I LOVE YOU PIPER
A/N: Thank you very much for reading patiently this story so far!!! Your reviews are a huge support to me!!! I promise Piper will come back to her true love's embrace next chapter!!! Please keep supporting me!!!
Part 15
Cole walked towards the altar shortenning his distance from Piper, his steps stroke firmly on the ground. She thought he would've felt so bad, hurt, and heart-broken, but she couldn't imagine he would come to ruin the day. Maybe she didn't understand him enough to predict his deepest and craziest thoughts.
"You know I'm evil by birth. Now choose one of two: go with me, or I'll destroy everyone and everything here." – stated him.
The hall was in a pandermonium, some guests moved behind intending to stop Cole, Piper waved her hands to freeze all of them, Leo's also frozen along with them.
"We have the third way." – said Prue, she used telekinesis on Cole but he flung his hand sending her effort back to herself, Prue fell backward painfully.
"Mind you, I'm invincible." – he stopped in front of Piper. She examined his eyes, squeezing the bouquet in her hands.
"Nothing can stop the power of three." – said Phoebe with her hackles up.
"I don't think so." – smirked him, his look still stuck with Piper's.
"Piper!" – Prue had gotten up, she's standing next to her sisters – "Unfreeze Leo, we leave here preparing the potion." – she mentioned the potion for the vanquishment that three of them would take part in. But Piper was motionless.
"Not that easily." – warned Cole – "You leave me, and they're all dead."
Prue grabbed her sister's upper arm tugging her aside. Cole flung his hand towards the priest behind them, he's instantly engulfed in flames and vanished.
"I really mean it, Piper." – his voice sounded stern.
Prue turned pale, Phoebe's beside herself with joy, Cole condemned himself to death this time, and Piper's all in a tremble. Her sisters had been persuading her repeatedly of vanquishing him, but she kept refusing their suggestion since he hadn't done anything evil or hurt anyone after coming back from the wasteland. The only sin Cole had committed was to love her, and didn't want to lose her. But he's a murderer now, he killed an innocent, a venerable priest. In fact, she had to take responsibility on that.
"Let's go." – said Cole.
"Piper!" – protested Phoebe. Prue said nothing, she thought Piper could stay with him momently, it gave time for them to brew the potion. Then three of them would join together in this vanquishment, Piper had no reason to resist this time. The prospect of success was so much.
Piper dropped her bouquet down, Cole took her hand and blurred out.
Both of them appeared in the living room of his penthouse. Piper stepped back from Cole, she still didn't compose herself yet from seeing him kill the priest. Had she vanquished him before, it wouldn't happen today. All were her fault. But, how could she vanquish him??? Piper knew she'd never have that courage, even now. Whatever he was, whatever he did, damn him, she loved him so much. And love was blind.
"What do you want from me?" – asked her.
"Stay with me." – answered Cole while looking at her admirably, not worrying a bit about what he had just done or what's going on.
"You know. . ."
"Look, Piper!" – interrupted him – "We always dreamed of a private place, only us together. But you couldn't separate from your sisters and The Source threatened our lives. I was thinking of us when I saw it in the first time. It has a big kitchen with everything you need, I was sure you'd like." – he pointed to where the kitchen was, Piper just stood still staring at him and listenning to him, she heard joy, dreams, and love in his voice, he shouldn't have loved her, shouldn't have loved her that much – "But you never stay here a day. . ."
Piper threw her look around the room, her pictures were everywhere, she didn't realize any of them, Cole must've taken those without her permission. It's obvious that he was obsessed by her, he's really crazy, or that's what Gram had already warned the other day.
"Actually some demons can love." – said Penny – "But their love are horrible. They never realize when it's over. They'll keep haunting you all their lives."
"When will you accept we're not meant to be?" – whispered her.
"When will you accept we're meant to be?" – asked him back.
"Stop Cole! You're acting madly!"
"Unless you stay with me!"
A woman would usually get scared if her adorer kept stalking her wherever she went to, taking photos of her in every angle of view, pleading her to live with him and ruining her marriage. Cole might be worse than that, he's an invincible problem. But Piper wasn't scared him, not wanting to get rid of him completely either. She used to ask for his love, and pray for him sticking by her forever.
"My sister will come to free me. You should run for your life." – said Piper.
"They can't vanquish me."
"How about the power of three?" – challenged her.
"You won't." – said Cole trustfully.
Her eyes glistened with tears. She knew he would never understand what was "love isn't everything". The love of her live was a demon.
Orb light appeared, Leo took Prue and Phoebe with him, Prue pulled Piper to them and slid a vial into her hand. The Charmed Ones got their potion ready.
"Do it!" – ordered Leo.
Phoebe threw hers first, Prue followed right after that.
"C'mon, Piper!" – encouraged Prue – "Think of father Thomas."
Piper stared at Cole, his trustful eyes to her didn't change.
"You win. We're meant to be." – admited her. Cole smiled widely.
"Piper!" – Leo and her sisters cried aloud.
Piper threw the the last vial to finish their vanquishment, but she ran to join him. The flames bursted out angrily around them.
"We can't live together. We'll die together." – whispered her.
Cole got shocked with her decision. He couldn't kill himself, it meant nobody could, including The Charmed Ones. But Piper's dying in his arms, he tightened his embrace and blurred out.
Piper felt so right being with Cole, after the heat surrounding them was subsided, both of them were safe in the mausoleum, she gently parted from him.
"Why did you do that?" – asked her softly.
"You admited it." – reminded him – "We're meant to be."
Piper sighed, he might think they're coming back to each other now. The fact that she'd been refusing of making love to Leo, she had no desire for him, her choice of getting married to Leo was purely rational, while all emotions, feelings from the bottom of her heart were yearning to be with Cole. Just Cole. Only Cole.
"After we're dead." – added her.
"I won't let you die."
"So we're not meant to be."
"Piper, I proved you love me as much as I love you. You can leave everything to be with me."
"Cole, you killed a priest just for that?"
"He isn't dead. He just. . . flamed out." – said him.
She didn't get his meaning.
"You knew I used this power as my transport when I were Deputy Source." – explained Cole – "I absorbed it again on the wasteland, but in a higher level. Not only flame myself in and out, I can flame anything or anyone."
Piper thought about one of Paige's powers, she could orb portable things to her hand by calling them. It's possible that Cole could flame objects in and out.
"I don't deny I love you." – said her – "But love and marriage are two different words. I'll love you all my life, but I'll never get married to you again."
"Please give us another chance. I promise I'll do everything you ask." – begged Cole. Piper found he always listened to her carefully, but he just couldn't accept their situation.
"The only thing I want you to do for me is." – determined her – "Respect my decision. I'm trying all my best to maintain my stand while you're always in my heart. If you keep persuing me, I'll fall for you again. But there's never a demon in my family. The Halliwell line from our great great great great grandma have a destiny of fighting evil. I don't want to be the first one ruining our tradition. I'll regret when my family fall apart."
It wasn't the first time she told him she still loved him but they weren't meant to be. Cole had been sad, hurt, and trying all over again to convince her. It seemed he wouldn't this time, he had tears in his eyes, and his look was vague, and distant. He believed in their true love, that both of them loved each other and she needed him in her life. That's why he hadn't let those stupid rules and barriers between good and evil block their way, what he'd been doing for months since his return was to prove that love was the most important thing and Piper shouldn't sacrifice it for anything else since she would regret for it later. But Piper did prove another value for him, as to her, family was the most important thing, and she would be willing to exchange anything to keep it intact. She could kill herself before betraying them. And that's the last thing Cole wanted. He decided to give up. To respect her decision. As all she expected from him.
"You'll marry him then?" – asked Cole.
"Yes." – answered Piper in a very low voice.
There's nothing to talk anymore. She loved him, but she wouldn't marry him, ever. That's that.
Leo orbed in the living room of the manor where Prue and Phoebe were waiting for him and their sister.
"You're not shouting at her or stirring her bile!" – warned Leo – "We'll marry as soon as possible."
"If you say that." – said Phoebe.
"Is she okay?" – asked Prue worrily.
"She's fine." – answered Leo.
"Where's she?" – asked Prue.
Piper shimmered in at that moment. Her sisters jumped up in shock.
"How could you do that?" – asked Phoebe.
"Cole used his power to bring me home."
"Where's he?" – asked Prue warily.
"He's not here. Just his shimmering brought me here. He took father Thomas out in the same way. The difference is he used flaming."
"You mean he didn't kill father Thomas?" – asked Phoebe.
"We'll verify it." – said Prue.
"Piper. . ." – snarled Phoebe.
"Piper," – interrupted Leo – "We'll hold our wedding tomorrow. A wiccan one, right there."
"Wiccan wedding?" – asked Prue.
"Yeah, we don't need party, guests, or anything. Your Gram will conduct the ceremony, and the attendance of our family is enough."
"Sound good. No worry about disturbance." – agreed Prue.
"Tomorrow is too early. I need more time to prepare. Plus, I'm tired." – said Piper.
"What did he do to you?" – asked Prue.
"Nothing." – answered Piper – "He promised he would leave me alone."
"Not the first time." – mocked Phoebe – "Who believes a demon?"
"Okay, how about 3 days later?" – suggested Leo – "We can't delay it any longer."
"What's wrong with you, Leo?" – suddenly Piper raised her voice - "We're preparing for the most important event in our lives. I don't see why we need a pressing wedding. I need a month. Or you have to find another girl for your 3 day later wedding."
She ran upstairs in front of surprise eyes.
Cole shimmered in his penthouse, and conjured an athame. He held his palm upward and used the athame to cut a stratch on it. His blood started to leak out.
"Are you sure you want it?"
"Yes." – answered Cole firmly.
"There's no one and nothing can change it back."
"I know." – no demur in his determination.
The alchemist started his magic. After he was done, he said in a deep voice:
"Your invincibility is stripped off. Without it, the large amount of powers you possess becomes the large amount of poisons which erode your body day after day. Count to a month, that's your end."
Cole nodded gently, a month, and he wouldn't have to suffer the pain anymore. He blurred out.
Blood dropped down on the glass table. His wound kept bleeding without a sign of healing itself.
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