Bonus Epilogue
Moments Later...
May 17, 2004
Muffins still raised in a mid-air toast, the three sisters jumped when the bedroom door suddenly slammed shut.
Phoebe saw the fire blazing in her husband's eyes though not literally as when he'd been Source. That he'd blinked in that way without a word meant she was toast. Still, she couldn't resist the opportunity to play innocent and she smiled, "Oh, honey, I didn't know you were home." But his expression didn't change in the slightest and she knew, this time, he wouldn't be playing along. She wasn't ready to give up, though, so she stretched out her hand to him with an offering, "Muffin? Piper made 'em fresh."
"I told you to wait 'til after she ate something," Piper scolded him.
"Out," he growled.
The look in his eyes was even worse than when they'd talked in the kitchen and Paige didn't need to be told twice. She grabbed Piper's hand and orbed out. "We'll be in the kitchen," her voice echoed.
"Chicken," Phoebe muttered as she sank back into the pillows. "Are you having a Belthazor moment," she challenged, "'cuz I gotta tell you I'm really not up to --"
"Don't even joke about this," he warned.
Phoebe unconsciously squeezed the muffin in her hands, wondering if her husband had suddenly developed the power to breathe fire. "Something wrong?" she squeaked.
"Take off your top," he demanded.
Not the request she'd expected and the corners of her mouth turned up as a leering grin slowly appeared, "I'm sure we can work something out in spite of the doctor's orders."
Cole nearly exploded and blinked right next to her, yanking down her top, nearly ripping it.
"Hey!"
Cole didn't respond. He just stared at the dark purple bruise that seemed to spread from the base of her neck to the tip of her shoulder.
"It's not that bad," she quietly said as she allowed him to lightly run his finger along the edge of the bruise. She tried not to wince as she tried to understand his anger. If only she still had her power of empathy but that was long gone, nothing more than a wisp of her premonition.
"I should've known," he muttered to himself.
She shrugged, "It's not like you had the power of premonition to warn me."
"This isn't funny!" he shouted as he dropped his hand. "Your son was screaming the whole night and, if I didn't know how important it was for you to be recovering, I'd have brought you back to the hospital myself."
"What's wrong with him?" Phoebe panicked as she leaned forward, ready to jump out of bed.
"Nothing if he's only exhibiting flashes of your power," he told her as he, not too gently, pushed her back.
"I don't have any powers," she sadly reminded him.
"Inherently you do," he stated, refusing to allow her hurt expression to sway him. "He's obviously connected to you and was able to sense your emotions during the attack. I know, I compared the times with your sisters."
"Snitches," she muttered before she realized, "I didn't have empathy after the Wasteland. How could he have gotten them?"
"Probably from your ancestry," Cole suggested. When she brightened at the news, he lost his temper again, "Dammit, this isn't something to celebrate! Look at yourself! Call Leo now!"
"But --"
"Call him or I will."
"What, you have some sort of hotline to him up there now?" she teased.
"How dare you make fun of this!" he blasted. "What the hell were you thinking?!"
Stunned by his raw anger, Phoebe couldn't find her voice. Couldn't even think of words to string together in a sentence to make him understand.
"You of all people should've known better," he ranted as he spun away from her. His hands clenched into fists and he spun back, "You, who demanded that Piper stay in Magic School with Wyatt for her own safety. You, who just had a baby after a difficult labor. That you could pull a damn stunt like this..."
"Cole, I --"
"Save it!" he interrupted. "I only want to know one thing. Are you planning on sticking around? Because if you're not, I'll take my son and raise him somewhere else and save you the trouble."
"Take him away?" Tears pricked her eyes, "How can you say that to me? How can you even think that I want that? I love you, Cole. I've been to hell and back to be with you. All I want is an eternity with you, to love you and raise our baby together."
Cole stared helplessly at his wife and his voice broke, "Then how could you go after a demon alone, after you'd already barely survived one attack?"
"It's not like I was wearing a bull's eye on my back, saying, 'Here I am, demon, come 'n get me,'" she insisted. "You know we've been under frequent attack lately and with everything with Gideon --"
"You deliberately went to the club alone and didn't call for help during the attack," he accused her. "Leo could've been there in an instant. And you didn't call for anyone after the attack. You didn't even go straight home."
"I went to the mausoleum," she softly told him, hoping he'd understand the need to be in that place that had been such an important part of their early relationship.
"That isn't the point!" he exclaimed. "You were hurt. What if you'd been in an accident? What if you'd tripped down the stairs in the dark? Do you even remember your drive home?" He ignored the tears that began to fall from her eyes and continued venting, "How could you risk having your son grow up without his mother? How often do you tell me that you still feel you cheated by not having had yours while you grew up?" He knew she was about to bring up Prue and Grams and cut her off, "You know damn well that sisters and grandmothers aren't proper substitutes. Do you really want that for our son? That he should have only his aunts to turn to? Do you want him to grow up closing his heart to love just like you did?"
"Of course not," she croaked as she slid out of bed and reached for him.
He grabbed her arms just as she swayed and he couldn't resist pulling her close to him. "Then what is it, Phoebe?" he beseeched. "You wanted me to take the night shifts at the hospital. If you weren't trying to abandon us, then what is it? You'd already been attacked, why couldn't you've let Paige close P3? Why didn't you call Leo for help?"
"I... I... couldn't," she whispered as she buried her face in his chest. "I'm sorry," she cried over and over as her knees buckled.
Cole scooped her up and carried her back to the bed. He sat next to her and brushed away her tears, "Honey, I know you've been through so much and I know you're more emotional now because of the baby and I swear I'm trying to understand but..." He lightly pressed his palms to her cheeks, "I could've lost you last night and that's not something I'm prepared to handle. You are my life, Phoebe. You and our son are what make me want to live for another century. You're what make me want to fight the good fight. You give me the strength I need to face all the demons and dangers that come our way. I can't do it alone. I can't raise our son alone."
"Oh, Cole," she caressed his cheek, "don't you know, I feel exactly the same way. In spite of all the evil we've been through, you still bring out the best in me. You've changed my life and have brought me such joy, a love I never thought possible..." His hands had slid down to the bed and she brought them to her lips where she lightly kissed them. "Last night was a stupid move on my part. I know I should've been resting in bed," she confessed as she brought up her gaze to meet his. "But Piper really needed a break and I..." She lowered her voice to a whisper, "I needed to get away. I needed to prove I was strong and coping and that everything was fine. But all I proved was how wrong I've been."
Cole wanted to interrupt but knew she needed to get the words out so he squeezed her hands with encouragement and remained silent.
Phoebe pulled her hands free, reached for a pillow, and hugged it to herself. The pressure almost made the knots in her stomach disappear. Or maybe they were just natural cramps to be expected after giving birth. Either way, she felt like throwing up. She took a deep breath and admitted, "I finally think I know how you felt when Belthazor was stripped away from you. But I've still got my powers inside, waiting for me to earn them back, so I have no right to feel this way and I've tried not to. But I can't help feeling so empty and lost."
"It's okay," he assured her. "It's a hard adjustment to make and you've been through so much."
She shook her head, "I should be grateful my punishment wasn't worse. And it's doubly wrong because I had this child growing inside of me that should've completed me more than any magical power ever should. But...all of you were right. Deep down, I was angry. I'm still angry. And I'm hurt and I'm scared and I hate feeling so helpless."
"It all came crashing down around you," Cole quietly said, finally realizing just how much she'd been keeping inside for so long. "The Tribunal, the premature labor, the premonition...My plan for Gideon was the last straw, wasn't it..."
"I thought you were dead," she whispered. "I saw it in the crystal over and over and all I could think of was that I'd lost another part of myself. My heart. And I didn't know how to be strong for everyone, for our baby."
"But you were." He kissed her tenderly and continued, "You were stronger than anyone would've expected. You fought for me, Phoebe. You fought for our child, for our love. I couldn't be more proud of you, of loving you." But he saw Phoebe's eyes fill again with tears, "But I betrayed you by keeping it all a secret. At the worst possible time for you, I risked your health, our baby's health, and plotted something that very well could've gotten me killed."
"But you came back," she told him in a quiet voice before she caressed his cheek again. "You came back to me just like you promised. And I think, I think I understand why you kept me out of it. I know you thought it was best and I know it made it easier to trap Gideon."
"But it still hurts," he acknowledged, "and you have to know that I will always regret hurting you."
Phoebe shrugged in shame for her inability to let it go. They'd just welcomed into the world their beautiful child and she couldn't completely get past the fear and anger. "I'm sorry..."
Cole smiled and kissed her again, wishing she could forgive them both. Maybe in time. He pulled away, stood up, and walked over to the dresser. He stared at it a moment, ignoring her question of concern. Finally, he pulled open the second drawer and, from under a pile of tops, removed an envelope. "I've been debating whether or not to give this to you."
"What is it?" she asked as she sank back into her pillows.
He turned around and approached her, envelope outstretched. "Something I wrote to you when I was Source...just in case."
"In case of what?" she asked in confusion as she examined the envelope.
"Just...in case." He stood back from the bed, hands in his jeans pockets and waited.
Suddenly Phoebe's hand trembled as she held the envelope. Afraid she knew what he meant, she told him, "I don't think I want to read it."
"That's up to you," he replied, "but I think it might help you understand why I was so scared when your sisters told me about last night's attack."
She slowly removed the sheet of paper and read it. Tears streamed down her face as she looked back to him and reached out, the letter floating down to the floor. "Oh, Cole..."
He immediately sat next to her and took her in his arms, "So no more scares, okay?"
"Okay," she whispered as she hugged him tightly, ignoring the pain in her shoulder as she did. "I love you, Cole." She rested against him for a moment before murmuring, "Do you think...do you think they'll find out?"
Cole rubbed her back and somberly told her, "Not until Wyatt's long gone from this world."
"So they won't punish you?" she worried.
"Let them try," he suggested as he kissed the top of her head and pulled back slightly. He tried to get her to look directly at him and, when she did gaze back into his eyes, he gently ordered her, "No more worrying about it. We did what we did and no one regrets it."
But Phoebe was still ready to panic, "You don't know what they were like when Piper and Leo were trying to sneak around planning their wedding. They --"
Punctuating each word with a kiss, he told her, "Don't. Worry. About. Them."
"It's not them I'm worried about," she stated, trying not to smile.
Pleased with himself for having calmed her, he kissed her again, "Get dressed so we can bring home our son."
Her mouth dropped open and she covered it with her hand. "You mean it? We got the go-ahead?"
He nodded with a grin, "They'll probably want you to feed him before they take his vitals one last time but they practically promised me that there'd be three Turners leaving the hospital today."
In an instant, she leapt off the bed and raced for the door, flinging it open, "Let's go!"
Amused, Cole blinked next to her and grabbed her hand to stop her from leaving.
"Cole!" she complained as she tried to tug her arm free.
But Cole held firm, indicated to her state of dress, and stated, "One, you change first. Two, you call Leo."
Too excited to care for his tone, Phoebe jumped into her husband's arms, "Anything you say, husband of mine, so long as we go and bring our son home!"
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"And how is my favorite angel today?" Nancy asked as she joined Phoebe and Cole in the nursery.
"You are an angel, aren't you," Phoebe cooed to her nursing son.
"With his heritage?" Cole teased from his spot at her side. He'd been kneeling next to her chair the entire time she'd been nursing but he was too much in love with the sight before him to mind any stiffness he felt.
Phoebe lightly slapped his shoulder. "You know he is and that he's got guardian angels watching over him."
"Isn't that why you named him Daniel?" the nurse questioned with a bright smile as she observed the newborn.
Phoebe gazed knowingly at Cole and spoke quietly, "Because our baby survived the lion's den."
Cole didn't take his eyes off his wife and son. "He's good and pure and we're all...blessed."
Phoebe chuckled at his phrase of choice but agreed with tears in her eyes, "We are..."
Nancy chuckled, "I hear the little guy's gotten the green light."
Cole nodded, "As soon as he finishes his breakfast."
"Which's just about now," Phoebe decided as she gently separated herself from her son. She wiped the corners of his mouth and grinned at Cole, "I think he's got your appetite."
Nancy chuckled, "I'm gonna miss this one. He's been a joy, never fussing. Well, except for last night but it happens so you'd better get used to it. Your vacation's over..."
Phoebe stared into her son's bright blue eyes, "He seems so aware, so alert, like he knows exactly what's going on around him."
"Maybe he does," Cole suggested.
Nancy patted Cole on the shoulder and told him, "I'll get the paperwork rolling."
"He's beautiful, isn't he?" Phoebe questioned.
Cole nodded and chuckled, "You should've seen your sisters' faces when I told them we had a boy."
"Couldn't've been any different than yours," she teased. "It's my fault you know." He looked quizzically at her and she smiled, "I ruined the surprise for Piper by telling her in advance she was having a boy and not the girl we'd all expected." She shrugged with a smile, "Guess the fates were just balancing the scales a bit."
"Maybe," he considered. "And maybe it's their way of saying that justice is served."
She glanced down at her son with a smile but cried out when he suddenly disappeared from her arms.
Before Cole even had a chance to move, the baby blinked into his arms and he nearly lost his balance making sure his son didn't slip.
With one hand over her heart and the other over her mouth, Phoebe gazed at Cole. "Did he..."
His heart pounding, Cole could barely say, "He did..."
"We are in such trouble..." she uttered as she let her son's tiny fingers wrap around her index finger.
"Yeah, babe," he finally grinned, catching her eye, "I think we are..."
The End
Really...
