***Patience, Ty Ty, there's more to come! ;-) To everyone else, I don't
know how long this fanfic is going to be... but I have a lot more to say and
a big plot to wrap up. I hope you all enjoy it no matter how long it ends
up being. THANKS FOR ALL THE SUPPORT!! ~abs
Leo and Phoebe orbed into the mausoleum to find Cole sitting on top of his father's sarcophagus. He didn't even look up at his visitors, "Why am I here? Is this some new form of torture for me?"
Phoebe walked towards him very slowly—assuming that since he could shimmer he had his other powers as well—and thinking he may turn and hurl an energy ball at her. "Cole, I brought you some clothes. We had them boxed up in the basement," she reached out to hand them to him. He turned to look at her. Phoebe was amazed at the depth of hurt and confusion swimming in his eyes. "Please," she inched closer to him with the clothes, "I am just here to talk to you. Explain things." Cole reached out to her and took his pants first. As he did, his hand lightly touched Phoebe's and she had a premonition of Batterak shimmering into the mausoleum and taking Cole. "Oh no, I think I just had a premonition."
"Oh no? Isn't that your power? Or am I missing more than my clothes?" Cole asked dressing underneath the blanket.
"You had a premonition?" Leo asked, "Are you sure?"
"Yes, that was of the future. Of Batterak, coming here," Phoebe began to look around.
"Who is Batterak?" Cole asked as he pulled the black sweater over his head.
"Over here, love," Batterak walked out of the shadows. "Welcome back, Balthazar. You don't know me, yet. But we're tight in the future. We share," he paused and looked at Phoebe lustfully, "a lot."
Phoebe could sense his lust, "You will never have me."
"You keep saying that, but I will wear you down," Batterak winked and lasciviously licked his lips.
Cole jumped to his feet and wobbled on unstable legs. "Get away," he snarled through gritted teeth.
"You're not back up to full strength, how do you expect to defend yourself much less your 'one true love'?" he taunted, "Especially with an elder and a powerless witch?" Batterak stepped closer to his prey.
Cole looked at Leo, "You're an elder? And you don't have powers?" he placed his hand on Phoebe's shoulder.
"I didn't, but I do now," she channeled Cole's powers through her and fired two fireballs into Batterak's stomach. He leaned over in obvious pain and looked up to her with confusion in his eyes.
"This is not over!" he yelled shimmering out.
"I'm back..." Phoebe smiled.
"You really do have your powers back," Leo nodded, "But I think I am going to go check with the other elders. See what all this means," he orbed out.
Phoebe turned to Cole, "Do you think you can shimmer us back to the manor?" For the first time in over a year she saw Cole. She saw his soul burning behind his eyes. She saw the man she fell in love with, not the man possessed by the source that she had married. Phoebe ran her hand along his beard-stubbled cheek as Cole flinched at her touch. The spell had worked—Cole was not only back from the dead, but entirely good. She felt her heart jump as he nodded and placed his arms around her waist shimmering them home.
"I can't believe the spell worked. And Cole is alive... somewhere..." Paige reflected while balancing Wyatt on one hip and helping Piper walk down the hall with the other hand. "I agree, this has been quite a day," Piper added, "we found out we also have a niece in three years, and we had to resurrect her ex-demon daddy." She stopped and turned to Paige, "We haven't ever been successful at raising the dead, Paige. Ever. And we've tried—with Andy, with Prue. It scares me to think what kind of power our kids have. Just adding the next generation of the charmed ones to our circle... wow. It's shocking," she started walking again. Paige stood still. Wyatt raised his force field. "Whoa, what's going on? Why are you two still stopped? Why does he have his force field up?" Piper held her belly and looked around the room.
"I don't know," Paige almost whispered, "Something doesn't feel right. It's this, queasiness in the pit of my stomach. And I'm guessing Wyatt senses the same thing," she pulled Piper into the force field.
The transparent outline of a man lingered in the shadows behind them. Piper, Paige, and Wyatt continued down the hall—Wyatt unrelenting with his force field. Gideon stepped from the shadows, remaining invisible, and followed them. Wyatt turned and looked over Paige's shoulder directly into Gideon's eyes. Wyatt's eyes flashed with blue light as a warning. Gideon stopped afraid Wyatt would somehow give away his presence. "Interesting," he thought as he turned into an empty classroom to orb out.
Gideon orbed into Sigmund's bedroom. Sigmund was sleeping soundly with a blindfold over his eyes and nightcap on his head. "Wake up, Sigmund. I have news," Gideon sat in a chair next to Sigmund's nightstand.
"What? What?" Sigmund startled awake sitting straight up in bed. He looked around before removing his blindfold. "Gideon, it's two in the morning. What are you doing here?" he asked yawning.
"The ritual was successful. Cole has been resurrected. Batterak should be pleased. He should have him in his custody by now. Before long, they will all three be our's," Gideon practically hissed.
"And that couldn't wait until the sun was up?" Sigmund moaned falling back onto his pillow.
"Our plan will come to fruition, just wait. Just wait," Gideon smiled wickedly folding his hands across this lap before repeating, "Just wait."
"So, I'm thinking," Chloe took a sip of her cocktail, "that I am kicking your arse."
Chris had his back to the dartboard with his eyes closed. He lifted his hand in front of the darts that were sitting on the table next to him as one rose into the air, "Oh, we'll see about that," he commented before sending the dart flying.
Chloe started laughing, "Chris, you didn't even hit the board."
"What?" Chris turned to see the dart sticking out of the wall, "Oh, shit," he ran to the wall. "At least it's a small hole, maybe mom won't notice."
"If you're lucky," Chloe gave him a Cheshire cat grin. "Let me show you how this is done." She walked up to the line on the floor and turned around, raised a dart in the air with a flick of her wrist, took another sip of her drink, closed her eyes and concentrated. "Bam," she sent the dart flying straight to the bull's eye. "It's all in the wrist," she teased.
"And you're drunk," Chris pouted.
"I'm not drunk, just a little tipsy," Chloe winked. She put her drink on the table and went to join her cousin who was now sitting on a loveseat. "Seriously, Chris," she sat down next to him. He took a sip of his beer and raised his eyes to her as she continued, "not being able to hit the bull's eye is a part of the larger problem here."
"Is that you talking or the alcohol?"
"It's me!" she punched him in the arm, "You're half white lighter. No, you're half elder. You should be able to sense things. But you're letting something, er, someone cloud your thoughts. It's hindering your powers. You know that your powers are tied to your emotions."
Chris chugged the rest of his beer. He knew Chloe was right but he didn't want to admit it to her. Chloe understood what he was going through the most of all of his family. Leo left before Chris was ever born and rarely came to visit. He had been convinced to take his job as an elder more seriously and had to sacrifice raising his sons. *At least Wyatt got to know dad for a while,* he thought.
"Maybe you will, too," Chloe suggested, "You are changing the future, Chris, everyday. He knows about you, he knows about what will possibly happen to Wyatt. He has a new choice. He can chose his family. You may get to know your dad after all. Hey, I'm sitting here! Let that be proof to you. Something you have done saved my life."
Chris looked over at Chloe. She was right. She was drunk, but she was right. He sighed, stood up, and approached the darts. He turned his back to the dartboard once again, guzzled what was left of Chloe's cocktail sitting on the table, and closed his eyes. "Promise me that you'll shimmer out if this dart comes flying at you."
"That won't be a problem," Chloe assured him, "Focus, Chris. Free your mind."
"Ok, Morpheus," Chris raised his hand and again lifted a dart off the table. "Focus," he mumbled to himself. He flicked his wrist and the dart went straight into the dartboard.
"Yay!" Chloe cheered, "Not exactly a bull's eye, but it's not the wall either."
Chris turned to see the dart in the area next to the bull's eye and smiled at himself. "Excellent." Chloe nodded to him.
There was a jingle of orbs as Leo joined them. "Cheers, Leo!" Chloe held up a bottle of vodka as she mixed a vodka tonic.
"Is she drunk?" Leo pointed to Chloe as he joined Chris by the dartboard.
"Yes, but she's in denial," Chris leaned in to whisper to his father.
Leo and Chris joined Chloe at the bar. They both sat on barstools as Chloe danced around looking for a lime wedge. Chris shook his head in disbelief at his cousin. Leo laughed, "Chloe, is this how you want to meet your dad?"
Chloe slammed the door of the fridge and turned to Leo, "Did you find him?"
"We did," Leo answered, "and that's part of the good news—there's more. And there's bad news, too."
"What happened? Bad news first," Chris posed.
"Batterak found us. And he attacked us. But here's the other good news. Phoebe has her powers back." Chris and Chloe made eye contact and beamed. Leo continued, "She channeled Cole's powers to throw fireballs at Batterak. And you were right, Chloe. It weakened him."
Chloe took a deep breath and put her head down on the bar in relief, "This is great," her muffled voice rose from the bar. Then with exuberance she jumped up, "This is great! Yes! Where are they? Leo, can I see him? Does he have clothes on?"
Leo and Chris both laughed, "I've never seen her like this," Chris smiled.
"Well, at least she's happy," Leo turned to Chris and then back to Chloe, "Yes, he does have clothes on. And maybe by morning, you'll be sober, and he'll be ready to meet you."
"It is morning!" Chloe exclaimed.
"It's two thirty in the morning. You need to go to bed. But drink this first," Chris jumped over the bar, filled a glass with water, and handed it to Chloe. She smiled and leaned against him, "You'd do the same for me. You have done the same for me," he kissed the top of her head.
Leo watched him. He was so gentle, so sweet with his cousin. He knew that they must be close in the future—and he was a little jealous. "Come on, let's get you home," he waved his hands and orbed them all back to the manor.
Leo helped Chris put Chloe in Piper's bed. "I'll sleep on the sofa tonight," he whispered. "She needs the bed." Leo nodded and motioned for Chris to follow him out of the room. Chris shut the door behind him on his way out.
"Can we talk?" Leo asked timidly as Chris headed towards the stairs.
"I really don't think now is the time, Leo. It's pushing three and I'm zonked. This has been a long, strange day. Even by my standards," he turned to go back down the stairs. Leo's eyes followed his youngest son. Rejected, he orbed back to the other elders.
Chris came down the stairs to find Cole and Phoebe sitting across from each other on the floor, in front of a fire. "I'm sorry, I don't mean to interrupt anything," Chris apologized.
"Oh, no sweetie. I didn't know you had come home. Come meet Cole," she waved Chris over to her.
Chris shyly approached them and offered Cole his hand, "I'm Chris. Piper and Leo's youngest son."
"I thought I was only gone a little over a year? How do they have such an old son?" Cole took Chris's hand.
"Oh yeah, he's from the future," Phoebe guffawed then turning back to Chris, "We haven't made it to you yet. We're still on all the us issues."
"Got it. Well, remember who else you're going to have to introduce him to," Chris leaned in closer to Phoebe and into her ear told her, "and she might have a hang over in the morning. Just as a warning," then standing back up straight, "It is really nice to finally meet you... again... Cole," he attempted a smile.
"Again?" Cole asked, "I have a lot to catch up on," he half-smiled.
"Yeah, you do," Phoebe assured him, "but for now, we're going to go to bed. You can have my room, I'll sleep with Paige. Come on," she took Cole's hand and helped him up. Then they went upstairs.
Chris watched them leave, "Heaven help us," he muttered to himself as he crawled under the blanket on the sofa.
Leo and Phoebe orbed into the mausoleum to find Cole sitting on top of his father's sarcophagus. He didn't even look up at his visitors, "Why am I here? Is this some new form of torture for me?"
Phoebe walked towards him very slowly—assuming that since he could shimmer he had his other powers as well—and thinking he may turn and hurl an energy ball at her. "Cole, I brought you some clothes. We had them boxed up in the basement," she reached out to hand them to him. He turned to look at her. Phoebe was amazed at the depth of hurt and confusion swimming in his eyes. "Please," she inched closer to him with the clothes, "I am just here to talk to you. Explain things." Cole reached out to her and took his pants first. As he did, his hand lightly touched Phoebe's and she had a premonition of Batterak shimmering into the mausoleum and taking Cole. "Oh no, I think I just had a premonition."
"Oh no? Isn't that your power? Or am I missing more than my clothes?" Cole asked dressing underneath the blanket.
"You had a premonition?" Leo asked, "Are you sure?"
"Yes, that was of the future. Of Batterak, coming here," Phoebe began to look around.
"Who is Batterak?" Cole asked as he pulled the black sweater over his head.
"Over here, love," Batterak walked out of the shadows. "Welcome back, Balthazar. You don't know me, yet. But we're tight in the future. We share," he paused and looked at Phoebe lustfully, "a lot."
Phoebe could sense his lust, "You will never have me."
"You keep saying that, but I will wear you down," Batterak winked and lasciviously licked his lips.
Cole jumped to his feet and wobbled on unstable legs. "Get away," he snarled through gritted teeth.
"You're not back up to full strength, how do you expect to defend yourself much less your 'one true love'?" he taunted, "Especially with an elder and a powerless witch?" Batterak stepped closer to his prey.
Cole looked at Leo, "You're an elder? And you don't have powers?" he placed his hand on Phoebe's shoulder.
"I didn't, but I do now," she channeled Cole's powers through her and fired two fireballs into Batterak's stomach. He leaned over in obvious pain and looked up to her with confusion in his eyes.
"This is not over!" he yelled shimmering out.
"I'm back..." Phoebe smiled.
"You really do have your powers back," Leo nodded, "But I think I am going to go check with the other elders. See what all this means," he orbed out.
Phoebe turned to Cole, "Do you think you can shimmer us back to the manor?" For the first time in over a year she saw Cole. She saw his soul burning behind his eyes. She saw the man she fell in love with, not the man possessed by the source that she had married. Phoebe ran her hand along his beard-stubbled cheek as Cole flinched at her touch. The spell had worked—Cole was not only back from the dead, but entirely good. She felt her heart jump as he nodded and placed his arms around her waist shimmering them home.
"I can't believe the spell worked. And Cole is alive... somewhere..." Paige reflected while balancing Wyatt on one hip and helping Piper walk down the hall with the other hand. "I agree, this has been quite a day," Piper added, "we found out we also have a niece in three years, and we had to resurrect her ex-demon daddy." She stopped and turned to Paige, "We haven't ever been successful at raising the dead, Paige. Ever. And we've tried—with Andy, with Prue. It scares me to think what kind of power our kids have. Just adding the next generation of the charmed ones to our circle... wow. It's shocking," she started walking again. Paige stood still. Wyatt raised his force field. "Whoa, what's going on? Why are you two still stopped? Why does he have his force field up?" Piper held her belly and looked around the room.
"I don't know," Paige almost whispered, "Something doesn't feel right. It's this, queasiness in the pit of my stomach. And I'm guessing Wyatt senses the same thing," she pulled Piper into the force field.
The transparent outline of a man lingered in the shadows behind them. Piper, Paige, and Wyatt continued down the hall—Wyatt unrelenting with his force field. Gideon stepped from the shadows, remaining invisible, and followed them. Wyatt turned and looked over Paige's shoulder directly into Gideon's eyes. Wyatt's eyes flashed with blue light as a warning. Gideon stopped afraid Wyatt would somehow give away his presence. "Interesting," he thought as he turned into an empty classroom to orb out.
Gideon orbed into Sigmund's bedroom. Sigmund was sleeping soundly with a blindfold over his eyes and nightcap on his head. "Wake up, Sigmund. I have news," Gideon sat in a chair next to Sigmund's nightstand.
"What? What?" Sigmund startled awake sitting straight up in bed. He looked around before removing his blindfold. "Gideon, it's two in the morning. What are you doing here?" he asked yawning.
"The ritual was successful. Cole has been resurrected. Batterak should be pleased. He should have him in his custody by now. Before long, they will all three be our's," Gideon practically hissed.
"And that couldn't wait until the sun was up?" Sigmund moaned falling back onto his pillow.
"Our plan will come to fruition, just wait. Just wait," Gideon smiled wickedly folding his hands across this lap before repeating, "Just wait."
"So, I'm thinking," Chloe took a sip of her cocktail, "that I am kicking your arse."
Chris had his back to the dartboard with his eyes closed. He lifted his hand in front of the darts that were sitting on the table next to him as one rose into the air, "Oh, we'll see about that," he commented before sending the dart flying.
Chloe started laughing, "Chris, you didn't even hit the board."
"What?" Chris turned to see the dart sticking out of the wall, "Oh, shit," he ran to the wall. "At least it's a small hole, maybe mom won't notice."
"If you're lucky," Chloe gave him a Cheshire cat grin. "Let me show you how this is done." She walked up to the line on the floor and turned around, raised a dart in the air with a flick of her wrist, took another sip of her drink, closed her eyes and concentrated. "Bam," she sent the dart flying straight to the bull's eye. "It's all in the wrist," she teased.
"And you're drunk," Chris pouted.
"I'm not drunk, just a little tipsy," Chloe winked. She put her drink on the table and went to join her cousin who was now sitting on a loveseat. "Seriously, Chris," she sat down next to him. He took a sip of his beer and raised his eyes to her as she continued, "not being able to hit the bull's eye is a part of the larger problem here."
"Is that you talking or the alcohol?"
"It's me!" she punched him in the arm, "You're half white lighter. No, you're half elder. You should be able to sense things. But you're letting something, er, someone cloud your thoughts. It's hindering your powers. You know that your powers are tied to your emotions."
Chris chugged the rest of his beer. He knew Chloe was right but he didn't want to admit it to her. Chloe understood what he was going through the most of all of his family. Leo left before Chris was ever born and rarely came to visit. He had been convinced to take his job as an elder more seriously and had to sacrifice raising his sons. *At least Wyatt got to know dad for a while,* he thought.
"Maybe you will, too," Chloe suggested, "You are changing the future, Chris, everyday. He knows about you, he knows about what will possibly happen to Wyatt. He has a new choice. He can chose his family. You may get to know your dad after all. Hey, I'm sitting here! Let that be proof to you. Something you have done saved my life."
Chris looked over at Chloe. She was right. She was drunk, but she was right. He sighed, stood up, and approached the darts. He turned his back to the dartboard once again, guzzled what was left of Chloe's cocktail sitting on the table, and closed his eyes. "Promise me that you'll shimmer out if this dart comes flying at you."
"That won't be a problem," Chloe assured him, "Focus, Chris. Free your mind."
"Ok, Morpheus," Chris raised his hand and again lifted a dart off the table. "Focus," he mumbled to himself. He flicked his wrist and the dart went straight into the dartboard.
"Yay!" Chloe cheered, "Not exactly a bull's eye, but it's not the wall either."
Chris turned to see the dart in the area next to the bull's eye and smiled at himself. "Excellent." Chloe nodded to him.
There was a jingle of orbs as Leo joined them. "Cheers, Leo!" Chloe held up a bottle of vodka as she mixed a vodka tonic.
"Is she drunk?" Leo pointed to Chloe as he joined Chris by the dartboard.
"Yes, but she's in denial," Chris leaned in to whisper to his father.
Leo and Chris joined Chloe at the bar. They both sat on barstools as Chloe danced around looking for a lime wedge. Chris shook his head in disbelief at his cousin. Leo laughed, "Chloe, is this how you want to meet your dad?"
Chloe slammed the door of the fridge and turned to Leo, "Did you find him?"
"We did," Leo answered, "and that's part of the good news—there's more. And there's bad news, too."
"What happened? Bad news first," Chris posed.
"Batterak found us. And he attacked us. But here's the other good news. Phoebe has her powers back." Chris and Chloe made eye contact and beamed. Leo continued, "She channeled Cole's powers to throw fireballs at Batterak. And you were right, Chloe. It weakened him."
Chloe took a deep breath and put her head down on the bar in relief, "This is great," her muffled voice rose from the bar. Then with exuberance she jumped up, "This is great! Yes! Where are they? Leo, can I see him? Does he have clothes on?"
Leo and Chris both laughed, "I've never seen her like this," Chris smiled.
"Well, at least she's happy," Leo turned to Chris and then back to Chloe, "Yes, he does have clothes on. And maybe by morning, you'll be sober, and he'll be ready to meet you."
"It is morning!" Chloe exclaimed.
"It's two thirty in the morning. You need to go to bed. But drink this first," Chris jumped over the bar, filled a glass with water, and handed it to Chloe. She smiled and leaned against him, "You'd do the same for me. You have done the same for me," he kissed the top of her head.
Leo watched him. He was so gentle, so sweet with his cousin. He knew that they must be close in the future—and he was a little jealous. "Come on, let's get you home," he waved his hands and orbed them all back to the manor.
Leo helped Chris put Chloe in Piper's bed. "I'll sleep on the sofa tonight," he whispered. "She needs the bed." Leo nodded and motioned for Chris to follow him out of the room. Chris shut the door behind him on his way out.
"Can we talk?" Leo asked timidly as Chris headed towards the stairs.
"I really don't think now is the time, Leo. It's pushing three and I'm zonked. This has been a long, strange day. Even by my standards," he turned to go back down the stairs. Leo's eyes followed his youngest son. Rejected, he orbed back to the other elders.
Chris came down the stairs to find Cole and Phoebe sitting across from each other on the floor, in front of a fire. "I'm sorry, I don't mean to interrupt anything," Chris apologized.
"Oh, no sweetie. I didn't know you had come home. Come meet Cole," she waved Chris over to her.
Chris shyly approached them and offered Cole his hand, "I'm Chris. Piper and Leo's youngest son."
"I thought I was only gone a little over a year? How do they have such an old son?" Cole took Chris's hand.
"Oh yeah, he's from the future," Phoebe guffawed then turning back to Chris, "We haven't made it to you yet. We're still on all the us issues."
"Got it. Well, remember who else you're going to have to introduce him to," Chris leaned in closer to Phoebe and into her ear told her, "and she might have a hang over in the morning. Just as a warning," then standing back up straight, "It is really nice to finally meet you... again... Cole," he attempted a smile.
"Again?" Cole asked, "I have a lot to catch up on," he half-smiled.
"Yeah, you do," Phoebe assured him, "but for now, we're going to go to bed. You can have my room, I'll sleep with Paige. Come on," she took Cole's hand and helped him up. Then they went upstairs.
Chris watched them leave, "Heaven help us," he muttered to himself as he crawled under the blanket on the sofa.