** Change of Heart **, chapter 6: Remembering
by Lilian
lilian413@yahoo.com
AN: Watched 'Muse to my ears'. And my own Muse got the hint, and started inspiring me again. this is the result. Hope you like.
Review!.
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"Are you sure about this?".
It was a dark night, the moon hiding behind the heavy winter clouds. A young woman walked down a darkened alley, her stance shaky and afraid. By her side, a tall, handsome man, whose shadow cast long shapes along the sidewalls.
It was late. It was dangerous.
So were they.
"I'm sure. Piper scried, and it kept coming back here".
"But there's nothing here!".
Paige still retained some of her impatience. Demons had been laying low for the past few weeks, and the ex-Charmed one knew it wasn't good. Even she could grasp that when evil went missing, you were not to let your guard down.
"Let's go over it one more time".
Cole kept an eye on her, as they walked through the empty back street. He knew there was something here--- could feel the demonic scent in the air. He just couldn't see it yet.
"But we've gone over for like four times already!. I'm cold, and I'm hungry, and I need a bath!".
Paige's whitelighter half could feel the presence of evil. Not that she could make a difference between that particular feeling, and cramps, but hey, her period wasn't due for another two weeks.
"I'll agree with you on that last thing".
She playfully slapped on his shoulder, and contained the need to blow a raspberry at him.
Ever since they had accepted Leo's plan, they had been fighting evil. In a new, never seen before way. Piper and Paige still had powers. Pretty powerful powers. Temporal stasis, and molecule acceleration, coupled with orbing telekinesis still kicked ass.
Sure, it needed Leo's orbing and healing powers, and Cole's energy balls to work, but still.
The Council had turned its back upon them, Cole's alliance becoming too much to bear. They had let them get away with almost anything--- rutabagas, improper clothing, whitelighter corrupting... Cole moving into the manor, and helping them fight, while still a *demon*, was enough.
It was still a wonder to them why they hadn't crippled Leo's wings. Maybe there were four someone's up there pulling for them.
Good.
They needed all the help they could get.
Paige walked with a confident stride, her previous frightened demeanor gone, knowing that Cole would protect her. But, at the same time, confident in her own skills. Ever since Phoebe had gone missing, she had started taking kickboxing lessons. Both in memory to her beloved older sister, and because she really needed something to help herself in physical combat.
Things were looking better these days. Almost four months since the day, Piper had resurfaced from the depths of her anguish, and returned to Charmed mode full time.
Cole had realized that maybe this would indeed be a way to reunite with Phoebe. And besides, he got a kick whenever they vanquished a new demon. But he knew which one was to blame.
Had heard him in his sleep, taunting, mocking--- he had seen Phoebe's body, torn and ripped and lifeless. Lying in the Underworld's floor, her blood seeping into the ground. He had woken up sweating from that particular nightmare.
A nightmare he was sure wasn't one at all.
Because he knew the Source could communicate with him. And he knew that he was showing him the truth.
And he had begged him, (the mighty Belthazor had begged!), for him to return the body. To take him instead, but to please give her back.
He should've known better.
Should've known better than to ask the Source of all Evil to have mercy. The Source had just laughed mockingly, his voice crossing the realms that separated them, and reaching his ears.
"No".
He had fought the tendrils of consciousness making their way into his brain. Fought to try and stay asleep, so he could somehow bring her back... he needed her, needed to bury her, needed to show her his last respects.
The Source had just smiled wickedly, and threw a fireball at her body.
His scream had woken up the entire manor, when her beautiful features were dissolved into dust.
He shook his head, freeing it from the cobwebs of memories. Scouting for a demon was not a good time to get reminiscent.
"There".
Paige's whisper was barely audible to his demonic hearing. He looked to his right, and spotted a dark shadow that was somehow darker than the others... Mortor.
Body snatcher and energy drainer, said the Book of Shadows.
Dust, said Cole.
He turned quickly, and threw a high power energy ball at him... Mortor never saw it coming. He had been too busy ogling the beautiful mortal that walked by his side. Pity he would never know he had been ogling a Charmed One.
As the demon exploded into dust, Cole's strong body protected Paige from the blast.
She yelped from underneath him, and slapped him in the shoulders.
"If you wanted to cop a feel, all you had to do was ask".
The words rolled off her mouth without her noticing. It was just normal for her, to answer to a male's physical contact with a witty comeback.
It was too late when she realized Cole was no ordinary male. But the words had been said, and she cringed, expecting a sudden outburst, or uncomfortable silence.
Neither came.
She looked up at him, his features lighted by a distant street light.
And in them, she saw a ghost of a smile.
She smiled back at him, and tugged him on the arm, never quite comfortable with him. Actually, it wasn't *him* she was nervous about... it was what he had someday been. A cold-blooded killer, and a demon to top it off.
Piper had bombarded her brain with 'demons bad, witches pretty' instructions since day one. And Cole just didn't fit into that scheme. And it upset her, the fact that she couldn't categorize him.
But the last few weeks had showed her a different side of Belthazor.
One that did not appear in the Book of Shadows.
A caring, loving man, (he had not morphed into his demon self for a while now, and Paige was pretty much more than okay with that), who had saved her life several times now.
A man who had really left his past behind, and was willing and able to make amends.
Besides, he was cute.
As they walked back to the main street, neither of them realized this was a pivotal moment for them. For *all* of them.
Because it was then that Cole stopped drowning in self-pity, and began a speedy way back into recovery.
When you recover the ability to smile, you're only one step away from normality.
**************************
She groaned, as her body slumped against a wall, sweat matting her forehead, and a frown clouding her beautiful face. She was five months along now, and Prue wasn't getting any lighter. Her belly was prominent these days, making it hard to move around as she wished.
Thank God the nausea was gone--- she had heard frightening stories about morning sickness, and she didn't want to deal with it any more. The firet few weeks had been more than enough.
What she *did* want, though, was to blast a particular she-demon into whatever hell they came out of. Because once again, Jhiera was on her.
Why did she find her so damn amusing, was beyond Phoebe's comprehension.
But the female demon had taken it upon herself to make her stay down here as uncomfortable as possible. Ever since the rumor had spread, that the Source had turned one of the Charmed Ones, and had taken her under his protection, the Demon World had been a buzz.
All the upper class demons rebelled against the very idea of having her down here. When the first three of them who dared question his actions were killed without an afterthought, they re-thought their approach.
"Morning sickness, dear?".
Phoebe bit back the urge to spit in Jhiera's face.
"None of your business, 'darling'".
She stressed the pet name, putting all her hate towards the beautiful demon in that simple word.
"Oh but it is, my dear. Belthazor and I were very close once".
His name was still like a thorn in her side. It haunted her through the empty corridors, echoing in the walls, whispered in her ear by invisible ghosts she did not want to listen to.
"And?".
She tried to remain nonchalant, tried to hide her feelings behind a mask of casualness.
"More than close. We were intimate. For over a decade, we shared beds, bodies and breath".
She knew this was going to happen. She knew the taunts would come, the mocking... come to think of it, it was a lot like high school. And she was the teacher's favorite.
You do the math.
But Phoebe had a temper herself. She could defend herself better than most people could... roughened by her life in New York, and three years as a Witch.
"This should matter to me, because...?".
Jhiera moved faster than she had ever seen her, and had her by the throat in a blink. Her long, claw-like fingers scratched the delicate flesh of her neck, squeezing the air out of her lungs. Phoebe gasped and wheezed, and clawed at Jhiera's arm, trying to break free.
"It's his brat you carry, is it not?. I should kill you were you stand".
Oh, so this was all a case of ex-girlfriend jealousy. That she could handle.
"Let. Me. Go".
Jhiera's purple eyes shone in the darkness, with a light of their own.
"Make me. I will kill you, Witch. Dispose of your body into the pits of Hell, and He will never know".
Phoebe knew who *He* was. And she also knew He was the reason why Jhiera didn't just go ahead and do what she threatened to. He had promised slow ad painful death to anyone who dared attack his newest addition.
He hadn't said anything about maiming, though.
And demons took warnings by the word.
She had had to fight off more demons than she could remember. It was dangerous for her to be walking around the Underworld alone, and unprotected. But she needed to.
Needed to feel the adrenaline running through her body, needed to feel the powers gathering in her hands, needed to feel *alive*--- she craved the danger, and taunted death, addicted to the thrill of walking around when she knew many of the ones she crossed paths with could kill her in a second.
"My--- name-- is Phax".
Jhiera ignored her attempts at freedom, and just squeezed harder.
Gods, if only she could get one gulp of air, and she could summon a fireball... she wasn't strong enough to kill her yet, but it would probably distract her long enough for Phoebe to run.
Blackness began creeping into her line of sight, oozing from the edges and into the inside.
There was only one thought running through her mind;
{prue}
Jhiera gasped loudly, and blinked away.
Phoebe slumped onto the ground, her own hand flying to her neck, trying to assess the injuries.
As she gasped and heaved, her body demanding oxygen, the Source's personal guard came around the corner. And she understood why Jhiera had teleported away.
Sure, she hated Phoebe. But she didn't hate her enough to die for her.
"He wants to see you. Now".
She nodded, trying to rise from the ground, not quite making it. Her heart beat thundered in her chest, and her lungs burnt at the sudden burst of air.
As she slowly made her way through the empty corridors, following the bodyguard's silent back, she vowed to herself that she would be stronger.
She vowed that no other would ever lay a hand on her.
What use would she be, if common demons like Jhiera could defeat her so easily?. She needed to be strong, powerful, and deadly--- because when she faced Cole, her body and her mind would need to be as cold as ice, and unyielding like stone.
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When Piper was twelve, she had a garden gnome.
It was small, and cute, and very well designed, at least to her inexperienced young eyes.
Educated people barely looked at it, deeming it unworthy of their attention.
But she liked it anyway, and named it Mr. Pointy Hat.
Because it had the cutest hat you would ever see on a garden gnome. Red, and shiny, and pointy and a little to the side, as if telling whoever could be watching that the head under it was a real roller coaster.
Piper loved that garden gnome.
She really did.
She cleaned it every Sunday, sweeping the dead leaves away from it, polishing it with a wet cloth, and singing it songs that stuck in her head.
They were good friends, she and Mr. Pointy Hat.
Until Prue had ran it over with Gram's car.
Mr. Pointy Hat was reduced to pieces. Plaster pebbles, spread over the front yard. She hadn't spoken to Prue for weeks after that. She had tried to put it back together, using all the kind of glues her mind could fathom... but the result was never perfect.
His features were marred, scars running up and down his body. She had fought, trying to keep him, trying to mend him... but she learned some things were not meant to last.
But she still cried the day the garbage truck took it away.
She felt like Mr. Pointy Hat right now.
Broken. Bleeding. Finished.
And yet, still fighting.
Still trying to make sense of a world that is not meant to be understood.
"We need to know what's going on down there".
It was the second time Piper had said those words. And just like the first, all the answers she got were empty stares, and questioning eyebrows.
"You know Cole is no longer welcome. If he shimmers down there, he will surely be killed. Remember what happened last time?".
Piper could understand that. She also understood Cole was being hunted down now more than ever, the reward on his head growing bigger with each day that went by.
But she really needed to know what the Source was up to.
There had been no more attacks, no more surprise hit-men trying to get them. And it worried her. Since Prue's departure, she had taken it upon herself to protect her family. And Cole had become a member of that family.
But, God, she was worried!.
The last demon they had vanquished, while flames licked his body, and ate away his flesh, had screamed something that still rang in her ears. And the worst thing was, it rang true.
"Your time is coming, witches. She will kill you".
She had absolutely no idea who *she* could be. And that instinct she had developed throughout her life as a Charmed One, was warning her against pursuing for information any further.
But ever since Cole had told them the Source had been the one to take her younger sister from her, she was on her own personal crusade to vanquish his sorry ass.
"Leo, couldn't you try and orb up there?".
She knew both sides kept track of each other. What Evil knew, Good found out. What Good tried to hide, Evil discovered. It had been working that way for millennia, and it had been a pain to her. She still resented Cole a bit for blowing the cover on her rutabaga.
Besides, there was another thing nagging her. She and Paige had the certainty they were being watched. Spied on.
Cole had tried sensing a demon in the manor, but to no avail.
But it felt right, since it wasn't a presence what alerted their senses; more like--- eyes.
Eyes on every room, on every corner, watching, waiting, listening...
"Honey, you know I can't. They won't let me".
For the first time in years, Piper did not feel safe. Not even in the Manor. Not even in the house she had grown up in, and planned to live her life in.
At night, when the manor was quiet, and Leo lay sleeping by her side, she lay awake, listening, and wondering if the creaks and bumps in the house were something other than wood settling and old pipes moaning.
"Demons lie, Piper. Maybe what he said wasn't true".
They had said that once. Come to think of it, *she* had said that once. Well, the essence (Terra, she thought was her name) possessing her body had, at least. And they had accepted that, and she had died because of it. It was an experience she did not want to repeat.
"Still---".
"I could go down there and see if I can find anything".
Cole was seated on the sofa, his body tired and weary, both from physical and mental exhaustion. The past few months had taken their toll on him. But he was slowly recovering, walking through the proverbial valley of shadows, and seeing as the horizon cleared, and a soft, hesitant sun shone through.
"No. You'll stay right where you are, mister".
Paige's remark was loud and clear, around the usually silent room. Come to think of it, ever since Phoebe's death, they had begun talking in whispers. Quiet, hushed--- as if afraid to disturb the air around them.
And she was sick of it.
She wasn't a mourning person.
Sure, she missed Phoebe, missed her like she hadn't missed anyone in her life--- but she knew to lay waiting for death to strike again was not the solution. She had been wanting to kick some serious butt for the past few weeks.
Something caught her attention out of the corner of her eye. From her place by the fireplace, Piper was gesturing at her, waving her hands about, while trying to keep Leo from looking at her.
Paige got the message.
Ever since the day Leo had come back from 'up there', bringing the news of Phoebe's demise, she had watched as Piper pushed him away, and then called him back. But she had also watched, with some apprehension, as she and Cole drifted closer.
Pain calls for pain.
And those two were like magnets to each other.
Not in a romantic way, but more in the terms of partners in disgrace.
And she understood that. Once the natural protectiveness of a sister had blown over, she realized Cole was no longer a danger, but a powerful ally, and a trusted friend.
"Leo, I was wondering, maybe we should start working on my healing abilities. You know, in case we can't have you around".
It was a lame excuse, and Leo was no fool.
He knew Piper needed some time alone with Cole, to try and convince him to stop the suicide mission he was so set on carrying on.
So, he simply nodded, and led Paige out, after blowing a kiss to his wife, and slapping Cole on the shoulder.
********************************
They remained in silence, not quite looking at each other, and yet still, so very aware of the other's presence in the living room.
They had never really talked about what had happened in Phoebe's room.
Piper didn't quite remember it, the pain still clouding her memories of the first days after her death. But what she did remember, was that Cole had been there for her.
And that there were some unresolved issues between then, that if not dealt with now, would grow slowly, mounting off into something they did not want.
But she wasn't ready yet. It would be too blunt to bring it up like that, out of the blue.
"You know I won't let you go".
Her eyes were fixed on the window, watching absently as the soft breeze blew the curtains back and forth, and the pale winter sun shone through the open glass.
"I know".
He did not move. His body slouched over the couch, as if carelessly thrown there--- and yet, to Piper's trained eyes, the latent power laying behind the closed features and half open eyes was as clear as water.
"Then why do you insist?".
She turned, needing to see his expression, knowing his eyes would say what his lips would not.
"Because I have to".
She sighed, and ran a nervous hand through her long ponytail.
"No you don't".
That got her a reaction. His eyes snapped open, and drew her in, the fiery depths of blue burning her even from across the room.
"Yes I do".
She remained rooted on the spot, caught like a deer under the light of the oncoming train, unable to look away, unable to move--
"I promised her".
And many things made sense, because Piper suddenly understood the driving force behind his almost fatherly concern. She had to force herself to breathe, consciously tell her lungs to expand, because the weight of memories came like a flood.
Prue had always looked after then. Prue had kept them safe.
She sometimes forgot Phoebe worried too. And even more so, after becoming evil for the third time in a row. And the idea that Phoebe had seen this coming, had known Cole would outlive her, and took the safekeeping of her family into her own, young hands, suddenly became too much.
Her eyes welled up, as they hadn't done in months, because her little sister, her little baby sister--- God, it still hurt.
She covered her face with her hands, trying to keep the sobbing from rocking her thin frame. Over the past few months, this ordeal had taken its toll on her, weakening her physically.
"Why?. Why did she have to die?'".
Only when she felt his warmth radiating from his body, did she realize he had approached her. And his strong arms were around her once again, and deja vu washed all over her, and she let the tears out, and slammed her fists against his chest, as angry as she was sad.
"I can't answer that".
Her crying did not last long. She had few tears left, and they dried out quite quickly. She remained there, though, within his arms, breathing heavily.
Silence settled upon the room, as Witch and Demon brought down their carefully built walls, and shared the pain of loosing a loved one. Because they each had loved her, in different ways, with different intensity--- but loved her still.
As a sister.
As a soulmate.
As the wonderful person she had been, and how much the world had lost when she died.
"Piper--- do you-- do you remember what happened that day?".
Cole's voice trembled slightly, the feeling of loss fresh and anew, as if it had happened only yesterday.
She took her time to answer that. Well, she didn't remember a specific event... more like feelings, of confusion, and mixing and doubt, and pain, above them all, pain.
"Just--- flashes".
He sighed loudly, his chest rising and falling under her cheek.
"Because I--- I want you to know--- I do not regret it".
Piper looked up at him, and stared deep into his eyes. Swam through the clouds of disarray, through the layers of steel will, and really *looked*---
And it all came back to her, like a dream, like a long lost memory, rising through her own confusion, trough her own pain--- it came out in a rush, and she panted at the sheer force of remembrance.
She remembered his lips, strong and passionate, above her own. She remembered his powerful body next to hers, keeping her close, keeping her near. She remembered his scent, around her, inside her; she remembered kissing him.
A faint blush crept on her cheeks, as she realized she had just remembered her first and only slip on her marriage to Leo.
But had it really being cheating?. She had been thinking about him the whole time--- had tried to feel Leo's skin under her fingers, Leo's lips under her own, Leo's support holding her up...
"I don't regret it either".
It had been a mistake. No, scratch that. It hadn't been a mistake. It had just been a moment, and instant in between two people who were hurting beyond belief. And she knew she had needed it, as much as he had.
"But--- I still love Ph--- I still love *her*".
She smiled, slowly, and tenderly caressed his chin.
"I know. And I still love him".
His eyes seemed to clear out, the weight of the secret he had been carrying around for months, finally out.
It was then that they finally became a family. When all feelings were sorted out, and all secrets were exposed, then the last of the barriers keeping them apart fell down, and allowed them to come together.
Cole looked at her, at Piper, the woman he had grown to like a sister. A sister. Funny, he had never had a sister. And here he was, with two sisters and a brother. He smiled at the thought.
Family.
Paige had given him back his ability to smile. Had made him realize the world kept on spinning, and that there were still things worth living for. Leo had healed his soul, as well as his body, with his soft words, and healing abilities. And Piper, Piper had somehow filled the hole in his heart, becoming a sister to him, and so much more.
"Thank you for being here for me".
Her words were soft, in a tone that spoke of companionship and understanding.
"Thank you for having me".
Even as he spoke the words, he knew they were the right ones to say. But, at the same time, they felt wrong. As if somehow, Piper was not the one they were meant for. But there was no one else in the room--- and the one other woman he would've said them to, lay dead, her ashes scattered in the wind, her soul resting in Heaven.
He shrugged the feeling off, but it kept coming back, stronger than before---
Something was amiss...
"We should go get them".
Her words broke the spell, and the feeling returned to the depths of his mind, where it would rest, waiting for the proper moment to re-emerge.
"Yeah, we should. Leo's probably thinking I'm having an affair with you".
They both grinned at that, and they broke apart.
And still, in an intangible, invisible sort of way, they stayed together.
Linked.
Powerful.
'United we stand, divided we fall'
*********************************
Tbc...
Okay, for anyone wondering, those were the words Cole and Phoebe exchanged in 'Muse to My Ears;, after they vanquish Devlin. I found them so meaningful, I just *had* to put them here.
I hope you liked.
Tell me what you think!.
by Lilian
lilian413@yahoo.com
AN: Watched 'Muse to my ears'. And my own Muse got the hint, and started inspiring me again. this is the result. Hope you like.
Review!.
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"Are you sure about this?".
It was a dark night, the moon hiding behind the heavy winter clouds. A young woman walked down a darkened alley, her stance shaky and afraid. By her side, a tall, handsome man, whose shadow cast long shapes along the sidewalls.
It was late. It was dangerous.
So were they.
"I'm sure. Piper scried, and it kept coming back here".
"But there's nothing here!".
Paige still retained some of her impatience. Demons had been laying low for the past few weeks, and the ex-Charmed one knew it wasn't good. Even she could grasp that when evil went missing, you were not to let your guard down.
"Let's go over it one more time".
Cole kept an eye on her, as they walked through the empty back street. He knew there was something here--- could feel the demonic scent in the air. He just couldn't see it yet.
"But we've gone over for like four times already!. I'm cold, and I'm hungry, and I need a bath!".
Paige's whitelighter half could feel the presence of evil. Not that she could make a difference between that particular feeling, and cramps, but hey, her period wasn't due for another two weeks.
"I'll agree with you on that last thing".
She playfully slapped on his shoulder, and contained the need to blow a raspberry at him.
Ever since they had accepted Leo's plan, they had been fighting evil. In a new, never seen before way. Piper and Paige still had powers. Pretty powerful powers. Temporal stasis, and molecule acceleration, coupled with orbing telekinesis still kicked ass.
Sure, it needed Leo's orbing and healing powers, and Cole's energy balls to work, but still.
The Council had turned its back upon them, Cole's alliance becoming too much to bear. They had let them get away with almost anything--- rutabagas, improper clothing, whitelighter corrupting... Cole moving into the manor, and helping them fight, while still a *demon*, was enough.
It was still a wonder to them why they hadn't crippled Leo's wings. Maybe there were four someone's up there pulling for them.
Good.
They needed all the help they could get.
Paige walked with a confident stride, her previous frightened demeanor gone, knowing that Cole would protect her. But, at the same time, confident in her own skills. Ever since Phoebe had gone missing, she had started taking kickboxing lessons. Both in memory to her beloved older sister, and because she really needed something to help herself in physical combat.
Things were looking better these days. Almost four months since the day, Piper had resurfaced from the depths of her anguish, and returned to Charmed mode full time.
Cole had realized that maybe this would indeed be a way to reunite with Phoebe. And besides, he got a kick whenever they vanquished a new demon. But he knew which one was to blame.
Had heard him in his sleep, taunting, mocking--- he had seen Phoebe's body, torn and ripped and lifeless. Lying in the Underworld's floor, her blood seeping into the ground. He had woken up sweating from that particular nightmare.
A nightmare he was sure wasn't one at all.
Because he knew the Source could communicate with him. And he knew that he was showing him the truth.
And he had begged him, (the mighty Belthazor had begged!), for him to return the body. To take him instead, but to please give her back.
He should've known better.
Should've known better than to ask the Source of all Evil to have mercy. The Source had just laughed mockingly, his voice crossing the realms that separated them, and reaching his ears.
"No".
He had fought the tendrils of consciousness making their way into his brain. Fought to try and stay asleep, so he could somehow bring her back... he needed her, needed to bury her, needed to show her his last respects.
The Source had just smiled wickedly, and threw a fireball at her body.
His scream had woken up the entire manor, when her beautiful features were dissolved into dust.
He shook his head, freeing it from the cobwebs of memories. Scouting for a demon was not a good time to get reminiscent.
"There".
Paige's whisper was barely audible to his demonic hearing. He looked to his right, and spotted a dark shadow that was somehow darker than the others... Mortor.
Body snatcher and energy drainer, said the Book of Shadows.
Dust, said Cole.
He turned quickly, and threw a high power energy ball at him... Mortor never saw it coming. He had been too busy ogling the beautiful mortal that walked by his side. Pity he would never know he had been ogling a Charmed One.
As the demon exploded into dust, Cole's strong body protected Paige from the blast.
She yelped from underneath him, and slapped him in the shoulders.
"If you wanted to cop a feel, all you had to do was ask".
The words rolled off her mouth without her noticing. It was just normal for her, to answer to a male's physical contact with a witty comeback.
It was too late when she realized Cole was no ordinary male. But the words had been said, and she cringed, expecting a sudden outburst, or uncomfortable silence.
Neither came.
She looked up at him, his features lighted by a distant street light.
And in them, she saw a ghost of a smile.
She smiled back at him, and tugged him on the arm, never quite comfortable with him. Actually, it wasn't *him* she was nervous about... it was what he had someday been. A cold-blooded killer, and a demon to top it off.
Piper had bombarded her brain with 'demons bad, witches pretty' instructions since day one. And Cole just didn't fit into that scheme. And it upset her, the fact that she couldn't categorize him.
But the last few weeks had showed her a different side of Belthazor.
One that did not appear in the Book of Shadows.
A caring, loving man, (he had not morphed into his demon self for a while now, and Paige was pretty much more than okay with that), who had saved her life several times now.
A man who had really left his past behind, and was willing and able to make amends.
Besides, he was cute.
As they walked back to the main street, neither of them realized this was a pivotal moment for them. For *all* of them.
Because it was then that Cole stopped drowning in self-pity, and began a speedy way back into recovery.
When you recover the ability to smile, you're only one step away from normality.
**************************
She groaned, as her body slumped against a wall, sweat matting her forehead, and a frown clouding her beautiful face. She was five months along now, and Prue wasn't getting any lighter. Her belly was prominent these days, making it hard to move around as she wished.
Thank God the nausea was gone--- she had heard frightening stories about morning sickness, and she didn't want to deal with it any more. The firet few weeks had been more than enough.
What she *did* want, though, was to blast a particular she-demon into whatever hell they came out of. Because once again, Jhiera was on her.
Why did she find her so damn amusing, was beyond Phoebe's comprehension.
But the female demon had taken it upon herself to make her stay down here as uncomfortable as possible. Ever since the rumor had spread, that the Source had turned one of the Charmed Ones, and had taken her under his protection, the Demon World had been a buzz.
All the upper class demons rebelled against the very idea of having her down here. When the first three of them who dared question his actions were killed without an afterthought, they re-thought their approach.
"Morning sickness, dear?".
Phoebe bit back the urge to spit in Jhiera's face.
"None of your business, 'darling'".
She stressed the pet name, putting all her hate towards the beautiful demon in that simple word.
"Oh but it is, my dear. Belthazor and I were very close once".
His name was still like a thorn in her side. It haunted her through the empty corridors, echoing in the walls, whispered in her ear by invisible ghosts she did not want to listen to.
"And?".
She tried to remain nonchalant, tried to hide her feelings behind a mask of casualness.
"More than close. We were intimate. For over a decade, we shared beds, bodies and breath".
She knew this was going to happen. She knew the taunts would come, the mocking... come to think of it, it was a lot like high school. And she was the teacher's favorite.
You do the math.
But Phoebe had a temper herself. She could defend herself better than most people could... roughened by her life in New York, and three years as a Witch.
"This should matter to me, because...?".
Jhiera moved faster than she had ever seen her, and had her by the throat in a blink. Her long, claw-like fingers scratched the delicate flesh of her neck, squeezing the air out of her lungs. Phoebe gasped and wheezed, and clawed at Jhiera's arm, trying to break free.
"It's his brat you carry, is it not?. I should kill you were you stand".
Oh, so this was all a case of ex-girlfriend jealousy. That she could handle.
"Let. Me. Go".
Jhiera's purple eyes shone in the darkness, with a light of their own.
"Make me. I will kill you, Witch. Dispose of your body into the pits of Hell, and He will never know".
Phoebe knew who *He* was. And she also knew He was the reason why Jhiera didn't just go ahead and do what she threatened to. He had promised slow ad painful death to anyone who dared attack his newest addition.
He hadn't said anything about maiming, though.
And demons took warnings by the word.
She had had to fight off more demons than she could remember. It was dangerous for her to be walking around the Underworld alone, and unprotected. But she needed to.
Needed to feel the adrenaline running through her body, needed to feel the powers gathering in her hands, needed to feel *alive*--- she craved the danger, and taunted death, addicted to the thrill of walking around when she knew many of the ones she crossed paths with could kill her in a second.
"My--- name-- is Phax".
Jhiera ignored her attempts at freedom, and just squeezed harder.
Gods, if only she could get one gulp of air, and she could summon a fireball... she wasn't strong enough to kill her yet, but it would probably distract her long enough for Phoebe to run.
Blackness began creeping into her line of sight, oozing from the edges and into the inside.
There was only one thought running through her mind;
{prue}
Jhiera gasped loudly, and blinked away.
Phoebe slumped onto the ground, her own hand flying to her neck, trying to assess the injuries.
As she gasped and heaved, her body demanding oxygen, the Source's personal guard came around the corner. And she understood why Jhiera had teleported away.
Sure, she hated Phoebe. But she didn't hate her enough to die for her.
"He wants to see you. Now".
She nodded, trying to rise from the ground, not quite making it. Her heart beat thundered in her chest, and her lungs burnt at the sudden burst of air.
As she slowly made her way through the empty corridors, following the bodyguard's silent back, she vowed to herself that she would be stronger.
She vowed that no other would ever lay a hand on her.
What use would she be, if common demons like Jhiera could defeat her so easily?. She needed to be strong, powerful, and deadly--- because when she faced Cole, her body and her mind would need to be as cold as ice, and unyielding like stone.
****************************
When Piper was twelve, she had a garden gnome.
It was small, and cute, and very well designed, at least to her inexperienced young eyes.
Educated people barely looked at it, deeming it unworthy of their attention.
But she liked it anyway, and named it Mr. Pointy Hat.
Because it had the cutest hat you would ever see on a garden gnome. Red, and shiny, and pointy and a little to the side, as if telling whoever could be watching that the head under it was a real roller coaster.
Piper loved that garden gnome.
She really did.
She cleaned it every Sunday, sweeping the dead leaves away from it, polishing it with a wet cloth, and singing it songs that stuck in her head.
They were good friends, she and Mr. Pointy Hat.
Until Prue had ran it over with Gram's car.
Mr. Pointy Hat was reduced to pieces. Plaster pebbles, spread over the front yard. She hadn't spoken to Prue for weeks after that. She had tried to put it back together, using all the kind of glues her mind could fathom... but the result was never perfect.
His features were marred, scars running up and down his body. She had fought, trying to keep him, trying to mend him... but she learned some things were not meant to last.
But she still cried the day the garbage truck took it away.
She felt like Mr. Pointy Hat right now.
Broken. Bleeding. Finished.
And yet, still fighting.
Still trying to make sense of a world that is not meant to be understood.
"We need to know what's going on down there".
It was the second time Piper had said those words. And just like the first, all the answers she got were empty stares, and questioning eyebrows.
"You know Cole is no longer welcome. If he shimmers down there, he will surely be killed. Remember what happened last time?".
Piper could understand that. She also understood Cole was being hunted down now more than ever, the reward on his head growing bigger with each day that went by.
But she really needed to know what the Source was up to.
There had been no more attacks, no more surprise hit-men trying to get them. And it worried her. Since Prue's departure, she had taken it upon herself to protect her family. And Cole had become a member of that family.
But, God, she was worried!.
The last demon they had vanquished, while flames licked his body, and ate away his flesh, had screamed something that still rang in her ears. And the worst thing was, it rang true.
"Your time is coming, witches. She will kill you".
She had absolutely no idea who *she* could be. And that instinct she had developed throughout her life as a Charmed One, was warning her against pursuing for information any further.
But ever since Cole had told them the Source had been the one to take her younger sister from her, she was on her own personal crusade to vanquish his sorry ass.
"Leo, couldn't you try and orb up there?".
She knew both sides kept track of each other. What Evil knew, Good found out. What Good tried to hide, Evil discovered. It had been working that way for millennia, and it had been a pain to her. She still resented Cole a bit for blowing the cover on her rutabaga.
Besides, there was another thing nagging her. She and Paige had the certainty they were being watched. Spied on.
Cole had tried sensing a demon in the manor, but to no avail.
But it felt right, since it wasn't a presence what alerted their senses; more like--- eyes.
Eyes on every room, on every corner, watching, waiting, listening...
"Honey, you know I can't. They won't let me".
For the first time in years, Piper did not feel safe. Not even in the Manor. Not even in the house she had grown up in, and planned to live her life in.
At night, when the manor was quiet, and Leo lay sleeping by her side, she lay awake, listening, and wondering if the creaks and bumps in the house were something other than wood settling and old pipes moaning.
"Demons lie, Piper. Maybe what he said wasn't true".
They had said that once. Come to think of it, *she* had said that once. Well, the essence (Terra, she thought was her name) possessing her body had, at least. And they had accepted that, and she had died because of it. It was an experience she did not want to repeat.
"Still---".
"I could go down there and see if I can find anything".
Cole was seated on the sofa, his body tired and weary, both from physical and mental exhaustion. The past few months had taken their toll on him. But he was slowly recovering, walking through the proverbial valley of shadows, and seeing as the horizon cleared, and a soft, hesitant sun shone through.
"No. You'll stay right where you are, mister".
Paige's remark was loud and clear, around the usually silent room. Come to think of it, ever since Phoebe's death, they had begun talking in whispers. Quiet, hushed--- as if afraid to disturb the air around them.
And she was sick of it.
She wasn't a mourning person.
Sure, she missed Phoebe, missed her like she hadn't missed anyone in her life--- but she knew to lay waiting for death to strike again was not the solution. She had been wanting to kick some serious butt for the past few weeks.
Something caught her attention out of the corner of her eye. From her place by the fireplace, Piper was gesturing at her, waving her hands about, while trying to keep Leo from looking at her.
Paige got the message.
Ever since the day Leo had come back from 'up there', bringing the news of Phoebe's demise, she had watched as Piper pushed him away, and then called him back. But she had also watched, with some apprehension, as she and Cole drifted closer.
Pain calls for pain.
And those two were like magnets to each other.
Not in a romantic way, but more in the terms of partners in disgrace.
And she understood that. Once the natural protectiveness of a sister had blown over, she realized Cole was no longer a danger, but a powerful ally, and a trusted friend.
"Leo, I was wondering, maybe we should start working on my healing abilities. You know, in case we can't have you around".
It was a lame excuse, and Leo was no fool.
He knew Piper needed some time alone with Cole, to try and convince him to stop the suicide mission he was so set on carrying on.
So, he simply nodded, and led Paige out, after blowing a kiss to his wife, and slapping Cole on the shoulder.
********************************
They remained in silence, not quite looking at each other, and yet still, so very aware of the other's presence in the living room.
They had never really talked about what had happened in Phoebe's room.
Piper didn't quite remember it, the pain still clouding her memories of the first days after her death. But what she did remember, was that Cole had been there for her.
And that there were some unresolved issues between then, that if not dealt with now, would grow slowly, mounting off into something they did not want.
But she wasn't ready yet. It would be too blunt to bring it up like that, out of the blue.
"You know I won't let you go".
Her eyes were fixed on the window, watching absently as the soft breeze blew the curtains back and forth, and the pale winter sun shone through the open glass.
"I know".
He did not move. His body slouched over the couch, as if carelessly thrown there--- and yet, to Piper's trained eyes, the latent power laying behind the closed features and half open eyes was as clear as water.
"Then why do you insist?".
She turned, needing to see his expression, knowing his eyes would say what his lips would not.
"Because I have to".
She sighed, and ran a nervous hand through her long ponytail.
"No you don't".
That got her a reaction. His eyes snapped open, and drew her in, the fiery depths of blue burning her even from across the room.
"Yes I do".
She remained rooted on the spot, caught like a deer under the light of the oncoming train, unable to look away, unable to move--
"I promised her".
And many things made sense, because Piper suddenly understood the driving force behind his almost fatherly concern. She had to force herself to breathe, consciously tell her lungs to expand, because the weight of memories came like a flood.
Prue had always looked after then. Prue had kept them safe.
She sometimes forgot Phoebe worried too. And even more so, after becoming evil for the third time in a row. And the idea that Phoebe had seen this coming, had known Cole would outlive her, and took the safekeeping of her family into her own, young hands, suddenly became too much.
Her eyes welled up, as they hadn't done in months, because her little sister, her little baby sister--- God, it still hurt.
She covered her face with her hands, trying to keep the sobbing from rocking her thin frame. Over the past few months, this ordeal had taken its toll on her, weakening her physically.
"Why?. Why did she have to die?'".
Only when she felt his warmth radiating from his body, did she realize he had approached her. And his strong arms were around her once again, and deja vu washed all over her, and she let the tears out, and slammed her fists against his chest, as angry as she was sad.
"I can't answer that".
Her crying did not last long. She had few tears left, and they dried out quite quickly. She remained there, though, within his arms, breathing heavily.
Silence settled upon the room, as Witch and Demon brought down their carefully built walls, and shared the pain of loosing a loved one. Because they each had loved her, in different ways, with different intensity--- but loved her still.
As a sister.
As a soulmate.
As the wonderful person she had been, and how much the world had lost when she died.
"Piper--- do you-- do you remember what happened that day?".
Cole's voice trembled slightly, the feeling of loss fresh and anew, as if it had happened only yesterday.
She took her time to answer that. Well, she didn't remember a specific event... more like feelings, of confusion, and mixing and doubt, and pain, above them all, pain.
"Just--- flashes".
He sighed loudly, his chest rising and falling under her cheek.
"Because I--- I want you to know--- I do not regret it".
Piper looked up at him, and stared deep into his eyes. Swam through the clouds of disarray, through the layers of steel will, and really *looked*---
And it all came back to her, like a dream, like a long lost memory, rising through her own confusion, trough her own pain--- it came out in a rush, and she panted at the sheer force of remembrance.
She remembered his lips, strong and passionate, above her own. She remembered his powerful body next to hers, keeping her close, keeping her near. She remembered his scent, around her, inside her; she remembered kissing him.
A faint blush crept on her cheeks, as she realized she had just remembered her first and only slip on her marriage to Leo.
But had it really being cheating?. She had been thinking about him the whole time--- had tried to feel Leo's skin under her fingers, Leo's lips under her own, Leo's support holding her up...
"I don't regret it either".
It had been a mistake. No, scratch that. It hadn't been a mistake. It had just been a moment, and instant in between two people who were hurting beyond belief. And she knew she had needed it, as much as he had.
"But--- I still love Ph--- I still love *her*".
She smiled, slowly, and tenderly caressed his chin.
"I know. And I still love him".
His eyes seemed to clear out, the weight of the secret he had been carrying around for months, finally out.
It was then that they finally became a family. When all feelings were sorted out, and all secrets were exposed, then the last of the barriers keeping them apart fell down, and allowed them to come together.
Cole looked at her, at Piper, the woman he had grown to like a sister. A sister. Funny, he had never had a sister. And here he was, with two sisters and a brother. He smiled at the thought.
Family.
Paige had given him back his ability to smile. Had made him realize the world kept on spinning, and that there were still things worth living for. Leo had healed his soul, as well as his body, with his soft words, and healing abilities. And Piper, Piper had somehow filled the hole in his heart, becoming a sister to him, and so much more.
"Thank you for being here for me".
Her words were soft, in a tone that spoke of companionship and understanding.
"Thank you for having me".
Even as he spoke the words, he knew they were the right ones to say. But, at the same time, they felt wrong. As if somehow, Piper was not the one they were meant for. But there was no one else in the room--- and the one other woman he would've said them to, lay dead, her ashes scattered in the wind, her soul resting in Heaven.
He shrugged the feeling off, but it kept coming back, stronger than before---
Something was amiss...
"We should go get them".
Her words broke the spell, and the feeling returned to the depths of his mind, where it would rest, waiting for the proper moment to re-emerge.
"Yeah, we should. Leo's probably thinking I'm having an affair with you".
They both grinned at that, and they broke apart.
And still, in an intangible, invisible sort of way, they stayed together.
Linked.
Powerful.
'United we stand, divided we fall'
*********************************
Tbc...
Okay, for anyone wondering, those were the words Cole and Phoebe exchanged in 'Muse to My Ears;, after they vanquish Devlin. I found them so meaningful, I just *had* to put them here.
I hope you liked.
Tell me what you think!.
