by shel
© april 2003
disclaimer:
the charmed ones, cole, and leo, and the rest of the cast of characters we've come to know and love, belong to spelling television, inc. and possible other copyright holders. i intended no true infringement on their copyrights; i only wanted to borrow these marvelous characters for a short time in my own scenarios and hopefully return them no worse for wear; the only things i've gained from this story are the satisfaction and pleasure of having written it and in knowing that others may have enjoyed it too…
rating:
pg-13
summary:
upon her reflection, phoebe makes a choice…
timeline:
a week after the events of season 5's 'lucky charmed'…
archive:
please don't without expressed permission…
warning:
as with just about all my tales, no sequel is planned for this so read ahead at your own risk…
notes:
misty's my own creation…this tale takes into account events from 'the importance of being phoebe' and has minor references to 'the three faces of phoebe' and 'centennial charmed'…please let me know if you enjoyed my tale and why and, if not, why not…and, please, don't bother wasting your time or mine by sending any flames…
Chapter One
Phoebe stepped into the second-hand shop and called out, "Hey, Misty, whatchagot for me?"
An energetic young woman bounded out from a back room and greeted Phoebe with a firm hug, "Hey, Phoebe, long time…" She smiled and continued, "I just got in some cute little earrings that are calling your name. Oh, wait, I also got in some fabulous scarves and didn't you say you were looking for a small jewelry box?"
"Not today," Phoebe shook her head with a smile, "I'm on totally non-personal-gain business." Misty laughed and Phoebe explained, "Seriously, I'm looking for something for Paige. She's been a little down this past week and I was hoping to cheer her up."
"Ahhh…heard about the trouble with the leprechauns," Misty somberly acknowledged. Phoebe cast her a worried glance and she assured Phoebe, "Don't worry, we're alone."
Phoebe glanced at her watch and muttered, "Not for long." She shrugged, "Lunch date. I told him to meet me here. He's late. Probably got caught up on the phone and forgot to be courteous and let me know…Hey, did you add some red to your hair?"
Misty nodded, "It's called cinnamon burst and Brian loves it!" She looked at her friend and clapped her hands, "Oh, Phoebe, it's so wonderful that you're dating again. I mean really dating again."
"Whoa," Phoebe stepped back, "who says I'm dating again? Was there some sort of bulletin in 'Wiccan News Today'?"
"Phoebe…" Misty shook her head.
"This's just lunch," Phoebe insisted.
"Lunch and shopping." Misty pointed her index finger at Phoebe, "I know that look and it's been a long time since I've seen it on you." Phoebe blushed and she continued, "So, who's the lucky guy? How'd you meet? Is it serious? Magic or no?"
Phoebe shushed her and glanced around anyway, "Not so loud." Misty laughed and Phoebe shrugged again in embarrassment, "Sorry, guess I'm a bit, um, nervous, about this one." She saw Misty's inquiring look, "Yes, I'm attracted to him. He's smart and talented and arrogant and stubborn and, as he puts it, 'a control freak,' and he drives me crazy…He's also the new owner of the paper and, therefore, my boss."
"Ahhh, that explains it," Misty grinned. "Don't worry, a little office romance never hurt anyone."
"Please," Phoebe snorted, "do you know how many sob stories I get from disastrous office encounters. There's a reason for the cliché of keeping the bedroom out of the boardroom."
"Details, girl, I want details," Misty demanded. But the bells over the front door jingled as a customer walked in and Misty offered, "Check out the display cases in the back room. You might find one or two things for Paige. We'll talk later. Actually, you'll talk later."
"Thanks a lot," Phoebe sarcastically replied as she wandered into the other room. She paused by the display cases in the small, cluttered room, but the glint off a mirror caught her eye and she turned to examine it. She ignored the jingle of the front door's bells and lightly ran her finger along the dusty golden edge of the floor-length mirror. The workmanship of the oval frame was remarkable and Phoebe couldn't explain why she was drawn to it.
"Beautiful, isn't it," Misty commented as she came up behind Phoebe.
Phoebe jumped, "I didn't hear you. Didn't even see you which is strange because I've been looking right into the mirror."
"It only recently came into my hands," Misty explained in a low voice. "The young woman who owned it," she glanced around and whispered, "was a witch who was killed about three weeks ago. This was her portal and it was entrusted to me until a new owner could be found."
Intrigued, Phoebe asked, "Portal?"
"Excuse me," a feminine voice called from the front, "can someone help me?"
"Portal, window, whatever," Misty commented as she excused herself, "I'll be right back."
Phoebe tore herself away from the mirror and returned to the display cases. She was on a mission for Paige, not herself. She was admiring a small pin in the shape of an artist's palette when she found herself turning back to the mirror. "What is it about this thing?" she murmured to herself as she walked over to it. She gingerly touched the frame again and half-expected to receive a premonition. But she didn't and was bothered once again by the randomness of her power. After all these years, she still hadn't mastered the art of calling premonitions on her own. She'd done it but not all the time. If only she'd been better at it, maybe things wouldn't have gotten so out of control. Maybe Cole wouldn't have…
"You okay?" Misty interrupted.
Phoebe was startled and spun around. "Sorry, I didn't hear you. Again…what is it with this mirror?"
"Didn't mean to scare you," Misty apologized. "You seemed so lost for a moment. Complete turnaround from when you walked in here. I didn't mean to bug you before about this new guy of yours, honest. My need to know sometimes drives Brian up the wall. It's just that it's…nice seeing you smiling again. Almost excited again and I sorta got caught up in it." Phoebe didn't respond and she timidly asked, "Thinking about Cole just now?"
Phoebe shrugged but, after a moment, softly asked, almost rhetorically, "Why is it that I can be so turned on by Jason during the day but still dream of Cole at night?"
Misty hugged Phoebe, "You've made such strides in getting on with your life and you no longer seem quite so bitter or angry."
"But?" Phoebe questioned as she pulled away and dabbed at her eyes.
"But," Misty cautiously replied, "now that you're past the anger, you're able to feel the loss. And getting over it will take some time. Dreaming of Cole and what was and might have been isn't a bad thing. You loved him, Phoebe, and it was a beautiful thing and there's nothing wrong with admitting that you still love him. Once you can admit to that, moving on with your life will be easy, or, easier."
"Maybe you should be writing the advice column," Phoebe muttered in a way she knew wouldn't offend her friend.
"No, thank you," Misty quickly replied with a grin, "I'll stick to my humble little shop and all the troubles it causes."
"What trouble?" Phoebe teased. "We got rid of that cursed dress, didn't we?"
"That you did, my friend," Misty laughed, "right along with the old hag who stole it from me. Is Piper speaking to me yet?"
"So long as you don't bring up the fire extinguisher," Phoebe chuckled. "Hey, remember that hexed necklace we nearly got Prue to auction for you?"
Misty covered her mouth, "Oh, God, I almost had a heart attack when the auctioneer collapsed and they stopped the auction." They were both silent a moment before she added, "I sure miss Prue and her way of getting down to business."
"Me too…" Phoebe's smile was bittersweet and she quickly changed the subject, "So, any history behind that pin?"
"Nope, picked it up at an ordinary garage sale," Misty told her as she pulled out the jewelry tray. "Pretty. It's sterling and the colors are genuine chips of peridot, topaz, amethyst, and citrine. Paige paints?"
"Whenever she has the chance which, these days, isn't often." Phoebe nodded when Misty let her hold it, "I'll take it."
While Misty packed up the pin in a small box, Phoebe returned to the mirror, "What about this?"
"I didn't know Clara, not even by reputation," Misty admitted as she returned the tray to the case and locked it. "When I received the mirror, I was told that she'd been something of a seer. I don't want to speak ill of the dead but, from what I heard, she was young, maybe twenty, and reckless and wasn't ready for her responsibilities."
Phoebe ran her hand along the frame. It almost seemed to glow. "Is it magical?"
"I'm not sure," Misty shrugged. "I haven't seen it do anything, if that's what you're asking, and I can't vouch for any rumors. I can tell you that mirrors reflect what's inside us, not just our outward appearances."
"Grams used to say that what we see is in the mirror is an image of what choices we have made as well as those choices we hadn't made," Phoebe recalled. "Never quite understood what she meant. Until now, I think. There's something about that mirror."
"With the right magic, mirrors can reveal to us other worlds. I've never personally seen it happen but I've heard stories," Misty commented. "It might not be the mirror itself but the magic of its owner. Maybe this mirror's been waiting for you."
"What'd you mean before about a new owner being found?" Phoebe questioned. "How will you know?"
Before Misty could answer, the front door bells rang again and she sighed, "I'll be right back."
"'Kay," Phoebe answered distractedly as she stared at her reflection. She sighed, "Oh, Grams, do you know how many other choices I could have made?" Suddenly, she heard shouts from the front of the store, a gunshot, and she called out, "Misty?" As she turned around, she felt a sharp pain behind her right ear and everything went black.
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