CHAPTER 2: Consequences
Michael woke to the smell of pancake batter.
He smiled. Waking up to Piper's cooking was definitely something he enjoyed about living in the Manor.
He heard the shower running. Phoebe was probably getting herself ready for work at this point, so Michael decided to head down and get some breakfast. He found Piper working busily at the stove. "Good morning," she said cheerfully. "Care for some pancakes?"
"Of course," said Michael, taking a seat at the kitchen table. "Where's Leo?"
"He got summoned just as he was about to sit down," said Piper with a snort. "I'm telling you, the Elders have the worst timing in the world."
"Tell me about it," said Michael. "And how are Mr. Wyatt and my son doing this morning?" He indicated the two happy little boys sitting in their highchairs.
"They seem to be just fine," said Piper as she served Michael some pancakes. Michael quickly ate his breakfast as he had some business to attend to at the office - namely meeting with Cole.
"Thanks a lot, Piper," said Michael as he grabbed his briefcase. "Tell Phoebe I love her."
****
"So, what did the senior partners have to say?" asked Michael pleasantly. He and Cole were sitting in his plush office on the 50th floor of his company's building.
"They bought your story about my absence, so that's a good sign," said Cole, chuckling. "I've already got three new cases to work on, so no slack for this slacker." Cole and Michael laughed warmly at the joke. Then, Cole said more seriously, "When are you planning to tell Phoebe that I'm back?"
"I think that really depends more on you, don't you think?" said Michael.
"No, I don't," said Cole. "After all, it was your spell that even gave me incentive to come back, remember?"
"True," said Michael. "I wonder, though. I still haven't seen any big side effects yet. I mean, the spell affected virtually everything in existence. Shouldn't there be some feedback from that?"
"I'd normally say yes," agreed Cole. "I guess you're just lucky."
"Yeah," said Michael without much assertiveness. Glancing at his watch, he said, "Listen, why don't you come by the Manor tomorrow? We'll both tell them everything."
"I think I could do that," said Cole. He and Michael stood up and shook hands. "See you tomorrow, cuz." Cole faded out.
****
Michael walked into the Manor feeling pretty good about things. Phoebe was happy, Cole was back and doing good, and in general, things seemed right, for once. He just hoped his luck wasn't about to run out.
He spotted Phoebe watching TV on the couch. "Hi, honey," he said, sitting down next to her.
"Hello, husband," she said sweetly, giving him a kiss. "Sorry I missed you this morning."
"That's alright," he said. "As much as I wanted to join you in the shower, I really did have to get to work."
"You mean, as much as you wanted me to join you, right?" she asked.
"Huh?" he said, confused. Just then, Piper walked in the room.
"Hey, you two," she said. "How was work, Michael?"
"A little tiring," he said, "but otherwise fine. By the way, thanks again for the pancakes this morning. They were delicious."
"It was my pleasure," she said, beaming, "especially since all of you guys were able to eat together for once."
Phoebe and Michael looked at her like she was nuts. "Piper, what are you talking about?" asked Michael, confused. "We didn't eat all eat together, remember? I came down first while Phoebe was in the shower, and I left before anybody else came in."
"I thought I did that," interjected Phoebe, "and you were in the shower."
"Mind if I join the conversation?" asked Paige, coming down the stairs.
"Not at all," said Phoebe. "Evidently, we've now got three different recollections for how this morning went."
"That's weird," said Paige. "Well, the way I remember it going was that Piper didn't make breakfast this morning; I had to get some cereal together for myself."
"Make that four," said Michael, rubbing his temples. "Something is seriously wrong here." Suddenly, realization hit him like a shockwave. "Oh, my God..."
"What is it, honey?" asked Phoebe anxiously.
"I guess it finally came back to bite me in the ass," said Michael, shaking his head in disbelief. "I just didn't think the consequences would be this bad."
"Michael, what are you talking about?" asked Phoebe.
"Well, I guess it's time you knew," he said. "Phoebe, I used my power of time manipulation to alter history. The way things went the first time, I did get shot in the park on my birthday. I ended up in a coma for two years, during which the Elders assigned another Whitelighter named John to protect you. However, he spent so much time around you that he became obsessed. He angered me so much that my demonic half actually began to assert itself in the form of Belthazor. He ended up raping you, and I killed him. Nothing I did seemed to help with your recovery, so I used my power to change what happened so that you wouldn't suffer anymore. Now, it looks like we're paying the price for my decision."
Tears streamed down Phoebe's cheeks. "You did that for me?"
"Yeah, I did," said Michael. "But my spell must have done more than it was supposed to do." He paused. "Why don't you guys see if you can find anything in the Book? There must be some way of finding out exactly what's going on."
"What are you going to do?" asked Phoebe.
"I'm going to get some help," said Michael. "Don't worry, I won't be long."
"I love you," she said, kissing him. Then he orbed out.
****
Michael orbed into the penthouse and spotted Cole on the balcony. "Hey, Cole," he said as he came up to him.
"Michael, what's going on?" Cole asked. He could sense that Michael was worried about something.
"You remember how we couldn't find any consequences from that spell?" said Michael. "Well, I found some. The girls each have different memories of how this morning went."
"Sounds like convergent realities to me," suggested Cole.
"What about you? How do you remember this morning?"
"I had the meeting with Jackman, Carter, and Klein, and then I went to see you. That's it," answered Cole.
"That's how I remember this morning too," said Michael. "The question is: why is it happening in the first place?"
"Well, we can't figure that out here," said Cole.
"I guess I'd better take you to the Manor then," said Michael. He orbed out, and Cole faded right behind him.
****
"Piper, Paige, Phoebe!" Michael called out as he and Cole materialized into the Manor's living room. They heard footsteps on the stairwell, but they were unprepared for who came down them.
"PRUE?!" exclaimed Michael and Cole together.
"Cole, what the hell are you doing here?" Prue snarled angrily. "Haven't you hurt us enough already? You'd better take your friend here and leave before Piper gets back."
"Prue, what..." Cole started. He was cut off as Piper entered the room. She was dressed in a full combat outfit, complete with long hunting knives.
"You just couldn't stay away, could you?" said Piper. She gestured at Cole to blow him up, but nothing happened. Fear immediately washed over her. "Why didn't you blow up?"
"Piper, calm down," said Cole. "I'm not here to hurt you."
"Really?" she sneered. "You should've thought of that before you took Phoebe away from us."
"What are you talking about?" said Michael. "Where is she?" Suddenly, Michael sensed a flaming behind him. He turned around...and nearly passed out upon seeing Phoebe materialize into the room.
"Cole, what are you doing here?" she asked anxiously. "They could've killed you."
"Phoebe, what..." Cole started, but Phoebe cut him off.
"It doesn't matter, I'm just glad you're ok, baby," she said as she pulled him into a kiss. For the smallest fraction of a moment, Cole allowed himself to enjoy what was happening. It seemed an eternity since the last time he'd been this close to her, and he almost didn't want it to slip away.
Suddenly, Cole's rational self kicked back into gear and he broke off the kiss. "Um...Michael, this isn't...I mean, whoa, this is weird."
It was then that Phoebe noticed Michael. "What - how did you get here?"
"Damned if I know," said Michael in annoyance. "I am now officially freaked out. How about you, Cole?"
"I'm getting there," said Cole, stepping away from Phoebe.
Michael looked up at the ceiling. "I guess you'll have to spell it out for me...WHY IS THIS HAPPENING?"
"They won't be able to answer that, but I can," said a new voice.
Michael spun around just in time to see Veraline flame into the room. "Mom, what are you doing here?"
Phoebe's eyes bugged out of her head at that statement. She tried to speak, but the shock was too great and she fainted. Michael was about to run to her side, but Veraline stopped him. "We need to talk, Michael, and by 'we', I am including Cole. Follow me," she said. Veraline flamed out, and Michael orbed and Cole faded after her.
****
The three materialized in the living room of the Smith Estate. "Ok, Mom, you've got my attention," said Michael anxiously. They sat down on the couches.
"First of all, what I'm about to tell you must be held in confidence between the three of us for now. I'll tell Phoebe and the others when the time is right."
Cole and Michael nodded nervously.
"Your mother and I were more than just descendents of the first Source, Cole," said Veraline. "We were Avatars."
"What..." said Cole and Michael in shock.
"Our mission was to breed the two most powerful Avatars ever. Cole, your mother never faltered from her original plan. She seduced your father, married him, and had you. That you already know. What you don't know is that your father, like my husband, was a witch. However, before your mother was able to take you away, your father cast a spell to strip your witch powers. That was the last thing he did before your mother killed him."
Tears trickled down Cole's cheeks as he heard this story.
"Because half your powers were gone, the Avatars decided to abandon their hopes on you at that time and focus on Michael. However, they hadn't been counting on the fact that I fell in love with Thomas. You see, Michael, you aren't just part Source, you're part Avatar. Where else do you think the time manipulation power came from?"
'It all makes sense now, at least about where the power came from,' thought Michael. Then he said, "So I'm part Avatar. What does that have to do with why this is happening?"
"The Avatars are at work. They are shaping this world in the image they see fit."
"Why now?" asked Cole. "Why didn't they do it before?"
"Michael's spell allowed them to begin," said Veraline gravely.
"WHAT!" Michael exclaimed.
"That's ridiculous," said Cole. "Why should his spell make the difference?"
"Because of the Genesis Accords," said Veraline. "You're familiar with them, aren't you, Cole?"
"I thought they were just legends," said Cole.
"They were real," said Veraline. As she caught sight of Michael's face, she said, "But you don't know this story, son." She sighed and then began again. "Outside of Time are two very powerful groups of beings. The Avatars are the first group, and despite their claims, they are evil, although the do not associate themselves with demons except to recruit them for their own purposes. The other group is known as the Guardians. They are beings of Light, on the side of good. They are more passive than the Elders; they prefer to let witches and other warriors of good battle on their own - and for good reason.
"At the beginning of time, the Avatars were determined to shape the universe as they saw fit. They wanted absolute power, and they were determined to get it. However, the Guardians objected to this, saying that no one had a right to intervene in the affairs of the mortal world. In the end, God intervened. Both sides were brought to the negotiating table, and the Genesis Accords were drawn out. The fundamental guideline in the Accords is that neither side may openly attack the other unless there is intervention in the mortal world, and the main item under that is alteration of time itself. The Guardians had no wish for violence, and so the Accords were sealed, and the Avatars were bound against interference. That is, until now."
"Oh, God..." said Michael as the full realization hit him. "I'm neither Avatar nor Guardian, and I manipulated time. I gave the Avatars the loophole to start reshaping reality to their own design."
Veraline nodded sadly. "No other being before you had the power to alter time the way you did without already being a full Avatar."
"What about what I did?" Cole asked, referring to the events leading up to his last vanquish.
"The Avatars knew what you would do once you had the power, Cole," said Veraline. "My guess is that the initiation was faked, and that they only gave you that one power to show you that you could not have your way in the mortal world unless it was for their purposes."
"Those bastards," Cole cursed angrily. "I got myself vanquished because of them."
"Well, I'll be damned if I'm going to let them take Phoebe away from me," said Michael, standing up. "How do we stop them, Mom?"
"You have to kill them all," she said coldly. "If even one of them lives, their power will continue to exist. Do whatever it takes, but destroy every last one of them."
"How do we reverse the damage they've done?" asked Cole.
"There is only one way," she said. "You must become Avatars. Then and only then will you be strong enough to take them out and reverse their power."
"They'll do it," said Michael confidently. "The two of us handing ourselves over to them will be too enticing to resist."
"How do we call for them?" asked Cole.
"Since I was once among their ranks, I can do it," said Veraline. Before starting though, she hugged Michael tightly. "You come back safe to me, you hear?"
"I will, Mom," Michael promised.
Veraline closed her eyes and concentrated. Moments later, two black robed figures materialized.
"Greetings, Cole and Michael," said the lead Avatar. "What can we do for you...or more accurately, what can you do for us?"
"We wish to join your ranks," said Michael.
"Really?" said the second Avatar. "Why should we accept you?"
"Because we have nothing left to hold us here," said Cole. "You've altered things to the point where we have no choice."
"Very well," said the lead Avatar, "we accept. Your power shall join ours for the cause of the Avatars." He gestured, and suddenly Cole and Michael found themselves in a dimly lit chamber. Eight Avatars surrounded them in a ceremonial circle.
"Brothers," said the lead Avatar, "here are two more who have given themselves to us, the Avatars of Power. They shall serve our cause, and in doing so increase our power to an even greater level." He turned to Michael and Cole. "By the way, in case you had any thoughts about betraying us once you have your new powers, you can't. The powers make you loyal only to us and erase all mortal bonds. But you didn't know that did you, Cole?"
Cole stiffened. His jaw was set at a hard edge.
"Of course we knew that once you had the power, you would try to make your precious witch come back to you. We had to show you that it was futile. Our powers can only be used for our purposes, and nothing else. Oh, and Michael, you should know that we manipulated Phoebe's dreams so that you had no choice but to manipulate time to save her. You probably would have succeeded in saving her if it wasn't for us." Turning back to the other Avatars and ignoring Michael's glare, he said, "Begin the initiation." Two Avatars stepped forward and began to chant.
As the chanting progressed, Michael and Cole filled their minds with one thought each.
Michael thought of how much he longed for Phoebe, how much he loved her.
Cole thought of how he wanted to pound each Avatar to dust.
Soon the chanting completed, and Michael and Cole rose to their feet. "It is done," said the lead Avatar. "You are now Avatars. Are you prepared to serve us?"
Michael looked up at him...and smiled. "I think not." Without warning, he released two HUGE fireballs at the Avatars, killing two of them.
"NO! You cannot use your power against us!" insisted the lead Avatar.
"I guess they really don't know the power of the human soul, do they, Michael?" Cole said as he took out another Avatar with an energy ball.
The Avatars tried desperately to kill Michael and Cole, but they were far too quick for them now. Soon, only the lead Avatar was left and was pinned between Michael and Cole. Cole gestured at Michael, giving him the honor.
"Why thank you, Cole," said Michael. He summoned Excalibur and in one fluid movement decapitated the lead Avatar.
****
Waves of temporal energy passed through the world, reversing the effects of the Avatars reshaping. No one remembered anything that had happened, save Veraline...
...and the Charmed Ones.
****
Michael and Cole sighed in exhaustion. "Killing Avatars really takes it out of you," said Cole with a smirk.
"Yeah," agreed Michael. "What do you say we get out of this crazy joint? I'm really looking forward to seeing Phoebe, to..." Michael cut himself off as he saw the pain in Cole's face. "I'm sorry, Cole. I didn't mean to..."
"It's not that," Cole said sadly. "We can't go back."
"What? What are you talking about?" Michael demanded.
"You can feel it too if you try. I already did," Cole said. "When the Avatars enhanced our powers, they pushed us through a one-way door. As Avatars, we now are bound by the Genesis Accords, and we cannot interfere with that realm in any way, including marrying and being with Phoebe. I'm sorry, Michael, but..."
"No, no, NO!" Michael shouted. He tried to deny it, but the facts were sinking in. "I have to get back to my wife. I can't leave her alone, not after everything I went through to get her back..."
"Michael, I'm sorry, but there is no way we can get back to Earth from here, not as long as the Genesis Accords exist," said Cole.
Michael fell to his knees and allowed the tears to fall down his cheeks. The thought of living forever in a realm without Phoebe, without Tom, without his mother...was a fate worse than death.
"Perhaps the time has come for change," said a new voice.
Michael and Cole whirled around to find themselves face to face with the Guardians. Eight white robed figures stood before them. The lead Guardian, the one who had spoken first said, "We have been observing your exploits for some time. We wish to congratulate you on your victory. You have done a great service to the side of good. As such, you are worthy of a special reward."
"I want to go back," said Michael. "Please. I need to be with my family."
"We understand," said the lead Guardian. Turning he said, "What reward can we give you, Cole Turner?"
"The same," he said, looking at Michael.
"Very well," said the lead Guardian. He looked at the ceiling and spoke in an unknown language. Moments later, a loud, booming voice said, "IT IS DONE."
The lead Guardian looked at Michael and Cole and said, "From this moment on, the group known as the Avatars of Power shall forever be disbanded by order of the God of Creation. Michael Smith, Cole Turner, we wish you luck in the future. You are no longer bound by the Genesis Accords." The Guardians vanished.
Michael looked at Cole and said, "NOW can we get out of here?"
****
"Where are they?" Phoebe asked anxiously. She and her sisters were sitting in the attic. Veraline had come by and filled them in on what had transpired. Michael and Cole going to face the Avatars, all of it was a nightmare, one that Phoebe wished she could wake up from. Phoebe paced for a few seconds, and then said, "They've been gone too long. Maybe we should search for them."
"Even if we could, we'd never find them," Paige said reasonably.
"I know, but we have to do something!" Phoebe snapped.
"Well, maybe we can." Piper began, but then she stopped and looked over Phoebe's shoulder. Phoebe whirled, and barely bit back a scream of delight. Michael and Cole had both materialized at that moment. They looked they'd been through a war, and, in a matter of speaking, they had.
Phoebe rushed forward and practically jumped into Michael's arms. "Phoebe," Michael said lovingly. "Thank God you're alright. I thought I would never see you again."
"Everything's ok now, baby," she said, smiling through her tears.
"Is it?" asked Piper eyeing Cole warily.
"Yes," said Cole, returning Piper's gaze. "The Avatars no longer exist, and time is back to normal."
"I couldn't have done it without you, cuz," said Michael, looking over Phoebe's head. "Thank you."
"Hell, if you hadn't used your power in the first place, I wouldn't be here right now, so thank you," Cole responded.
Phoebe reluctantly disengaged herself from Michael's arms and turned to look at Cole. "Cole, I..." she started.
"It's ok, Phoebe," said Cole. "I've come to accept the fact that things weren't meant to turn out how we thought. I've moved on. Now, thanks to Michael, I have another chance at a normal life, and this time I'm not going to screw it up."
Phoebe smiled. "I hope things work out for you, Cole, and I'm sorry I didn't see the good in you before now. You're welcome to stop in anytime you want to visit."
"I'm sorry, too, Cole," said Piper. "The way we treated you is unforgivable. Despite the fact that we never really accepted you, you always accepted us, with all our faults. Personally, I'd like to know the person you are now."
"So would I," said Paige.
"Thanks, all of you," said Cole. He allowed tears to flow from his deep blue eyes. Turning the last of his gaze to Michael, he said, "See you soon, cousin." Then he faded out.
Michael let out a sigh. "Well, I don't know about anybody else, but I'm beat. I feel like I haven't slept in days."
"Actually, you haven't," said Veraline. "When you move outside of time, your body processes change radically in speed. As a result, several days actually did pass, but only for you."
"I guess that explains it," said Michael. He moved forward and embraced her. "I'll call you, Mom."
"I love you, son," said Veraline, giving her son a proud look before flaming out.
****
Michael allowed Piper and Paige to give him brief welcome back hugs before he and Phoebe left the attic. Once the bedroom door was shut, Phoebe whirled around and kissed Michael passionately. "I thought you were never coming back..." she said in between kisses. She had come so close to losing him, and she was not going to let him go anytime soon.
"I missed you so much," he said as she rained kisses over his face.
"I missed you, too," said Phoebe against his skin. Phoebe allowed Michael to pick her up and gently place her on the bed. Michael got in beside her. "I know you want to, but I am too tired to make love tonight. Would you settle for snuggling with me?"
As Phoebe did so, she said, "I never mind doing that. We belong here, Michael, and nobody is going to take you from me again."
****
"Are you sure we made the right decision, Azar?" asked Zibri, one of the Guardians. "Sending them back, and disbanding the Avatars, will have consequences. Not for us, but for them."
"I know," said Azar, the lead Guardian. "Without the Avatars, evil in the mortal world with strengthen to maintain the balance of power. I believe that Michael and Cole will be able to handle the new threat when it comes." He turned to look at his companion. "Individually, they are the two strongest warriors on our side. Together with the Power of Three, they are practically invincible."
"What if they fail?" Zibri said.
Azar sighed. "Then we all shall be erased."
THE END
Michael woke to the smell of pancake batter.
He smiled. Waking up to Piper's cooking was definitely something he enjoyed about living in the Manor.
He heard the shower running. Phoebe was probably getting herself ready for work at this point, so Michael decided to head down and get some breakfast. He found Piper working busily at the stove. "Good morning," she said cheerfully. "Care for some pancakes?"
"Of course," said Michael, taking a seat at the kitchen table. "Where's Leo?"
"He got summoned just as he was about to sit down," said Piper with a snort. "I'm telling you, the Elders have the worst timing in the world."
"Tell me about it," said Michael. "And how are Mr. Wyatt and my son doing this morning?" He indicated the two happy little boys sitting in their highchairs.
"They seem to be just fine," said Piper as she served Michael some pancakes. Michael quickly ate his breakfast as he had some business to attend to at the office - namely meeting with Cole.
"Thanks a lot, Piper," said Michael as he grabbed his briefcase. "Tell Phoebe I love her."
****
"So, what did the senior partners have to say?" asked Michael pleasantly. He and Cole were sitting in his plush office on the 50th floor of his company's building.
"They bought your story about my absence, so that's a good sign," said Cole, chuckling. "I've already got three new cases to work on, so no slack for this slacker." Cole and Michael laughed warmly at the joke. Then, Cole said more seriously, "When are you planning to tell Phoebe that I'm back?"
"I think that really depends more on you, don't you think?" said Michael.
"No, I don't," said Cole. "After all, it was your spell that even gave me incentive to come back, remember?"
"True," said Michael. "I wonder, though. I still haven't seen any big side effects yet. I mean, the spell affected virtually everything in existence. Shouldn't there be some feedback from that?"
"I'd normally say yes," agreed Cole. "I guess you're just lucky."
"Yeah," said Michael without much assertiveness. Glancing at his watch, he said, "Listen, why don't you come by the Manor tomorrow? We'll both tell them everything."
"I think I could do that," said Cole. He and Michael stood up and shook hands. "See you tomorrow, cuz." Cole faded out.
****
Michael walked into the Manor feeling pretty good about things. Phoebe was happy, Cole was back and doing good, and in general, things seemed right, for once. He just hoped his luck wasn't about to run out.
He spotted Phoebe watching TV on the couch. "Hi, honey," he said, sitting down next to her.
"Hello, husband," she said sweetly, giving him a kiss. "Sorry I missed you this morning."
"That's alright," he said. "As much as I wanted to join you in the shower, I really did have to get to work."
"You mean, as much as you wanted me to join you, right?" she asked.
"Huh?" he said, confused. Just then, Piper walked in the room.
"Hey, you two," she said. "How was work, Michael?"
"A little tiring," he said, "but otherwise fine. By the way, thanks again for the pancakes this morning. They were delicious."
"It was my pleasure," she said, beaming, "especially since all of you guys were able to eat together for once."
Phoebe and Michael looked at her like she was nuts. "Piper, what are you talking about?" asked Michael, confused. "We didn't eat all eat together, remember? I came down first while Phoebe was in the shower, and I left before anybody else came in."
"I thought I did that," interjected Phoebe, "and you were in the shower."
"Mind if I join the conversation?" asked Paige, coming down the stairs.
"Not at all," said Phoebe. "Evidently, we've now got three different recollections for how this morning went."
"That's weird," said Paige. "Well, the way I remember it going was that Piper didn't make breakfast this morning; I had to get some cereal together for myself."
"Make that four," said Michael, rubbing his temples. "Something is seriously wrong here." Suddenly, realization hit him like a shockwave. "Oh, my God..."
"What is it, honey?" asked Phoebe anxiously.
"I guess it finally came back to bite me in the ass," said Michael, shaking his head in disbelief. "I just didn't think the consequences would be this bad."
"Michael, what are you talking about?" asked Phoebe.
"Well, I guess it's time you knew," he said. "Phoebe, I used my power of time manipulation to alter history. The way things went the first time, I did get shot in the park on my birthday. I ended up in a coma for two years, during which the Elders assigned another Whitelighter named John to protect you. However, he spent so much time around you that he became obsessed. He angered me so much that my demonic half actually began to assert itself in the form of Belthazor. He ended up raping you, and I killed him. Nothing I did seemed to help with your recovery, so I used my power to change what happened so that you wouldn't suffer anymore. Now, it looks like we're paying the price for my decision."
Tears streamed down Phoebe's cheeks. "You did that for me?"
"Yeah, I did," said Michael. "But my spell must have done more than it was supposed to do." He paused. "Why don't you guys see if you can find anything in the Book? There must be some way of finding out exactly what's going on."
"What are you going to do?" asked Phoebe.
"I'm going to get some help," said Michael. "Don't worry, I won't be long."
"I love you," she said, kissing him. Then he orbed out.
****
Michael orbed into the penthouse and spotted Cole on the balcony. "Hey, Cole," he said as he came up to him.
"Michael, what's going on?" Cole asked. He could sense that Michael was worried about something.
"You remember how we couldn't find any consequences from that spell?" said Michael. "Well, I found some. The girls each have different memories of how this morning went."
"Sounds like convergent realities to me," suggested Cole.
"What about you? How do you remember this morning?"
"I had the meeting with Jackman, Carter, and Klein, and then I went to see you. That's it," answered Cole.
"That's how I remember this morning too," said Michael. "The question is: why is it happening in the first place?"
"Well, we can't figure that out here," said Cole.
"I guess I'd better take you to the Manor then," said Michael. He orbed out, and Cole faded right behind him.
****
"Piper, Paige, Phoebe!" Michael called out as he and Cole materialized into the Manor's living room. They heard footsteps on the stairwell, but they were unprepared for who came down them.
"PRUE?!" exclaimed Michael and Cole together.
"Cole, what the hell are you doing here?" Prue snarled angrily. "Haven't you hurt us enough already? You'd better take your friend here and leave before Piper gets back."
"Prue, what..." Cole started. He was cut off as Piper entered the room. She was dressed in a full combat outfit, complete with long hunting knives.
"You just couldn't stay away, could you?" said Piper. She gestured at Cole to blow him up, but nothing happened. Fear immediately washed over her. "Why didn't you blow up?"
"Piper, calm down," said Cole. "I'm not here to hurt you."
"Really?" she sneered. "You should've thought of that before you took Phoebe away from us."
"What are you talking about?" said Michael. "Where is she?" Suddenly, Michael sensed a flaming behind him. He turned around...and nearly passed out upon seeing Phoebe materialize into the room.
"Cole, what are you doing here?" she asked anxiously. "They could've killed you."
"Phoebe, what..." Cole started, but Phoebe cut him off.
"It doesn't matter, I'm just glad you're ok, baby," she said as she pulled him into a kiss. For the smallest fraction of a moment, Cole allowed himself to enjoy what was happening. It seemed an eternity since the last time he'd been this close to her, and he almost didn't want it to slip away.
Suddenly, Cole's rational self kicked back into gear and he broke off the kiss. "Um...Michael, this isn't...I mean, whoa, this is weird."
It was then that Phoebe noticed Michael. "What - how did you get here?"
"Damned if I know," said Michael in annoyance. "I am now officially freaked out. How about you, Cole?"
"I'm getting there," said Cole, stepping away from Phoebe.
Michael looked up at the ceiling. "I guess you'll have to spell it out for me...WHY IS THIS HAPPENING?"
"They won't be able to answer that, but I can," said a new voice.
Michael spun around just in time to see Veraline flame into the room. "Mom, what are you doing here?"
Phoebe's eyes bugged out of her head at that statement. She tried to speak, but the shock was too great and she fainted. Michael was about to run to her side, but Veraline stopped him. "We need to talk, Michael, and by 'we', I am including Cole. Follow me," she said. Veraline flamed out, and Michael orbed and Cole faded after her.
****
The three materialized in the living room of the Smith Estate. "Ok, Mom, you've got my attention," said Michael anxiously. They sat down on the couches.
"First of all, what I'm about to tell you must be held in confidence between the three of us for now. I'll tell Phoebe and the others when the time is right."
Cole and Michael nodded nervously.
"Your mother and I were more than just descendents of the first Source, Cole," said Veraline. "We were Avatars."
"What..." said Cole and Michael in shock.
"Our mission was to breed the two most powerful Avatars ever. Cole, your mother never faltered from her original plan. She seduced your father, married him, and had you. That you already know. What you don't know is that your father, like my husband, was a witch. However, before your mother was able to take you away, your father cast a spell to strip your witch powers. That was the last thing he did before your mother killed him."
Tears trickled down Cole's cheeks as he heard this story.
"Because half your powers were gone, the Avatars decided to abandon their hopes on you at that time and focus on Michael. However, they hadn't been counting on the fact that I fell in love with Thomas. You see, Michael, you aren't just part Source, you're part Avatar. Where else do you think the time manipulation power came from?"
'It all makes sense now, at least about where the power came from,' thought Michael. Then he said, "So I'm part Avatar. What does that have to do with why this is happening?"
"The Avatars are at work. They are shaping this world in the image they see fit."
"Why now?" asked Cole. "Why didn't they do it before?"
"Michael's spell allowed them to begin," said Veraline gravely.
"WHAT!" Michael exclaimed.
"That's ridiculous," said Cole. "Why should his spell make the difference?"
"Because of the Genesis Accords," said Veraline. "You're familiar with them, aren't you, Cole?"
"I thought they were just legends," said Cole.
"They were real," said Veraline. As she caught sight of Michael's face, she said, "But you don't know this story, son." She sighed and then began again. "Outside of Time are two very powerful groups of beings. The Avatars are the first group, and despite their claims, they are evil, although the do not associate themselves with demons except to recruit them for their own purposes. The other group is known as the Guardians. They are beings of Light, on the side of good. They are more passive than the Elders; they prefer to let witches and other warriors of good battle on their own - and for good reason.
"At the beginning of time, the Avatars were determined to shape the universe as they saw fit. They wanted absolute power, and they were determined to get it. However, the Guardians objected to this, saying that no one had a right to intervene in the affairs of the mortal world. In the end, God intervened. Both sides were brought to the negotiating table, and the Genesis Accords were drawn out. The fundamental guideline in the Accords is that neither side may openly attack the other unless there is intervention in the mortal world, and the main item under that is alteration of time itself. The Guardians had no wish for violence, and so the Accords were sealed, and the Avatars were bound against interference. That is, until now."
"Oh, God..." said Michael as the full realization hit him. "I'm neither Avatar nor Guardian, and I manipulated time. I gave the Avatars the loophole to start reshaping reality to their own design."
Veraline nodded sadly. "No other being before you had the power to alter time the way you did without already being a full Avatar."
"What about what I did?" Cole asked, referring to the events leading up to his last vanquish.
"The Avatars knew what you would do once you had the power, Cole," said Veraline. "My guess is that the initiation was faked, and that they only gave you that one power to show you that you could not have your way in the mortal world unless it was for their purposes."
"Those bastards," Cole cursed angrily. "I got myself vanquished because of them."
"Well, I'll be damned if I'm going to let them take Phoebe away from me," said Michael, standing up. "How do we stop them, Mom?"
"You have to kill them all," she said coldly. "If even one of them lives, their power will continue to exist. Do whatever it takes, but destroy every last one of them."
"How do we reverse the damage they've done?" asked Cole.
"There is only one way," she said. "You must become Avatars. Then and only then will you be strong enough to take them out and reverse their power."
"They'll do it," said Michael confidently. "The two of us handing ourselves over to them will be too enticing to resist."
"How do we call for them?" asked Cole.
"Since I was once among their ranks, I can do it," said Veraline. Before starting though, she hugged Michael tightly. "You come back safe to me, you hear?"
"I will, Mom," Michael promised.
Veraline closed her eyes and concentrated. Moments later, two black robed figures materialized.
"Greetings, Cole and Michael," said the lead Avatar. "What can we do for you...or more accurately, what can you do for us?"
"We wish to join your ranks," said Michael.
"Really?" said the second Avatar. "Why should we accept you?"
"Because we have nothing left to hold us here," said Cole. "You've altered things to the point where we have no choice."
"Very well," said the lead Avatar, "we accept. Your power shall join ours for the cause of the Avatars." He gestured, and suddenly Cole and Michael found themselves in a dimly lit chamber. Eight Avatars surrounded them in a ceremonial circle.
"Brothers," said the lead Avatar, "here are two more who have given themselves to us, the Avatars of Power. They shall serve our cause, and in doing so increase our power to an even greater level." He turned to Michael and Cole. "By the way, in case you had any thoughts about betraying us once you have your new powers, you can't. The powers make you loyal only to us and erase all mortal bonds. But you didn't know that did you, Cole?"
Cole stiffened. His jaw was set at a hard edge.
"Of course we knew that once you had the power, you would try to make your precious witch come back to you. We had to show you that it was futile. Our powers can only be used for our purposes, and nothing else. Oh, and Michael, you should know that we manipulated Phoebe's dreams so that you had no choice but to manipulate time to save her. You probably would have succeeded in saving her if it wasn't for us." Turning back to the other Avatars and ignoring Michael's glare, he said, "Begin the initiation." Two Avatars stepped forward and began to chant.
As the chanting progressed, Michael and Cole filled their minds with one thought each.
Michael thought of how much he longed for Phoebe, how much he loved her.
Cole thought of how he wanted to pound each Avatar to dust.
Soon the chanting completed, and Michael and Cole rose to their feet. "It is done," said the lead Avatar. "You are now Avatars. Are you prepared to serve us?"
Michael looked up at him...and smiled. "I think not." Without warning, he released two HUGE fireballs at the Avatars, killing two of them.
"NO! You cannot use your power against us!" insisted the lead Avatar.
"I guess they really don't know the power of the human soul, do they, Michael?" Cole said as he took out another Avatar with an energy ball.
The Avatars tried desperately to kill Michael and Cole, but they were far too quick for them now. Soon, only the lead Avatar was left and was pinned between Michael and Cole. Cole gestured at Michael, giving him the honor.
"Why thank you, Cole," said Michael. He summoned Excalibur and in one fluid movement decapitated the lead Avatar.
****
Waves of temporal energy passed through the world, reversing the effects of the Avatars reshaping. No one remembered anything that had happened, save Veraline...
...and the Charmed Ones.
****
Michael and Cole sighed in exhaustion. "Killing Avatars really takes it out of you," said Cole with a smirk.
"Yeah," agreed Michael. "What do you say we get out of this crazy joint? I'm really looking forward to seeing Phoebe, to..." Michael cut himself off as he saw the pain in Cole's face. "I'm sorry, Cole. I didn't mean to..."
"It's not that," Cole said sadly. "We can't go back."
"What? What are you talking about?" Michael demanded.
"You can feel it too if you try. I already did," Cole said. "When the Avatars enhanced our powers, they pushed us through a one-way door. As Avatars, we now are bound by the Genesis Accords, and we cannot interfere with that realm in any way, including marrying and being with Phoebe. I'm sorry, Michael, but..."
"No, no, NO!" Michael shouted. He tried to deny it, but the facts were sinking in. "I have to get back to my wife. I can't leave her alone, not after everything I went through to get her back..."
"Michael, I'm sorry, but there is no way we can get back to Earth from here, not as long as the Genesis Accords exist," said Cole.
Michael fell to his knees and allowed the tears to fall down his cheeks. The thought of living forever in a realm without Phoebe, without Tom, without his mother...was a fate worse than death.
"Perhaps the time has come for change," said a new voice.
Michael and Cole whirled around to find themselves face to face with the Guardians. Eight white robed figures stood before them. The lead Guardian, the one who had spoken first said, "We have been observing your exploits for some time. We wish to congratulate you on your victory. You have done a great service to the side of good. As such, you are worthy of a special reward."
"I want to go back," said Michael. "Please. I need to be with my family."
"We understand," said the lead Guardian. Turning he said, "What reward can we give you, Cole Turner?"
"The same," he said, looking at Michael.
"Very well," said the lead Guardian. He looked at the ceiling and spoke in an unknown language. Moments later, a loud, booming voice said, "IT IS DONE."
The lead Guardian looked at Michael and Cole and said, "From this moment on, the group known as the Avatars of Power shall forever be disbanded by order of the God of Creation. Michael Smith, Cole Turner, we wish you luck in the future. You are no longer bound by the Genesis Accords." The Guardians vanished.
Michael looked at Cole and said, "NOW can we get out of here?"
****
"Where are they?" Phoebe asked anxiously. She and her sisters were sitting in the attic. Veraline had come by and filled them in on what had transpired. Michael and Cole going to face the Avatars, all of it was a nightmare, one that Phoebe wished she could wake up from. Phoebe paced for a few seconds, and then said, "They've been gone too long. Maybe we should search for them."
"Even if we could, we'd never find them," Paige said reasonably.
"I know, but we have to do something!" Phoebe snapped.
"Well, maybe we can." Piper began, but then she stopped and looked over Phoebe's shoulder. Phoebe whirled, and barely bit back a scream of delight. Michael and Cole had both materialized at that moment. They looked they'd been through a war, and, in a matter of speaking, they had.
Phoebe rushed forward and practically jumped into Michael's arms. "Phoebe," Michael said lovingly. "Thank God you're alright. I thought I would never see you again."
"Everything's ok now, baby," she said, smiling through her tears.
"Is it?" asked Piper eyeing Cole warily.
"Yes," said Cole, returning Piper's gaze. "The Avatars no longer exist, and time is back to normal."
"I couldn't have done it without you, cuz," said Michael, looking over Phoebe's head. "Thank you."
"Hell, if you hadn't used your power in the first place, I wouldn't be here right now, so thank you," Cole responded.
Phoebe reluctantly disengaged herself from Michael's arms and turned to look at Cole. "Cole, I..." she started.
"It's ok, Phoebe," said Cole. "I've come to accept the fact that things weren't meant to turn out how we thought. I've moved on. Now, thanks to Michael, I have another chance at a normal life, and this time I'm not going to screw it up."
Phoebe smiled. "I hope things work out for you, Cole, and I'm sorry I didn't see the good in you before now. You're welcome to stop in anytime you want to visit."
"I'm sorry, too, Cole," said Piper. "The way we treated you is unforgivable. Despite the fact that we never really accepted you, you always accepted us, with all our faults. Personally, I'd like to know the person you are now."
"So would I," said Paige.
"Thanks, all of you," said Cole. He allowed tears to flow from his deep blue eyes. Turning the last of his gaze to Michael, he said, "See you soon, cousin." Then he faded out.
Michael let out a sigh. "Well, I don't know about anybody else, but I'm beat. I feel like I haven't slept in days."
"Actually, you haven't," said Veraline. "When you move outside of time, your body processes change radically in speed. As a result, several days actually did pass, but only for you."
"I guess that explains it," said Michael. He moved forward and embraced her. "I'll call you, Mom."
"I love you, son," said Veraline, giving her son a proud look before flaming out.
****
Michael allowed Piper and Paige to give him brief welcome back hugs before he and Phoebe left the attic. Once the bedroom door was shut, Phoebe whirled around and kissed Michael passionately. "I thought you were never coming back..." she said in between kisses. She had come so close to losing him, and she was not going to let him go anytime soon.
"I missed you so much," he said as she rained kisses over his face.
"I missed you, too," said Phoebe against his skin. Phoebe allowed Michael to pick her up and gently place her on the bed. Michael got in beside her. "I know you want to, but I am too tired to make love tonight. Would you settle for snuggling with me?"
As Phoebe did so, she said, "I never mind doing that. We belong here, Michael, and nobody is going to take you from me again."
****
"Are you sure we made the right decision, Azar?" asked Zibri, one of the Guardians. "Sending them back, and disbanding the Avatars, will have consequences. Not for us, but for them."
"I know," said Azar, the lead Guardian. "Without the Avatars, evil in the mortal world with strengthen to maintain the balance of power. I believe that Michael and Cole will be able to handle the new threat when it comes." He turned to look at his companion. "Individually, they are the two strongest warriors on our side. Together with the Power of Three, they are practically invincible."
"What if they fail?" Zibri said.
Azar sighed. "Then we all shall be erased."
THE END