Chapter 9 CONFUSION AND CONFRONTATION
"I'll get him!" Phoebe called up the steps.
"I already have him!" Piper shouted down the stairs.
"Ok!" Phoebe called back. "Ok now where were we?" Phoebe asked.
"Um I was going to make the eggs." Carter replied.
"Ok, great I'll just…" She began to push to her feet.
"Sit right there and relax you need to get your strength up remember?" Carter chastised her.
"Yeah right." She muttered dropping back into the chair.
"Come on it's not that bad, you'll be up and driving yourself into the ground as soon as you can." Carter told her as he cracked several eggs into the frying pan.
"Excuse me?" She couldn't believe he just said that, she never drove herself that hard.
"Come on Phoebe you know you were doing that before you finally vanquished me." He said and she felt odd, really tired.
"Cole," she managed although her mouth felt full of cotton. "You don't know…"
"I watched you more than you'll ever know and…" He told her pointedly as he flipped some bacon into the pan. Wyatt that didn't make sense, he didn't even put any bacon on…
"I see." She said trying to figure out if she was just really tired or if she'd already fall asleep.
"It's not like that, you know as well as I do you and your sisters were going up against some pretty nasty characters." He reminded her easily flipping the bacon onto the plate. Ok, where did the plate come from? He hadn't taken any from the cupboard?
"But…" She tried to think but was feeling really sick; it was happening she was being pulled under.
"Phoebe I have always loved you even when you hated me and drove e out of my mind." He told her and turned off the pancakes Ok, now she knew something really wasn't right, he hadn't been cooking pancakes.
"Cole…" She began wondering if he was asleep too. This felt so odd, as if she were swimming in jelly.
"Look, I won't push it but I just want you to know I'm here." He said setting a plate of French toast in front of her.
"I know and I do love you but I'm not the only one involved here, there is also Piper, Leo and…" then she saw it, the cupboards were now a dark green and the stove a silver shade.
"We've already talked," A voice said and they found Piper standing in the doorway, Wyatt on her hip. "We have seen you two together," Now this was really getting weird. She knew it was a nightmare but there was nothing she could do to break this, she was in the dream realm again.
"And we've seen you two apart," Leo chimed in from where he'd just orbed in.
"Quite frankly you two are better off together." Piper said with a smile.
"Especially since your now completely on the good side." Leo added and Cole looked to Phoebe who was smiling brilliantly.
***
Phoebe?" The hand was shaking her and she opened her eyes to see a very worried Cole crouching before her a dishtowel hanging forgotten on his shoulder.
"Cole?"
"Yes, are you alright?"
"I don't know I must have…" then his eyes were glowing with an evil light.
No!"
***
"Piper!" Cole shouted trying to shake Phoebe awake to no avail.
"What! what?" She barreled into the room the baby in her arms.
"He's got her under." Cole didn't wait time explaining, Piper would understand.
"What?" Piper tried t calm herself, he was upset enough for the both of them. "Ok, well I have the spell here so we just have to go back in. She told him pulling it form her slacks pocket.
"No, I'll go in; you have to stay with Wyatt." He told her taking it from her.
"Ok, just bring her back." She said and gave him a half hug.
"Count on it." He said and there was a hard gleam in his dark eyes. The he was taking her hand as before.
"Protector's of the heart, in this hand I hold that of the mortal Cole Bring him now to his mated soul." Piper said and waited.
"Goddess's of earth and water, spirits of wind and fire, bring me now to my soul's desire." Cole intoned and it happened once again, he was then teleporting.
"Here she is sire." The false Cole was saying and she found herself being shoved forward.
"Foolish female, you thought that your little parlor tricks could save you." The nightmare king laughed and it was anything but a pleasant sound. In fact it brought paleness to her skin. He sounded so much more
Evil than last time. She didn't bother struggling against her bonds though they were much too tight.
"Go ahead kill me you'll be doing me a favor!" She shouted not caring what they did to her. Still she'd not let him win then she'd really be dead, all
She was and all she stood for. Then the room froze and she whirled and saw him.
"Cole…"She smiled at him having hoped he'd again come for her.
"You're ok," He said reaching her and hugging her quickly and then when he pulled back he thrust the spell into her hand.
"I…" She began then scanned the paper and looked over at the demon. "How the nightmare king…" Cole just grinned wickedly saying.
"Phoebe, do you really think I'd just let him have you with out a fight??"
"No but he's so powerful. "
"You love me right?" He asked wrapping an arm about her waist.
"Yes." She said knowing it was the complete truth.
"And I love you, that's all of the power we'll ever need again." And his mouth covered hers in a long, deep kiss that robbed her of breath and all thought. And then she felt the room complete the unfreeze.
"Oh we have more company."
"Ready?" He asked.
"Let's do it." She smiled at him and then…
"Goddess of light hear our call," Cole began and she added.
"Stop this demon make him fall." With that the potion went flying and the demon exploded into a blue fireball.
"And that's how it's done."
TBC
***
Ok, now I'm sorry if that was at all confusing but It was meant to be so you could see what was happening in the right way. Please let me know what you think.