Part Twenty-Six
Seconds Later...
May 9, 2004
Leo grinned in return, "Dead men can't be choosers."
"Co! Co!" Wyatt happily shrieked and reached out for Cole.
Chris covered his ear and gladly let Cole take the baby from him. "Aren't you dead?" As various implications sank in, he repeated, "Why aren't you dead? You're supposed to be dead."
"And you're supposed to be my favorite adult nephew, impudent youth," Cole chastised as he bounced Wyatt in his arms.
"You set me up!" Chris exclaimed with growing outrage. "You used me and Paige and then went after Gideon yourself!"
"So," Gideon realized, "you did have help. And you let me incriminate myself. Clever."
Cole merely smiled and enjoyed the sensation of Wyatt nuzzling his neck. "Missed you too, kid," he murmured.
"What about Phoebe?" Chris slapped Cole's arm, "You have any idea what you put her through? What you've done to her?"
Cole froze and glowered at Leo, "Explain."
"Yes, Leo," Gideon smugly suggested, "explain to the demon how your little plan to expose me has sent his wife into hard labor. How even now she may have already given birth, weeks premature."
When Wyatt yelped from being squeezed so tightly, Cole immediately loosened his grip. Taking great effort to remain calm, he again demanded an explanation. "The crystal was enchanted to reveal the truth. What went wrong?"
"We forgot about the time displacement of this realm," Leo contritely replied. "By the time I returned, hours had passed and Phoebe was already hiding her labor."
Worry seeping into his tone, Cole asked, "Hiding it?"
"She didn't react well to the news of your vanquish," Gideon answered instead. "It seems no one believed her point of view and she was quite beside herself trying to plead your case."
"You mean you twisted it so everyone would doubt Cole," Chris accused. Just as Cole's fist flew at Gideon's jaw, Chris had added, "And the more upset Phoebe got, the more you pretended you cared."
"Co!"
Cole gently set Wyatt on the ground but he knew a mere punch wasn't enough to quell the rage building against the Elder. "You knew the truth," he spat at Chris. "Why the hell didn't you and Paige tell Phoebe?"
Chris couldn't look Cole in the eyes because his uncle was right. He never should've let Paige convince him to wait. Maybe then he could've helped calm Phoebe in time. "We weren't sure what you were up to, what plan you might've set in motion, and were afraid we'd ruin our chance to get Gideon. By the time I went to Phoebe, she'd already come up with her own plan."
"She called the Tribunal, not Leo," Cole realized. A thousand regrets crossed his line of vision and he had to close his eyes and take a deep breath.
"It was what we'd intended," Leo quietly reminded him. If only he'd had the chance to find the crystal first but he'd forgotten about the probable loss of time and then Phoebe had run out with Cole's clothing and he never had the chance. "At least the ruling was as we'd expected."
But had the price been too high? Cole opened his eyes, "How far apart are the contractions?" He clung to the hope that they could be stopped like last time.
"About eight minutes." But before the suddenly pale Cole could ask, Leo quickly shook his head, "I couldn't heal her but even if I'd been able, it was too late. Her water broke, Cole. And, unfortunately, Gideon's right, with the time displacement here, it's entirely possible Phoebe's already had the baby."
"Go to her," Cole ordered. "Tell her I'll be back as soon as I take care of Gideon."
Gideon turned to him in surprise. "And how do you propose to do that when you're currently powerless in this realm."
Cole took a menacing step towards him. "Do you honestly believe I need any power to rid the universe of you?"
Gideon stepped back, "Leo..."
Leo didn't move, "I'm only here to deliver you to the realm. Remember the rules, Gideon. I can't interfere in anything that occurs between those in exile."
"I'm an Elder," Gideon proclaimed. "You have no right to let this happen. You have a responsibility."
"That's right," Leo agreed, "I have a responsibility." He pointed to his sons, "To them. How could you believe my child was a danger to all of magic? Not only didn't you share your concerns with me but you played upon my conscience by constantly reminding me of my duty as an Elder. How I had to let go of my feelings and duty as a husband, a father, and follow my calling."
"And I was right!" Gideon insisted. "You can't have both, Leo. It doesn't work that way. You were about to throw away your gifts to experience a few years of mortal happiness. You forgot your way. You forgot about the greater good. How could I expect you to remain objective given Wyatt's situation? I tried, Leo, I tried to steer you back to the right path. I wanted to spare you the pain of being forced to deal with Wyatt in the future, as well as dealing with Piper's pain," he reasoned. "Even with proper training, Wyatt would always be at risk. Worse than his mother or her sisters would ever cope with, Wyatt's evil inclinations would be stronger and he would pose a greater threat than even this former Source," he pointed to Cole, "ever could. I only sought to strip Wyatt of his powers and spare you."
"You would never've been satisfied," Leo shook his head. "You would've always wondered if it was enough. I know you, Gideon, you would've wanted to be sure Wyatt was no longer a threat. And that meant killing Wyatt. If he'd've been killed in the crossfire with Cole or as the result of a demonic attack, all the better for you. But don't you dare tell me you never intended to harm him." Leo's voice cracked when he added, "You were willing to risk his life, the lives of Piper and Chris, my family's life, all for the sake of the greater good? You make me sick!"
"Funny how we're supposed to believe in the good Elders," Chris mused while reigning in a wandering Wyatt, "when some of them can be worse than the demons we face every week."
Gideon shook his head and glanced at the happy toddler in Chris's arms, "Think what you may about me. The day will come when you'll learn it would've been less painful to rid Wyatt of his powers now, at this tender age."
"Enough!" Cole lunged at Gideon and threw the Elder off-balance.
"Cover Wyatt's eyes," Leo instructed Chris while he watched Cole easily pummel Gideon.
"No." Chris couldn't tear his eyes away from the sight of Gideon's blood spurting on Cole's cheek and shirt. "This's why you wanted us here. You wanted us to see justice."
"Not this," Leo stated as he pulled Wyatt from Chris and shielded the youngster's eyes. When Wyatt fidgeted too much, Leo turned so Wyatt couldn't see the bloody scene.
Cole stepped back when he saw Gideon struggle to his feet. "Come on," he encouraged, "give me something."
"Why?" Gideon croaked. "Do you need some validation for your actions?" He couldn't quite catch his breath and hunched over from the burning in his chest. He'd heard the cracks and knew he suffered from several broken ribs. He coughed and was more than a little afraid from the blood he saw. "You're a demon, my murder would mean nothing to you."
For a moment, Cole was torn. Every fiber of his being was calling for Gideon's head on a platter but the part that belonged to Phoebe forever was begging for mercy. Cole watched Gideon collapse to his knees before turning back to Leo. "Let's get the hell out of here." If Leo was disappointed, Cole couldn't tell and he merely acknowledged the former Whitelighter's nod with one of his own. But, just as he stepped away, he felt a burning sensation across the back of his left thigh. Adrenalin flowing, he spun and kicked the athame from Gideon's hand before it could be used against him again. "So much for the honorable Elder accepting his punishment...Thanks for my validation."
Gideon struggled to stand erect but couldn't manage it. "You're not the only one with the power to enchant objects."
"I don't know how I missed it," Leo apologized. But he realized Cole hadn't heard.
Cole had grabbed Gideon and wrapped his arm around the Elder's neck. "See you in hell," he whispered to Gideon.
Chris knew it was coming and turned away but he still cringed when he Gideon's neck snap. There was silence for a few moments before he finally turned back to see his uncle standing before Gideon's twisted body.
Wyatt was reaching for Cole but Leo kept the child firmly in his arms.
"Gi!" Wyatt shrieked when he saw Gideon on the ground. He looked back at Cole and said, "Goo!"
Cole shook his head and approached Leo and Wyatt. "Not good, Wyatt. Not good." Not wanting to taint the boy with Gideon's blood, he kept his distance but explained in the same training voice he normally used with Wyatt, "Violence isn't the answer, Wyatt. Your father's right about that. But there are times when it's necessary, when you have to defend your family. But that doesn't mean it's good."
Leo watched his son gaze at Cole and quietly commented, "It's almost as if he understands you."
"Can we get outta here now?" Chris requested.
Cole looked at himself and realized he'd scare Phoebe even more if he appeared as he was. "I need to get cleaned up first. I'll meet you at the hospital."
"I'm not sure that's a --"
"Wait a minute," Chris interrupted, "I thought you didn't have any powers."
Cole indicated to Gideon, "That's what he thought. That's not the truth." He saw Chris's puzzlement and briefly explained, "Leo and I anticipated that Gideon would attack Wyatt so we set it up that I would be 'vanquished' when, in actuality, I had cast a spell that would send me to this realm. Unfortunately, I had to make sure that everything I wore was left behind and I couldn't leave the realm or Gideon would've picked up on my presence. So, Leo brought me the outfit when he came to check on my arrival. This isn't the Wasteland but it's no picnic either. Now let's go, I've abandoned Phoebe long enough."
"I think we have a problem," Chris nervously announced. When the men stared back, he showed them his hands. "I'm fading."
Wyatt giggled as his hand passed through Chris's own.
"What's going on?" Chris asked, even more worried.
"You're going home," Leo realized.
"You've accomplished your mission," Cole agreed with a sad smile to his nephew. "You've saved Wyatt." When Chris shook his head in confusion, he clarified, "Your presence in the past helped lead us to this point of discovering who was responsible for turning Wyatt."
"I don't know," Chris shrugged, "Gideon might've only been a small part of it. Maybe it has more to do with Wyatt witnessing justice being done or that you'll still be around while he grows up."
"Possibly," Leo acknowledged. "Whatever we've done now, we've succeeded in changing Wyatt's future." Leo couldn't stop the tears from welling in his eyes. "I am sorry, Chris, for whatever you went through growing up. I never meant to hurt you or your brother or even your mother."
"Maybe it'll be different now," Chris hoped as his body became more insubstantial. "Like Cole says, each choice brings along a thousand possible consequences." Wyatt began to cry and Chris smiled at him, "Just remember, I'm your cool brother."
"Remember what we talked about, kiddo," Cole nodded as he reached out to grip Chris's still-solid shoulder.
Chris placed his hand on top even though Cole could no longer feel it.
"See you soon," Cole assured him in a choked voice.
Chris felt he was fading faster and spent his last few seconds assuring his father, "I'm proud to be your son. Tell Mom I love --"
Leo struggled to maintain his smile for Chris until after Chris completely disappeared. Earning his son's forgiveness was an added measure of Chris's success and he could only hope Chris's words would be consolation enough for Piper. Their son was gone but, ironically, was still with them. They were being given a second chance to ensure Chris would grow up in a loving, secure environment and would never experience the tragic childhood he'd come to the past to change. Leo buried his face in Wyatt's shoulder, composed himself, and echoed Cole's earlier sentiment, "Let's get the hell out of here."
