NINE
"What happened to it?" Leo asked.
"I've sent it back to where it came from," said Cole. "It may reappear again one day. But if it does, it will be because that's the natural order."
"I'm going to destroy you," said Wyatt, contempt in his voice.
"No you won't," said Cole. "You can't stay here, you know that. This isn't your time. And if you do, they will be forced to vanquish you to protect themselves. Once you get back to you own time you'll revert to what you were meant to be. Without The First possessing you as a child you won't have the evil in you that made you do the things you did."
Cole waved his hand and a vortex opened near Wyatt.
"You don't belong here," said Cole. "This isn't your time. You came back to change things in your favor but we both know that isn't going to happen. You had your chance to destroy them earlier but you couldn't do it, could you? We both know why you didn't kill the Charmed Ones when you had the chance. As powerful as you are their magic still protects them. Even from you. And if you stay here, you know they'll have to destroy you."
Wyatt looked at Cole, anger in his eyes. He hated this man with everything in his being. But he also knew Cole was telling the truth. It would be almost ten years before he would have the opportunity to destroy his family. And he was just as sure he would never live to see that day.
"You're going back where you belong," said Cole. "Just as Chris will soon return to his own time. But he has the choice of when to do that. You don't."
Cole's eyes flashed and the vortex began to draw Wyatt into it. Without his magic the grown up Wyatt was unable to resist the power of the vortex. Within seconds he was sucked into the vortex, returned to his own time.
"Why didn't he destroy us?" Piper asked. "He had the opportunity."
"He couldn't," said Cole. "Do you remember the day he was born?"
"Of course," said Paige. "We all lost our magic because of a convergence or something."
"Everyone did," said Leo. "It was only after he was born that the magic returned."
"There'll be another one in about ten or twelve years," said Cole. "It will be minor compared to the last one. And it will only last a couple of hours. But Wyatt will be protected from it because he's the twice-blessed child. That's why he destroyed you when he did. As I told him, your magic protects you as it always has. He had to wait until that protection was suspended before he could do anything about it."
"I remember that," said Chris. "I didn't completely understand what was going on at the time only that none of us could use our powers. That's when Wyatt attacked. He had vanquished all of you before I even knew what was going on. I never did understand why he still had his powers when the rest of us didn't."
"Now you know," said Cole. He turned to the Avatars. "I'd like to tender my resignation from your little group. I'm through being used and manipulated by anyone. I could wipe you out of existence but that would make me as bad as you are."
"They upset the balance," Mellock protested, looking at the Charmed Ones. "Piper said as much when they vanquished the Seer and the demon council."
"Maybe so," said Cole. "But when that happened, it was a natural order of events. Not some supposed balance imposed by anyone. The Charmed Ones came by their powers naturally. The Elders didn't give them their powers. They only knew the Charmed Ones would receive them. So the Elders prepared them for those powers. What you want to do is impose your own rules on them. You don't have that right. No one does. If there's to be a balance, it has to be a natural balance."
"This is not over," said Lucan.
"Yes it is," said Cole. "You can't oppose the Charmed Ones any more than Wyatt could. You'll have to go back to manipulating people and trying to instill your precious balance the way you always have. But it will be a very long time before you get a chance like this again."
Lucan looked at Cole for a long time. It was clear that not even the three most powerful Avatars in existence could face Cole's power. All of their carefully laid plans were now useless. Resigned to the fact that there was nothing any of them could do about it, Lucan, Mellock, and Trembor simply vanished from the manor, returning to the nether reaches they called their home.
"What about Wyatt?" Piper asked. "What will happen to him when he gets back to the future?"
"He'll be what he was meant to be," said Cole. "Without The First possessing him, he won't turn evil as he did. He'll be whatever he was supposed to be."
"Cole," said Phoebe.
"No," said Cole. "Don't say anything. Nothing has changed. I can't stay here. You must know that. There's too much history between us. You've moved on. So have I. I will always cherish what we had together but it's over now. We have to learn to accept that."
Phoebe laid her head on Cole's chest. He was right, of course. Their time had come and gone. And a lot of the time had been good. Some of the happiest times of her life. She still loved him and always would. But he was right. It was time they both got on with their lives. She raised her head and looked up at Cole.
"I know," she said. "I'll always love you. Don't ever doubt that."
"And I'll always love you," said Cole, kissing her lightly on the lips.
He turned to Buffy and the others.
"You do have a new destiny ahead of you, Buffy," he said. "As do your two vampire friends. What that destiny is I can't really say. I only know you won't find it here. I wish you well, Slayer. You helped defeat The First Evil twice in your life. No small accomplishment."
"Thanks," said Buffy. "I only hope we don't get a chance to do it again for a long, long time."
"You won't," said Cole, smiling.
He waived his hand and Buffy, Angel, Spike, Giles, and Willow simply vanished from the manor. He turned back to Leo, Chris, and the girls.
"I sent them to be with their friends," Cole said. "It seemed the least I could do after all the help they gave you."
"Thanks," said Leo. "And thanks for protecting Wyatt. When I saw the crib upstairs I was sure Lucan had killed him. Oh, Piper, by the way. We need a new crib."
"I'm not surprised," said Piper. "I'm only glad it's just a crib we need."
"I intercepted baby Wyatt's orb," said Cole. "I knew where he was heading just as grown up Wyatt knew. Lucan's energy ball only destroyed the crib. Wyatt was in no danger."
"How come he could orb when no one else's magic was working?" Paige asked.
"I exempted him from the magical dampening field," said Cole. "He's still too young to adequately understand what's going on or how to protect himself. I knew if things got sticky he'd orbed to where he felt the most safe. So I allowed his magic to work."
"Thanks," said Piper. "If not for you I don't know what we would have done."
"Chris," he said turning to the young White Lighter, "you can return to your own time whenever you want. I think you'll find things a bit different from when you left. Not to mention there's someone waiting to see you. A particular Phoenix witch I believe she is."
"But she's dead," said Chris. "I watched her die."
"That's the trouble with altering the past," said Cole smiling. "It has such a weird affect on the future."
"Where will you go?" Paige asked Cole. "You said you couldn't stay here."
"I don't know," said Cole. "It's a big universe. Other dimensions, other realities. The past the future. Who knows where I'll end up? But just know that no matter where I go I'll always remember you guys."
He suddenly kissed Phoebe a long, passionate kiss. Even though they still loved each other they both knew that sometimes love alone wasn't enough.
"Thanks," said Leo. "And we won't ever forget you, either."
"Of that I have no doubt," said Cole. "I've always hated long goodbyes."
Cole suddenly vanished from the manor. This time, Phoebe and her sisters knew they had truly seen the last of him. Phoebe most of all had seen a chance in Cole. No longer half human, half demon, he was something different. Something more than he had been before. And wherever he was, she knew he would think of her often.
"What happened to it?" Leo asked.
"I've sent it back to where it came from," said Cole. "It may reappear again one day. But if it does, it will be because that's the natural order."
"I'm going to destroy you," said Wyatt, contempt in his voice.
"No you won't," said Cole. "You can't stay here, you know that. This isn't your time. And if you do, they will be forced to vanquish you to protect themselves. Once you get back to you own time you'll revert to what you were meant to be. Without The First possessing you as a child you won't have the evil in you that made you do the things you did."
Cole waved his hand and a vortex opened near Wyatt.
"You don't belong here," said Cole. "This isn't your time. You came back to change things in your favor but we both know that isn't going to happen. You had your chance to destroy them earlier but you couldn't do it, could you? We both know why you didn't kill the Charmed Ones when you had the chance. As powerful as you are their magic still protects them. Even from you. And if you stay here, you know they'll have to destroy you."
Wyatt looked at Cole, anger in his eyes. He hated this man with everything in his being. But he also knew Cole was telling the truth. It would be almost ten years before he would have the opportunity to destroy his family. And he was just as sure he would never live to see that day.
"You're going back where you belong," said Cole. "Just as Chris will soon return to his own time. But he has the choice of when to do that. You don't."
Cole's eyes flashed and the vortex began to draw Wyatt into it. Without his magic the grown up Wyatt was unable to resist the power of the vortex. Within seconds he was sucked into the vortex, returned to his own time.
"Why didn't he destroy us?" Piper asked. "He had the opportunity."
"He couldn't," said Cole. "Do you remember the day he was born?"
"Of course," said Paige. "We all lost our magic because of a convergence or something."
"Everyone did," said Leo. "It was only after he was born that the magic returned."
"There'll be another one in about ten or twelve years," said Cole. "It will be minor compared to the last one. And it will only last a couple of hours. But Wyatt will be protected from it because he's the twice-blessed child. That's why he destroyed you when he did. As I told him, your magic protects you as it always has. He had to wait until that protection was suspended before he could do anything about it."
"I remember that," said Chris. "I didn't completely understand what was going on at the time only that none of us could use our powers. That's when Wyatt attacked. He had vanquished all of you before I even knew what was going on. I never did understand why he still had his powers when the rest of us didn't."
"Now you know," said Cole. He turned to the Avatars. "I'd like to tender my resignation from your little group. I'm through being used and manipulated by anyone. I could wipe you out of existence but that would make me as bad as you are."
"They upset the balance," Mellock protested, looking at the Charmed Ones. "Piper said as much when they vanquished the Seer and the demon council."
"Maybe so," said Cole. "But when that happened, it was a natural order of events. Not some supposed balance imposed by anyone. The Charmed Ones came by their powers naturally. The Elders didn't give them their powers. They only knew the Charmed Ones would receive them. So the Elders prepared them for those powers. What you want to do is impose your own rules on them. You don't have that right. No one does. If there's to be a balance, it has to be a natural balance."
"This is not over," said Lucan.
"Yes it is," said Cole. "You can't oppose the Charmed Ones any more than Wyatt could. You'll have to go back to manipulating people and trying to instill your precious balance the way you always have. But it will be a very long time before you get a chance like this again."
Lucan looked at Cole for a long time. It was clear that not even the three most powerful Avatars in existence could face Cole's power. All of their carefully laid plans were now useless. Resigned to the fact that there was nothing any of them could do about it, Lucan, Mellock, and Trembor simply vanished from the manor, returning to the nether reaches they called their home.
"What about Wyatt?" Piper asked. "What will happen to him when he gets back to the future?"
"He'll be what he was meant to be," said Cole. "Without The First possessing him, he won't turn evil as he did. He'll be whatever he was supposed to be."
"Cole," said Phoebe.
"No," said Cole. "Don't say anything. Nothing has changed. I can't stay here. You must know that. There's too much history between us. You've moved on. So have I. I will always cherish what we had together but it's over now. We have to learn to accept that."
Phoebe laid her head on Cole's chest. He was right, of course. Their time had come and gone. And a lot of the time had been good. Some of the happiest times of her life. She still loved him and always would. But he was right. It was time they both got on with their lives. She raised her head and looked up at Cole.
"I know," she said. "I'll always love you. Don't ever doubt that."
"And I'll always love you," said Cole, kissing her lightly on the lips.
He turned to Buffy and the others.
"You do have a new destiny ahead of you, Buffy," he said. "As do your two vampire friends. What that destiny is I can't really say. I only know you won't find it here. I wish you well, Slayer. You helped defeat The First Evil twice in your life. No small accomplishment."
"Thanks," said Buffy. "I only hope we don't get a chance to do it again for a long, long time."
"You won't," said Cole, smiling.
He waived his hand and Buffy, Angel, Spike, Giles, and Willow simply vanished from the manor. He turned back to Leo, Chris, and the girls.
"I sent them to be with their friends," Cole said. "It seemed the least I could do after all the help they gave you."
"Thanks," said Leo. "And thanks for protecting Wyatt. When I saw the crib upstairs I was sure Lucan had killed him. Oh, Piper, by the way. We need a new crib."
"I'm not surprised," said Piper. "I'm only glad it's just a crib we need."
"I intercepted baby Wyatt's orb," said Cole. "I knew where he was heading just as grown up Wyatt knew. Lucan's energy ball only destroyed the crib. Wyatt was in no danger."
"How come he could orb when no one else's magic was working?" Paige asked.
"I exempted him from the magical dampening field," said Cole. "He's still too young to adequately understand what's going on or how to protect himself. I knew if things got sticky he'd orbed to where he felt the most safe. So I allowed his magic to work."
"Thanks," said Piper. "If not for you I don't know what we would have done."
"Chris," he said turning to the young White Lighter, "you can return to your own time whenever you want. I think you'll find things a bit different from when you left. Not to mention there's someone waiting to see you. A particular Phoenix witch I believe she is."
"But she's dead," said Chris. "I watched her die."
"That's the trouble with altering the past," said Cole smiling. "It has such a weird affect on the future."
"Where will you go?" Paige asked Cole. "You said you couldn't stay here."
"I don't know," said Cole. "It's a big universe. Other dimensions, other realities. The past the future. Who knows where I'll end up? But just know that no matter where I go I'll always remember you guys."
He suddenly kissed Phoebe a long, passionate kiss. Even though they still loved each other they both knew that sometimes love alone wasn't enough.
"Thanks," said Leo. "And we won't ever forget you, either."
"Of that I have no doubt," said Cole. "I've always hated long goodbyes."
Cole suddenly vanished from the manor. This time, Phoebe and her sisters knew they had truly seen the last of him. Phoebe most of all had seen a chance in Cole. No longer half human, half demon, he was something different. Something more than he had been before. And wherever he was, she knew he would think of her often.
