Thanks for your reviews!
I'm really glad that you like the beginning. It's great that there are still Prue and Cole fans who want to read fanfictions. Thanks Charmed-Snow, I wish I could translate the whole story with a spell!
I'll post the first chapters, so that you can get an idea of the story and you can decide if you want to read it.
So there's the next chapter.
2. Chapter
Cole was standing in the hall for a while, then he went to the open entrance to the winter garden. He entered the room slowly and looked around. There was a baby bed in the edge and Cole went there and looked at the child, who was sleeping peacefully with a small pink bunny in his arms. Cole sat down on a chair, Clara Jennings had left the house some time ago. There still were her knitting things on the arm rest. Cole put them away and watched the sleeping baby. His feelings were confused, he still couldn't believe it, minutes ago he had still been stranded in the intervening world and now he was sitting here. He looked at the sleeping baby again, when the little boy suddenly opened his eyes. Blue eyes, which looked incredible like his own eyes looked at him expectantly. Phoebe had never told him anything about what happened to their baby. Cole had assumed that it had died, but he had never got a chance to ask her. Phoebe didn't even consider it necessary to explain him anything about the disappearance of their child. Probably she had been happy to get rid of the demon, Cole thought grimly and smiled encouraging at the boy, who still watched him attentively, without saying anything.
Cole was suddenly deeply grieved at everything, he had lost, his son, his wife, his family. Would everything had come true, if he had been stronger, if he had been strong enough to fight evil? But everything went wrong.
"I'm so sorry." Cole whispered to the boy, who still didn't say anything. But there was no time for grief, Cole decided. He had gotten this chance and he would use it. Inwardly he promised his son that he would always be around when he needed him. That he would protect him and give him all his love and that he would never leave him. When he suddenly looked on the bunny, he was absolutely sure that his presence was important. Cole screwed up his face, a pink bunny! What was Prue going to do with his son?
As if his thoughts had called her, Cole heard that somebody opened the entrance and rushed to the winter garden.
Prue had chosen the fastest way to get home, but unfortunately there was a traffic jam and she had to wait. That made her wild with rage and she was getting crazy. When she finally arrived at home, she couldn't see Mrs. Jenning's car anywhere. She jumped out of the car and went to the entrance. She opened the door in a high state of alert and rushed into the entrance hall. She looked around and went to the winter garden.
When she entered the room, her fears came true, it wasn't Mrs. Jennings who sat on the chair to take care of Daniel, but Cole.
They stared at each other, but none of them said a word. Finally it was Cole, who first opened his mouth. "Prue, I almost didn't recognize you, the last time I saw you, you were a dog." He explained calmly, although there were thousands of other questions in his mind.
"Is that so?" Prue looked at him coldly. "And the last time I saw you, you had just killed a witch."
Cole shrugged his shoulders. "I've the impression, that it's been ages."
"Well meanwhile a lot has happened, hasn't it?" Prue wanted to know coldly and went to Daniel's bed to pick him up and to take him away from Cole. But when Prue wanted to leave the room to go to the kitchen he followed her.
"Where is Mrs. Jennings?" she asked, when she didn't see anyone else in the kitchen. She only found the unprepared supper on the table.
"I've let her off." Cole explained calmly.
"Why?" Prue asked angrily and turned around to him.
"She was just in the way, finally we'll have to talk."
Prue closed her eyes. "Listen, that was a misunderstanding, nothing else. I don't want to see you here. And I still don't understand, why the Angel of Destiny could reach you."
"Well, that's how it is and therefore I'm here and I promise you, I won't go." Cole told her in no uncertain terms.
"But I don't see any chance of living together with you." Prue explained firmly, no angel would force her to anything like that.
"Well, then you'll have to move out. Finally, it's my son and my house, so if you can't live together with me, you'll have to go." Cole confronted her with a fait accompli.
"Never! I'll never give you Phoebe's son." Who knew, what he would do to him. She didn't like it, but she remembered, that the name of the former owner of this house had been Turner. Therefore they had arranged, that Cole, Phoebe's husband, had gotten it from distant relatives. Unfortunately Turner was a more common name than Halliwell.
"He's my son, too. If you forgot it." Cole informed her coldly.
"A fact I like to ignore." She stared at Cole angrily and noticed, that Daniel started to cry, he was confused of the quarrel of the adults. "It's okay." Prue tried to calm him down, but he was still crying.
"Give him to me." Cole urged her.
Prue looked at him angrily but she noticed, that the boy stopped crying, when Cole came into his view. She gave him to Cole with a pointed sigh and shook her head. "It's obvious, that we can't live together, you know, that, too." She tried it again, but this time in a soft voice.
"As far as I know, this is a world without magic, so I'm no demon anymore." Cole explained and looked at her challenging. "You don't have to be afraid of me anymore."
"As if I was ever afraid of you." Prue groaned. "But demon or not. You probably won't deny that we have never liked each other, that we have never got on well with each other." she told him firmly.
Cole looked away from his son to look at Prue. "Who knows!" he said and shrugged his shoulders. "This is a big house and we, we just have to go out of our ways."
"It won't work." Prue explained absolutely convinced.
"Why do the Halliwells always have to be so pessimistic? You always expect that the worst will happen."
"Well experience has shown us that we always have to be prepared for the worst." Prue said, but at the moment she didn't find another solution, therefore she nodded. "We don't have any choice, we have to try it for the moment. But soon I'll find another way."
"Okay!" Cole answered with a satisfied smile. "So, where is my room?"
Prue looked at him doubtfully. "Come." she finally said and went straight on to a small room facing the street. "You can have this room." She opened the door and Cole could see a small room filled with lumber.
"Well aunt Prue is rather generous." he explained to his son looking at him knowing. "She'll give me the cubbyhole."
"That isn't a cubbyhole." Prue justified herself. "When you'll have removed all the furniture, the room will be rather big."
Cole looked at her sceptically, it was absolutely chaotic in this place. But just before he knew it, Prue had taken away Danny and went to the kitchen. "Wait!" Cole called after her. "What will you do?"
She turned around. "You had to sent Mrs. Jennings home, before she had prepared supper, so there is some work waiting for me in the kitchen."
"And what shall I do with all this junk here?"
"I don't know, you can have all these furniture and the things, you don't need, can be thrown to the bulky rubbish." Prue entered the kitchen and Cole turned back to the small room. Wonderful! But if Prue thought, that she could put him off with this box-room, then she was wrong. He began to tidy up the room energetically.
Prue came back late in the evening. The room looked not too bad now. Cole had put the most things into the hall. There was only a bed, a small table and a wardrobe in the room now and a chair in front of the window. The room was nearly overcrowded with this furniture and there was hardly any room left to move.
"You see, the room isn't so small." Prue told him nevertheless and turned around to take a close look to the things standing in the hall. "Tomorrow you can take the other things to the garage beside the house, I don't use it anyhow." She looked at the junk doubtfully. "Or probably you should throw them on the bulky rubbish immediately."
"Yes sir!" Cole said and shook his head. "I just forgot, how much you like it to command."
"And if you listen to me carefully, we will probably get along with each other." She told him. "Well I just wanted to tell you, that I'll go upstairs now."
"And where is..." Cole noticed, that he even didn't know the name of his son.
But Prue knew, whom he was talking about. "He is already sleeping, finally he's a baby."
Cole stared at her angrily, at least she could have let him know about it, he thought grimly and asked. "What's the name of my son?"
"Daniel!"
Cole screwed a face "Daniel? Are you joking? Who gave him this name, you?"
"Who else. And it's perfect."
"Daniel? Danny with the pink bunny?" Cole shook his head. "Fortunately I am here now. Otherwise I don't know what you'd have done to him."
Next morning Prue got up early. She had called Judy last evening to arrange a meeting in a cafe for next morning. Prue got dressed and dressed Danny, too. Then she went downstairs and listened carefully. She didn't hear anything and so they left the house. She went to her car and saw that the curtains were closed in Cole's room. She set off in relief.
When Prue entered the cafe, Judy was already waiting for her. She was sitting at a table in front of the cafe and and put her face into the morning sun. Judy liked it to get up early and she was already jogging before breakfast like every morning. Now she looked forward to a big breakfast. Plates with different dishes piled already up on the table. But in spite of the appetizing odour Prue had lost her appetite.
When Judy saw Prue, she noticed that something was wrong. "Hey, is everything alright? You don't look very well, didn't you sleep last night?"
Prue put Danny beside her and sat down on the other chair. "You can say that again." she said and groaned. "My brother-in-law turned up."
"Which brother-in-law?" Judy asked with her mouth full.
"Well Danny's father, Cole Turner."
Judy stopped chewing and looked at Prue in surprise. "Danny's father? But... but I thought his parents are dead."
"No, unfortunately Cole is still alive." Prue explained frustrated.
"But where has he been all the time." Judy asked a little confused.
"Oh, he still had to work and to clarify some things in San Francisco." Prue wriggled out. "But now it seems as if he wants to settle in my home." she explained angrily.
Judy looked at her searching. "You don't like him, do you?"
"You guessed right, I can't stand him. We never get on well with each other. And now he really has the nerves to move into my house." Prue was annoyed.
"But he is the owner, isn't he?" Judy asked her.
"Basically you are right." Prue had to admit, still angry about the fact that the angel hadn't found a house of a family named Halliwell.
Judy shook her head. "Even if you don't like him, he is Danny's father and a child needs his father, too." She stated relentlessly. She had never met her father, her mother separated from him, before Judy was born. But Judy was longing for her dad all of her life. And if she ever had children, and that was still in the stars, she would never do that to them. Even if the parents split up, a child will have the right of both parents, without any compromises. She had sworn that to herself.
"Judy, you don't know him. Not every father is good for his child." Prue explained.
"But I always thought, that you have suffered, too. Because your father has left your family so early." Judy told her quite clear.
"You are right, but that's one of the reasons, because I don't want to see him here. Cole turns up and will worm his way into Danny's confidence and then one day after Danny got used to him, he'll push off after." she explained angrily.
"Do you think he'll do that? Didn't he love your sister?" Judy asked surprised.
"He did." Prue had to admit.
"Well then he'll love his son, too." Judy explained. "And he's the only person, which is left to him."
Prue stared at Judy, it was impossible to explain the relationship between Cole and Phoebe to her. Therefore Prue decided to change the subject. "Okay, I'll manage to get on with him, for Danny's sake." Prue looked at her little nephew while Judy followed her to do it.
She smiled at the little boy. Although she didn't go on well with babies, she liked Danny. He smiled back and another thought flashed through Judy's mind. "But then you've already found a baby-sitter." she stated satisfied.
Prue looked at her asking. "What?"
"Well we want to meet this evening. I want to introduce you to Robert's friend." Judy told her.
"Oh!" Prue just remembered. "But it's not possible, I really can't leave Cole alone with Danny."
"Why? He is his father." Judy shook her head. "It will be good for Danny to be together with his father, finally they haven't seen each other for a while."
"No I can't do that Judy." Prue told her with a shake of her head.
"Of course you can, otherwise you aren't a mother, too. Paul is a wonderful guy and if you are my friend, you'll do me this favour."
When Cole woke up this morning, first he didn't know, where he was. He sat up alarmed, when suddenly his memories returned. He was living again, together with his son, and not to forget together with Prue. He looked around, yes in fact he lived in a cubbyhole. He was surprised to find out that he fell asleep immediately last night. And he had slept until late morning.
He stood up and opened the curtain to watch on the street. It's been ages since he had been able to sleep peacefully last time. His thoughts about Phoebe had tortured him too much. He waited for the familiar pain, but he just felt a small stabbing pain. The feeling of pain and loss was gone and made way for a feeling of grief. A deep regret that something that had been able to take every insuperable hurdle in the beginning, had to end this way. He suddenly saw her face in his mind's eyes, the way she had looked at him the last time when she had vanquished him, cold as ice. No, he put on his clothes and left the room, he didn't want to think about Phoebe and to his own surprise he felt a great relief, that she didn't live in his world.
It was over, he felt it, even if she lived in his world, he wouldn't like to see her ever again. He had finally accepted, that the Phoebe, he fell in love with, the person, who had rescued him with her love of his demonically self, didn't exist anymore. She turned out in a person, he didn't know anymore and he didn't love anymore. He knew, that he would miss their time together all of his live, but no matter, where she was living, his Phoebe was dead and nothing would be able to revive her. And suddenly Cole felt free, free of all evil, free of his painful love, he had finally accepted it and he was ready for a new life.
He entered the entrance hall and went upstairs to the bathroom, Prue showed him last night. There was only one bathroom in the house, much to Prue's regret, but she had already told him, that they would follow a time tableclosely.
When Cole was ready, he went to the kitchen, he hasn't heard any noise in the house and when he looked out of the window, he found out, that Prue's car wasn't there. She had left the house without a word, he thought angrily, while he was searching for something to eat in the fridge. After he couldn't find a lot to eat, he supposed that Prue had to go shopping. He went into the entrance hall to put the junk from his room into the garage, Prue had mentioned.
When Prue came home late in the afternoon, there weren't any furniture in the entrance hall anymore. She looked around in surprise, when Cole was coming out of the kitchen.
"Where have you been?" he asked.
"Out!" she explained firmly. "I don't have to account to you for anything I do."
"You have to, because you were together with my son and I supposed, that we had decided to get along with each other."
"That's it and I think it was your suggestion, that we should get out of our ways." Prue remembered.
But just before they could go on quarreling it was knocking at the glass door to the garden. Prue was happy about this interruption and went to the winter garden. Her neighbour Dianne McCormack was standing in front of the door with her daughter on her arms.
"Hello, Prue," Dianne said. "I only wanted to come by to tell you, that I'm home again. Scott will stay at his parents for a few days, but I couldn't stand this place any longer. I told them, that there is so much work waiting for me at home." Came spluttering out of Dianne. "My mother-in-law and me, it's like hell. I know, I work as a therapist and I should have to get along with this situation much better, but no way." Dianne looked up and saw a man standing behind Prue watching her attentively. "Oh Prue, I didn't want to disturb you. You've got a visitor, so I'll go immediately." she said with a smile and wanted to leave the house through the door, but Prue stopped her.
"No, wait." She said. "I've time for you."
"But..." Dianne looked at Cole.
Prue followed her view and said. "Oh, that's just Cole."
Dianne looked at her expectantly.
"Danny's father." Prue explained and turned around to him. "That is Dianne McCormack, she lives in the house on the other side of our garden."
Dianne casted her eyes on Prue in surprise and then turned to Cole to give him her hand. "I'm glad to meet you. "
"The pleasure is mine." Cole answered with a smart smile
"That's my daughter Sarah." Dianne introduced her baby. "Danny is her best friend." She explained with a smile. "Probably they'll get married in future." she laughed and turned back to Prue.
Prue noticed, that Dianne had millions of questions, but just before she could start to sound Cole out, Prue decided to get rid of him at the moment. She went to him and gave him Daniel. "Can you take him into his room?" she requested. "It was a long day and I'm sure he's tired."
"No problem." Cole took his son and he left the room with a last view to his new neighbour. "Goodbye Dianne."
Dianne followed him with her eyes and sat down on the coach. "Why didn't you tell me anything about him? I thought Danny's parents were dead."
"I've never said anything like that. And there is nothing to tell." Prue explained coldly.
"Where has he been all the time and why did Danny live together with you in another city? Will he stay here or is it just a visit?"
"Dianne, do you assail your patients with questions, too?" Prue stopped her.
"Sorry, but I'm so curious, and I don't understand anything of it." Dianne explained.
"He just had to work in San Francisco." Prue told her as cool as possible. "And well unfortunately he wants to stay here for a while."
"That's great, a child needs both, father and mother." Dianne explained with a satisfied nod. "However his mother can't be around when Danny needs him, his father should be there."
"I am there, okay?" Prue groaned "And I've already heard that today. But you'll agree, that it won't be good for a child to live in a household, where his so-called 'parents' quarrel all the time."
"You are in conflict with each other?" Dianne asked surprised. "He belongs to your family."
"He was married to my sister, I wouldn't call that family." she looked at Dianne with a smile on her face. "Well your mother-in-law is family too and you can't stand her."
Dianne groaned. "You are right, but you should find a way to get along with him. For Danny's sake."
"I know, but easier said than done."
They were silent for a while, when Prue's phone started to ring. It was Judy, who wanted to ask her again to go out this night. Prue thought about it and in her mind's eyes she could already see herself, trying to go out of Cole's ways all evening. She looked up and saw Dianne and again she could see unpleasant pictures, how she tried to wriggle out of Dianne's questions about Cole and Phoebe. And suddenly an evening with a stranger, even if it was one of Judy's friends, couldn't be worse. "Okay, I'll come." she told Judy, who was enthusiastic about Prue's decision. Prue hung up and asked Dianne, if she would take care of Daniel this night.
"Of course, I'll do it!" Dianne said. "But his father is here and he can do it, too."
"No, I already don't know, to what extent I can trust him." Prue explained and stopped Dianne with a gesture, just before she could start with lectures about trust and parents and so on. "Please, can you do me this favour?"
"Okay, no problem. I'll come together with Sarah, then I'll get to know your brother-in-law better." Dianne explained satisfied.
Prue shrugged her shoulders. Why not, Cole should resist Dianne's questions.
When Prue went downstairs in her evening dress, she found Cole in the winter garden. "I'll go out tonight." She told him.
Cole looked at her surprised. "Do you want to let me alone with Danny?" He asked pleased.
When Prue noticed the beaming with joy in Cole's eyes, it was a real mystery to her, that she had to look down. She took her bag and said. "Dianne will come immediately, she'll take care of Danny."
"Oh yes." Cole said coldly. "I'm only too well aware, that the Halliwells never trust me. As if I'd allow that something happened to him."
"You are here just for one day and you don't know anything about babies and ..."
Cole raised his hand. "You don't have to explain it, I'm sure you have a thousand of good reasons."
Before Prue could answer, she heard a knocking at the door and Dianne entered the room. She already noticed the feeling of animosity in the room and looked at Prue thoughtfully. Then she turned to Cole and said. "I'll go again, if you want to be alone." she told him.
"No it's okay, Finally we don't want to destroy Prue's salvation." He turned to his former sister-in-law. "I wish you a wonderful evening." he said sarcastically.
"Thanks." She said as if she hadn't heard the sarcasm. She turned on her heels and left the house. She had every right to be cautious, but why did she feel like a traitor. Nonsense. She went to her car to go to her date.
After Dianne has brought her daughter into Danny's room, she went downstairs and looked for Cole. She found him in the garden, where he was sitting on the stairs in front of the entrance of the old veranda. She sat down a bit beside him. "Prue is worried about Danny. I don't see anything wrong in it, she loves him and just wants to protect him."
"Oh, you think it's normal that she wants to protect him from his own father?" Cole asked ironically.
"She would protect him from everybody, that's the way she is. He means more than anything to her. I think it would be unbearable for Prue to loose him, too."
"And you don't think, that I feel the same way about it ?" he asked softly.
When Dianne heard this question, she wondered, why Prue had taken care of his son the last months, while he had left Danny alone. She couldn't believe that he had done it of his own free will. She looked at him searching. "Listen, if you want to talk about your mourning one day, I'll be there for you."
Cole looked at her irritated, and his expression showed what he thought about her offer. "No thanks!"
"You should know, that I'm not just a , a psychiatrist, I also help mourning people. Some people can't accept the death of a loving person, they resign and become a slave to drink or drugs. Therefore coming to terms with their mourning is an important process. And I can help them doing it."
"No thanks, I don't need anything like that." Cole shook his head, what gave her that idea?
"Okay, I'll leave it to you." Dianne looked straight on to her house. "I'll go home now and watch an old movie." she told him and stood up. "Sarah will stay here. I'm sure, you'll look after her."
Cole smiled and shook his head. She let her daughter under his care to show him, how much she trusted him, but it was all a fake. It was too obvious, it was ridiculous. Of course, now he felt much better, probably she was a lousy therapist.
When Prue came home after her date, she just found Cole alone in the garden. "Where is Dianne?" she asked in alarm alert.
"She already went home, but her daughter is still here. I shall take care of her." he looked at Prue searching.
Prue looked back surprised. "Why?" she asked and sat down on the stairs.
"It's unimaginable for you, isn't it? But she wanted to show me, that there are some people, who still trust me. Well I suppose that was her reason." He grinned. "I'm convinced she isn't a good therapist."
Prue shrugged her shoulders. "As far as I know, her practice is always full of people."
"Really? Well I don't know, what you've told her about me, but she really believes that I drink like a fish after the death of my wife." He told her with an amused smile on his face.
Prue looked at him in surprise. "What gave her that idea?" she asked astonished. "I've never told her anything like that."
Cole shrugged his shoulders. "Well I didn't tell her either, but I think the truth would really shock her."
Prue took a close look at him. "The truth? I'd like to know it, too."
"How much do you know?" Cole asked carefully.
"Oh I've followed roughly the whole mass, that you had become the source of all evil and my sisters had finally vanquished you. But after I accepted the offer of the angel of destiny, I had to prepare for my new life and I should leave my sisters and my former life behind." She looked at Cole forcefully. "So what did happen the last months?"
"You don't want to know it." Cole said, he was relieved, that she hadn't seen, what happened the last months. He had already been surprised that Prue acted cool and treated him so calmly, well especially compared with the behaviour her sisters showed in the end. But compared to them, she wasn't there whether when he had been the source, nor an invincible demon.
"Oh I should think so. I want to know it!" Prue finally said und looked at him suspiciously.
"Well, you won't get to know about it from me." Cole stood up and turned to the door. "But don't worry, the last time I saw your sisters they were on top again, like always."
Prue gazed after him, disappearing in the house. Then she turned around again and looked into the dark night. It was only April, but it was a warm night. Prue didn't want to know, how the temperatures would be in the middle of summer. She could remember the garden quite clearly, when she had arrived in winter. She had already imagined how it would look like in spring, but the garden had exceeded all her expectations. When the first flowers had started to blossom and the trees were in leaf, it had been so beautiful, that she didn't want to leave the garden. She had taken thousands of photos, but none of them could capture the whole magic.
She also didn't feel drawn to the house, she thought about her date. Paul Hennen turned out to be a handsome man. He was smart and clever and you could have good conversation with him. He was a policeman from New York. He was getting a divorce lately, therefore he decided to move to his hometown again. Prue has had a nice evening, but she's got her mind on Cole and Danny all night. She groaned, she worried too much, she always did it, but everything would sort itself out. It had to.