Chapter 2. Second chance
Cole sat there in his old apartment; it had been 3 months since
The day he'd been vanquished for what had been thought good. But here he was, sitting in an empty apartment, his only love hating him, not for his own doing but because of that dammed demon. He wanted to thro his head back and howl at the unfairness of it all. He'd never asked for any of it. Sure he'd been part of Balthazar but he'd managed to change. Then there was the source. That monster had forced him to do things, hurt those he loved. His eyes filled with regret, he couldn't even remember some of what had happened. Then there had been things he did, yet had been trapped so deep down in the source that he'd not been able to act to stop them. Hell, he'd even bused Phoebe, the other half of him. He wanted so badly to go back before it happened and kill his old self, to stop it before it could have happened. She'd have been able to kill someone else much easier as she'd been able to banish him. She Page and
Phoebe would have been safe and maybe even Peru...
"You know I didn't beg the elders to send you back for you to sit around feeling sorry for yourself." The sound of that voice had him looking up.
"You're..."
"Supposed to be dead? YEAH I know I'm not the only one." Pru replied in that old flippant tone of hers. He then saw the male standing at her side, he knew from photos it was her ex-Andy.
"What are you two doing here?" He asked still a little stunned to see her there.
"I have a message for you." She said and his frown deepened.
"What kind of message?"
"There was a reason you were sent back."
"Yes you already said that." He mumbled in annoyance.
"Well at least something's never change." Pru moved to sit on the floor a few feat from him, her soul mate at her side saying not a single word.
"Pru..."
"Ok, look you and Phoebe have been through so much that it was decided that you 2 deserved a new chance. You've both done so much good."
"But I was..."
"A killer? I know but Cole you as Cole were not, it was the demonic parts of you. This time there is none of that."
"Wait that's impossible, she's a witch, someone will always be after her, I'll always be a liability, that's if she even wants me back."
"Nice to see you're as stubborn as ever." Another voice called and he noticed then two more people there. An elderly looking woman Cole knew to be the sister's Grandmother and Page.
"You're all..." Cole felt sick, he didn't know the guy but he definitely knew the sisters. When had Page crossed over? As if knowing his question she spoke.
"I was killed by a demon a few months ago. That isn't important right now though, what is, is that Phoebe needs you."
"Phoebe? How can she? I'd think she hates me." He said a chill going through him, what had happened to her? Prue broke in though before he could ask.
"She loves you, and you're the only one who can save her."
"I can't fight a demon."
"You can reach her though."
"What do you mean?" Cole demanded.
"The demon the girls were fighting took one more thing than she could handle losing; it has done what not even you could at your worst." Andy said finally speaking up. Cole just looked at the group now seated on the floor.
"She's catatonic, trapped in her own mind, we can't reach her not even Leo and Piper can."
"Son of a..." He growled and the girls nodded.
"You have to save her." The elderly woman said adding. "Your love was always the one thing that kept her going, now though without it and her sisters…"
From where she sat Page watched them and were frowing.
"What do I do?"
***
She set the plate of chicken stir-fry before Leo and smiled. He smiled back and for one tiny second the world fell away, there was only Leo and Piper, no demons, no witches just Piper and Leo Wyatt. Then it happened, Leo glanced skyward listening to unseen voices.
Piper sighed and reached for his plate and moved to place it in the warmer.
"Piper, I'm really sorry but I…"
"Two steps ahead of you." She said and he nodded with a grateful smile as he kissed her lightly on the lips.
"I love you."
"You too now go." She told him and he orbed away in his flash of light.
Once she was alone Piper proceeded to feed her son and herself. Her thoughts drifted though, from the ruined family meal and her own sorry state to that of her sister. Phoebe had lost so much not just their family but a love that should have been strong enough, would have been if not for the demon factor. . She really wished she could vanquish all monsters from the world and have a normal life once again.