn't think you meant it when you kicked me out of here." He kissed the top of her head and missed her look of puzzlement. "As a new father, can't I go a little overboard the first day after my children's homecoming?"
"Children?" Phoebe whispered in shock as Piper finally came closer carrying a pink bundle. She sagged back into the pillows and was distracted by another cry from the bassinet. "Piper?" she questioned in a worried tone.
Cole reached for the baby and asked Piper, "Can you check on Ben?"
"Ben?" Phoebe whispered. "Cole, what the hell is go--" She froze when Cole suddenly placed the baby in her arms.
Cole tenderly fingered the baby's fine light brown hair. "See, Sam's okay, Phoebe." He patiently kissed the top of Phoebe's head again.
"Oh, God," Phoebe stared helplessly at her sister as the baby squirmed in her arms.
"She's probably just hungry," Piper assured her over the baby's insistent cries. "Why don't you nurse her for a few minutes? A little snack shouldn't throw her off-schedule."
"What?" Phoebe gasped.
Cole gave a worried glance to Piper. "Maybe she shouldn't until we've had a chance to heal her shoulder."
Piper shook her head and told him, "It will probably calm them both." She gazed at her younger sister who seemed terrified and tried to reassure Phoebe, "Ben fell back asleep and you'll probably feel overwhelmed when they're both awake and hungry at the same time, especially if you aren't feeling well. Besides, Samantha probably wants a little alone time with her mommy."
"Piper's right, honey," Cole told Phoebe as he carefully untied her shoulder strap and adjusted the nightgown for her. "Look at Sam. She already knows it's time for a snack."
Phoebe stared at the baby who quickly found her source of nourishment. She gasped when the baby's mouth took hold of her breast and she stared as the baby began to greedily nurse. "This isn't happening. I'm dreaming," she whispered in a mixture of shock and wonderment.
"If it's a dream," Cole decided as he lightly caressed Sam's head, "then I don't want to wake up." He smiled and kissed his wife on her temple. "Three-and-a-half weeks premature but look at her now, Phoebe, she's perfect. They're both perfect."
Piper watched the couple and told them, "I'm going to get the first aid kit. Cole, you will take care of this little problem, won't you?"
"Right now," Cole nodded as he draped a receiving blanket over Phoebe's bare shoulder and the nursing baby. He then carefully stood up and waited for Piper to step out of the way. When she stood guard next to the bassinet, Cole waved a hand in the air in a swift up-and-down motion.
A middle-aged male figure, dressed in various shades of brown, suddenly appeared in the room within a cloud of gray smoke. He stood respectfully before Cole and didn't speak.
Phoebe's mouth dropped at the demon's appearance but she couldn't find her voice. Instinctively, she tightened her grip on the nursing baby beneath the blanket and looked to Cole in shock.
Cole ordered, "A Baldiron just attacked my wife and children. I've disposed of it but I want to know who sent it." The demon nodded and Cole added, "Make sure heor sheis in one piece. Everyone is going to see what I meant about paying the price for attacking my family."
The demon silently nodded again and disappeared in another cloud of smoke.
Piper waved the smoke out of her way and gave a slight cough. "Look, Cole, I don't mind that you and Phoebe are rooming here until the renovations on your house next door are done, really, I don't. But no more demons, bugs, or otherwise. Particularly ones that smoke. It's not healthy, especially for all the babies."
"When I became the Source again, I promised you that you and the family would be safe," Cole assured her, "and I intend on keepi--Phoebe, honey, what is it? What's wrong?"
As Cole quickly pulled away the blanket and took Sam from Phoebe, Piper rushed towards the bed and watched as Phoebe struggled to catch her breath. "She's hyperventilating," Piper told Cole. "Phoebe, listen to me," she insisted as she reached for Phoebe's hands. "The babies are fine. Nothing happened to them. You're okay. You have to breathe. Just concentrate. In and out."
Cole carefully sat next to Phoebe, shifted the sleepy baby to one arm, and rubbed Phoebe's back with his free hand. "In and out," he echoed. "Close your eyes and just listen to our voices. In and out."
Phoebe, however, was in a complete state of panic and didn't understand what was happening. Why Cole was there. Why a demon attacked. Why they claimed two babies were hers. How she could actually nurse that beautiful baby girl. How Cole could be the Source again. Her worst nightmare come true and yet Piper seemed totally okay with it. Piper didn't even bat an eyelash at Cole bringing in a demon. Phoebe squeezed Piper's hands but she still couldn't breathe and felt the darkness closing in around her. She pulled her hands from Piper's and reached out blindly and she could barely hear Piper's and Cole's shouts of concern. "Cole?" she called out as the darkness overcame her.
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