Chapter 4: But wait, there's more.
"What do you mean the other Elders confirm her story?" was Piper's incredulous reply to Leo's declaration.
"Talia is Phoebe's and Cole's daughter," Leo said, "there's no other way of putting it."
"And you didn't know?" insisted Piper, still in shock. "You honestly expect us to believe that? You're an Elder too, remember? If I find out that you knew about this and kept it from us, then I promise you Leo, I'll make you wish you never heard of the Charmed Ones."
"Honey, I swear, I never knew. I wasn't even an Elder back then. And besides, you know very well that because of my personal involvement with you I'm just not told certain things."
"Ok, so she's Phoebe's daughter. How can we trust her? I mean, after all, she's Cole's daughter too," said Paige continuing to look at Talia with the same unmasked distrust that had, unwittingly, developed in her eyes from the first moment she heard Cole's name. "She tried to kill me. On numerous occasions if I remember correctly. And that, was before she was even born."
"How can you hold that against me?" said Talia bristling at what she felt was Paige's unjust accusation. "I don't even remember. You said it yourself: I wasn't even born then."
"Calm down everyone," said Phoebe, finally deciding she had had enough. She calmly turned to Paige and said, " Paige I understand where you're coming from, but even you have to admit that we can't hold what happened then, against Talia. She's my daughter too, and now that we've found each other, I want us to have the relationship that was stolen from us sixteen years ago. Is that too much to ask?"
Paige was chastised. Maybe she had gone a little bit too far this time.
"Ahem," said Leo, trying to attract the attention of the two arguing Haliwell sisters as discreetly as possible.
Piper knew her husband better than anyone, and right now, she knew that Leo had something else to add. Something he wasn't looking forward to sharing. Something they weren't going to like.
"I'm afraid that's not all," continued Leo, a pained expression on his face. "I asked the other Elders about Cole's current whereabouts." He paused before uttering the words he had been dreading to say since he got back. "Cole's the new Source. He's the demon that took over after the Seer and the Evil Council were vanquished. I'm sorry Phoebe."
Phoebe felt her legs give way under the significance of Leo's words. She sunk to the couch. Her heart was in turmoil with emotions that only Cole could ever arouse in her. Feelings of betrayal, of longing, of disappointment, but mostly of regret, at a lost future she had once believed in so strongly.
Men had come and gone in her life in the past few years, along with two divorces and a lot of heartache, yet the truth of the matter remained unchanged. No other man had ever touched her as he had. She felt alive when he was around, as if awakened from a deep, dreamless sleep by his love. His very name sent shivers down her back and made her long for his touch once again.
But, how could she ever forget the pain he had put her through. She remembered curling up on the bed in her room wishing for death to take her pain away. She remembered wanting to tear her traitor heart from her chest with her bare hands. She remembered the nightmares that still came in the long, lonely nights. Waking up with the look in his eyes, as she helped her sisters vanquish him, imprinted in her mind.
"The Source's daughter?!!" cried Paige. "Now we know we can't trust her," said throwing her hands despairingly in the air.
"Be quiet Paige," said Piper in voice that tolerated no objections. "Phoebe honey, are you ok?" she asked softly, the concern for her younger sister evident in her eyes.
"Yes, of course," Phoebe answered her voice hoarse with emotion.
Her eyes fell on the girl sitting next to her. Her daughter. Talia had curled in a corner of the couch, making herself as small and unnoticeable as it was possible. Her face had lost its healthy colour and instead had changed into an ashen pallor. Perhaps it was her maternal instinct kicking in, but Phoebe found herself wanting to put her arms around this girl she hadn't known an hour ago, and wanting to tell her that it was all going to be all right.
But before Phoebe, or anyone else for that matter, had time to do anything, the whole room seemed to explode in angry flames as the Source made his entrance to the Haliwell manor in all his majestic fury.
"What do you mean the other Elders confirm her story?" was Piper's incredulous reply to Leo's declaration.
"Talia is Phoebe's and Cole's daughter," Leo said, "there's no other way of putting it."
"And you didn't know?" insisted Piper, still in shock. "You honestly expect us to believe that? You're an Elder too, remember? If I find out that you knew about this and kept it from us, then I promise you Leo, I'll make you wish you never heard of the Charmed Ones."
"Honey, I swear, I never knew. I wasn't even an Elder back then. And besides, you know very well that because of my personal involvement with you I'm just not told certain things."
"Ok, so she's Phoebe's daughter. How can we trust her? I mean, after all, she's Cole's daughter too," said Paige continuing to look at Talia with the same unmasked distrust that had, unwittingly, developed in her eyes from the first moment she heard Cole's name. "She tried to kill me. On numerous occasions if I remember correctly. And that, was before she was even born."
"How can you hold that against me?" said Talia bristling at what she felt was Paige's unjust accusation. "I don't even remember. You said it yourself: I wasn't even born then."
"Calm down everyone," said Phoebe, finally deciding she had had enough. She calmly turned to Paige and said, " Paige I understand where you're coming from, but even you have to admit that we can't hold what happened then, against Talia. She's my daughter too, and now that we've found each other, I want us to have the relationship that was stolen from us sixteen years ago. Is that too much to ask?"
Paige was chastised. Maybe she had gone a little bit too far this time.
"Ahem," said Leo, trying to attract the attention of the two arguing Haliwell sisters as discreetly as possible.
Piper knew her husband better than anyone, and right now, she knew that Leo had something else to add. Something he wasn't looking forward to sharing. Something they weren't going to like.
"I'm afraid that's not all," continued Leo, a pained expression on his face. "I asked the other Elders about Cole's current whereabouts." He paused before uttering the words he had been dreading to say since he got back. "Cole's the new Source. He's the demon that took over after the Seer and the Evil Council were vanquished. I'm sorry Phoebe."
Phoebe felt her legs give way under the significance of Leo's words. She sunk to the couch. Her heart was in turmoil with emotions that only Cole could ever arouse in her. Feelings of betrayal, of longing, of disappointment, but mostly of regret, at a lost future she had once believed in so strongly.
Men had come and gone in her life in the past few years, along with two divorces and a lot of heartache, yet the truth of the matter remained unchanged. No other man had ever touched her as he had. She felt alive when he was around, as if awakened from a deep, dreamless sleep by his love. His very name sent shivers down her back and made her long for his touch once again.
But, how could she ever forget the pain he had put her through. She remembered curling up on the bed in her room wishing for death to take her pain away. She remembered wanting to tear her traitor heart from her chest with her bare hands. She remembered the nightmares that still came in the long, lonely nights. Waking up with the look in his eyes, as she helped her sisters vanquish him, imprinted in her mind.
"The Source's daughter?!!" cried Paige. "Now we know we can't trust her," said throwing her hands despairingly in the air.
"Be quiet Paige," said Piper in voice that tolerated no objections. "Phoebe honey, are you ok?" she asked softly, the concern for her younger sister evident in her eyes.
"Yes, of course," Phoebe answered her voice hoarse with emotion.
Her eyes fell on the girl sitting next to her. Her daughter. Talia had curled in a corner of the couch, making herself as small and unnoticeable as it was possible. Her face had lost its healthy colour and instead had changed into an ashen pallor. Perhaps it was her maternal instinct kicking in, but Phoebe found herself wanting to put her arms around this girl she hadn't known an hour ago, and wanting to tell her that it was all going to be all right.
But before Phoebe, or anyone else for that matter, had time to do anything, the whole room seemed to explode in angry flames as the Source made his entrance to the Haliwell manor in all his majestic fury.