Chapter Twenty-One
Cole reluctantly pushed Phoebe back slightly and gently wiped away her tears with his thumbs as he lightly pressed his palms to her cheeks. "Don't you ever scare me like that again," he warned her. She sniffled but smiled at him and placed her hands on his. "Come on," he told her with a smile of his own, "let's get you down from there." He helped her shift position so that her legs hung over the edge of the altar. Cole bent forward and, as he kissed her belly, he felt her fingers weave through his hair. He looked up at her when she tugged on the ends. He grinned back and kissed her belly again before he straightened. "Arms around my neck," he instructed before he lifted her off the altar. He carefully set her down on her feet and then put his hand to her abdomen and rubbed it affectionately. "You okay in there, Junior?" Phoebe jabbed him in the ribs with her elbow and he laughed as he hugged her again tightly. "I love you," he seriously told her.
"And I love you, too," Piper echoed as she ran to the other side of the altar and pulled Phoebe from Cole's embrace into hers.
"Me too," Paige squealed as she ran over to her sisters and formed a group hug.
After a moment of crying in her sisters' arms, Phoebe piped up, "Guys, you don't watch out, you'll squeeze this baby right out of me." Her sisters laughed and pulled away, though Piper was a bit slower to do so. Phoebe caressed her older sister's cheek and said, "I love you, Piper."
Piper took Phoebe's hand and held it in her own. She gave it a gentle squeeze and then announced, "Okay, Paige, you take Phoebe down to her room while the rest of us deal with clean-up detail."
Phoebe shook her head, "As long as it doesn't involve heavy lifting, I can help."
"Absolutely not," Cole argued as he turned Phoebe to the door.
"Cole, stop," she ordered as she stood firmly in place. "I'm not going anywhere."
"Phoebe, you need to gather your strength and rest," Piper firmly told her.
"For what?" Phoebe complained.
Piper rolled her eyes in disbelief, "Phoebe, you're about to have a baby. You're going to need every ounce of strength. Take it from me, you need to take advantage of this down-time."
Phoebe laughed as she assured her sister, "I'm not having this baby now."
"Honey," Piper patiently said as she took her sister's arm and patted it, "you are. You're having this baby tonight."
"All I had were a few contractions in a few hours," Phoebe shook her head. "That doesn't mean I'm in labor."
"You started having them this morning," Cole reminded her.
"Late morning," she corrected. "I didn't have the first one until well after you came back from the airport."
"And after that, they were intense and close together," he pressed.
"I'm telling you, I'm not in labor," Phoebe stamped her foot in growing frustration. "I haven't even had a contraction since I stabbed…since I…" Her voice trailed off and she started trembling. Cole instantly pulled her into his arms and she gasped for breath as the memories flooded back. "He…he…Oh, God, make it go away…"
"It's over," he assured her as he held her tightly. "It's all over, Phoebe. He'll never hurt you again."
"He c-c-cut me," she stuttered, "and then, the…the…the sword. I thought I was going to die…God, the pain…was so…so…"
Piper reached for Paige's hand and squeezed it as she watched Phoebe shake in Cole's arms. "You were so brave, Phoebe," she said. "You fought him and even in agony you still managed to say the spell to vanquish him."
"I was so scared," Phoebe whispered, "and the demoness…she…Cole, she was in-in-inside me and…" Phoebe couldn't continue and broke off in fresh sobs.
Piper led Paige to the pair and they hugged Phoebe from behind. "You're not alone," Piper told her sister as she rested her head against the back of Phoebe's shoulder. "We'll all help you through this," she promised.
Phoebe nodded and Cole indicated to her sisters to step back. Once they did, he slowly pulled away from Phoebe. He wiped away her tears and kissed her on her forehead. "Go downstairs," he quietly suggested, "and lie down."
Phoebe shook her head, "I want to stay here." Her lower lip quivered as she gazed at him. "Please?" she asked in a tiny voice.
Cole waved his hand before the altar and transformed it into a plush chaise lounge. "Lie down and you can stay," he offered in compromise.
"Nice…" Paige commented with approval. "Better than that old lumpy sofa we had." She turned to Piper, "Maybe we should have him do the attic instead of us getting all that junk back."
"I like that old junk," Piper insisted. She turned to Sam, "Could you get Dad and Melinda?" She looked at her watch and added, "If she's having a bottle now, could you wait 'til she's done? As much as I want to see her, I don't want to throw her off-schedule or she'll be a basket case all night."
"No problem," Sam answered with a pleasant smile, "she's a beautiful baby. Just like her mother…and just like her grandmother."
"Sam?" Phoebe called out. "Thank you," she quietly said. "For taking care of them. For saving Leo. Saving Cole…saving me."
"Like my daughter said, one good turn…" he smiled. "Seriously," he added, "for saving me at least twice before and turning my life around, it was the least I could do. Besides, I did it for Patty too." And he orbed out of the attic before things got any more awkward.
"Okay, how do we start on getting it all back?" Paige said as she looked around. "And what do we do about him?" she added as she pointed to Luron's body.
"We should've asked Sam to at least bring us back the Book of Shadows," Phoebe nearly whined. "Leo, can you get it?"
"Book!" Piper exclaimed. "The Grimoire! I almost forgot about it."
"The Grimoire?" Leo asked. "That's impossible. No one knew where it was hidden." He looked at the book that Piper pointed to and then he immediately stared at Cole.
Cole glared at him indignantly, "I had nothing to do with it."
"I'd better check it out," Leo decided when he suddenly noticed a strange look on Phoebe's face. "Phoebe?"
The others immediately turned to her and she looked back at Cole and, in a dazed tone, announced, "I think my water broke."
"It's okay, sweetie," Piper assured her. "It's supposed to happen. It's one more sign that you're closer to delivery."
"But I'm not in labor," Phoebe panicked as she stepped back.
"You are," Cole calmly insisted. "We've all been telling you."
"But," Phoebe nervously considered, "but even if they were real contractions, Leo and Sam healed me and I haven't had any since…"
Leo shook his head and gently informed her, "Labor's a natural condition, Phoebe, and I can't heal it or stop it. You just went through a traumatic experience and that could be why you haven't had contractions for a bit but, if you were in labor before, you're still in labor now."
"No," she gasped as she reached for Cole, "I can't be. I'm three weeks early. I'm, I'm not ready. Cole, we don't have anything ready for him. The furniture won't even be here 'til next week. This can't be happening." Suddenly, she had a contraction and she doubled over.
Cole quickly supported her as her legs trembled. "Breathe through it," he instructed as he braced her.
"Start timing them," Piper told him.
He nodded and took a quick look at his watch. When the contraction had passed, he told Phoebe, "Let Paige orb you to your room. Get changed into something else and call Ava." Phoebe nervously looked back at him and he kissed her tenderly on her forehead, "Piper and I will take care of the Grimoire and we'll be right there. I promise."
"We're having a baby," she whispered in a scared voice.
"Yes, we are," he smiled. He rubbed her belly and gave her a quick kiss on her lips. "Go," he gently ordered.
"C'mon, sweetie," Paige said as she put her arm around her sister, "let's find you something dry and comfy." With an assuring nod to Cole, she orbed them out of the room.
"All right, Leo," Cole ordered, "check out your hiding spot while Piper and I destroy this Grimoire."
Leo grabbed Cole's arm, "You think this is a different one, don't you?"
Cole nodded, "There was a note in one of the scrolls I searched through months ago. About a thousand years ago, the Grimoire was copied and hidden away by a trio of demons bent for control of the Underworld." Piper gasped in surprise and he continued, "Obviously they didn't succeed. And now, after being hidden away for a thousand years, I doubt anyone will even realize it's gone once we destroy it."
As soon as Leo orbed out, Piper asked, "And just how will we do that? We can't touch the Grimoire and --"
"Thank you," Cole interrupted in amazement.
"You're not evil," Piper softly admitted, "I know that now. But…it also doesn't mean I'm completely enamored with you either."
Cole smiled, "There's only one Halliwell I want enamored with me."
"I'm serious," she told him as she tried not to smile. "Cole, I watched you suffer today and I'm so grateful you saved us. I mean, you practically died saving us but --"
"But it doesn't balance out the fact that I still put all of you through hell or that I killed an innocent all those months ago," he finished as he averted his eyes.
"It helps," she shook her head as she touched his arm. "It really does, Cole. But there's still so much to make up for. So much trust we still have to rebuild. Things were okay while we were in danger but now that the danger's passed…"
"I know," he confessed, "I'm a little nervous myself. I guess we'll still have to take it one step at a time."
"One step at a time," she agreed. "So, how do we destroy the Grimoire when our magic is no good against it?"
"Ours isn't, but, his is," Cole indicated to Luron's body.
"He's dead, Cole, remember?" Piper commented. She suddenly gasped, "You're not suggesting we use the Grimoire to bring him back to life?"
"Of course not," he retorted. "What I meant is that he's only been dead for a short while. The aura of magic still surrounds him," Cole explained as Leo orbed back into the room. "The Grimoire will still recognize his evil magic and if we can get it to Luron and destroy him, we just may end up destroying it too."
"You're right," Leo confirmed as he orbed back into the attic. "This is a copy of the original Grimoire which is still safely hidden away."
"Can you guys hurry it up?" Paige's voice called from the floor below. "We're having contractions down here."
"Let's do it," Cole tensed. "Leo, stand him up," Cole requested as he pointed to Luron's body, "and then stretch out his arms. Piper, freeze Luron in place." When they did as they were told, Cole carefully approached the Grimoire's stand and lifted it from the pedestal. The Grimoire remained in place and Cole, very slowly, walked over to Luron's body. With help from Leo, he slowly tilted the stand so that the Grimoire slid onto Luron's open arms. "Piper, make sure that freeze holds," he caution as he slowly stepped away. Without a second thought, he waved his hand and caused the stand to disappear. "Okay, stand back," he told them. As soon as they did, Cole sent a large energy ball to Luron's body and watched as it exploded and charred the body and the book. But Luron's body still stood so he quickly ordered Piper, "Blow them up." As she waved her hands, Cole sent another energy ball at the body.
"It's breaking apart," Leo commented.
"Keep it up," Cole encouraged her as he sent another energy ball loose.
"It's working," Leo urged them.
Piper's and Cole's combined powers succeeded as the Grimoire and Luron suddenly exploded in tiny black pieces before they dispersed in the air.
"Not bad," Piper observed as she brushed her hands together. "Not bad at all."
"It was the teamwork," Cole smugly commented.
"Don't push it, Turner," she muttered before she gave him a smile.
Cole grinned in return, "We'd better get dow--"
"Piper! Cole!" Paige shouted. "Get down here now!"
The trio quickly disappeared from the attic and appeared in Phoebe's bedroom. "What's wrong?" Piper asked.
"Where's Phoebe?" Cole questioned as he looked around the room.
"She's gone!" Paige answered in a rush. "A demon's taken her!"
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