Part Twenty
Five Hours Later…
May 9, 2004
On her bed, in the midst of another contraction, Phoebe rolled onto her side and, through clenched teeth, called out, "I'm fine, Piper. Leave me alone!"
In the hallway, Piper glanced to Leo and turned the doorknob. Just as she was beginning to open the door, she appealed, "Please, Phoebe, it's been hours."
Phoebe exhaled, rubbed her lower back, and tiredly informed her sister, "If you come in here, I swear, I'll never talk to you again."
Piper immediately stopped and stared sadly at the closed door. "Leo…" she whispered in defeat.
"What about me, Phoebe?" Leo offered. "I'll just listen and keep any confidence you have, you know that."
"Just go, Leo," Phoebe pleaded. The only one she wanted to talk to, needed to talk to, was Cole. And with the contractions seeming to come closer…"Oh, baby," she whispered, "you have to cooperate. I'm lying down, I'm resting. You have to give me more time."
"Honey, please," Piper requested with her hand still on the doorknob, "I know this's been a shock for you, for all of us. Maybe Cole didn't know what he was doing or maybe he struggled but Gideon --"
"Don't you dare mention his name to me!" Phoebe screamed. "He's responsible! He's behind it all!"
"Oh, Pheebs," Piper sadly shook her head. She looked to Leo for guidance and told her sister, "I love you and I'm here for you. Please, let me in."
Phoebe fingered Cole's sweater and tugged it closer. She pressed it to her nose and mouth and choked back a sob. "Go away!"
"Will you at least eat something?" Piper quietly agreed. But Phoebe didn't respond and she clarified, "You don't have to come out and I won't come in. I'll just warm some of it and leave it by the door for you. Okay?"
"I'll get her a plate," Leo offered before he orbed from the hallway.
"I know the last thing you want," she commented to her younger sister, "is to eat but you have to. For the baby." Phoebe still didn't answer. "I love you, sweetie," she sighed, not really expecting her heartbroken sister to answer.
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In the parlor, Chris sat slumped in the chair. "Thanks for backing me up," he muttered.
"Smart thinking going along with Gideon's story," was all Paige said.
"But you're not quite sure it was a story," he asked, "are you?" She stared back in surprise so Chris explained, "You haven't said much since we got back and you haven't even tried to see Phoebe."
"You heard Piper," she replied with annoyance, "Phoebe needs her rest. She's still three weeks away from her due date and, with her thinking we were part of Cole's vanquish, the last thing she needs is a talk with us."
"You won't see your sister because you're starting to have doubts," he charged. She shook her head in denial but he continued, "I see it in your face. You're beginning to think that Gideon's made sense. That maybe, just maybe, he's right about Cole."
"Cole's been possessed before," she whispered, "and acted the innocent with us. Maybe we missed the signs."
"You were the only one who didn't last time, you really think you missed them now?" he accused. "The trouble with Wyatt started long before Cole and Phoebe moved out and if he was after Wyatt, he'd've tried it before they left. Cole hadn't considered Gideon a suspect until after you came to him with your suspicion."
"I wasn't sure," she insisted, "it was just a gut feeling. Cole's the one who convinced me to run with it. What if he was only using the opportunity I gave him? Remember, he came up with this whole set up himself."
"We worked on it together," he reminded her. "I'm the one who thought of tracking Wyatt."
"So? Aren't you the one who said how Cole's so clever? How he can convince an audience?" she countered. "Who's to say your idea wasn't in keeping with his hidden agenda?"
"This's ridiculous," he claimed as he nearly jumped out of the chair. "We planned for days, weeks even, and in all that time you never once thought Cole was up to no good. And through it all, how many times did he help you fight demons? And what's your gut telling you now? That Gideon's good and Cole's evil? No wonder the three of you ended up d…"
"Dead?" Paige paled. "Is that what you've been keeping from us? That we end up dead?"
Chris tried to leave but she'd grabbed his arm. He stared at it and waited until she slowly removed it. "I'll admit," he conceded, "that, when you're working in sync, the three of you can be amazing. But each of your own independent and stubborn streaks also serves to divide you. That and the fact that you're each so quick to believe the worst first. How many times did you act impulsively and selfishly only to learn later you'd made a mistake?"
Paige didn't say anything. Although a part of her wished to deny his words, she knew he spoke truthfully. She and her sisters still tended to act without thinking things through. Both Cole and Leo had lectured them about it but they still hadn't quite gotten the hang of it yet. Maybe Phoebe wasn't the only one meant to learn a lesson from the Tribunal. She looked up and noticed Chris standing, his back to her, with his arms crossed in defiance. "I went to the Wasteland," she quietly commented. "Cole wasn't there." Chris shrugged with annoyance so she sighed, "It means I considered the possibility that Gideon was lying to us."
"But?"
"But it means," she reluctantly told him, "Cole didn't have enough of a soul left to bind him there like before."
"Unless he's someplace else," Chris snapped as he spun back to her. "Ever consider that?"
"Of course," she groaned, exasperated. "You were there when Piper called for Grams. But Cole isn't up there."
"Because he's been vanquished," Piper sadly announced when she entered the room. "But it doesn't really matter how or why. The sooner we all accept his vanquish, the easier it will be to help Phoebe."
"How is she?" Paige wondered when she stood.
Piper shrugged, "She's been crying but still refuses to let me in. And she didn't want anything to eat. Leo and I both left the hallway like we said we would but he just checked and the plate's still there."
Paige grew concerned, "She needs to eat, Piper. She hasn't had anything since this afternoon and with everything that happened earlier with her nightmare I don't…"
"What?" Piper asked when her sister stopped speaking and Paige's eyes widened.
"Phoebe's nightmare. The premonition…The whole bit about Cole being evil and us vanquishing him. He was gone," Paige realized.
Piper considered the idea, "You think maybe it was meant to be more figurative than literal?" She thought aloud for a moment, "Maybe it's been Phoebe's subconscious trying to warn her about Cole.
Chris looked quizzically at her and Paige explained, "You told us that you had no idea what happened to Cole, that all you knew was that he'd disappeared one day."
"And you think it was because of Gideon?" he wondered. "You're reaching. Phoebe had nothing more than a nightmare."
But Paige ignored him and continued, "What if this is why she'd had that premonition about Cole turning evil and being vanquished? Maybe, deep down, Phoebe knew what was going to happen but she couldn't deal with it and blocked it out. So, as time grows closer, her premonition keeps recurring in the form of a nightmare."
Piper nodded, "I'm not saying it was something conscious on Cole's part. Maybe he didn't even know what was happening or maybe he had no control. I hope that's the case. But it's entirely possible that he did turn and fooled us all again."
"Are you out of your mind?" Chris shouted.
"What's with you?" Piper questioned him. "Are you starting too doubt Gideon's story?"
"I'm saying it's rather convenient," Chris glared at Paige, "that Gideon's the one to discover Cole and vanquishes him. All we have is Gideon's word about what happened."
"And that's not enough?" Piper wondered. "Do you know how much Gideon has put on the line for us? How many times he and the others at the school were put in danger because of trying to protect us?"
"My point exactly," Chris shouted. "Why can't you consider his guilt? Oh, wait, because once a demon always a demon?"
"I trusted Cole," Piper retorted. "I believed he cared for Wyatt. For all of us. Do you think I want to believe he tried to hurt my son?"
"Dammit, you're not even --"
"Enough!" Leo declared when he orbed in and glared at Chris. "This isn't helping Wyatt or Phoebe. They'll need all of you for support. Wyatt's too young to understand what's going on and Phoebe…Phoebe needs us to be strong for her even if she's not ready for us yet." To Piper, he added, "Wyatt's up again. He's not hungry and he doesn't need to be changed. He just needs --"
"His mommy and daddy," Piper agreed. "Chris, why don't you go back to P3 and keep an eye on things there for me? You know I hate not being around for a big gig. And, Paige, I know it's been a long day but would you mind cleaning up the mess in the attic from all Phoebe's spells?"
"Sure. Don't worry 'bout it. Listen," she suggested, "once you get Wyatt settled down, why don't you take a long soak in the tub? You've had more than enough stress today yourself."
Piper sighed at the thought of some privacy and the chance to selfishly relax among some soothing bubbles. "Maybe I will," she decided as she followed Leo from the room.
As soon as Piper and Leo left, Chris lowered his voice, "Cole isn't the one after Wyatt and you know it. Hell, you're the one who suspected Gideon first. But if you don't want to believe in Cole, I'll go after Gideon myself."
"No!" Paige grabbed his arm to stop him from orbing, "We're in this together."
"So we let Gideon continue thinking he's gotten away with killing Cole and then we get him?" Chris demanded.
Paige still had her doubts about Cole but agreed because if she could keep Chris satisfied for the moment, he might give up in time. "We'll watch him and wait," she instructed. "I mean it, Chris, we don't do a thing to Gideon until, unless, he makes a move."
"Oh, he will," Chris nodded grimly, "and we'll be ready. And then he'll pay."
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