The Lost Ones

Chapter six: Answers

When Chris and Cole stepped outside, Chris turned to Cole and said, "Look Cole I know you have a lot of questions and I can I understand that, but could we go some where else? The sisters don't trust the way it is and if they came out here and saw me talking to myself it would be the kiss of death. I mean they already think I'm neurotic, the last thing I need is for them to think that I'm crazy as well."

Cole let out a long sigh and said, "Fine, as long as I get my answers, where do you want to meet?" "I'll tell you what . Meet me at the top of Golden Gate Bridge." With that he orbed out. 'Damn his Halliwell whitelighter genes, well I guess it's off to the Golden Gate Bridge.'

Inside the manor the atmosphere wasn't much better then that outside between Chris and Cole. "Are you crazy Piper? What were you thinking? You let her leave, not only that but also to come back, and not by herself, but with a demonic child." Paige yelled at her older sister. Piper turned to her sister eyes blazing, "what I was thinking is that I had a job to do. For some reason we can't explain we were meant to save that woman, whether you like it or not Paige it is not for you to decide. Like I told Ellie, Phoebe was sent a premonition which we are meant to help. And Chris is right we have responsibilities to our destinies and a responsibility to Chris he cameback in time to save Wyatt the least we could is dois what we are meant to with as little complaint as possible, we may not like it but was have to do it any way. Do you think I want two demons my house with my son in the house?" Piper said all this while keeping her voice calm and neutral, but her eyes should the truth of how serious, and offended she was by what Paige just said. Phoebe unlike her sisters had not said anything since summoning Ellie had appeared her mind was going a mile a minute 'how come Cole never told me he had a sister? Didn't he trust me? What else didn't he tell me? He never told me he had any family and now I find out he had a sister, no not had has he may be dead but she's still alive, she's still his sister. But it gets worse he has a sister and she has a child. No not a child the boy said, "Auntie Ellie" so that means he might have had another sister or brother. God did I ever really know him?' Phoebe was pulled out of her thoughts by Paige's voice, "Phoebe you'll agree with me right, we should get the vanquishing position ready. I mean she's one of Cole's relatives she's probably getting her demon friends together to storm the house."

"Vanquish what do you mean vanquish? When did you guys start talking about vanquishing?" was Phoebe's confused reply, 'God talk about zoning out.' "Come on Phoebe she's not only a demon but she's also Cole's sister, Belthezor's sister. How much more incentive do you need? How many times did he double cross us? Or have you all forgotten that?"

"No we haven't" came Phoebe's tight lip reply, "but this isn't about Cole or Belthezor orwhat happened then, this is about now the elders, fate, the powers that be, whatever sent me a premonition to save her and the child Paige, not to vanquish them. So we'll wait until she shimmers back here and find out why they want her dead so bad." With that Phoebe turned her back on her sisters and did what she has always done when she situation is worse than she would like, she walked away.

"Well I guess I'm out numbered then." Paige said, "I'm going to go change it to my vanquishing clothes." With that said she orbed out. "There isn't going to be a vanquish" Piper yelled up to her youngest sister.

"I'm glad we agree." Came Ellie's cool voice.

"And I see your back." Piper said trying to keep the distaste out of her voice.

"I said I would be."

"What took you so long? I know it doesn't take that long to shimmer from one place to another Cole used to do it all the time."

"Well Cole wasn't traveling with a child. Seeing as you have your own son I would think you would know how long it would take to get a child ready to go out the door." She finished this with a raised eyebrow daring Piper to contradicted her. Piper couldn't help the small smile that tugged at the corner of her mouth. Piper hadn't noticed it before,but it was the first time she got a good look at the woman. She was about 5'5 but that was hard to tell because she was wearing heels so she was probably 5'1 or 5'2, she had long wavy, curly dark brown hair that reached her waist, she had nicely plucked eyebrow, with big light blue eyes, a cute little nose, high cheek bones, clean ivory white skin, pink full lips, and a nice jaw line, and a figure most woman kill themselves to get, all and all she was a very beautiful woman.

"What did you mean when you said someone you love was dying?" Piper asked wanting to get everything over with as soon as possible, she also cursed her sisters for not being here with her right now and talking to Ellie as well.

Piper had been ready for everything what she was the reaction she got. Ellie's eyes started to well up and she looked at Piper her voice cracking and said, "Can't you tell, couldn't you tell? He is." Ellie said indicating she meant the child in her arms. Piper couldn't stop the gasp that escaped her lips even if she wanted to.

Meanwhile at the Golden Gate Bridge Cole and Chris were standing opposite each other waiting for who would start first. "Well whitelighter you promised me some answers. First I would like to know how is it that you can see me and not only that but hear and speak to me as if I was still part of the land of the living. Then I would like to know how is that in one day I not only heard of but seen one person who I know for a fact is supposed to be dead, and that it was second by another person who also died a long time ago."

"Well the second is easy Cole I mean you of all people should know that dead doesn't' always mean dead. I mean look at yourself you were vanquished and sent to the waste land yet you came back, what makes you think that your brother or sister would be any different."

"It real was Will and not Ellie's Great grandson?"

The look Chris gave Cole made Cole shift uncomfortably he had never received a look that was complete kindness and sympathy in one look well not recently and definitely not at the end. "Yeah Cole it was Will."

"And the woman they saved today it was Ellie wasn't it?"

"Yeah it was."

Cole took a deep breathand ran his fingers through his hair. "I can't believe it for years I thought they were dead. I had found out from different sources that the Sources had them killed. I joined the brotherhood after that. I had nothing else, no one else." He let out a deep sigh, he then turned his light blue, green eyes to Chris and said, and "How about you answer my first question how is it that you can see me?"

Chris took a deep breath hoping that if would fortify him, he didn't know how he was going to answer Cole, well at least in away that wouldn't jeopardize the future more than his presence in the past already had, so he was going to go with part of the truth kind of like he did with his mom and his aunts, "well I used a spell, and it had Ellie's and Will's blood in it their your family and I knewyou w…are in limbo so used the blood to blood, and magic to magic spell." Chris ended with a shrug to his shoulders hoping Cole would believe what he had just said and that he hadn't caught his almost slip of tongue 'damn it Chris this isn't the time foryour Freudian slip to show' but when he saw Cole's measuring look he know he hadn't bought it. "Listen Chris I'm not a gullible as your aunts or mother maybe I know your lying to me. But your actions have consequences more so than the average witch or magical being. And I bet by just talking to me you've thrown the future off kilter so I'll let it slide. So…you wanna talk about Wyatt turning evil or what?"

"How did you know Wyatt turned evil?" was Chris shocked reply.

"What do you mean how did I know, you think anyone with half a brain would ever think you meant that he was captured by evil. Please give me some credit I did live in the underworld for most of my existence I can tell when someone is bending the truth. Why I can't get is how Phoebe didn't pick up on it I mean she is an Empath now, no wait don't tell me spell or poison to block her right?"

At Chris's nod Cole busted up laughing, "are you sure you're a witch, whitelighter combo because I've got to say you're worthy of evil maybe you should get a job with the Source." Chris laughed at that and said, "I'll think I'll pass on that, but thanks any way. Listen I've got to head back to the manor to make sure the girls don't vanquish Ellie so ...I'll see you around." If Cole wasn't mistaken he could have sworn he heard a pleading edge in Chris's voice all it did was remind him of all the times he spent alone and wished he had someone to talk to who could understand what he was going through, 'but I lost that when I lost Billy and Ellie, God the kid must realfeel alone if he wants to speak to me again' Cole had no control over the answer he gave "Yeah Chris Halliwell you'll be seeing me around." With that Chris smiled a smile that Cole had to say looked a lot like Phoebe's "Take care Cole" with that orbed back to the manor.

"You too kid." With a wistful smile Cole turned around with a whirlwind of thoughts and feelings hereturned to limbo; he had a lot to work through before he even thought of seeing Ellie, even though he wanted to with all his heart, he needed to be ready for the emotional melt-down that was bound to happen the moment she sensed his presence.

Piper still hadn't been able to understand what was going on. Here she was standing before a demon a demon who happened to be related to Belthezor and all she wanted to was tohug her and promise her that she would help her with the child and that he would get better. Finally able to get her thoughts together she formed the only question she could ask, "What's wrong with him?"

"I… didn't protect him is what happened." Ellie said this with such self-hate that Piper couldn't help but feel sympathy for the woman. Going with her instincts Piper walked up to Ellie and squeezed her shoulder leading her to the couch they both sat down. Piper couldn't help but glance at Wyatt who was sleeping peacefully in his bassinet and knew the guilt she would feel if it was her own child that was hurt. "I'm sure it wasn't your fault."

"Yes it was. I should have gone with my gut instinct I didn't trust her butI thoughtmy job was more important. I put my job before my own blood my own family. I left him in the care of a woman I felt off about and now he's paying the price."

Just as she finished saying this the child in her arms started to stir, "Auntie Ellie, where is we?"

"We're with a friend pumpkin. Why don't you say hello to Piper." Ellie changed the child's position so that he could get a good look at Piper, "Heyo Pipewer I'm Ben." The three year old said in a sleepy voice. "hey Ben it's nice to meet you." The boy gave her a weak smile and then said, "Auntie can I see mommy now, you found mommy wight?"

"No Benny boy I didn't but that's why we came to see Piper she's going to help us find mommy."

"Mommy will make it go away; mommy will make the huwt go away."

"Yeah baby she will."

Piper couldn't have agreed more a part of her was outraged what kind of mother abandons her son like that, and especially a boy like Ben he seemed so sweet so innocent. There was even something about Ellie the degree of guilt she carried for what happened to her nephew she knew in heart that they were meant to help them.

"What are you going to do Piper?" Came Chris's question there something about him like he was daring her, condemning her if she didn't help. "I'm going to ...no we the charmed ones are going to do what we do we're going to help the innocent."

To Be Continued…..