CHAPTER 4: Legacy
The cloaked figure materialized in a well-lit cavern. Another Avatar approached him immediately. "Were you successful, Tabus?" Azar asked.
"Yes," Tabus replied in a gravelly voice. "Cole is well."
"You are certain that this plan will work?" Azar questioned meekly, not wanting to offend his brother-in-magic.
"Quite certain," Tabus answered patiently. "Cole's soul holds the key to our complete domination of this realm, but he must make the choice. Simply taking his powers from the Seer was not an option. Call our brothers. Tell them that we will proceed as planned."
****
As the group materialized in the Manor, Phoebe questioned, "So who are the Avatars, Cole?"
Cole sighed as he sat on the couch. "They're a group of magical beings whose powers exist far beyond the normal limits of Good and Evil. Each one of them, in fact, has more power than the Source's power magnified a thousand times. Their only concern is power, absolute control over reality."
"Well, that's just great," Paige groaned.
"Can they be vanquished?" Piper asked.
Cole shook his head sadly. "No one could stand up to them and win, not even me. I'm afraid the Power of Three wouldn't be enough."
"How do you know all this, Cole?" Leo asked curiously.
"The knowledge was given to me by Tabus, the Avatar that healed me," Cole answered. "That's all that he gave me too."
There was a moment of silence before Phoebe spoke. "Cole, this Tabus called you 'brother'. Why would he do that?"
"There is only one reason why, and I didn't need the implanted knowledge to know this," Cole said gravely. "My future self must have become an Avatar, so these powers must have come from the Avatars themselves."
"Why would your future self have allied himself with them?" Piper mused.
"I don't know, and I'm sure that's one thing he wouldn't have wanted me to know," Cole replied. "I also don't understand what was wrong with me."
"I do," Leo said gravely. As the group turned to look at him, he continued, "Cole, you had immense powers given to you from your future self. What your future self didn't realize is your body couldn't handle the powers from the future. Remember Doctor Williamson, the man who got your powers from your blood?" he asked, turning to the sisters. When they nodded, Leo concluded, "It's like that, so you're lucky that Avatar was able to help you, Cole."
"Well, he did say he wanted my help," Cole mentioned dubiously.
"But why would the Avatars think you would help them at all?" Paige wondered. "I mean, you're one of the good guys."
Cole shrugged. "I'm not sure, but I think it would be a good idea if we kept an eye out for them. I have a strong feeling that this isn't over yet." Cole looked down at his watch. "It's getting late. I'm going to head to sleep." Cole turned to Phoebe. "Are you coming honey?"
"Of course, but I was thinking that we could talk first," Phoebe replied, taking his hand.
As the sisters watched Phoebe and Cole ascend the staircase, Paige whispered, "Ten bucks says they're going to talk about getting married."
****
"So, what did you want to talk about?" Cole asked as they sat down on the bed.
Phoebe bit on her lower lip for a nervous moment before speaking. "Let's not wait any longer, Cole. Let's get married now, before anything else happens."
Cole smiled and took her hand in his. "I had a feeling we'd be discussing this," he said. "What kind of ceremony do you want?"
"A handfasting," Phoebe answered almost automatically. "It's not only the best thing we could do for short notice, but it just seems the right way to go rather than a big ceremony."
"When do you want to hold it?" Cole asked.
"Two days from now," she answered, tears flowing down her cheeks. "That should give us just enough time to make some simple preparations." No longer able to keep her emotions in check, she buried her face against Cole's shoulder. "I've come so close to losing you, Cole. I couldn't bear to lose you without having my soul completely bound to yours."
"You won't lose me Phoebe," Cole promised. "You'll never lose me."
****
Two months passed.
The Underworld still remained in turmoil as the various factions battled for control, but the Charmed Ones were able to fend off the attacks. Cole had managed to procure a high-profile position in the law firm of Jackman, Carter, and Kline, with minimal demonic persuasion. He gradually gained full control over his new powers, although he rarely used them.
In addition, his marriage to Phoebe had brought the couple the most blissful two months of their lives. Neither one could ever remember having been so happy.
One afternoon, Cole was hard at work when the phone rang. "Cole Turner," he answered.
"Hi baby, it's me," said the voice on the other end.
"Hey," Cole replied, his tone switching from business to caring-husband. "How are you feeling?" Phoebe had felt sick the past few days.
"Ok," Phoebe replied. "I went to see the doctor today, and they drew some blood for testing."
"Did you get the results back?" Cole asked, a note of concern in his voice.
"Are you sitting down?" Phoebe countered.
"Yeah...why?" Cole said.
"I'm pregnant," Phoebe said quickly.
Cole's heart almost stopped beating at Phoebe's declaration. "You're pregnant?" he replied in a shocked voice.
"Yeah," Phoebe said happily. "Congratulations, Daddy."
"Hold on one sec, baby," Cole said. Pressing the hold button, Cole dialed an extension, and said, "Diane, hold my calls." After putting the phone back on the receiver, Cole blurred back to the Manor and before even completely materializing, he'd swept Phoebe up in his arms and captured her lips in a passionate kiss.
Phoebe gasped in surprise but then moaned as she recognized Cole's feel with delight. Her arms automatically went around his neck, her fingers running through the hair at the back of his neck. After a moment, Cole released Phoebe, and she grinned up at him. "I take it you're pleased?" she said, her eyes bright.
"I've never been so happy," Cole said, taking her hands in his. "Thank you for this Phoebe. From the moment I realized I loved you, this was all I ever wanted, and I'm so grateful..." He trailed off as he felt tears pricking at his eyes.
Phoebe smiled and guided his hand to caress her stomach. Cole grinned as he now realized the tiny hint of roundness that he'd failed to notice before. At the same time, Cole felt a warm tingle enter his hand, and he knew that their child was magical. Judging from the shocked look in Phoebe's eyes, she'd felt the same thing. Cole pulled Phoebe close again and buried his face in her hair, breathing in her sweet scent.
"You'd better get back to work, baby," Phoebe sighed with a sad tone. As much as she wanted him to stay, Cole still had a responsibility to the law firm. "We'll celebrate after you finish up today, I promise."
"I love you, Phoebe," Cole whispered as he pulled away from his wife. "And I love you, my little one," Cole said, patting Phoebe's stomach.
"And we love you too, Cole," Phoebe said. "Now go before I have no choice but to start celebrating now." Cole chuckled as he blurred back to his office. That was his crazy, insane witch alright.
****
As Cole materialized, he was shocked to find a cloaked figure waiting for him in his office.
"My congratulations on your wife's pregnancy, Cole," Tabus said with a slight bow.
"What are you doing here?" Cole demanded with a cold edge to his voice.
Tabus just smiled, clearly not intimidated. "It's time, Cole."
"Time for what?" Cole asked.
"Time for you to fulfill your destiny," Tabus replied with a smile.
****
The fire burned high in the Temple of Power. The eight other Avatars sat in a circle around it, eyes closed, concentrating their power. They sifted through the world, locking themselves onto their targets...
****
"What are you talking about?" Cole snarled.
"You are the Guardian," Tabus said gravely.
"Huh?" Cole said in confusion.
"I'm not surprised that you are unfamiliar with the legend," Tabus continued. "At the beginning of Time, when the Universe and Magic were first called into being, God designed a filtering system for the distribution of magical powers. We, the Avatars, are on the upper echelon of the power scale, but we are not at its peak...yet. God feared what would happen if anyone were able to access the full potential of Magic, so He created a safeguard. Since the beginning, one being alone was destined to have access to the Source of All Magic.
"That being, Cole Turner, is you."
****
"Wow, Pheebs, that's so great!" Piper said into her phone. "Did you tell Cole yet?"
"Oh, yeah," Phoebe replied dreamily. "He was quite pleased, to say the least."
"I'm sure he was," Piper said with a giggle. "Listen, my battery's dying, sweetie, so I'll see you at home tonight."
"Ok, Piper," Phoebe replied. "Love you."
"I love you too, Pheebs," Piper said as she hung up the phone. 'Well, let's just hope Leo is as enthusiastic when my time comes,' Piper thought. 'If he doesn't, his orbs are...' Piper's train of thought was broken as a van crashed into the side of her SUV. It flipped over twice before coming to a halt. A trickle of blood made its way down an unconscious Piper's forehead...
****
"You must be kidding me," Cole said. "This...this is ridiculous..."
"I'm deadly serious, Cole," Tabus replied smoothly. "And being what you are, we want you to give us access to the Source of All Magic."
"And watch you bend reality to your will?" Cole snorted. "Forget it, I won't help you."
"I'd reconsider if I were you, Cole," Tabus remarked.
****
Paige grumpily pushed her shopping cart through the supermarket toward the check-out. 'Why do I always get stuck with the grunt work?' she thought. The sudden ringing of her cell phone stopped her musings. 'The Manor,' she deduced from the number of the caller. "Hello?" she said.
"Hi Paige," said Phoebe.
"Oh, hey Pheebs," said Paige, brightening a little as she inched closer to the register. "How was your doctor's appointment?"
"It was good," Phoebe replied. "Everything turned up normal...well, almost normal."
"What do you mean?" Paige asked anxiously.
"I'm pregnant," Phoebe said happily.
"Really?" Paige said excitedly. "Wow, Phoebe, that's so..."
"Nobody moves!" a man shouted. Paige whirled to see a gruff looking man waving a gun at the cashier. "Gimme everything you got," he snarled.
"Paige, you still there?" Phoebe questioned.
Paige didn't reply. 'This isn't good,' she thought. Paige shifted her feet, knowing that she'd be there a while. Suddenly, her shoe squeaked against the slick floor. The gunman whirled on Paige. There was a loud bang, and Paige collapsed to the floor, a pool of blood forming underneath of her...
****
Cole snorted. "You can't touch me. I'm one of you, and besides, you need me for your plan to work, so don't threaten me."
"You're right, Cole," Tabus said. "We do need you, and you are invincible..."
****
"PAIGE!" Phoebe screamed as she heard the gunshot on the other end of the phone. She raced out of her room in a panic. However, she tripped near the edge of the stairs. Phoebe screamed again as she tumbled head over heels down the stairs. Blood flowed copiously from her head...
****
"...but the ones you love are not," Tabus finished coldly as he blurred out.
Cole was in such shock from Tabus's words that the sudden tightness in his chest made him jump. The image which accompanied the pain ripped Cole's heart in half. He fell to his knees, threw back his head, and screamed, "PHOEBE!!!"
****
Tabus blurred in to observe the other Avatars standing up from their circle. "You did well," Tabus complimented.
Azar acknowledged his brother with a slight bow. "It was arduous work, penetrating the folds of space-time, but we managed to injure all three of them."
"Excellent," Tabus said. "Now, it's only a matter of time before Cole realizes the truth. He has no choice but to come to us."
****
Cole sat in the waiting room with Leo, his head in his hands. 'How could this have happened?' Cole wondered for the umpteenth time. He knew that the Avatars were powerful, but he hadn't realized that they could still manipulate reality on a small scale. It turned out to be enough to nearly kill his wife and her sisters.
"Mr. Turner, Mr. Wyatt," Dr. Johnson said as he came into the room.
"How are they?" Leo asked as both men stood up.
"Paige was very lucky," Dr. Johnson said. "The bullet missed her heart and her spinal cord by a fraction of an inch. As for Piper and Phoebe, both have concussions, and Piper has a broken wrist." Leo paled slightly, but his relief of such minimal injuries was evident.
"What about..." Cole started, but he choked on the rest of his words.
Dr. Johnson picked up on Cole's pretext. "Your baby is fine, Mr. Turner. Your wife is a very lucky woman. Most pregnant women probably would have miscarried from a fall like that."
"Can we see them?" Leo asked.
"Yes," Dr. Johnson said. "Paige is still unconscious, but your wives are awake. They're down the hall in room 1013."
Cole and Leo quickly walked down into the room. Cole immediately rushed over to Phoebe and gathered her up in his arms. "I thought I lost you," Cole said, tears streaming down his cheeks.
"You won't be rid of me that easily, Mr. Turner," Phoebe said with tears in her own eyes.
"Phoebe, it was the Avatars that did this," Cole said gravely.
"What?" Phoebe gasped, her hands going protectively over her belly. "But how..."
"I'm not sure exactly, but they didn't even have to come after you physically just to do this," Cole said in a hoarse voice. "If I don't do what they want, they'll..." Cole trailed off, unwilling to finish that sentence.
"What are we going to do Cole?" Phoebe asked, her voice almost hysterical with fear.
"I don't know...but somehow, I've got to find a way to stop them."
TO BE CONTINUED...