Disclaimers: I don't own Charmed or any of the characters that already appeared on the show…bla bla… but I wish I own Cole!

A/N: Hello Everyone! I'm back with a new chapter!  Sorry for the loooooooong wait. I had to deal with a the biggest writer's block ever! (almost 6 months…hehehe)

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This story takes place after Daddy Dearest (Sam I Am)

Summary: As Cole is now invincible the Elders decide to send him a Whitelighter, Emily (much to Elder Aaron's displease) Piper is pregnant with Melinda. Paige dates Steve, who is really Valmorein, ex-demon, childhood friend of Belthazor. When, Lauren, Cole's secretary, who is also an empath, is attacked, the sisters accuse Cole and try to vanquish him only to find at the last minute that he is innocent of this crime. Emily nearly dies in the process. This event leads the girls to converse about last year and they realise they were mistaken about Cole. When the Avatars kidnap Piper, the remaining Halliwell family turns to the half demon who finally brings her back only to lose himself in the clutches of the Avatars. He is now the seventh Avatar and must help Arthus and Valeria to rule the Underworld while the other Avatars (Baltus, Hector, Lemanis and Meneon) plot to assault Heaven and get their revenge on the Elders. When Cole is brainwashed by his new powers and the Avatars' spell, Emily brings him back to Good with her love. Then Angela, a 8-years-old girl with powers of prophecy and, according to avatar Hector, some demonic past, enters Cole's life. Our blue eyed handsome ex-demon discovers she isn't any little girl while Elder Aaron, in a crazy attempt to destroy Cole, joined forces with the Avatars and proposes them a bargain…

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Another Chance

Chapter 44:  Cole's humanity

"I got one! I got one!" Paige happily informed her sisters before she spotted another energy ball heading her way. "Oups!" she tried to orb it back to its sender but she somehow missed it and barely had enough time to orb out of harm's way.

"Phew…" she sighed as she reappeared next to Piper, startling her.

"Are you out of your mind? I could have blown you up!" yelled Piper as she aimed at another one of the Avatars' servants. She had to repeat the gesture three times before the demon actually exploded. "Shit! They are being more and more difficult to blow up! Do you think they can somehow immunise themselves against our powers??"

"I hope not!" incredulously said Paige " and don't be stupid, you can't harm me with your powers!"

Phoebe levitated and kicked one in the head, sending him right into the windows and out on the road.

"I hope nobody was watching!" she said, straightening her skirt as her sisters glared at her.

The door crashed open and four more demons entered, their white faces clearly showing their anger from under the darkness of their black cloaks.

"Uh-Oh" said all three sisters.

"Oh No! Not again! 4 more! It's getting old!" exclaimed Paige who killed the last three that attacked her.

"We won't see the end of it, will we?!" cried out Piper, hands at ready.

"Why do they keep coming like that?" whined Phoebe who had a hard time escaping the last two of them.

"Here Phoebe!" cried out Emily who ran out of the kitchen with more bottles of potions.

"Good thing I was practising on potions this week!" said Paige, nose in the air.

"Good thing Emily is here to help us out." Corrected Piper, rolling her eyes at the youngest sister "Emily? Did you have enough time to make more of them?" asked Piper, perfect in the role of the big sister in charge of protecting the others. She took the two vials full of a green and smelly  liquid that Emily handed her.

"Huh unfortunately not!" replied Emily as she blew a black and curly lock of hair out of her beautiful face and indicating the kitchen's door as the two demons who nearly caught her while she was filling the vials, came their way.

"Do you think they want something from you?" asked Emily as she shielded herself behind the three sisters. The little group was now surrounded by the 6 demons.  The Charmed Ones eyed her as if she had gone crazy. "What?? They obviously aren't strong enough to kill you! Unless they plan to attack you until you're completely worn out - and I doubt they would sacrifice themselves like that - they might want something from you! Don't you ever think about asking them!"

"Don't be silly!" snapped Phoebe, rolling her eyes.

"Hey! Actually I think it might be a good idea!" Piper turned to the nearest demon "What do you want?"

In a mechanical voice it responded: "The girl… give us the girl… we want the Prophetesssssss…"

"Well sorry to disappoint you but she's gone, all on her own like a good gir- demoness. She shimmered out of here 6 hours ago!" with that Piper blew it up. The other demons stopped and apparently got the message 'cause they all faded away, one after the other.

"Thank god" said Paige, hands on her knees, finally able to catch her breath as Piper let herself fell onto the sofa wishing she could reach her knees again but softening the thought by rubbing her stomach with a smile, thanking Melinda for the protection field that saved her newly formed cellulite more than once.

Phoebe turned to Emily. Not everything was forgotten between the two of them. Even if it wasn't no man's land around them anymore, they still didn't seem to be able to talk to each other without using words like 'stupid' 'bitch' or 'Whitelighter' which was the worst insult Phoebe had come up with because it was the one that always brought Emily close to tears.

"Well… I guess you were right… this time."

Hands on her hips Emily defiantly answered:

"I'm always right!"

Piper and Paige exchanged glances and rolled their eyes, defeated. Here it goes again…

"YOU are always right??" Phoebe sarcastically repeated.

"Well… I was right about the demon and … about Cole. Emily: 2 / Phoebe: 0. Deal with it." Emily snarled perfectly aware Cole's subject was very touchy with the middle sister.

"Funny how you didn't count the loss of your powers in it…" Phoebe countered spitefully.

Emily's eyes clouded and Paige decided to end it there:

"Aren't you finished yet? Aren't you tired of fighting? Because I am tired of hearing you two."

"Me too." Added Piper from her comfortable place on the half burned old sofa.

Emily and Phoebe send them dreadful glares and turned their backs to each other, arms crossed before their chests stubbornly.

"Look…" tried Paige again "your constant fights doesn't help any of us."

"And where is Cole? Damn it! For once we would need his evil butt here!" exclaimed Piper nastily, because she couldn't quite deal with the fact she wanted Cole to be here to fight at their side again.

Sadness washed over Emily who looked at her feet, defeated. If the Elders hadn't taken her powers away she would have been able to sense him. She would have been able to help a lot more than that.

"I think he is still with them… Otherwise, he would have come back here." She said sadly.

"He could at least contact us!" replied Paige.

Phoebe was all too used to that scheme. Cole gone, trying to save the day again by betraying his siblings, risking getting caught. Endangering his life again… A strange feeling invaded her:

"He might have been caught…" she murmured to herself but when she saw the horror-struck faces of her sisters and Emily she knew she might have said it a little too loud.

"You think they killed him?" said Piper, revolted at the idea (to her own surprise).

"NO!" exclaimed Emily and Phoebe at the same time.

"He went there to save Angela, so he should have come back when she shimmered to him…" reflected Emily

Following her reasoning, Phoebe pursued:

"… unless someone saw her before Cole and gave the alarm."

"I don't get it. Why would they be searching her then?" replied Paige.

"I don't know… maybe she escaped them on her own?" tried Phoebe, thinking the idea a little too far-fetched.

"I don't think she would abandon Cole there…" replied Emily.

"What do you mean?" said Piper as she ungracefully tried to get back on her feet. Paige helped her on her feet.

"I personally think she is the reason why Cole didn't come back. She betrayed him. They captured him because of her. She is EVIL, period. She is the goddamn Source of ALL EVIL! She doesn't care about Cole… or anyone else."

"She does care. I'm sure of it. She is an innocent. I might not be a Whitelighter anymore but I can still sense that. Did you see the look on her face when she flamed out? She was as surprised as us!"

Piper and Paige didn't look convinced… but Phoebe agreed.

"She is right. She is a little girl. Maybe she is possessed or something and that would make her an innocent to protect, besides Cole trusted her, if he can't recognise evil then who can?"

Emily, surprised, smiled thankfully at her… Phoebe smiled back on common accord.

"OK… but if the Avatars don't have Angela anymore, where in the hell is she?" asked Paige "And where is Cole?"

"That is if he is still alive…" mused Piper which made Phoebe and Emily shudder.

"He is still alive Dear…" announced a new voice as the ethereal being appeared before them in the whitest and purest of lights. "… at least for the moment."

***

"Where am I?" whined Angela as she walked through the dark deserted plan she had shimmered in. One second she was with Cole and the next she was here and she didn't know where 'here' is. She flamed out because of the danger and she didn't really thought about where she was going.

"Is there anyone here?" she called out but got no response. It was cold here. It apparently was the night, the strong wind was freezing and sent sand in her eyes.

"Courage Angela…" she murmured to herself and walked against the wind, protecting her face of her arms.

"Cole??? Please!!! Where are you?" she called out again not expecting any response.

"He won't come to save you again Sweety…" snarled Avatar Baltus as he appeared right before the little girl. "Nobody will save you."

Angela's eyes widened with fear and she started to run as fast as she could. No fast enough though, Baltus's energy balls were now whistling at her ears. The Avatar calculated their targets not to kill the Prophetess but to make her lose her balance instead… and it was a success as the latest energy ball hit closer than he had wanted, Angela cried out in pain at it superficially burned the skin of her arm… she tripped on a rock and fell on her butt, wincing.

"Really pathetic" said Baltus tiredly as he walked toward the little girl "and he gave up his place among us for that" he sighed as he heaved Angela and threw her over his shoulder as if she was a vulgar bag, ignoring her cries and kicks.

With another sigh he shimmered out: "Come on baby, cheer up, you're gonna join GrandPa soon!"

***

"Wait! You mean Cole is down there, imprisoned and we're not gonna do anything about it?" angrily exclaimed Phoebe, glaring at the Elder before her. "I don't think so! If you're too much of a coward to go down there then I will, either you approve it or not!"

As Piper watched Phoebe, astonished at her sudden concern for her ex-husband from Hell, Paige tried to comfort Phoebe who was trembling so madly with rage she feared she might do something stupid like slap the Elder who stood calmly before them.

Only Emily had managed to remain calm for the moment. She watched the Elder intently, concern for Cole was evident on her face but unlike Phoebe she still had some respect left for the Elder even if they clipped her wings.

Elder Eramos hadn't once looked in her direction, plainly ignoring her, he never justified the way they took back her powers. 'Of course he doesn't have to justify himself to you, you're only a mortal now… You're of no interest in the Battle of Good against Evil. You're only a burden for the Charmed Ones' She swallowed. 'You can't even protect Cole anymore, you're not there for him when he needs you' she looked at Phoebe and admired how she defended Cole's position 'at least she is still there for him, and you Emily? What are you doing for him?'

She shook her head and Piper looked quizzically at her when she excused herself and went to the kitchen.

If Piper was worried about Phoebe's sudden fuss about Cole, she was even more worried by Emily's lack of reaction. She knew how Leo had reacted with the loss of his powers two years ago and she feared that Emily would do something stupid like put herself in danger to help.

The Elder calmly waited for Phoebe to find her calm again:

"I'm sorry but you can't go in the Underworld, you're weaker there and there is a possibility that it's a trap to lure you down. Cole knew about the danger of going back to the Avatars and I'm sorry but he isn't the priority right now… Eld – uh – Aaron is…"

"Yeah Leo told us already" quickly dismissed Piper, a hand protectively placed on her belly as if she could hide Melinda's presence to one of the people who never approved of her relationship.

Eramos' gaze followed her gesture and stopped on her belly for an instant and unexpectedly his face lightened up with a big grin:

"She's gonna be a handful you know? But she couldn't have more loving parents."

Piper smiled and rubbed her belly:

"If only her father was here right now…"

"He is on a mission. He went to help one of our precious ally." Answered Eramos, looking at Paige.

The little sister curiously demanded to know who this person was and with a smile the Elder answered:

"You don't want to know dear…"

Paige shrugged, wondering what this was all about.

Going straight to the point, Phoebe asked:

"Then what do you want us to do?"

"Ok, here is the plan…"

***

Avatar Arthus glared at Cole from the outside of the cage of energy, seething with anger. From the back of his prison, Cole watched with what appeared like amusement to his opponent but in the inside he really was worried for his own future – especially since he saw a drop of the Avatar's blood running on his finger so tight he was closing his fists in an attempt to control his desire to blow the entire place up. The Avatars' powers were immeasurable, and fuelled by anger, Cole knew they were also uncontrollable.

"You will pay for laughing at me…" his foe snarled, a thin vein appearing on his forehead "You will pay for everything you did to me… You will pay for taking Valeria away from me…"

Cole tried to draw the last of his strengths to stand up again inside that red barrier of energy who was draining all his power … but to now avail. It was like his entire being was swallowed by its magic. Of course, his entire being was made by the powers he collected in the Wasteland, how could it be any different? It seems he would soon know if there really was a place for his soul if it continued like that.

"You're so pathetic…" the Avatar cried out, crazy with anger "I will end your misery!"

Cole's attention was now fully turned back to Arthus as he saw his hand entering slowly through the barrier, sweat pearling on his angry face from the effort. His fingers were now few inches away from Cole's face, ready to strangle the life out of him. The ex-almighty Belthazor summoned all his strength and quickly grabbed the other man's arm. He pulled as hard as he could and Arthus lost balance. The blood-shot  eyes of the Avatar suddenly widened as he fell, face first, on the red energy bars of Cole's prison. An intense pain shot through his body and a primal yell escaped his thin mouth.

The red energy bars seemed to flicker. Seeing this, Cole understood the weakness of Valeria's prison and pulled harder on Arthus's arm. It was strong enough to hold him imprisoned by absorbing his powers but it couldn't contain the amount of their combined powers. Cole found hope again, at this rate he would soon be out and he would see Emily and Angela again. Arthus struggled to free his arms from his opponent's iron grip but he could feel his powers ebb away through the energy field. In a fraction of second he wondered how Cole could find that much energy after being trapped for so long in this prison and then it downed on him that the being in front of him was nothing like him… he was only half demon, his human side allow him to support this, but most of all, he realised that he wasn't fighting for revenge like him, he had a far more motivating aim, he was fighting for those he loved…

In the second after this realisation, a blinding light erupted in the cave and the two men were slammed against opposite walls.

A minute or two later, Cole was on his feet, feeling a lot better than before but still a little off. In the darkness of the cavern he tripped over something. His confused mind didn't need long to realise it was Arthus' limp body. The full demon would take a lot more time than him to recover… if he ever did ; because, unlike him, magical beings couldn't survive without magic.

That reasoning surprised him.

After he spent nights and days trying to forgot through alcohol that same question Phoebe awakened in him when she first saw him after his return of the Wasteland; "What are you?"

The ex-almighty Belthazor, ex-half human, ex-husband, and ex-friend of the Charmed ones since he was also the ex-Source of all Evil, had come to think he was nothing else than the ethereal body materialising the amount of the powers he gathered in the Wasteland. Just when he stopped asking himself whatever he was, the evident response to his musing came to him and he felt a huge weight falling off his shoulders… Whatever he was, and even if he had come to doubt it ever was a part of him before, there still was humanity in him.

His musings were cut short as he heard foot steps coming his way in the dark corridor of the Underworld…

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I don't think this chapter was as good as I wanted it to be but I'll try to do better next time!

Please tell me what you think, any idea to end this story would be welcome!