CHAPTER 3: Identities Revealed
As the last demon exploded, Piper looked around, "Alright, who's next!"
"Everyone's dead...we win," Paige explained.
"Did anyone else think this was rather strange?" Phoebe wondered.
"I smell a rat, and we walked into a trap." Piper snapped.
"Well, let's see, who's the only other person who knew where we were going?" Paige drawled.
"Chris..." Phoebe snarled.
"Oh no! I left him alone with Wyatt," Piper shouted. She grabbed Paige and said, "Orb us back, NOW!"
As the scene faded and they reappeared in the Manor, Piper headed straight for Wyatt's room. "Now remember, ask first, then we kick his ass. If he makes a move, show no..." Piper began, but trailed off as the sisters saw who was inside the room.
"Oh my god," Phoebe stated as she stared at Cole.
****
"We need to strike now," said Nevaros, one of the Underworld faction leaders.
"I agree," said Baranas. "Good must have been severely weakened from these latest battles with the Titans. This may be our last chance to strike."
"I disagree," said Gayneth, shaking his head. "The Charmed Ones are still a major threat to us. Our strongest demons have proven no match for them, and as goddesses, they swatted the Titans like flies. We cannot attack them without a strong center of power."
"Perhaps I can help," said a new voice. The three faction leaders turned to see a cloaked figure flame into the room.
"Who are you?" asked Nevaros, a slight tinge of fear in his voice.
The figure pulled back his hood, revealing Chris. A sneer crossed his face as he stated coldly, "I am the next Source, your new Master," he said in a cold voice.
"Impossible," said Gayneth. "The Grimoire was lost when the..." Gayneth cut himself short as Chris formed a Source-style fireball with one hand and slammed the Grimoire on the table with the other.
"Prepare the Coronation Chamber," Chris commanded. "NOW!"
****
"Cole," Piper snapped, and gestured. Cole exploded in a swirl of blue orbs, and reformed right in front of them.
"Piper, I..." BOOM! "I really need..." BOOM! "Please, you need..." BOOM! "STOP BLOWING ME UP!"
As Piper started to gesture again, Paige grabbed her arms and said, "We need a new strategy."
"Cole, I don't know how you survived the last time, but you need to get out of here, RIGHT NOW!" Phoebe snapped coldly.
Cole gazed into her eyes, seeing the rage and hatred, and wondered again if Leo had lied to him. "How I got back here is not important. I've been watching you for some time, and there's something about Chris..."
"HOLD ON!" Paige shouted. "Go back a second. You've been watching us? You evil son of a bitch, how dare you? Who asked you to come back, much less spy on us?"
"I did," Leo stated as he appeared.
As the sisters stared at Leo in shock, he turned to Cole and said, "What did you find out?"
"Chris wanted the Grimoire, and he has demon in him," Cole stated shortly.
Leo was about to respond when he exploded. When he reformed, he turned to see an irate Piper glaring at him. "Don't you dare ignore me! What were you thinking, having this demon watch us?"
"Honey, I had no choice, Cole was the perfect..." Leo began.
"DID I SAY YOU COULD SPEAK YET?" Piper shouted, and Leo shut up. "Much better...I'm still pissed at you for leaving me, much less for sending him here. Both of which we'll discuss, AT LENGTH, later, after we get through this. Right now, come give me a kiss."
As Leo sheepishly obeyed, Phoebe stared at Cole. There was something different about him, something she couldn't quite place. His eyes had lost that demented look, and had been replaced by a look of peace she'd never seen before. She looked at him for several more moments before asking, "Cole, what happened to you?"
Cole sighed, and said, "I'm back to how I was when you first met me, a half-demon, except without a demon form. Only now I also have some Whitelighter in me, thanks to your overbearing brother-in-law. But that's not important. Stopping Chris is. With the Grimoire at his disposal, he can become the next Source, making him even more powerful."
Leo stopped kissing Piper and added, "That may be why he came back, to assume the throne of the Source and rule all of Evil."
Cole shook his head, and said, "No, he seemed more focused than that. I get the feeling all of it is merely a means to an end of some sort, but what the end is, I honestly don't know."
****
"What's taking so long?" Chris demanded from his new throne.
"Master, forgive me, but it will take some time to set up the ceremony," the demon begged.
Chris raised his eyebrow and asked in a soft voice, "Why?"
The demon swallowed, and explained, "Most of the Dark Priests were destroyed from the last ceremony, and it is taking time to find one. The sacrifices must be readied, and the demon factions must be brought together."
"How long will it take to prepare?" Chris wondered sharply.
The demon looked down at the floor, and whispered, "At least four days."
Chris stood up and glared at the demon, "You have two days. If everything isn't ready, you will spend weeks begging for forgiveness as I slowly tear you apart."
The demon fell to his knees and stated, "As you command Master. Everything will be in order. May I have your permission to depart?" When Chris nodded, the demon shimmered from his kneeling position.
Chris paced for several moments, and then he stopped. "Two days, eh? Maybe I need to alter my plans slightly."
****
"Where could he hold the ceremony?" Paige demanded.
Cole sighed, and replied, "From the Source's memories, I can think of at least a dozen suitable sites, all of them heavily guarded and hard to reach. Assuming he isn't being crowned as we speak, we could go to them one by one and check them out."
"No, that won't work. Chris would see that coming and lead us into a trap." Leo interjected. "Our best bet is to figure out a way to get the Grimoire back."
"That's going to be easier said than done when we don't have a clue where it is," Piper pointed out.
"Our other problem is that Chris can orb, meaning he can transport an army up into Heaven and decimate the Elders," Phoebe mentioned.
"I think our next move should be..." Cole began. Suddenly, he stopped, and his face took on a look of surprise and shock. He then faded.
"Where the hell did he go?" Piper snapped.
"I don't know," Leo mentioned, "but that didn't look like a voluntary shimmer. And since I can't sense him, I'd guess he's in the Underworld somewhere."
****
When Cole could see again, he found himself in a small chamber, poorly lit and deep underground. Cole tried to shimmer out, but he found himself blocked. "Don't waste your time, I've shielded this room to keep you in until I'm done," a new voice said in amusement. Cole looked around to see Chris walk out of the shadows.
"Done with what?" Cole demanded while subtly adopting a more defensive pose.
Chris smiled, and remarked, "Just to talk with you Cole, nothing else."
"I wasn't aware we had anything to talk about," Cole mentioned pointedly.
"You'd be surprised what we have to discuss," Chris replied. "For starters, why are you helping them?"
"I don't see how that's any of your business," Cole pointed out.
Chris ignored his response as he continued, "They never treated you well, they even killed you two times, they consider you nothing but a demon...and yet you still defend and help them."
"Both of those times I'd fallen to evil," Cole said defensively, but Chris words were ripping the scabs off of old wounds.
"I'd say shoved, kicked, and dragged to evil would be a better description," Chris countered. "The first time, it wasn't your fault, the Source owned your body, and you couldn't defend against him. But the second time? I am perhaps one of the few people who know just what you went through to get back, since I made it a point to find out. All that pain, all that torment, and she rejected you? Drove you away and refused to give you any support? You were a man who had climbed a cliff, only to have someone step on your hands near the top. Must have been frustrating, to be rejected, dismissed, ignored? Never given a chance to explain, to prove to her just how you felt? Did she accept your proof, your constant demon slayings, the good deeds you did with your powers? No, she chose to focus on your one falter."
"I killed a man," Cole stated weakly, trying to keep his emotions in check.
Chris laughed, and said, "I'd hardly call a slumlord that purposely tries to drive out innocent people a man, but so be it. Even so, you did it to clean up HER mess, the disaster SHE and her sisters created. Did they thank you, or just drive you away? And then there was Barbas..."
"Stop, please," Cole asked.
Chris's face took on a sad look as he added, "I'm just trying to show you the stupidity of your actions Cole. Barbas took your powers, and you were free. Did she love you then, accept you then? You took back your powers for HER, to save HER. Did she understand your sacrifice, become more forgiving and nicer to you? No, she drew away even farther, for you were a 'disgusting demon' again. Besides, she had a new boy-toy to use and abuse, didn't she?"
"SHUT UP!" Cole shouted.
"How long was it before she spread her legs for the first man to walk by? A week, a month? You remained faithful, while she shacked up with some guy off the streets. And let's not even mention what she's done since you died...since she killed you. Jason Dean, some young punk who managed to sweet talk her into giving him some, and then left when it was convenient. Do you think your love thought of you when Jason was fucking her like the bitch she is?"
With an inarticulate cry of fury, Cole dove at him. He got about a foot from Chris before he hit a barrier and went down hard. Cole got up and fired an energy ball, which exploded harmlessly. Chris looked into Cole's eyes, and said, "Feel better, now that you've tried to kill the messenger of truth?"
"No, you're twisting things, changing it, making it sound..." Cole began.
"LIKE THE WAY IT IS!" Chris interrupted. "All I'm doing is telling you how it is seen by others, others who aren't blinded by love or fear or pity. Cole, she used you, and tossed you aside when it fit her. She is nothing but a manipulative bitch, so why defend her?"
Cole went down on his knees as he tried to keep from crying. Chris's words were like knives, slicing into his soul and doing more damage than he thought possible. "Why are you doing this?" Cole finally asked.
Chris kneeled down, and gently placed a hand on his shoulder, "I'm doing this because you and I share a bond, an invisible bond that links and binds us, and a bond that is paramount in my life, and should be in yours."
"And what bond is that?" Cole wondered as he stared into Chris's eyes.
Chris said nothing for several moments, before saying quietly, "The bond of father and son."
****
"We have to go after him," Leo stated firmly.
The sisters stared at Leo for a second before Piper blurted out, "You must be joking...this is COLE we're talking about here."
"Anything that can summon him against his will must be powerful," Leo argued, "and besides, Cole is good now."
"We've heard that before, doesn't mean it's true," Paige countered.
"Do you doubt me? You never did before," Leo observed.
"No, Leo, we don't doubt you, but come on! This is Cole, who's fooled us more times than I can count. For all we know, he and Chris arranged this to trick you into bringing him back. Or maybe Cole rigged this scene to make us think he's still good," Piper pointed out reasonably.
"We're going after him," Phoebe interjected. As her sisters turned to look at her, Phoebe finished, "If he's good, then he's in trouble. If he's evil, then we'll vanquish him. Either way, we need to go, NOW!"
Piper and Paige looked at her for a moment, and then said, "Alright, let's go."
As the other two went to grab a few useful potions, Leo grabbed Phoebe's arm. "Do you believe he's evil now?"
Phoebe looked into his eyes, and slowly shook her head as she said, "No, Leo, for the first time in a very long time, I don't think Cole is evil."
****
"What the hell are you talking about?" Cole gasped in shock.
As Cole backed away, Chris looked at him and replied, "I'm your son, Father. My name is Christopher Coleridge Turner, and I am the son you never met."
"That's...no, Phoebe's not..." Cole began as his mind tried to sort this out. He wanted desperately to deny it, to cast Chris down for the liar he has to be, but something deep within him stopped Cole. Something deep inside screamed the truth, that Chris wasn't lying.
Chris smiled, recognizing the struggle within, and finished, "But she was, and I am the result of her pregnancy. I am the son the Seer stole, the son MY MOTHER killed...or so she thinks."
Cole looked deep into the Whitelighter's...no, his SON'S eyes, and finally asked, "How?"
Chris turned away, and slowly began to speak, "I don't honestly know...I remember my mother...and the hate...then fire and pain...and then nothingness. Slowly, I began to remember, and began to feel. Slowly, I became myself again. I was in another dimension, a dimension as different from this one as night is from day. It was dark, and cold, and it wasn't friendly. But I survived. Day by day, year by year, I grew and worked to get home. Finally, I returned to this realm, only to find it utterly devastated."
"The Titans?" Cole surmised, and Chris nodded.
"Yes, those damn Titans had destroyed most of the world, and ruled this realm with an iron fist. I knew that I couldn't face them, and I also knew that no one alive could either. I found the remaining forces of good, led by that weak-willed fool Leo, trying to fight a losing battle. I pretended to join their side, fighting for my chance to get what I wanted. And finally, it came. When it was decided that someone must go back in time and alter history, I used every 'persuasion' power I had, powers your blood gave me, and was chosen. They gave me Whitelighter powers, and they sent me back. I promised to stop the Titans, but I knew there was a greater opportunity for me."
"What opportunity was that?" Cole questioned.
Chris turned and stared directly into Cole's eyes, and Cole was caught by the sheer force of Chris's presence. "Phoebe Halliwell, your lover and my mother, is true evil. She killed me out of fear, and utterly destroyed you. I know it happened, and I used my powers to find out just what she'd done to you."
Cole swallowed against a lump in his throat, and remarked, "That's not exactly...that is..."
"Don't bother; I saw the events as they unfolded. Father, she used every feminine wile and seductive charm to draw you in, so she could watch you squirm," Chris stated firmly, "and I cannot allow that to stand. No one else must suffer the same fate, you must be protected."
"What are you going to do?" Cole asked, fear rising in his soul.
"Originally, I was going to use the Grimoire to bring you back, to help offset the massive wrongs she has done. Luckily, Leo's actions saved me the trouble, and gave you even more power," Chris began.
"Phoebe...what are you planning on doing to Phoebe?" Cole interrupted.
"Kill her of course," Chris said in surprise. As Cole stared in shock, Chris went on, "I was tempted to spare her sisters, but they share a burden of the guilt, and so must share the punishment. I'm going to kill them, as they killed you. And as they spend the rest of eternity burning in hell, as you did, they will come to understand their own nature. Rather fitting, don't you think, Father?"
Cole tried to speak, but no words would come out. It was just too unbelievable. His son wanted to kill his soulmate. Chris looked at him sympathetically as he mentioned, "You don't need to answer that; I can see you are still blinded by emotion. Despite all she has done to you, all the pain she put you though, you still love her."
Chris turned and walked to the other side of the room. He looked up, and said, "I can feel Leo's searching power, trying to locate his errant pawn, so I'll cut this short." Chris turned back to Cole and added softly, "Father, join me. Serve me as my advisor and my ally. Together we can right all the wrongs in this world, and make them pay for their crimes. We are not blinded by righteousness or hatred; we see with clear eyes. I will never hurt you, or abandon you as she did. With me, you never need doubt my feelings. I respect and love you as my father."
Chris turned to go, but he stopped just short of the door, "Think about my offer Father. And I'm asking you, as my father, do not tell them who I really am. I do not want them to know, and I know the man of honor that you are, you will never betray my trust. Good-bye."
As soon as Chris flamed out, Leo and the others orbed in. "Cole, sorry it took so long, but the shields over you just dropped, and...what's wrong?"
Cole turned from where he'd been staring, the spot where Chris had just left, and said shortly, "Everything."
TO BE CONTINUED...
As the last demon exploded, Piper looked around, "Alright, who's next!"
"Everyone's dead...we win," Paige explained.
"Did anyone else think this was rather strange?" Phoebe wondered.
"I smell a rat, and we walked into a trap." Piper snapped.
"Well, let's see, who's the only other person who knew where we were going?" Paige drawled.
"Chris..." Phoebe snarled.
"Oh no! I left him alone with Wyatt," Piper shouted. She grabbed Paige and said, "Orb us back, NOW!"
As the scene faded and they reappeared in the Manor, Piper headed straight for Wyatt's room. "Now remember, ask first, then we kick his ass. If he makes a move, show no..." Piper began, but trailed off as the sisters saw who was inside the room.
"Oh my god," Phoebe stated as she stared at Cole.
****
"We need to strike now," said Nevaros, one of the Underworld faction leaders.
"I agree," said Baranas. "Good must have been severely weakened from these latest battles with the Titans. This may be our last chance to strike."
"I disagree," said Gayneth, shaking his head. "The Charmed Ones are still a major threat to us. Our strongest demons have proven no match for them, and as goddesses, they swatted the Titans like flies. We cannot attack them without a strong center of power."
"Perhaps I can help," said a new voice. The three faction leaders turned to see a cloaked figure flame into the room.
"Who are you?" asked Nevaros, a slight tinge of fear in his voice.
The figure pulled back his hood, revealing Chris. A sneer crossed his face as he stated coldly, "I am the next Source, your new Master," he said in a cold voice.
"Impossible," said Gayneth. "The Grimoire was lost when the..." Gayneth cut himself short as Chris formed a Source-style fireball with one hand and slammed the Grimoire on the table with the other.
"Prepare the Coronation Chamber," Chris commanded. "NOW!"
****
"Cole," Piper snapped, and gestured. Cole exploded in a swirl of blue orbs, and reformed right in front of them.
"Piper, I..." BOOM! "I really need..." BOOM! "Please, you need..." BOOM! "STOP BLOWING ME UP!"
As Piper started to gesture again, Paige grabbed her arms and said, "We need a new strategy."
"Cole, I don't know how you survived the last time, but you need to get out of here, RIGHT NOW!" Phoebe snapped coldly.
Cole gazed into her eyes, seeing the rage and hatred, and wondered again if Leo had lied to him. "How I got back here is not important. I've been watching you for some time, and there's something about Chris..."
"HOLD ON!" Paige shouted. "Go back a second. You've been watching us? You evil son of a bitch, how dare you? Who asked you to come back, much less spy on us?"
"I did," Leo stated as he appeared.
As the sisters stared at Leo in shock, he turned to Cole and said, "What did you find out?"
"Chris wanted the Grimoire, and he has demon in him," Cole stated shortly.
Leo was about to respond when he exploded. When he reformed, he turned to see an irate Piper glaring at him. "Don't you dare ignore me! What were you thinking, having this demon watch us?"
"Honey, I had no choice, Cole was the perfect..." Leo began.
"DID I SAY YOU COULD SPEAK YET?" Piper shouted, and Leo shut up. "Much better...I'm still pissed at you for leaving me, much less for sending him here. Both of which we'll discuss, AT LENGTH, later, after we get through this. Right now, come give me a kiss."
As Leo sheepishly obeyed, Phoebe stared at Cole. There was something different about him, something she couldn't quite place. His eyes had lost that demented look, and had been replaced by a look of peace she'd never seen before. She looked at him for several more moments before asking, "Cole, what happened to you?"
Cole sighed, and said, "I'm back to how I was when you first met me, a half-demon, except without a demon form. Only now I also have some Whitelighter in me, thanks to your overbearing brother-in-law. But that's not important. Stopping Chris is. With the Grimoire at his disposal, he can become the next Source, making him even more powerful."
Leo stopped kissing Piper and added, "That may be why he came back, to assume the throne of the Source and rule all of Evil."
Cole shook his head, and said, "No, he seemed more focused than that. I get the feeling all of it is merely a means to an end of some sort, but what the end is, I honestly don't know."
****
"What's taking so long?" Chris demanded from his new throne.
"Master, forgive me, but it will take some time to set up the ceremony," the demon begged.
Chris raised his eyebrow and asked in a soft voice, "Why?"
The demon swallowed, and explained, "Most of the Dark Priests were destroyed from the last ceremony, and it is taking time to find one. The sacrifices must be readied, and the demon factions must be brought together."
"How long will it take to prepare?" Chris wondered sharply.
The demon looked down at the floor, and whispered, "At least four days."
Chris stood up and glared at the demon, "You have two days. If everything isn't ready, you will spend weeks begging for forgiveness as I slowly tear you apart."
The demon fell to his knees and stated, "As you command Master. Everything will be in order. May I have your permission to depart?" When Chris nodded, the demon shimmered from his kneeling position.
Chris paced for several moments, and then he stopped. "Two days, eh? Maybe I need to alter my plans slightly."
****
"Where could he hold the ceremony?" Paige demanded.
Cole sighed, and replied, "From the Source's memories, I can think of at least a dozen suitable sites, all of them heavily guarded and hard to reach. Assuming he isn't being crowned as we speak, we could go to them one by one and check them out."
"No, that won't work. Chris would see that coming and lead us into a trap." Leo interjected. "Our best bet is to figure out a way to get the Grimoire back."
"That's going to be easier said than done when we don't have a clue where it is," Piper pointed out.
"Our other problem is that Chris can orb, meaning he can transport an army up into Heaven and decimate the Elders," Phoebe mentioned.
"I think our next move should be..." Cole began. Suddenly, he stopped, and his face took on a look of surprise and shock. He then faded.
"Where the hell did he go?" Piper snapped.
"I don't know," Leo mentioned, "but that didn't look like a voluntary shimmer. And since I can't sense him, I'd guess he's in the Underworld somewhere."
****
When Cole could see again, he found himself in a small chamber, poorly lit and deep underground. Cole tried to shimmer out, but he found himself blocked. "Don't waste your time, I've shielded this room to keep you in until I'm done," a new voice said in amusement. Cole looked around to see Chris walk out of the shadows.
"Done with what?" Cole demanded while subtly adopting a more defensive pose.
Chris smiled, and remarked, "Just to talk with you Cole, nothing else."
"I wasn't aware we had anything to talk about," Cole mentioned pointedly.
"You'd be surprised what we have to discuss," Chris replied. "For starters, why are you helping them?"
"I don't see how that's any of your business," Cole pointed out.
Chris ignored his response as he continued, "They never treated you well, they even killed you two times, they consider you nothing but a demon...and yet you still defend and help them."
"Both of those times I'd fallen to evil," Cole said defensively, but Chris words were ripping the scabs off of old wounds.
"I'd say shoved, kicked, and dragged to evil would be a better description," Chris countered. "The first time, it wasn't your fault, the Source owned your body, and you couldn't defend against him. But the second time? I am perhaps one of the few people who know just what you went through to get back, since I made it a point to find out. All that pain, all that torment, and she rejected you? Drove you away and refused to give you any support? You were a man who had climbed a cliff, only to have someone step on your hands near the top. Must have been frustrating, to be rejected, dismissed, ignored? Never given a chance to explain, to prove to her just how you felt? Did she accept your proof, your constant demon slayings, the good deeds you did with your powers? No, she chose to focus on your one falter."
"I killed a man," Cole stated weakly, trying to keep his emotions in check.
Chris laughed, and said, "I'd hardly call a slumlord that purposely tries to drive out innocent people a man, but so be it. Even so, you did it to clean up HER mess, the disaster SHE and her sisters created. Did they thank you, or just drive you away? And then there was Barbas..."
"Stop, please," Cole asked.
Chris's face took on a sad look as he added, "I'm just trying to show you the stupidity of your actions Cole. Barbas took your powers, and you were free. Did she love you then, accept you then? You took back your powers for HER, to save HER. Did she understand your sacrifice, become more forgiving and nicer to you? No, she drew away even farther, for you were a 'disgusting demon' again. Besides, she had a new boy-toy to use and abuse, didn't she?"
"SHUT UP!" Cole shouted.
"How long was it before she spread her legs for the first man to walk by? A week, a month? You remained faithful, while she shacked up with some guy off the streets. And let's not even mention what she's done since you died...since she killed you. Jason Dean, some young punk who managed to sweet talk her into giving him some, and then left when it was convenient. Do you think your love thought of you when Jason was fucking her like the bitch she is?"
With an inarticulate cry of fury, Cole dove at him. He got about a foot from Chris before he hit a barrier and went down hard. Cole got up and fired an energy ball, which exploded harmlessly. Chris looked into Cole's eyes, and said, "Feel better, now that you've tried to kill the messenger of truth?"
"No, you're twisting things, changing it, making it sound..." Cole began.
"LIKE THE WAY IT IS!" Chris interrupted. "All I'm doing is telling you how it is seen by others, others who aren't blinded by love or fear or pity. Cole, she used you, and tossed you aside when it fit her. She is nothing but a manipulative bitch, so why defend her?"
Cole went down on his knees as he tried to keep from crying. Chris's words were like knives, slicing into his soul and doing more damage than he thought possible. "Why are you doing this?" Cole finally asked.
Chris kneeled down, and gently placed a hand on his shoulder, "I'm doing this because you and I share a bond, an invisible bond that links and binds us, and a bond that is paramount in my life, and should be in yours."
"And what bond is that?" Cole wondered as he stared into Chris's eyes.
Chris said nothing for several moments, before saying quietly, "The bond of father and son."
****
"We have to go after him," Leo stated firmly.
The sisters stared at Leo for a second before Piper blurted out, "You must be joking...this is COLE we're talking about here."
"Anything that can summon him against his will must be powerful," Leo argued, "and besides, Cole is good now."
"We've heard that before, doesn't mean it's true," Paige countered.
"Do you doubt me? You never did before," Leo observed.
"No, Leo, we don't doubt you, but come on! This is Cole, who's fooled us more times than I can count. For all we know, he and Chris arranged this to trick you into bringing him back. Or maybe Cole rigged this scene to make us think he's still good," Piper pointed out reasonably.
"We're going after him," Phoebe interjected. As her sisters turned to look at her, Phoebe finished, "If he's good, then he's in trouble. If he's evil, then we'll vanquish him. Either way, we need to go, NOW!"
Piper and Paige looked at her for a moment, and then said, "Alright, let's go."
As the other two went to grab a few useful potions, Leo grabbed Phoebe's arm. "Do you believe he's evil now?"
Phoebe looked into his eyes, and slowly shook her head as she said, "No, Leo, for the first time in a very long time, I don't think Cole is evil."
****
"What the hell are you talking about?" Cole gasped in shock.
As Cole backed away, Chris looked at him and replied, "I'm your son, Father. My name is Christopher Coleridge Turner, and I am the son you never met."
"That's...no, Phoebe's not..." Cole began as his mind tried to sort this out. He wanted desperately to deny it, to cast Chris down for the liar he has to be, but something deep within him stopped Cole. Something deep inside screamed the truth, that Chris wasn't lying.
Chris smiled, recognizing the struggle within, and finished, "But she was, and I am the result of her pregnancy. I am the son the Seer stole, the son MY MOTHER killed...or so she thinks."
Cole looked deep into the Whitelighter's...no, his SON'S eyes, and finally asked, "How?"
Chris turned away, and slowly began to speak, "I don't honestly know...I remember my mother...and the hate...then fire and pain...and then nothingness. Slowly, I began to remember, and began to feel. Slowly, I became myself again. I was in another dimension, a dimension as different from this one as night is from day. It was dark, and cold, and it wasn't friendly. But I survived. Day by day, year by year, I grew and worked to get home. Finally, I returned to this realm, only to find it utterly devastated."
"The Titans?" Cole surmised, and Chris nodded.
"Yes, those damn Titans had destroyed most of the world, and ruled this realm with an iron fist. I knew that I couldn't face them, and I also knew that no one alive could either. I found the remaining forces of good, led by that weak-willed fool Leo, trying to fight a losing battle. I pretended to join their side, fighting for my chance to get what I wanted. And finally, it came. When it was decided that someone must go back in time and alter history, I used every 'persuasion' power I had, powers your blood gave me, and was chosen. They gave me Whitelighter powers, and they sent me back. I promised to stop the Titans, but I knew there was a greater opportunity for me."
"What opportunity was that?" Cole questioned.
Chris turned and stared directly into Cole's eyes, and Cole was caught by the sheer force of Chris's presence. "Phoebe Halliwell, your lover and my mother, is true evil. She killed me out of fear, and utterly destroyed you. I know it happened, and I used my powers to find out just what she'd done to you."
Cole swallowed against a lump in his throat, and remarked, "That's not exactly...that is..."
"Don't bother; I saw the events as they unfolded. Father, she used every feminine wile and seductive charm to draw you in, so she could watch you squirm," Chris stated firmly, "and I cannot allow that to stand. No one else must suffer the same fate, you must be protected."
"What are you going to do?" Cole asked, fear rising in his soul.
"Originally, I was going to use the Grimoire to bring you back, to help offset the massive wrongs she has done. Luckily, Leo's actions saved me the trouble, and gave you even more power," Chris began.
"Phoebe...what are you planning on doing to Phoebe?" Cole interrupted.
"Kill her of course," Chris said in surprise. As Cole stared in shock, Chris went on, "I was tempted to spare her sisters, but they share a burden of the guilt, and so must share the punishment. I'm going to kill them, as they killed you. And as they spend the rest of eternity burning in hell, as you did, they will come to understand their own nature. Rather fitting, don't you think, Father?"
Cole tried to speak, but no words would come out. It was just too unbelievable. His son wanted to kill his soulmate. Chris looked at him sympathetically as he mentioned, "You don't need to answer that; I can see you are still blinded by emotion. Despite all she has done to you, all the pain she put you though, you still love her."
Chris turned and walked to the other side of the room. He looked up, and said, "I can feel Leo's searching power, trying to locate his errant pawn, so I'll cut this short." Chris turned back to Cole and added softly, "Father, join me. Serve me as my advisor and my ally. Together we can right all the wrongs in this world, and make them pay for their crimes. We are not blinded by righteousness or hatred; we see with clear eyes. I will never hurt you, or abandon you as she did. With me, you never need doubt my feelings. I respect and love you as my father."
Chris turned to go, but he stopped just short of the door, "Think about my offer Father. And I'm asking you, as my father, do not tell them who I really am. I do not want them to know, and I know the man of honor that you are, you will never betray my trust. Good-bye."
As soon as Chris flamed out, Leo and the others orbed in. "Cole, sorry it took so long, but the shields over you just dropped, and...what's wrong?"
Cole turned from where he'd been staring, the spot where Chris had just left, and said shortly, "Everything."
TO BE CONTINUED...