Distribution: This story cannot in part or whole be sold or used for profit in any way. Copies may only be distributed with author's permission and must include all disclaimers.
Disclaimer: Cole Turner, Darryl Morris, Prue, Piper, Paige, and Phoebe Halliwell. Leo Wyatt, Jenna, and Andy Trudeau and all other characters that have appeared on the series "Charmed" as well as the concept of Charmed and all backstory are the copyright property of Aaron Spelling, E. Duke Vincent, and the WB Television Network. No copyright infringement was intended. All original characters as well as the story idea and the story itself are the sole property of the author.
Okay I know that it has been more than a week but now the ff.net is back up and running I am going to post two chapters tonight. I want to thank all those that reviewed and hope that you all continue to enjoy this story. I am not going to thank everyone individually because I want to get these two chapters up as soon as possible. Again thank you and please continue to review as my Muse thrives on reviewsvbg.
This chapter picks up in the present and will answer some of your questions regarding Grams. Enjoy!
Dr. B brought her little group down the hall and around the corner to her office. Just as she was about to reach for the doorknob she stopped and, altering direction and instead brought them to the door directly across from her private office. She had realized at the last moment that her office was filled with pictures of her Grandson and his Guardian, not to mention Anita and Julianna. They had also made her office into Wedding Plans Central, the protections surrounding it enough to keep out all eavesdroppers and the like. Magical attacks were not in the wedding plans and she would be damned if she was going to let anyone or anything interfere with the biggest day in the boys lives.
She opened the door to the one and only conference room on the floor and ushered the little group inside. Motioning for them to each take a seat at the round table that dominated the center of the room she quickly moved to the head place. The table was designed for battle planning and seated ten comfortably. She noted that all four took seats directly opposite her, a smile forming on her lips when she noted how pale Leo still was. Quickly though it faded as she decided what she was going to say and not say. There were some things that the boys needed to tell the girls themselves and she understood this, in fact she very much approved of it. Gathering her thoughts she looked into each set of eyes sitting before her. Leo had fear and anger in his, she knew the fear was of her and the anger was directed at her Grandson. Paige simply had anger and hate in her eyes, both of which were for her Grandson. Phoebe's eyes were almost emotionless but Dr. B could still see hate, the kind of hate that went beyond simple emotion and entered into what she called 'red rage', a hate so powerful that it can consume everything in it's path. This kind of hate was the most dangerous because it could very easily lead to unfocused rage and violence, the very same kind that was inherent in all full-blooded demons. Briefly she wondered if their Whitelighter was even aware of the danger his charge presented and with one glance she could tell he wasn't, mores the pity she thought before turning to the last set of eyes. Piper's eyes were different, they held fear but not of her, no this fear was directed more inwardly as if she was afraid of herself. The hate and anger that ran through the others wasn't present either. Mentally she made a note to herself to ask her Grandson about the nature of his relationship with the eldest living Halliwell. Taking a deep breath she simply dived in.
"All right let's begin." She didn't even get a whole sentence out before they started and it only served to annoy her further. For the sake of the Balance though she wouldn't do what she wanted to do to them, besides it would make way to big of a mess to clean up especially with the amount of ash they would produce for said clean up. With a heartfelt sigh she reined in her emotions and prepared herself for the questions.
"Considering his Mother's age you must be fairly old." Paige was the first to speak and her statement earned her the first glare of the day.
"Yes Letore is old but I am not her mother and thank the Goddess for small favors." She could see that they were now confused and she had to hide her amusement. "Paige, I am not Cole's Maternal Grandmother."
"Then who the hell are you? You said he was your Grandson so you have to be." Phoebe's voice was cold and controlled for the moment anyway but Raven knew that before this was over there would be some yelling on someone's part and she was pretty sure who it would be doing said yelling.
"I am his Paternal Grandmother. Benjamin is my son." She took a small amount of comfort in the shocked looks that were now staring back at her. Unfortunately, being the Charmed Ones had apparently gone to some of their heads. This type of behavior made them dangerous and she was going to have to do something about that or the Balance would become upset eventually. A lesson in hubris was what they needed and soon. This would be a lesson that she would be more than happy to administer sometime in the near future. But first she had to make it through this little meeting without killing anyone.
"You mean… Leo why didn't you tell us that his father was a demon too. If we had known that then we could have vanquished him sooner and have been done with him." Paige wasn't making it any easier for Raven in the 'no killing today' department. Her voice held such contempt that Raven simply wanted to put her fist down her throat just to shut her up.
"We didn't know he was a demon. At least that answers the Elder's question of how he could exist in the first place though." Leo hadn't realized he had said the last part out loud until his wife's voice reached his ears.
Raven wasn't happy and it showed. She had already had enough and they had only just started. Deciding that in order for everyone to live through this she was simply going to have to say her peace and then send them on their way, besides her Grandson needed her right now and he was far more important than the people sitting in front of him. Before she could begin though Piper spoke. Her question was for her husband though and the question alone raised a few more questions for Raven.
"Leo what do you mean? What question? Cole said his father was human and that's what made him a half-demon. What do you mean how he could exist?" Piper was looking at her husband with a look that asked did we make another mistake. Have there been even more lies, more deceit? Have we ever known the truth, the real and whole truth? Did we fail to see? There were many questions in her eyes and Raven could see all of them. She looked to Leo to see what he would have to say in answer, if anything at all.
Leo was squirming in his seat by the time he finally looked to his wife and answered her. He wasn't happy and it showed. "The Elders know that it is not possible to be half human and half demon. No child of that mixture has ever survived it's own birth, ever. When I asked them about it they said not to worry. I guess they knew that the Charmed Ones would prove to be able to beat him. After all it was your destiny to destroy the Source and you have done that already."
"Not destroyed enough though." Phoebe's voice was still cold and it grated on Raven's nerves like finger nails down a chalkboard.
"Why didn't the Elders ask about Cole's parents then? Cole bled red even when he was in Belthazor's form so why didn't they find out." Piper's words fell on deaf ears though, the others not willing to hear what she had to say.
Raven saw the conflict in her eyes and realized that this one wasn't going to need the lesson the other needed. No Piper was finding answers herself by finally asking the questions. Maybe it has something to do with being the oldest? She thought to herself as she remembered how Prue had reacted when she had first come face to face with her Grandson, the same person she now calls big brother. As she took note of the fact that Leo had no intention of answering the questions his wife had posed Raven decided it was time to say her peace so she could get back to her Grandson.
"Piper, Cole is half demon but he is also half human or he had been. When Belthazor was killed he lost his demon half and when Cole was killed he lost the human half." Raven found herself clenching her hands into very tight fists to avoid doing anything permanent to anyone as Paige's voice rang out once more.
"Oh please, we vanquished Belthazor but Cole wasn't happy without his powers so he became the Source so we vanquished the bastard again but he just refuses to stay dead."
"This time he will." Phoebe's words were quiet, controlled.
Piper looked to her sister almost as if she didn't recognize her. When she looked to her other sister and her husband all she could see was hate, a hate that she had for some reason never felt herself. She turned back to Raven intending to ask another question, one that had been bothering her for almost a year when her voice died before she got her first word out. The raw power flowing from Raven was almost overwhelming for her and as she watched Raven's eyes turned a solid purple and then began to glow. When she spoke Piper could feel the power of her words, almost as if they were physical things that were slithering across the table at them.
"Now I am only going to say this once so I strongly suggest that you pay very close attention because failure to head this warning could very well prove fatal." Raven paused to make sure that she had their undivided attention. She did. "You leave Cole Turner alone. Any attempt on your part to harm him will result in fatal consequences. You maybe the Charmed Ones but you are also replaceable. I trust you do not forget that. You have been warned." Raven allowed her power to spike once more before pulling it back into herself and changing her eyes back to their normal color.
"You have no right to threaten the Charmed Ones. They are under protection of the Elders." Leo's response was expected and dealt with swiftly. The fact that he was pale and sweating didn't speak much of his own claim.
"And my kind protect the Balance. We do not answer to the Elders anymore than we answer to the Black Council. We serve only the Balance as the Covenant states. Your charges are threatening the Balance." Raven made it a point to look directly at Paige and then Phoebe as she spoke. She wanted them to know, without a doubt, that they were the ones of whom she spoke. Piper was not a danger; her eyes told Raven that and so Raven concentrated on the two remaining sisters. Paige began to squirm under her steady gaze however Phoebe never batted an eyelash. Raven knew that this one was going to be trouble in the future. Phoebe was fast becoming a danger not only to herself, but to her family as well, as her hate was becoming a palpable thing. Raven knew that this particular Charmed One was more likely to loose control than her sisters and if she were to loose control and pull upon her powers in the process then she would begin to travel a particular road. A road that goes to only one destination, the destruction of her family and that would cause an irreversible weakening of the Balance itself. The destruction of the Charmed Ones could be dealt with but for even one to cross over to the opposite side, now that would bring about a weakening of the Balance that even she and her family wouldn't be able to reverse. She heaved a silent sigh as she realized that it was going to fall to her own little family to take care of the Charmed Ones, to put them firmly back onto the proper road. It was going to be a very long seven days leading to her Grandson's birthday, the very day of celebration and ceremony that would forever change Cole and Darryl, the final transformation taking them to their true destiny, not to mention their joining with the twins. Cole needed to heal some of the wounds that the Halliwell's have inflicted on him before then though and so does Darryl. Oh yes it was going to be a very long seven days. However, first she had to get them on their way now so she could return to Cole, he was going to need her soon. To that end she decided to simply go into lecture mode and be done with it.
"All right children class is in session." She waited a moment to make sure that she had everyone's full attention before continuing. "Now I am only going to say this once so please pay attention. Coleridge Belthazor Turner is my Grandson. Benjamin Coleridge Turner is my son."
Raven continued for the next 45 minutes explaining things to the little group, not everything mind you. There were some things that only the boys should tell and those things she simply didn't mention.
"Are you trying to tell us that Cole was created for the purpose of killing us? Leo why didn't the Elders warn us. I mean we could have simply vanquished him the moment we found out about him instead of us losing so much." Phoebe's question was demanding and Leo really had no answer for her. What had been said by Raven went against almost everything he had ever known or been taught. Unfortunately he never really looked around himself, he never used his own mind and heart to find the truth even when nothing around him made any sense. Now he would have to pay for his willful blindness.
"No he was not created to kill you, he was created to be the vessel for the Source to transfer his powers and consciousness into when the Charmed Ones succeeded in vanquishing his old form." Raven heaved a sigh and tried very hard not to fry someone on the spot. "All right one more time but just the highlights of that part. Try actually listening this time though because I will not say it again."
"The Seer foresaw the death of the Source at the hands of the Charmed Ones centuries ago. The Source demanded a way out and the Seer provided him with one, namely the creation of a vessel into which he could transfer himself at the moment of the death of his old body. Too that end he started having his upper level demons mate outside of their species in an attempt to created the needed vessel. A little over a century ago he became impatient. Again the Seer found the answer. Only a human demon half-blood of the Sources own bloodline would work so he sent Letore, his only surviving daughter topside to mate with a human. Even with the Seers prediction they were still surprised when Cole actually survived his own birth. He is the only human-demon half-blood to have ever survived period. So you see Cole was created to be the vessel not to kill you." She looked around the table and found nothing but blank looks on three of the faces staring back at her. When she looked to Piper though she could almost see the wheels turning inside her head. She's actually listening, taking in, and trying to understand what I have been saying. There maybe a chance with this one and all Cole needs is a chance, a chance to find some peace. Yes she may very well be his chance. As her eyes swung back to the others one last time there was nothing. They simply refused to hear what she had said.
She had told them all she felt she could, the rest would be up to the boys. No matter what she had said though the three never wavered. Even as she had explained how Cole had fought the Source's possession, the Source's continuous torture of her Grandson so he wouldn't be able to regain control there had been nothing from them. She had thought that there would have been something when she had told of how Little Cole had been tortured in an attempt to destroy his humanity, not everything mind you there were some things that she would never mention about that time, but what she had said had earned her nothing more than some derisive comments about the Source having succeeded without a doubt. Raven had looked to Piper then and once again had seen fear enter the girl's eyes, a fear that was beginning to grow. The more Raven explained the larger the fear grew until Raven suspected that some thing else, or more correctly someone else had already started to explain the error of their ways to Piper and this someone was trusted by Piper enough so that she listened and opened herself to the possibility that they were not perfect. That they had made a grievous mistake against Cole, one that she was willing to accept and try and overcome. Yes, Piper has already begun her journey. I just hope that she is strong enough to finish it, for Cole's sake as well as her own.
She would have to warn the Nation since she had no choice but to mention them during her lecture. Only what they needed to know to understand how Cole had been protecting the Nation since he was a child and how the Nation had helped him in protecting the Charmed Ones when the Triad had sent him to kill them. Again this simply earned her rolled eyes, clicking tongues, and exasperated put upon sighs. Piper looked as though she was making a mental list of questions but made no effort to ask them. This only reinforced her thought that someone had already been talking to Piper about this and it would be this someone who would be asked the questions that were now being catalogued in Piper's head.
She's afraid. She's afraid of how the others would react if she asked the questions that were now plaguing her mind, her very conscience. Now I wonder who that could be? Raven thought to herself, an image of Prue Halliwell popping into her head. Are you trying to help your big brother again Prue? Are you still trying to make amends even though he has forgiven you already? And are you acting alone I wonder? Another image popped into her head, this one of Jenna and she just knew that the two girls were in on this together, whatever this may end up being. She knew one thing without question though, what ever they were up to it was not to hurt Cole, if anything they were trying to help him and with the two of them working together she was positive that it would work out in the end. A smile formed on her lips as she thought about this but she quickly shook herself as she took note of the clock on the wall. It was time for her to get to her Grandson.
"Thus endeth the lesson for today children. Now follow me and I will show you the way out and before you even think about it don't. This entire floor is protected magically, the shields having been strengthened since your arrival. Any attempt to orb out of here now will only result in extreme pain for you. Of course if you feel the need to try be my guest." Raven smiled as she said this and a small part of her actually wanted them to try, all but Piper that is. When no one moved she motioned for them to follow her. She knew there wasn't enough time to get them out before Cole needed her so she simply brought them with her. Simmons met them at the door to the boy's room; he had been keeping track of the time as well. He wasn't happy to see the others but he knew that Cole was going to need her so he simply nodded to her, letting her know that he would take care of their visitors for now.
Raven smiled at him as she moved into the boy's room and headed straight for Cam at her station. Simmons stayed at the door making sure none of their guests could actually get into the room. All the while he kept one eye in Cole knowing what would soon happen.
"Hey Boss, here's the latest readings. Everything is normal and on schedule." Cam rapped her knuckles on the wooden desk, when it came to her friend Cole there was no point in taking chances, even ones as silly as knocking on wood. It had become a ritual for her, one she had picked up from Cole himself funnily enough. She simply shrugged her shoulders at her Aunt's smile.
As Raven made her way to her Grandson's side the Charmed Ones and Leo stood watching from the door. All four looked around the room trying to figure out what was going on and who was lying in the bed on the far right wall. They recognized Darryl who was asleep in a recliner that sat next to the bed, his hand holding the hand of the bed's occupant. None of them could make the connection though and Darryl's body obscured the view of the patient's face. The rhythmic beeping of the heart monitor and the sound of the respirator that was breathing for the patient was all they could hear, both sounds almost deafening in the rooms silence. They watched her as she checked the readouts from the respirator, making a few notations on a chart she had gotten from the blond nurse and then checking the patient's BP. Just as she was making the notation the sound of the heart monitor changed. They watched as Darryl woke up and quickly stood, pushing the chair he had been sleeping in back and away from the bed. They still couldn't see the face of the person in the bed as Darryl's body was still blocking their view. Phoebe was about to demand to know what was going on when the patient began to convulse, the patient's arms and legs suddenly thrashing about until Raven and Darryl each grabbed an arm and leg. As Darryl moved to grab the thrashing leg on his side the face of the patient was finally revealed to the four people waiting in the hallway. All four of whom stopped breathing. Simmons heard only one voice and that was Piper's.
"Cole." Piper breathed, not wanting to believe what she was seeing. Her heart moved into her throat as she watched the scene unfold before her. As Cole continued to thrash about, his body caught in the grips of what she now recognized as a seizure, Piper found she had to grab the wall as her legs weakened beneath her. She never noticed the look Simmons was giving her as all of her attention was focused on the man who lay thrashing about helplessly before her.
Darryl had known what was about to happen and quickly returned from the Dreamscape, just in time to push his chair out of the way. When the seizure hit he carefully pressed down on Cole's forearm and his thigh, right above the knee to keep his friend from hurting himself or firing off an energy ball. The energy ball incident was one none of them wanted a repeat performance of; it was just a good thing that the twins had such quick reflexes. They had never told Cole about what had happened all of them agreeing that their friend had enough guilt to deal with. Telling him would simply have added more guilt and that was one thing none of them ever intended to do in any way shape or form so silent they remained. Darryl couldn't help but look over at Dr. B as the ventilator's alarm went off; a warning that it was no longer able to deliver it's measured twenty breaths per minute to it's patient. He knew they had time before Cole was in danger but that didn't really help his state of mind, especially when the blood tears began to fall from Cole's closed eyes. When he heard her call for Cam he breathed a small sigh of relief.
Cam quickly moved to the bed with the requested med already loaded in an auto hypo, this one larger than the ones the boy's carried and looking for the all the world like a gun. As she maneuvered around Dr. B she carefully placed the hypo above Cole's bare chest making sure she was well away from the heart monitor leads and in one smooth motion pressed in down onto his chest, holding it in place just long enough to pull the trigger. Once the med had been administered she quickly pulled back and out of the way, not wanting to take the chance that her boss might lose her grip on Cole's still thrashing form. As she moved back to her station to log the event she noticed the audience watching from the doorway, somehow she just knew Darryl didn't know that they were there. She turned her eyes back to the chart she had picked up before her emotions got the better of her and she did something someone might later regret.
Darryl waited, as patiently as he possibly could, for the seizure to release his friend. Once Cam had given him the med he knew it wouldn't be long, the power of the two thrashing limbs he was holding already lessening. First the heart monitor began to ease back to a normal sinus rhythm and then the blood tears stopped. As Cole's body stilled, the seizure finally giving up its hold on it's victim, Darryl watched Dr. B quickly reset the setting on the ventilator. The alarm stopped and Cole's chest began to once again rise and fall in a steady and even manner. He breathed one final sigh of relief at this as he reached to the shelf over the head of the bed, retrieving the basin of water and washcloth that he kept there and began to gently clean the blood from Cole's face.
As Dr. B turned back to the bed, having reset the ventilator for her Grandson, she found herself smiling at Darryl who was washing the blood from Cole's face. He was very careful and very gentle even though he knew, as she did, that Cole couldn't feel a thing at the moment. Returning to her own tasks she first checked the IV line to make sure it hadn't been compromised, once she knew that it was fine she took three preloaded syringes from a tray that was on the same shelf that Darryl had retrieved his basin and washcloth from and one by one unloaded all of them into Cole's IV line. Lastly she took the one preloaded syringe off of the lower shelf above Cole's bed and slowly injected it's contents into the medication feed line that ran along the ET tube and directly into Cole's lungs. As she was making her last check of Cole's vitals, after discarding the four empty syringes, she saw Darryl pulling his chair back over to the side of the bed and looking at his watch.
"At least he's punctual." Darryl joked, trying to relieve the stress that these crises's always brought out in him. Fortunately for him Dr. B knew what he was doing and always helped him.
"And thank the Goddess for small favors." The smile was plain to hear in her voice.
Darryl had grabbed the pillow that had been resting against the wall on the floor by his feet and placed it on Cole's legs. Gently he lifted Cole's head, taking special care not to bump or dislodge the plastic guard that was across his friend's mouth holding the ET tube securely in place. He knew it could withstand the seizures that Cole always had, the Velcro strap going around the back of Cole's head always kept the plastic guard in place but it still made him nervous. Once the old pillow was dropped onto the floor he replaced it with the clean one he had rested on Cole's legs. Even though Cole had told him it wasn't necessary Darryl always made sure that Cole had a clean pillow under his head. When Cole had found out it was because the blood on the pillow bothered Darryl himself he stopped trying to change his friends mind. "You can say that again Dr. B." Darryl said as he finished switching the pillows. He gently brushed a couple of unruly curls off his friend's forehead before returning the basin of water to the shelf.
"And thank the Goddess for small favors." She deadpanned, knowing he still had tension to release. Happily she got the response she was aiming for as he rolled his eyes at her.
"Oh very funny, very funny, ha ha. Now I know for a fact where he got his sense of humor from." Darryl chuckled as he sat back down in his chair making sure that his arm could rest easily in the bed when he grabbed a hold of Cole's hand again.
"People who live in glass houses should not cast stones my friend." This earned her more eye rolls to which she simply chuckled. She smiled as she watched him get comfortable, taking hold of Cole's hand before finally leaning back. "Get some rest Darryl. Sleeping Beauty here shouldn't be the only one getting some z's." she said, patting her Grandson on the chest.
"I dare you to say that to his face Dr. B." Darryl chuckled as she put her hands up in the universal gesture of surrender.
"No way my friend. I am very attached to breathing thank you very much." Her chuckle joined Darryl's as she saw the last of the tension drain from his face. She watched as his eyes fell shut knowing that he was once again going to join his charge on the Dreamscape. She also knew that he had never realized that the girls were standing in the doorway, watching their every move. If he had he never would have allowed them to watch. Quietly she moved to Cam, jotting down a few last notations on Cole's chart.
"Don't worry Cam he's fine and you know that." She couldn't help but smile at the look on her young friends face.
"I know that Boss. I know that." And she did know that it was just that this was Cole, a man she had known all of her life, the very man she owed her own life to. He had always been so strong and it was painful for her to see him like this, of course she never let him know that. Cole had a way of taking blame for things that weren't his fault; he had been doing it for decades and she had no intentions of adding to his guilt. Not now not ever.
"Your as bad as Darryl you know that." Raven could read the look and the thoughts behind them and they reminded her of Darryl. He was even more closely linked to her Grandson and he did the same thing. Of course if she were truly honest with herself she was just as guilty as them. For all of them protecting Cole, especially from himself was something they were all guilty of, some of them were just a little bit guiltier than others. Knowing she was probably the guiltiest she decided to quit while she was ahead. "All right I still have some guests to attend to. Once I am finished with them I will be back."
"Don't forget his clothes Boss." Cam snickered as Raven cringed.
"Oh don't look so smug." Raven huffed as she made her way to the door and the Charmed Ones and Whitelighter that stood there, still staring at the boys. As she stepped through the doorway they all backed up. She found it interesting that they split into two groups in the process with Leo, Paige, and Phoebe on one side and Piper on the other. Somehow she just knew it would be Piper who would speak and she wasn't disappointed.
"What… what just happened? What's wrong with him?" Piper was afraid. She was afraid of the answer to the question and afraid of what her family was going to say about her even asking; but the thing she feared the most was not knowing.
"Simmons already told you what is wrong with him Piper." Raven looked to the Charmed One and could easily read the fear in her eyes. Knowing that it couldn't harm her Grandson she decided to explain to Piper what she had just witnessed. "The bullet is still lodged in Cole's brain. It can't be removed without killing him. Now when the bullet moves it normally just causes extreme pain, however sometimes it moves in such a way that the tissue around the bullet swells. Due to the bullets location this swelling effectively cuts off his motor functions hence the ventilator, for the next few hours it will do his breathing for him and yes without it he would die. Now as the swelling reduces and his neural pathways reconnect it causes seizures like the one you just witnessed. Eventually the swelling goes down enough and he will begin to breathe on his own again." Raven watched Piper's eyes as she spoke and what she saw confirmed it for her. Oh yes Prue had definitely been speaking to her sister, but only to this sister. She found this very interesting and made a mental note to speak with Prue at the first opportunity. The others still had hate in their eyes. She fought the urge to hit them over the head with a two by four and turned to Simmons.
"I'm going to show them out and then I'll be back, with one quick stop at my office on the way." She began to herd their guests down the hall that would lead to the elevator and then the exit. Simmons of course couldn't help but ask.
"Your office?" It was an innocent enough question.
"I need to get his extra change of clothes." She just knew he wouldn't let it go and she was right.
"Another ruined suit? You ruined another one of his suits. Man he is going to make you start paying for the replacements soon." Simmons couldn't help but snicker at Raven's put upon look and rolled eyes.
"This from the man who dropped him in the mud not six weeks ago hmm." Raven watched with amusement as he turned white then red then back to white. Her own snicker finally erupted when she could no longer hold it in.
"You promised. You promised that you would never ever mention that ever. If either of them finds out, especially Darryl." Simmons simply shuddered, the thought to scary to voice. If Darryl didn't do him a serious damage then Julianna would gleefully correct that oversight. He may not be a chicken but he was also not a masochist. The less they knew the less pain he would feel and that worked just fine for him.
"Don't worry I won't fink on you to the boys or anyone else for that matter." She couldn't very well say Julianna's name in front of the Charmed Ones but she knew her old friend understood who she meant, she could tell but his slight, yet noticeable, wilting around the edges. "There there dear you just wait here for me and I'll be back soon."
"You are just loving this a wee bit too much Boss." Simmons grumbled as he walked back into the boy's room to wait with Cam. He scowled at the grin on Cam's face but, like Raven, she wasn't afraid of him so it did him no good. He grumbled once more just to make himself feel better before sitting down and sulking much to Cam's amusement.
Raven took them down the corridor and made the right hand turn to the elevator. She used her card key and password to bring the lift to their level and quickly ushered them inside upon it's arrival. Before pushing the button that would send them on their way she felt it necessary to remind them one last time.
"One final warning. Keep your distance from my Grandson. You truly do not want to make any more of an enemy out of me than you already have. I will kill you make no mistake." Phoebe didn't seem worried at all and that simply annoyed her no end. If any of them were going to try anything she would bet money that it would be Phoebe trying first. She knew it was a calculated risk but she felt it was necessary, besides it would also give Leo proof for the Elder's to believe that she was who she said she was. "I strongly suggest that you pay attention here Phoebe Halliwell. I have been around a long time, longer than your feeble little mind could comprehend."
"Look you got a point to make just make it because you are getting on my nerves." Phoebe didn't like this woman and that was where she made her first mistake, she thought Raven was only a woman. She really had no idea of the kind of fire she was playing with but she would very soon.
"You are lucky I do not simply rip those nerves right out of you, nerve ending by nerve ending. I have had a lot of practice."
"Oh please. We have faced and vanquished demons two thousand years old. You don't impress me." Phoebe's voice was controlled and quiet. Raven stared at her and she didn't know why, nor did she care.
Raven saw a dangerous witch in front of her, one that could very well upset the balance and as much as it would hurt her Grandson the day may come when she would have to destroy this Charmed One. For her Grandson's sake she truly hoped for that day to never come. Here and now though she needed a reality check and she was just on the mood to give her one.
"Phoebe you are an insolent little child. Demons a few thousand years old. Please. I have been around far longer than that. In human years I have alive for fourteen thousand nine hundred and thirty nine years, all but thirty of which I have spent living here on this planet. I was here before the Elders and the Source were even created. I have seen the rise and fall of Nations and Empires. I have dined across from Shakespeare, Cleopatra, and Merlin. You know nothing of me or my kind. We are Dragon and we will protect what is ours no matter what." Raven allowed her eyes to change, to become dragon and show her power. She knew the fire and raw power that her dragon eyes could show and she felt a flash of pure satisfaction as Leo shrank away from her. Paige also shrank back as she finally realized that what stood before her was something far more dangerous than anything they have dealt with in the past. Since she held no overt anger for Piper at the moment Piper was simply able to feel her power without being hurt by it. Phoebe however didn't seem to know when to quit as she defiantly took a step towards Raven.
When Raven saw her move she knew she had only one choice and that was a physical demonstration of her power. Since she didn't want to hit anyone else, especially Piper, she aimed her talent at Phoebe alone. Suddenly Phoebe's eyes went wide as she found herself in pain, every nerve ending alive and on fire and in her mind's eye she saw death, blood and death. Raven continued to send the Charmed One images of her own past. As a Guardian of the Balance she has seen her fair share of blood and death, she has caused the blood to flow and brought death many times, more times than she cares to count. The life of a Guardian is not an easy one, only the fact that her Grandson wasn't going to be alone in his new life made it bearable for her. Slowly she pulled her power back and smiled as Phoebe fell to her knees, her eyes still wide.
"Remember Charmed One, remember this little lesson for I shant repeat myself." Leo and Paige came forward to help Phoebe to her feet while Piper just continued to look at her. Raven knew by her eyes that she understood but as for what she would do next she couldn't be sure. She had just hurt her sister, not permanently mind you but still. Oh well, it couldn't be helped. Raven thought to herself. She just hoped that she hadn't undone all of Prue's work.
Raven shifted her eyes back before speaking again. "This lift will take you to the ground floor. When you exit the lift walk straight ahead, the door to the parking lot will be directly in front of you. Once you are clear of the parking structure you will be free to orb home." Hitting the up button she stepped back as the lift doors closed. They never saw the smile come to her lips as she thought of Nurse Cratchett catching them leaving the lift. She snickered all the way back to her office.
As soon as she had grabbed the backpack with his extra change of clothes she quickly made her way back to the boys' room. It didn't matter that she wouldn't be waking Cole up for another four hours, she just wanted to be near him even if he wouldn't know that she was there. She handed the backpack to Simmons, who made sure it wouldn't be in the way just in case and went to stand by the bed. Looking down at her Grandson's sleeping face she couldn't help but note the similarities to his father. The high cheek bones, the regal nose, the ruddy complexion, and even though his eyes were closed she knew that they were the same brilliant blue as Benjamin's. He had received only his hair color from his mother and for that she was thankful, the fewer things he had around him that reminded him of his mother the better. All in all he looked much more like the paternal side of the family, which suited both Cole and Raven just fine.
She quietly pulled the chair from the other side of the ventilator, placed it next to the bed and slowly collapsed into it. She needed to rest herself if she was going to help the boys. Cole was going to suffer a lot over the next few days now that the Charmed Ones had re-entered his life, but she knew that Darryl was also going to suffer. Knowing how protective Darryl was of Cole and Cole was of Darryl she just knew that if they weren't careful they might lose both boys and that was unacceptable. The Bond was already strong enough that if they lost one the other would never recover.
As she rested her head back and closed her eyes she made a promise to the boys'. She promised them that everything would be all right. Since Dragon's never made a promise they couldn't keep she felt better, silly but true. She sensed Simmons and Cam relax as well; they may not have heard the promise but they apparently felt it and it made them feel better as well. Smiling she let her mind wonder knowing that they were all safe here together. Later would bring what it would and they would deal with it then, as the family they were but now it was time to rest.
The glowing bits and pieces floated into the sunroom of the Manor. As soon as they solidified Phoebe stomped up to her room, as did Paige. Leo looked to his wife and orbed out again. Piper looked to the ceiling and sighed before turning and retreating to her new private place, the basement. Placing the crystal just inside the closed door she carefully made her way down the stairs. At one time she never would have considered this a safe and private place but ever since the nightmares had started she had been spending more and more time down here and as soon as her big sister had made her first appearance she had taken Prue's advise and warded the place. Now no one but she and Prue could enter the basement, which didn't seem to bother anyone else in the Manor as the washing machine and dryer had been moved upstairs at Phoebe's request after the whole Woogie incident.
She had no real way of calling for Prue but she seemed to always know when she really needed her so she just waited. Her wait was short.
"Hello sis." Prue's voice floated to her as the form of Prue solidified at the center of the room. Her smiled died on her lips as she saw the unshed tears in Piper's eyes. "Piper?"
Piper took a moment to just look at Prue then launched herself into her big sisters arms. She was lost and didn't know what to think anymore. What she had heard today was bad enough, most of it confirming what both her nightmares and Prue had told her; but what she had seen was like an Athame through the heart. The image of Cole flashed into her head again and she couldn't hold her tears back any longer.
"Piper, what's wrong. What happened?" Prue wasn't sure what had made her sister breakdown but she had to find out. "Piper, talk to me please." Prue lowered both of them to floor as she wrapped her sister in her arms.
"He was…… just lying…… there. He couldn't…… couldn't even breath…… and then…… he…… he…… oh god Prue. It was…… awful." Piper continued to sob into Prue's shoulder as more images of Cole flashed through her mind; memories of the past, of when he fought by their side and lived here in the Manor as a trusted member of their family, of the look on his face as she and her sisters spoke the vanquish in the Penthouse.
"Piper where have you been?" Prue had an idea of where her family had been; she had been at Raven Manor before coming to her sister. The twins had told her that Darryl was with Cole at the hospital. When she asked them Julianna had explained that a Charmed One had frozen Cole and the power had reacted with the bullet creating a major event. Prue knew what that meant; she had been witness to a few major events herself in the past. They had always left her somewhat shaken as it was painful for her to see a man she now called brother suffering like that.
"We were at the hospital." Piper's voice was steadier as she calmed down somewhat. She needed to talk to her sister about what had happened and she couldn't do that if she was crying all over her. Carefully she moved from the safety of Prue's arms and sat cross-legged on the floor across from her instead.
"I see." Prue mimicked her sister but never let go of her hand.
"You know don't you. You know what I saw."
"Yes Piper I do. I've seen it myself." Prue couldn't suppress the shudder that ran through her at the memories. "He's going to be alright Piper. Grams won't let anything happen to him." She noticed the odd look Piper was giving her and realized her slip. "I'm sorry Piper, I mean Raven not Grams Halliwell and before you ask I told you before that I have made my peace with Cole and that means with his family as well. Darryl helped me see the real Cole Turner, a man who is simply a victim of his own birth, a boy who never had a chance yet still has to live with all the pain his past comes with." Prue took a steadying breath before continuing. "Raven just prefers to be called Grams or Dr. B and since Cole calls me little sis and I call him big brother it just came naturally. Grams, our Grams doesn't mind, she told me she didn't." Prue waited to see how her sister was going to react; she could only hope that she hadn't made a mistake.
Piper simply continued to look at Prue as she processed what she had just heard. Over the last few months she had been talking to Prue more and more. Her sister listened to her nightmares and tried to help her. When she had first heard Prue talk of Cole she didn't know what to think, but the more she heard the more she understood. Her nightmares had been her wake-up call in regards to Cole and what had really happened. She didn't want to believe it at first but the more she heard the more sense her nightmares made. They had killed an innocent. They had never even tried to save him, oh no they simply killed him. Her guilt had come to life the moment she had finally admitted to herself that they had wronged Cole from the beginning. They claimed to have accepted him as he was, past and all but at every turn they never hesitated to look to him, to blame him. Her guilt had been awakened and now it was growing again.
"It's all true isn't it? Everything Raven said was true." Piper already knew the answer yet she still had to ask the question. She needed to understand fully what her crimes were against Cole and they were crimes of that she had no doubt. A pain shot through her as she thought of what would happen if she didn't get the chance to tell him how sorry she was, she knew she didn't deserve his forgiveness and wasn't expecting it but she still needed to tell him how so very sorry she was. Never really looking at him, never seeing past the name and legend that was Belthazor had made her miss the man, a man she had hurt once again. A single tear rolled down her cheek as she fought for control. She was a Charmed One, a champion and protector of the innocent and had spent the past five years pursing that destiny. Now she knew without a doubt that she too was a killer of the innocent and worse. She had failed a member of her own family, casting him out and turning her back on him when he needed her the most. She had failed and now Cole was paying the price for her failure. She needed to stand up and take responsibility for her own acts of hubris, only then could she hope to begin to find redemption.
Prue watched as Piper answered her own question. She knew that Piper already had her answer she simply had to accept it and she saw the very moment that happened. A single tear marking the moment her sister finally gave in and truly believed everything she had been told. The truth had been spoken and her sister had listened and understood.
"Yes Piper it is all true. But Piper, Cole will be all right so that means you still have time. I know that look dear sister of mine, you need to see him and to talk to him. I understand and in fact can arrange it. There are still things that you do not know about and I cannot speak about but maybe after you talk to him he'll tell you himself. There is so much more to Cole and Darryl than meets the eye. They are both special, in more ways than one." Prue watched her sister as she listened to her words and accepted.
"You're sure he's going to be alright? I mean that Officer Simmons didn't look to good when he told Raven about that guy escaping."
"What guy?" Prue asked, slightly confused.
"The one that shot Cole. What was his name… oh yeah Slater. Prue what's wrong?" Piper didn't like the look on her sister's face, it usually meant bad news was coming and she wasn't sure if she could handle anymore bad news right about now.
Prue suddenly realized that it was this that the twins had tried to tell her about but she had orbed out too quickly for them to finish. If Slater was out then Cole was in even more danger especially since she knew he wasn't going to get his sight back right away. He always lost it for about three days when these major events occurred and that put him at a much greater disadvantage.
"Prue?"
"Uhm… oh sorry Piper it's just I didn't know that he had escaped. The twins tried to tell me but I orbed out of the Manor too fast." Prue wasn't really paying attention to what she was saying or she would have stopped herself but her mind was on her brother, searching for a way to help protect him. First though she would have to get Andy. It was then that she saw the look on Piper's face and froze. She hadn't meant to tell her about the twins but she had just opened the door and she doubted Piper was going to let it close without an explanation. "I take it from the look that you want to know what I am talking about."
"I hope that was a rhetorical question." Piper was feeling a little better because Prue had said that she would take her to Cole and she knew Prue wouldn't lie about that. She also knew that they had a few hours to kill because she remembered Raven mentioning that Cole couldn't be removed from the vent for another four hours. A shiver ran up her spine, as she thought of Cole, lying in that hospital bed unable to even breath on his own. The only comfort she had was that he wasn't alone; Darryl was with him and would stay with him. When Prue had started talking about Cole she had told her of his fear of being left all alone, of being abandoned again. After listening to Prue speak of his past she could easily understand his fear. It made her feel better when Prue had explained how Darryl had become his best friend, Darryl having been able to see what she and her sisters had turned a blind eye too. Prue had told her then that there was more to Cole and Darryl's friendship but that truth would have to wait for them to tell it. She hadn't understood it at the time but now, after seeing Darryl defend Cole she realized that the something more would have to come from them directly. Piper didn't want Prue to break any confidences and since Raven hadn't mentioned anything when she was explaining things she knew that whatever this last truth was it was big and it was a secret, one that was being protected so she chose not to bring it up now. If she was ever able to earn Cole and Darryl's trust they might just tell her someday; she could wait.
Prue watched her sister thinking and waited for her to come back. It wasn't a long wait. "Okay. Who are the twins and what Manor am I talking about? Well the Manor is Raven Manor and it is where Cole and Darryl live. Dr. B, Simmons, and Cam also live there. Now the twins also live there and they are Anita and Julianna. They are Darryl and Cole's fiancés respectively." Prue laughed as Piper's chin almost hit the floor. "You heard me right dear sis, they are the boys fiancés. They are a set of twin witches. However they may have the same mother but not the same father. Anita's father was a Darklighter and Julianna's father was a warlock. Now before you ask they are the children born from the attack on their mother, Sylvia Blackwell. Yes I know that is the name Grams is using but there is no blood connection there. Grams is simply an old friend of Sylvia's and when Sylvia died she started using the name." Prue couldn't help but chuckle at the look on her sister's face and this earned her a glare. "Sorry." Her unrepentant 'sorry' earned her a raspberry next.
Prue and Piper simply took a moment to laugh. Piper needed to release some of her anxiety and her sister knew it and was, as always, more than willing to help her out. Soon though her mind went back to the idea of the twins. She knew that Cole loved Phoebe, he probably always would, but the fact that he had a fiancé drove home the reality. Cole had left their lives, no she thought, we sent him away, hell we sent him to, well, Hell itself. He had moved on with his life and she suddenly realized that he was no longer a part of their lives. Her sister's voice broke into her thoughts before she could get a really good guilt trip going though.
"Piper… Piper." She waited for her sister to focus on her. "Okay these are the twins." Prue waved one hand over the other and a mirror appeared. It was silver and hand carved on the handle, the mirrored surface was larger than a regular hand held mirror but then it wasn't showing a reflection, it was showing a picture. Prue pointed to each person in the picture as she explained.
"Okay now, you know Darryl who is sitting at the bottom of the pile here." She chuckled as she looked at Darryl sitting in the middle of the couch with his eyes closed and a smile on his face. "And of course you know this guy laying on his lap." Piper chuckled right along with her as they looked at Cole lying across Darryl's lap with a smile on his face as well. "Now this one is Anita. She's Darryl's fiancé." Prue pointed to the semi-dark skinned woman who was leaning against Darryl's left side opposite Cole. She however, wasn't lying down; she was plastered to Darryl's side and he had his arm wrapped around her. Her legs were crossed over his, which were up on the coffee table. Her hair was jet black with silver and copper highlights and came to approximately her mid back. Piper could tell that she worked out, the shorts she was wearing giving her a good idea of how often as well. The other woman was sandy blonde with copper and silver highlights and it, like Anita's, came to her mid back and she also worked out. Prue watched as Piper looked at Julianna. "Yes Piper, that's Julianna lying on top of Cole." Prue waited as Piper simply continued to look at the image in the mirror. Piper could see that aside from the opposite hair color and skin color the two women were identical. The facial structure was the same, they had the same build and unlike her and her sisters they were tall.
"How tall are they?" Piper laughed at the look on Prue's face. "Sorry, but you know me. I'm nosey, besides Julianna looks to be quite a bit taller than… well you know." She just couldn't say her other sister's name, not while she was looking at a picture of Cole. He was relaxed in the picture; she could tell by the way he was bonelessly lying over the edge of the couch and Darryl; his eyes were closed and he had a cute little smile on his face.
"Actually they are a bit on the tall side. They're 5'10" tall to be precise." Prue laughed at her sister's chin almost hitting the floor again. "Hey they are big boys so they should be allowed big girls."
"I cannot believe you just said that." Piper stared at her big sister as if she was growing another head, a smile lowly creeping onto her face.
"Hey you spend as much time around Darryl and big brother and Grams as I have and their very warped sense of humor will rub off on you too." She defended herself with an answering smile.
"I hope so." Piper looked back to the mirror, touching it ever so gently. As her fingers ran along Cole's face she heard her sister speak.
"Oh you will, you will." Prue watched Piper for a few more minutes as her sister simply continued to stare at the mirror. "Piper, you have already come a long way. You have listened, and I mean really listened to me and to Grams. You have shown that you want to understand and with that understanding you have taken the responsibility that comes with."
"Do you think that he'll find it in his heart to forgive me someday? And I don't just mean for what I did to him last night. No Prue hear me out please." She had raised her hand to silence her big sister and for once it worked. She needed to say this and it seemed as though Prue knew it too so she acquiesced. "You once asked me what I knew about Cole and I told you the legend of Belthazor and quoted from the page in the book. But that is not who he is. He is a man, one I know almost nothing about even though he had been a part of our lives for three years. You told me you once asked these questions to someone else and that person could answer them; basic simple questions. When is his birthday and how old is he? What is his favorite food? His favorite color? I don't know the answers to these questions and I would like to. I would very much like to get to know Cole Turner the person."
"You will Piper. You will." She could read the hesitation in her sister's face, the fear. "Piper, I promise you that he will be alright. Trust me when I say that between Darryl, Grams, Cam, Simmons, and the twins he will be kept safe. You know I wouldn't say that unless it was true."
"It was Darryl wasn't it?"
"Who was Darryl, Piper?" Prue had no idea where that question had come from.
"He's the person who could answer those questions. It was Darryl wasn't it? But why ask the questions?" When Prue didn't answer right away she knew two things. First that it was Darryl and second that the why ask the questions fell under the secret that they were protecting. "Never mind. Forget I asked."
"Piper, I'm sorry I really wish I could just simply tell you but I can't. I promised him I wouldn't and I just can't betray his trust like that. Not even for my sister. I'm sorry." Prue really didn't like keeping secrets from Piper but now that she had Cole's trust she feared losing it and hurting him one again. She didn't quite know what to make of the smile that spread across her sister's face.
"Prue, don't worry about it. I don't want you to break your trust with Cole, especially not for me. I think this family has hurt Cole enough already so please don't feel bad. I do understand and I love you for it sis." Piper used her eyes to help her convey the conviction she felt behind the words she had just spoken and was pleased to see her big sister smile back at her. Prue understood that she wasn't mad and that made her feel better. She also knew though that she needed to change the subject so Prue wouldn't dwell on the fact that she was now the one hiding a secret about Cole. Piper chuckled as she thought about the odd circumstance of Prue having the Cole Secret this time around.
"What's so funny?" Prue wasn't sure what caused her sister to start snickering but she just had to ask.
"Nothing." When she saw her sister start to open her mouth she decided to jump in first. "Okay then. What can you tell me about the Half-Blood Nation?" She figured this would be a safer topic and she had to admit she was curious, after all one of her sisters could be called a half-blood so it couldn't hurt to ask.
By the time Prue finished telling her the history of the Nation she was almost sorry she asked. Not wanting to upset Prue anymore than she already was, Piper could read the worry for Cole in her sister's eyes and manners, she decided not to bring up the subject of Paige right then and there. After she had the chance to speak to Cole, to apologize to him for her unconscionable behavior since the day he entered their lives, then she would speak to Prue about Paige. For once Piper thought to herself I am not going to think about the Charmed Ones first. Right now Cole is more important. This time he is going to get my full attention like he should have had from the beginning and I just hope that one day he will be able to forgive me.
"Piper?" Prue could tell something was on her sister's mind and it was something that was worrying her.
"It's nothing Prue. Really." Her sister didn't look convinced. "Prue, right now Cole is the important one. It can wait." She watched a small smile cross Prue's lips and found the corners of her own mouth turning up as well. Soon the she and Prue were laughing out loud.
The two sisters continued to talk and laugh until it was time for Prue to bring Piper to her brother. Prue made sure that Piper was at least somewhat relaxed by the time they left. She knew that Cole would sense Piper's anxiety and her brother already had enough to worry about. She just had to make sure that she got to Darryl before he saw Piper, misunderstandings they did not need.