CHAPTER 5: Echoes
"It's about time you woke up, sleepyhead," Phoebe chided playfully as I walked into the kitchen.
"If Piper hadn't been cooking breakfast, I might not have woken up for another couple of hours," I said as I sat down at the table. "After last night, I think I needed it."
Phoebe grinned at me. "Hmmm..."
It had been about two weeks since our battle with Cole. Phoebe's "death" had definitely been a wake up call, so I spent more time around the Manor, just to be safe. We weren't sure if or when Cole would attack again.
That morning, I could not help but admire Phoebe's beauty. When she caught my stare, Phoebe just shook her head and smiled brightly at me. I barely fought the urge to grin. I loved the way her left dimple was just a little higher than her right, and the way her eyes seemed to sparkle with the sun whenever she smiled. That was when I knew, without a doubt. I had to make her my wife. I'd already bought the ring. Hell, I'd had it for five years. Now, it was just a matter of the timing.
My thoughts were interrupted by a very strange feeling. I felt a surge along the lifelines. It was...weird. It felt like someone had just dropped a huge rock into a lake, and I was the feeling the ripples. Whatever it was, it was powerful.
Apparently, my unease must have registered on my face, because I suddenly heard Phoebe say, "Michael, are you alright?"
I shook myself. "I'm ok, but I'm sensing something really strange, a very powerful presence...I should go investigate."
"Do you want us to come with you?" Piper offered.
"No, I think I'll be alright," I replied. I began to stand up, but Phoebe pulled me down for a kiss.
"Be careful," she whispered.
"Hey, this is me," I said with a grin. I then flamed out.
I followed the presence, tracing its source. I materialized in a clearing. Standing in front of me was a boy who appeared to be about twelve years old. He had dark hair, piercing blue eyes and a smirk on his face. "I've been waiting for you," the boy said in a cold voice.
I could feel a chill run up my spine. Whoever this boy was, he had a score to settle, that much was clear. I wasted no time and threw a fireball at the boy. However, he merely raised a hand and deflected it aside.
"Most impressive," the boy said. "However, I'm afraid you'll find I can defend myself against your attacks." The boy conjured an energy ball and fired it at me.
I concentrated, and managed to deflect the energy ball back at the boy, who barely dodged it. Deciding it was time to up the ante, I shifted into my Guardian form. I threw a stronger fireball, and this time I succeeded in knocking the boy to the ground. "Who are you?" I demanded.
The boy got up and brushed himself off. "You'll soon find out. It appears as though I underestimated you, so we'll continue this later." The boy then blurred out.
Puzzlement overwhelmed me as I shifted back to my regular form and flamed back to the Manor. Who was that boy? Something about him seemed oddly familiar, but I couldn't place it.
I materialized in the living room to see the girls talking. Their conversation ceased abruptly, and Phoebe jumped up and threw her arms around me. "I was getting worried," she said, resting her head on my shoulder.
"I told you not to worry so much. I'm invincible, remember?" I reminded her.
"What did you find out?" Piper asked.
I gently pulled back from Phoebe and we sat down on one of the couches. "I traced the power to a boy. He was extremely powerful; I could only faze him when I was using the full brunt of my Guardian powers. He seemed oddly familiar, but I don't think I've ever seen him before."
"What did he want?" Paige wondered.
"I'm not sure," I admitted, "but I get the feeling that this isn't over yet."
"Alright, well, maybe he'll be in the Book," Piper suggested. "What did he look like?" I told her, and she said, "Ok, I'll see what I can find." She went upstairs to the attic.
"Are you sure you're ok?" Phoebe asked again.
"Physically, yes," I answered. "I'm a little shaken. As I said, this boy was powerful. In fact, the only other being I know of who is as powerful is Cole. I'm just hoping that we can find a solution to this."
"Me too," Phoebe said softly.
"What's wrong?" I asked. I could tell that something was bothering her.
Phoebe stared down at her hands for a minute before speaking. "We've been through so much," she said. "We've almost lost each other forever. I'm just scared that something is going to tear us apart again."
"I'm not going to let that happen," I said firmly. "I promised myself that I wouldn't lose you again, and I intend to keep that promise."
"I'll hold you to that," Phoebe said tearfully. She flung her arms around me and buried her face in my neck. I stroked her hair with one hand while I wrapped my other arm around her shoulders.
We held each other for a few moments before pulling back. "Are you feeling better?" I asked.
"A little," Phoebe said, smiling slightly.
"You know," I said, "there was something that..."
"Guys, get the hell up here!" Piper suddenly yelled from the attic.
I grabbed Phoebe's hand and flamed upstairs. We materialized just as Paige orbed in. We saw Piper on one side of the room, along with...
"That's him," I said. "That's the boy."
"And he has the Book," Phoebe gasped in shock.
I looked at the boy's arms, and sure enough, he was clutching the Book of Shadows tightly. While it wasn't flying away from him, it was shaking in his arms, which meant that it was resisting. The boy grinned and said, "It's mine now." He then blurred out.
"Oh, shit, that kid has the Book of Shadows!" Piper exclaimed. "I tried to stop him, but my powers couldn't affect him."
"Not so surprising, considering I barely fazed him before," I reminded her.
"Well, we don't do so well without the Book," Paige commented shortly. "We've got to get it back."
"Leave that to me," I said. Phoebe started to protest, but I continued, "This guy was able to survive my strongest attack. You three probably couldn't even faze him with your powers."
"So, what do we do if he shows up here again?" Phoebe asked.
As though in answer, Leo suddenly orbed in. "Your bosses work pretty fast," Leo remarked to me. Turning to the girls, Leo said, "The Powers contacted the Elders about this boy. They were so concerned about another being with so much power that they decided to give you a very special weapon." Leo showed them an ancient curved knife which had runes carved into it. "This is the Moonblade. Its power level rises and falls in accordance with the phases of the moon."
"The full moon is tonight," Piper pointed out.
"Exactly," Leo continued, "so if the boy shows up here tonight, the blade should theoretically have enough power to vanquish him."
"Good plan," I commented. "Still, I'm afraid of what this boy could do now that he has the Book, so I'm going to go after him now."
"Please be careful," Phoebe begged.
I reached out and caressed her cheek for a moment. "Watch your back," I warned as I flamed out.
I materialized in the same clearing where I'd fought the boy before. Sure enough, he was standing there, the Book of Shadows on a stone pedestal. "Come back for more?" the boy sneered.
"Give me the Book, and I might not have to kill you," I said as Excalibur materialized in my hand.
"A swordsman, eh?" the boy said. "Well, two can play that game." The boy gestured, and a sword appeared at me. Quick as a whip, the boy flew at me, and I barely blocked his sword.
We traded blows for a time, and all the while the feeling of familiarity grew in me. As I stared at the boy, it suddenly hit me. The eyes, the face...how could I have missed it?
"I know who you are," I said. Without thinking, I immediately flamed to Cole's penthouse.
I materialized in the penthouse to see Cole downing a bottle of Jack Daniel's. Upon seeing me in the room, he threw the bottle into the fireplace and snarled, "What the hell do you want?"
I stood opposite Cole, and asked nonchalantly, "How did your son get out the Wasteland?"
Cole visibly flinched, but his voice was steady as he spoke. "He didn't just get out. I saved him." He turned eyes filled with pain toward me. "Originally, I'd been intending him to be a surprise for Phoebe if we'd ever gotten back together, to show her that our son did belong to us, not the Seer. Of course, that's never going to happen now."
"Well, you may want to rethink your views on him, because he stole the Book of Shadows," I said firmly.
"He did what?" Cole questioned. "Damn it, I told him to just let it go..."
"Let what go?" I asked anxiously. Something wasn't right.
"When I realized that Phoebe and I would never be together again, I used magic to accelerate his growth temporarily, which is why he looks and acts like he's twelve," Cole started. "A one-year old baby would have been too much for me to handle. When I explained the situation to him, he became angry, and vowed that he would make the Charmed Ones pay for what he saw as crimes against me. I never thought he'd actually go through with it."
"What was he planning to do?" I questioned.
"He never told me the specifics, but it's definitely not good," Cole said, struggling to his feet. "He's gone too far. We'd better go now."
"Ok, let's go to..." I started, when I suddenly realized what was wrong. I could sense nothing outside of the penthouse. "Crap, I can't sense anything from in here, which could mean that the girls are..." I couldn't finish the sentence.
"Come on," Cole insisted, and we respectively flamed and blurred to the Manor. My fears were confirmed when I saw the attic in a state of disarray, with no sign of the girls.
I closed my eyes and focused. "They're in the Underworld," I said.
"I'm going with you," Cole said. "I'm the only one with enough power to stop him." I nodded, and we were off a moment later.
We materialized a moment later to see the Charmed Ones huddled together, with Cole's son standing in front of them with two pedestals. One held the Book of Shadows, while the other held...
"The Grimoire..." I breathed.
"Son, you can't do this!" Cole shouted.
"I must, Father," Cole's son said. "They must pay for their mistreatment of you."
Phoebe's eyes widened. "You're...you're..."
"My name is Benjamin Coleridge Turner II, bitch," the boy snarled. Phoebe visibly shivered at the coldness in Ben's voice. "How else do you think I could have taken the Book? Only agents of Good or blood relatives can hold it."
"That's how he was able to look up that disempowerment spell," Paige realized.
"Why are you doing this?" Phoebe asked.
Ben glared at her. "Spare me the innocent routine," he spat. "My father loves you more than you can possibly comprehend. He gave up his powers, his very existence, for you, to be with you. Did you accept him? NO! You kicked him while he was down, and then, you betrayed him with that bastard." Ben pointed at me.
I started to move forward, but Cole held me back. "We may still be able to talk him down," Cole said. I nodded.
"What are you planning to do to us?" Piper snapped.
Ben grinned evilly. "I'm going to sacrifice the three of you for a combination spell using both the Book of Shadows and the Grimoire. This spell will bring the entire Halliwell line under my control. And as the three of your burn in hell, you can watch as your ancestors do my bidding."
"Son, no!" Cole begged. "Be reasonable...this is not what I want."
"How can you possibly still feel anything for this bitch, Father?" Ben snapped as he whirled on Cole. "She killed us both, and almost destroyed your sanity. Don't you think that says something?"
Cole was about to respond, when I suddenly caught a swift movement out of the corner of my eye. I saw Phoebe drawing the Moonblade from her inner jacket pocket and drove it into Ben's back.
Ben eyes widened in shock and he gasped for breath. Phoebe pulled the Moonblade out of Ben's back, and he burst into flames. "Fa...father..." he gasped before he exploded.
"Son!" Cole screamed. He fell to his knees and began to sob. Turning his gaze to Phoebe, he croaked, "Why, Phoebe...why...?"
"He was evil, Cole," Phoebe said firmly. "Our son was evil, because of you. I had no choice. And all this proves to me is that there must still be evil in you, Cole, for our son to have wanted to kill me." Cole tried to protest, but Phoebe cut him off. "I feel nothing for you, Cole. No love, no hate, nothing. Stay away from me and my sisters. You may have tried to help us now, but sooner or later the evil will overtake you, and when it does, we're going to vanquish you. And I'll never look back."
Cole's face was contorted in pain and disbelief. He gave one last glance to Phoebe before blurring out.
I ran to the girls and asked, "Are you guys alright?"
Piper and Paige nodded, but Phoebe said, "I'm not sure."
"Book of Shadows," Paige called, and the Book orbed to her. "Well, it looks like we've got our powers back."
"What are we going to do about the Grimoire?" Piper asked.
"Leave it," I said. Upon seeing the girls' incredulous looks, I said, "If the Grimoire wasn't meant to stay in the Underworld, I'd be feeling Time Ripples, which I'm not. I suppose the existence of a Source of All Evil is just part of the balance."
"Are you sure about this?" Paige asked.
I nodded. "Let's get out of here," I said, taking Phoebe's hand. We flamed and orbed back to the Manor.
After we returned, I followed Phoebe to her room and closed the door behind us. "What's wrong?" I asked her as I sat beside her on the bed.
Phoebe turned tearful eyes to me. "I didn't want to kill him," she sad with a sob.
"I know you didn't," I said. "You thought you were doing the right thing."
"I couldn't let Cole see how I really felt about our son," Phoebe said as the tears came down her face. "I wanted to save him, but I was afraid, and I acted instinctively, just like he was any other demon. Oh, what have I done?" Phoebe began to cry hysterically, and I pulled her into my arms and held her tight. After a while, her sobs lessened, and Phoebe pulled back slightly. "Seeing him didn't change my feelings about Cole, but I realize what we could have had if things hadn't gone wrong. We would have had a son, a family. I wanted that so much, and everything got messed up."
I gently pushed Phoebe's head back onto my shoulder as she continued to sniffle. "Don't give up on that dream just yet," I said quietly. "You could still have a family some day." I took a breath. "You know..." I started, but then stopped. "Never mind..."
"What is it?" Phoebe asked.
I turned from her, saying, "This isn't the right time for this, not with you in so much pain."
"Michael, please don't pull back, not now," Phoebe said, her voice trembling slightly. She turned my face toward her. "Whatever you wanted to say, you can tell me."
I took another deep breath. "You know, we had become so close before I left New York. Things were going so well for us, and I thought I could see and plan how things were going to turn out. I suppose Destiny picked an interesting time to change things up on us."
"What do you mean?" Phoebe asked, giving me a quizzical look.
I hesitated a moment before reaching into my pocket and extracting the black, velvet ring box. Hearing Phoebe's shocked gasp, I forced myself to proceed. "I had every intention of giving this to you five years ago, but when my father died, everything got turned upside down." I opened the box to reveal the diamond ring within. I knew that I probably had only a minute before I'd lose coherent speech, so I continued, "I can give you your dream back, Phoebe. I can give you a family, and a life overflowing with love. All you have to do is say yes." I moved off the bed and sank to one knee. "Phoebe Halliwell, I love you with all my heart, and nothing would give me more joy than if you'd consent to be my wife. Will you marry me?"
Tears of joy began to roll down Phoebe's cheeks. "Yes...yes!" she exclaimed. I took the ring from the box and reverently slipped it onto her right ring finger. Phoebe cupped my face with her hands and kissed me. I could feel her tears on my cheeks. She pulled back after a minute. "I love you so much," she whispered.
"I love you, too," I said as I wrapped my arms around her and held her close.
Later on that night, while Phoebe was sound asleep, I decided to check on Cole. I felt horrible about the way things had turned out, and thought that I should do something to console him. I tracked him down to a local cemetery, where he placed fresh flowers on a grave.
"My son, I apologize," I hear him say. "But know your death wasn't in vain. You've finally shown me an abomination in my midst. She took my pride, killed me, but this...THIS! I swear to you, no matter what it takes, Phoebe Halliwell will pay the ultimate price for what was done to you."
I felt chills running through me as I flamed back to the Manor. Cole had been dangerous even when he was trying to win Phoebe back. I was scared to death of a Cole who wanted revenge. I knew I had no choice but to inform the Charmed Ones. I only hoped that Cole could come to his senses before I had no choice but to find a way to kill him.
TO BE CONTINUED...