FUTURE PERFECT
CHAPTER 11 - EPILOGUE
They found her outside on the hover deck, huddled deep in a jacket she'd borrowed off Joren. The wind whipped strands of dark hair about her face and she absently brushed them from her eyes while she stared out across the city. The maze of skyscrapers and highrises bathed in the soft, pink glow of the rising sun.
"Phoebe?"
She gave a start when Leo called. Her eyes fixed on the Elder as she turned toward them. "Can you send me back?" Her voice was soft.
Leo shook his head. "I'm sorry, Phoebe, but I can't. Not unless I kill you."
She glanced up at Cole. "Cole?"
"What?"
A gasp escaped him when the implication hit. "No! Phoebe, I could never hurt you!"
Tears gleamed in her eyes. "Cole, you don't understand. What am I going to do in this world? I don't belong here." She waved a hand at the awakening city. The sky was slowly filling with airtaxis, taking commuters to their jobs. "Look at what's become of the San Francisco I loved! I don't understand this time. Too much has changed since I lived, I don't think I could ever adapt."
She sighed and blinked back tears. "It was--nice where I was. Quiet, peaceful. And Grams was there, and Mom and Prue and everyone I knew. They will miss me. I need to go back. And I will. With or without your help." Her gaze left them and she stared at the abyss between the skyscrapers with longing.
"Phoebe, I think you may have another option," Leo offered. He placed a gentle hand on her shoulder to turn her away from the view.
She looked suddenly hopeful. "What is it?"
"The Hollow," Leo said. "Its guardians were killed when that thing set it loose. Two new guardians are required to protect the box. I have asked Cole to take the responsibility for the other side. He has accepted. I would like you to be our guardian. It would give your life a purpose that this world could never offer."
Phoebe's mouth worked. Her gaze shifted from Leo to Cole and back. "With him? For all time?"
"See?" Cole said resignedly. "Told you she wouldn't want to do it." He looked off. "Listen, Phoebe, it doesn't have to be me. If you want to do this, be the Hollow's guardian, I will find someone else to guard it with you. Someone more to your liking. The decision is yours, and only yours." He turned to walk away.
"Cole, wait." Phoebe laid a hand on his arm to prevent him from leaving. "That's not it."
"You know," Leo said suddenly, "I remembered something I need to discuss with Ania before she takes Paulina home. Why don't you take your time to think about it? I'll hear what you decided later." He didn't bother to wait for a reply; he didn't even walk away but simply orbed.
Silence hung heavy in the air when Phoebe and Cole were alone. Her hand felt warm on his arm, even through the cloth of his jacket. He was reluctant to shake it off.
"Phoebe, I understand that you don't want to guard the Hollow with me. I know how much you hate me. You don't have to explain, I understand."
She shook her head. "No, you don't understand, Cole. I don't hate you. I never did. I love you. I haven't stopped loving you." She peered up at him, her eyes dark and unfathomable. "Don't you see? That's the problem. I love you. I loved you so much that I let you crown me Queen of the Underworld. I deceived my sisters, betrayed everything I believed in. For you. For love. It killed me inside, being evil, realizing what I had done. I couldn't be with you after that. I didn't dare take the risk. It was too dangerous. I had to push you away, because it frightened me to be with you, Cole. You frightened me to death."
He was at a loss for things to say. 'I'm sorry,' would sound feeble.
"I suppose you were right, too," he mumbled, taking a step away so her hand fell off his arm. "I am evil. I did return to the underworld. If you had stayed with me--"
"It might not have happened," Phoebe broke in. "I can see that now. Nobody is all evil, or all good. Everyone is a mix of both sides. It was out of fear for the darkness within me that I pushed you away, pushed you right back into the hands of the underworld. But you have done good things too. What you did these last few days. When you helped me get the Book back from the past. What you did for the Warren line of witches." She glanced up to meet his gaze. "And I know that you returned Piper's baby after she was kidnapped."
Cole's eyes widened in surprise.
She smiled. "Piper wrote about it in the Book, right next to the pictures of you I put in there. I don't know why she thought it would be useful information, but it helped me see the truth." The smile faded and her expression turned serious. "Cole, I apologize for not believing in you before. And if you'll have me, I would love to guard the Hollow with you."
"I take it that's settled then?" Leo's voice startled them both as he reappeared in a shower of tiny lights.
"Leo!" Phoebe cried. Her eyes narrowed. "You didn't have anything to discuss with Ania, did you? You were listening in! That's not very polite."
Leo shrugged and offered her a sheepish grin.
Cole chuckled. "And they dare call me bad."
--END--
CHAPTER 11 - EPILOGUE
They found her outside on the hover deck, huddled deep in a jacket she'd borrowed off Joren. The wind whipped strands of dark hair about her face and she absently brushed them from her eyes while she stared out across the city. The maze of skyscrapers and highrises bathed in the soft, pink glow of the rising sun.
"Phoebe?"
She gave a start when Leo called. Her eyes fixed on the Elder as she turned toward them. "Can you send me back?" Her voice was soft.
Leo shook his head. "I'm sorry, Phoebe, but I can't. Not unless I kill you."
She glanced up at Cole. "Cole?"
"What?"
A gasp escaped him when the implication hit. "No! Phoebe, I could never hurt you!"
Tears gleamed in her eyes. "Cole, you don't understand. What am I going to do in this world? I don't belong here." She waved a hand at the awakening city. The sky was slowly filling with airtaxis, taking commuters to their jobs. "Look at what's become of the San Francisco I loved! I don't understand this time. Too much has changed since I lived, I don't think I could ever adapt."
She sighed and blinked back tears. "It was--nice where I was. Quiet, peaceful. And Grams was there, and Mom and Prue and everyone I knew. They will miss me. I need to go back. And I will. With or without your help." Her gaze left them and she stared at the abyss between the skyscrapers with longing.
"Phoebe, I think you may have another option," Leo offered. He placed a gentle hand on her shoulder to turn her away from the view.
She looked suddenly hopeful. "What is it?"
"The Hollow," Leo said. "Its guardians were killed when that thing set it loose. Two new guardians are required to protect the box. I have asked Cole to take the responsibility for the other side. He has accepted. I would like you to be our guardian. It would give your life a purpose that this world could never offer."
Phoebe's mouth worked. Her gaze shifted from Leo to Cole and back. "With him? For all time?"
"See?" Cole said resignedly. "Told you she wouldn't want to do it." He looked off. "Listen, Phoebe, it doesn't have to be me. If you want to do this, be the Hollow's guardian, I will find someone else to guard it with you. Someone more to your liking. The decision is yours, and only yours." He turned to walk away.
"Cole, wait." Phoebe laid a hand on his arm to prevent him from leaving. "That's not it."
"You know," Leo said suddenly, "I remembered something I need to discuss with Ania before she takes Paulina home. Why don't you take your time to think about it? I'll hear what you decided later." He didn't bother to wait for a reply; he didn't even walk away but simply orbed.
Silence hung heavy in the air when Phoebe and Cole were alone. Her hand felt warm on his arm, even through the cloth of his jacket. He was reluctant to shake it off.
"Phoebe, I understand that you don't want to guard the Hollow with me. I know how much you hate me. You don't have to explain, I understand."
She shook her head. "No, you don't understand, Cole. I don't hate you. I never did. I love you. I haven't stopped loving you." She peered up at him, her eyes dark and unfathomable. "Don't you see? That's the problem. I love you. I loved you so much that I let you crown me Queen of the Underworld. I deceived my sisters, betrayed everything I believed in. For you. For love. It killed me inside, being evil, realizing what I had done. I couldn't be with you after that. I didn't dare take the risk. It was too dangerous. I had to push you away, because it frightened me to be with you, Cole. You frightened me to death."
He was at a loss for things to say. 'I'm sorry,' would sound feeble.
"I suppose you were right, too," he mumbled, taking a step away so her hand fell off his arm. "I am evil. I did return to the underworld. If you had stayed with me--"
"It might not have happened," Phoebe broke in. "I can see that now. Nobody is all evil, or all good. Everyone is a mix of both sides. It was out of fear for the darkness within me that I pushed you away, pushed you right back into the hands of the underworld. But you have done good things too. What you did these last few days. When you helped me get the Book back from the past. What you did for the Warren line of witches." She glanced up to meet his gaze. "And I know that you returned Piper's baby after she was kidnapped."
Cole's eyes widened in surprise.
She smiled. "Piper wrote about it in the Book, right next to the pictures of you I put in there. I don't know why she thought it would be useful information, but it helped me see the truth." The smile faded and her expression turned serious. "Cole, I apologize for not believing in you before. And if you'll have me, I would love to guard the Hollow with you."
"I take it that's settled then?" Leo's voice startled them both as he reappeared in a shower of tiny lights.
"Leo!" Phoebe cried. Her eyes narrowed. "You didn't have anything to discuss with Ania, did you? You were listening in! That's not very polite."
Leo shrugged and offered her a sheepish grin.
Cole chuckled. "And they dare call me bad."
--END--