From All Sides
Chapter Seven
Duty Bound

A while later after Cole had made certain that Phoebe's fears were at least temporarily allayed, and that their mutual passions had been momentarily appeased, they stood hand in hand in Aphrodite's temple. The couple laid two entwined roses at her statues' feet to thank the great goddess once again for sanctifying their love and marriage, and they petitioned for her continued blessings.

Cole also thanked Aphrodite in spirit for telling him where his wife had orbed too after her upset outburst back at the Mansion. He could have found Phoebe using his new sensory power because unlike him she had not gone out of range but it still would have taken him awhile. His new gift worked slightly different than his former demon sensing skills and he was still getting the hang of it.

Once Aphrodite had delivered a rather stinging lecture of her own for making her favorite great granddaughter cry, the original goddess of Love informed him that Phoebe had gone to Ancient Greece, to one of the many temples that had built there in Aphrodite's honor. She had also told Cole that the one in which Phoebe had sought refuge was a private temple for Aphrodite's self selected priestesses.

The type of time travel Phoebe had employed to journey to the ancient homeland wasn't forbidden. Her great grandmother had explained to Cole that since all the gods and goddesses occasionally got nostalgic for the place where it all began including Zeus himself, he had decreed that they could all visit their past when they felt the urge. He had even created a special portals to allow them to do so.

In fact there was many such portals to many different places. As long as gods and goddesses didn't attempt to interfere with the flow of historical events they were free to come and go through them at will. Cole certainly had no designs on changing the past. His only motive was to be near to his wife in the present.

He hugged her close and said, "I hate to shatter this blissful moment out of time for either of us but we should be getting back to our present. The rest of the team will be worried and we are going to have to help find Paige and deal with her one way or the other.

"Do we really have to Cole?" Phoebe sincerely questioned. "There is an abandoned cottage down the path. It needs a lot of repair work but we could manage. Aphrodite could let the rest of the family know where we are. They could come to visit so we wouldn't have to miss them. We could also be careful not to interact with any of the locals so we wouldn't be in danger of altering the past."

"Phoebe, you know that's impossible," Cole gently reprimanded her. "Why?" she asked. You once asked me to go hide and drop off the face of the earth with you, so nothing could hurt us. Here we would always have guaranteed protection."

"Except from the very thing that stopped you from agreeing then. The same thing that has always kept you from relinquishing your powers even when they caused you great suffering and your sisters were ready to give up theirs, your own conscience. Phoebe your sense of fairness and duty is in a way stronger even then Prue's. You've always been the one who has been steadfast in remaining on the path to your destiny to vanquish the Source and any evil that gets in your way on journey. You can't give up on that. I won't let you."

"Phoebe, honey, things have changed so much in such a short time. We've so much more to fight for now. It is not just you, I, Prue, Piper, and Leo and strangers anymore that we are fighting to protect. It's also a large group of family, friends, a real home, and an incredible heritage."

"It wasn't fair of me even back then to ask you to abandon your destiny, and calling and it is certainly not fair of either one of us to ask it of each other now. My own conscience is finally working because you taught me how to use it. I won't wreck it now for the illusion of security. Besides that suggestion came out of fear of you and I losing one another and I'm not afraid of that any more. Our commitment to one another is as strong as any metal Hesphestus has ever forged or the muscles in Hercules' body. All you have to do is believe in that and nothing or no one can ever truly separate us again certainly not Paige, not even the Source. That is the only guarantee we need."

"You are probably getting so fed up of having to remind me of that," she sighed. "No, I could never be fed up with telling you how much I adore, desire, and belong with you forever," Cole said kissing her forehead. "The only thing I am fed up with is seeing you being tormented by fear when you don't have to be. Don't you understand, Phoebe? Evil creatures abilities aren't a true God given part of them like ours are. Their seeming power over us only exists because we lesser gods and mortals allow it too. As long as even one being of the Light stands strong against the forces of darkness, they can never ever really be victorious."

"That's true enough, I suppose" Phoebe admitted. "It is how both Hercules and then later Prue, Piper, and I helped to fend off doomsday." "Exactly," Cole said taking a lock of her hair running it through his fingers. He smiled as her breaths became frequent and her body almost unconsciously sought to move closer to his.

"Does that cottage have a bed?" he asked in his most seductive tone. "Um, oh my lord ye... I mean yes, but weren't you the one who just finished lecturing me about all the reasons why we needed to get back to help in the search for Paige?" Phoebe asked. "I don't lecture I merely share my vast sums of knowledge," Cole corrected her.

"Besides I just said we have to return sometime, I didn't say it had to be this minute." "What are you suggesting Mr. Turner?" "Surely you've heard of a quickie Mrs. Turner? Are you up for it?" "Hey that should be my question!" Phoebe protested. "I won't even bother to ask it though because I already know the answer. You are always up for it, she said as she wrapped her arms trustingly and lovingly around his neck. "My you are one fast learner," Cole said as he orbed them to said bed.