Chapter 5
"Hello, Cole!" Amistad said, coming into Cole's room with a friendly smile.
Cole sat up in his bed and looked at Amistad. "What have you found out?"
"I have good news," Amistad smiled. "We know what's the last symbol. It's a magical coal. It's always red and looks hot, but in truth it's absolutely cold. We don't know anything more, but the legend says that the different signs will bring the right person right to the coal."
"What do you mean?" Cole frowned. "That's an absurd! Will I have to go somewhere, choosing the direction by guess? And go, go, go, until I see a coal in front of me?"
"It won't be so easy," Amistad kept smiling. "But, as I said, you'll get the different signs that will show you the right way."
"Wait, how can you be so sure that I'm the right person?" Cole asked. "Maybe these signs are meant to someone else?"
Amistad's smile became mysterious. "You are the right person, Cole, believe me. Besides, you won't go alone."
"What?" Cole frowned.
"Actually it's the main problem for the darkness," Amistad tried to explain. "Finding the symbol of Fire is harder than finding all the other symbols. Only two persons, no more and no less, together can find this magical coal. One is the "Chosen", and it's you, Cole. The darkness also has their Chosen, and it's the new Source, this Master. But they haven't got a second person and it will take a time for them to find it."
"Who is this person?" Cole started to become impatient.
Amistad sighed. "A witch. A Charmed One."
Cole didn't even move for a while and then he started to laugh. "Yeah, right!"
Amistad didn't laugh. "I'm serious, Cole."
Cole stopped laughing, and Amistad saw the unbelief in his eyes. "No, no, no. It can't be. You can't be serious. How the hell are you going to make it?"
"Cole…" Amistad peacefully said, but Cole didn't listen.
"NO!" he exclaimed. "I won't listen! Enough listening! I didn't know about it when I agreed and now I say that I won't do it! You'll have to find other Chosen or whatever…"
"Cole…" Amistad interrupted him.
"NO! Are you, angels, absolutely crazy or what? How could you imagine that I'll agree to work together with Charmed One!?"
"Cole…"
"SHUT UP! There's just a small, little problem, you know - they're gonna KILL ME! They hate me, they believe I'm already dead, and if they find out that I'm alive, they'd do the thing they wanna do, which is - kick my ass one more time! They have already vanquished me… I guess, two times, or whatever, I don't even remember…"
"SHE LOVES YOU!"
Cole immediately calmed down and fell silent. "I'm sorry, what?"
Amistad sighed. "Phoebe. She still loves you."
Cole looked at him with a look that contained everything - pain, unbelief, surprise and a little, almost unseen hope.
"Yeah, right," he finally said. "Now then, guy, you can joke about everything, but never say this again," his voice was quiet, but strict. "Remember, never."
"Cole, it's not a joke," Amistad was absolutely serious. "I wasn't allowed to tell you that, but that was the only way how I could stop you. Phoebe still loves you, and that's the truth."
"Sure!" Cole painfully exclaimed. "What next! Loves me, sure! She shows her love in kinda strange way, you know - being fed up with me, dating other guys, vanquishing me…"
"Alright, Cole, I won't bet," Amistad tiredly sighed. "I think I'm the person who's fed up with you right now. You can go."
"What?" Cole frowned.
"You can go," Amistad repeated. "I free you from your promise. You're healthy again, you can go and live your life as you want."
Cole slowly got out of his bed. "Thank you."
Amistad's smile was said. "Not at all, Cole. I still hope you'll become normal again and return. Remember, you can always change your mind and return."
"I don't think I will," Cole replied and shimmered out.
~ ~ ~
The Halliwell Manor was dark and quiet. It was the middle of the night, and all three sisters were asleep.
Cole quietly shimmered into Phoebe's room. The whole day he had tried to resist this intrusive desire to shimmer in her room, but an insuperable power had just constrained him to go to the Halliwell Manor. He wanted to see her, just watch her while she sleeps, nothing more, and finally he gave up and decided that nothing would happen if he just quietly looks at her.
The sight of Phoebe's body in the bed took his breath away. The moonlight shone on her skin, she was almost naked in her little nightdress, and Cole's body instantly responded. His heart started to beat faster, and his throat tightened.
Oh, my God, she's so beautiful…
He felt almost physically pain, so much he wanted to touch her and so clearly he understood that he'll never be able to touch her again.
Phoebe was deep in a disquiet sleep. She bustlingly moved from one side of the bed to another, sometimes mumbling indistinct words. Cole understood that he has to go, but he couldn't constrain himself to leave her.
"Cole…"
This quiet moan caused him to freeze and even stop breathing for a while. Was it only his imagination?
"Cole, please…" Phoebe moaned, wiggling in her bed, still fully asleep.
Cole looked at her, fully confused. Could that be? She was calling his name… She was moaning his name. He remembered Amistad's words immediately. She still loves you. Was it really the truth?
"Yes, please, Cole…"
Cole couldn't close his opened mouth. He felt how his blood starts to run faster through his veins, and his heart was filling with the endless love and gentleness. Could that be? Did she really love him - still, after all?
"Cole… Cole, yes, I need you…"
Cole's mouth opened even wider, if that was possible. What the hell was she dreaming about?
She needs me! His mind was screaming. She loves me! She really loves me!
He couldn't believe in it. It was too good to be true. But it was! She loved him! She loved him! Amistad hadn't lied. Cole felt the happiness filling his whole body, he felt so lively, so strong and powerful and so endless happy…
He had to collect all his powers to shimmer out of her room.
~ ~ ~
"Well, well, well," Amistad said, when Cole shimmered in the room he had lived the past days. "I didn't expect that you'll return so soon."
Cole gave him a smile. "I changed my mind. I'm in."
Amistad stood up, lucklessly trying to cover his enjoyment. He went forward to embrace Cole like if he was his son.
"What did change your mind?" he asked.
"You didn't lie," Cole replied. "She loves me."
"Did you speak with her? Did she know that you're alive?" Amistad was interested.
"No, no one knows I'm alive," Cole shortly answered. "What I'm going to do now?"
"Tell her, at first," Amistad gave him a smile. "You've to tell her what's happening. But there's a plenty of time till the morning so - would you like something to eat or drink?"
Cole nodded. He felt that he's able to save the entire world right now, if it's necessary, he's able not only to fight, but also to win. His love made him strong and brave, and all he could think about was she. He wanted to touch her, kiss her, make her his, and now he was sure that he'll able to do it again. She dreamed about him, and Cole understood well what exactly she had dreamed. She wanted him as much as he wanted her, and they both still loved each other.
Suddenly Cole felt something he hadn't felt for such a long time coming in his life again. The hope.
"Hello, Cole!" Amistad said, coming into Cole's room with a friendly smile.
Cole sat up in his bed and looked at Amistad. "What have you found out?"
"I have good news," Amistad smiled. "We know what's the last symbol. It's a magical coal. It's always red and looks hot, but in truth it's absolutely cold. We don't know anything more, but the legend says that the different signs will bring the right person right to the coal."
"What do you mean?" Cole frowned. "That's an absurd! Will I have to go somewhere, choosing the direction by guess? And go, go, go, until I see a coal in front of me?"
"It won't be so easy," Amistad kept smiling. "But, as I said, you'll get the different signs that will show you the right way."
"Wait, how can you be so sure that I'm the right person?" Cole asked. "Maybe these signs are meant to someone else?"
Amistad's smile became mysterious. "You are the right person, Cole, believe me. Besides, you won't go alone."
"What?" Cole frowned.
"Actually it's the main problem for the darkness," Amistad tried to explain. "Finding the symbol of Fire is harder than finding all the other symbols. Only two persons, no more and no less, together can find this magical coal. One is the "Chosen", and it's you, Cole. The darkness also has their Chosen, and it's the new Source, this Master. But they haven't got a second person and it will take a time for them to find it."
"Who is this person?" Cole started to become impatient.
Amistad sighed. "A witch. A Charmed One."
Cole didn't even move for a while and then he started to laugh. "Yeah, right!"
Amistad didn't laugh. "I'm serious, Cole."
Cole stopped laughing, and Amistad saw the unbelief in his eyes. "No, no, no. It can't be. You can't be serious. How the hell are you going to make it?"
"Cole…" Amistad peacefully said, but Cole didn't listen.
"NO!" he exclaimed. "I won't listen! Enough listening! I didn't know about it when I agreed and now I say that I won't do it! You'll have to find other Chosen or whatever…"
"Cole…" Amistad interrupted him.
"NO! Are you, angels, absolutely crazy or what? How could you imagine that I'll agree to work together with Charmed One!?"
"Cole…"
"SHUT UP! There's just a small, little problem, you know - they're gonna KILL ME! They hate me, they believe I'm already dead, and if they find out that I'm alive, they'd do the thing they wanna do, which is - kick my ass one more time! They have already vanquished me… I guess, two times, or whatever, I don't even remember…"
"SHE LOVES YOU!"
Cole immediately calmed down and fell silent. "I'm sorry, what?"
Amistad sighed. "Phoebe. She still loves you."
Cole looked at him with a look that contained everything - pain, unbelief, surprise and a little, almost unseen hope.
"Yeah, right," he finally said. "Now then, guy, you can joke about everything, but never say this again," his voice was quiet, but strict. "Remember, never."
"Cole, it's not a joke," Amistad was absolutely serious. "I wasn't allowed to tell you that, but that was the only way how I could stop you. Phoebe still loves you, and that's the truth."
"Sure!" Cole painfully exclaimed. "What next! Loves me, sure! She shows her love in kinda strange way, you know - being fed up with me, dating other guys, vanquishing me…"
"Alright, Cole, I won't bet," Amistad tiredly sighed. "I think I'm the person who's fed up with you right now. You can go."
"What?" Cole frowned.
"You can go," Amistad repeated. "I free you from your promise. You're healthy again, you can go and live your life as you want."
Cole slowly got out of his bed. "Thank you."
Amistad's smile was said. "Not at all, Cole. I still hope you'll become normal again and return. Remember, you can always change your mind and return."
"I don't think I will," Cole replied and shimmered out.
~ ~ ~
The Halliwell Manor was dark and quiet. It was the middle of the night, and all three sisters were asleep.
Cole quietly shimmered into Phoebe's room. The whole day he had tried to resist this intrusive desire to shimmer in her room, but an insuperable power had just constrained him to go to the Halliwell Manor. He wanted to see her, just watch her while she sleeps, nothing more, and finally he gave up and decided that nothing would happen if he just quietly looks at her.
The sight of Phoebe's body in the bed took his breath away. The moonlight shone on her skin, she was almost naked in her little nightdress, and Cole's body instantly responded. His heart started to beat faster, and his throat tightened.
Oh, my God, she's so beautiful…
He felt almost physically pain, so much he wanted to touch her and so clearly he understood that he'll never be able to touch her again.
Phoebe was deep in a disquiet sleep. She bustlingly moved from one side of the bed to another, sometimes mumbling indistinct words. Cole understood that he has to go, but he couldn't constrain himself to leave her.
"Cole…"
This quiet moan caused him to freeze and even stop breathing for a while. Was it only his imagination?
"Cole, please…" Phoebe moaned, wiggling in her bed, still fully asleep.
Cole looked at her, fully confused. Could that be? She was calling his name… She was moaning his name. He remembered Amistad's words immediately. She still loves you. Was it really the truth?
"Yes, please, Cole…"
Cole couldn't close his opened mouth. He felt how his blood starts to run faster through his veins, and his heart was filling with the endless love and gentleness. Could that be? Did she really love him - still, after all?
"Cole… Cole, yes, I need you…"
Cole's mouth opened even wider, if that was possible. What the hell was she dreaming about?
She needs me! His mind was screaming. She loves me! She really loves me!
He couldn't believe in it. It was too good to be true. But it was! She loved him! She loved him! Amistad hadn't lied. Cole felt the happiness filling his whole body, he felt so lively, so strong and powerful and so endless happy…
He had to collect all his powers to shimmer out of her room.
~ ~ ~
"Well, well, well," Amistad said, when Cole shimmered in the room he had lived the past days. "I didn't expect that you'll return so soon."
Cole gave him a smile. "I changed my mind. I'm in."
Amistad stood up, lucklessly trying to cover his enjoyment. He went forward to embrace Cole like if he was his son.
"What did change your mind?" he asked.
"You didn't lie," Cole replied. "She loves me."
"Did you speak with her? Did she know that you're alive?" Amistad was interested.
"No, no one knows I'm alive," Cole shortly answered. "What I'm going to do now?"
"Tell her, at first," Amistad gave him a smile. "You've to tell her what's happening. But there's a plenty of time till the morning so - would you like something to eat or drink?"
Cole nodded. He felt that he's able to save the entire world right now, if it's necessary, he's able not only to fight, but also to win. His love made him strong and brave, and all he could think about was she. He wanted to touch her, kiss her, make her his, and now he was sure that he'll able to do it again. She dreamed about him, and Cole understood well what exactly she had dreamed. She wanted him as much as he wanted her, and they both still loved each other.
Suddenly Cole felt something he hadn't felt for such a long time coming in his life again. The hope.