Chapter One : The Black Well
" I have difficulty to see why vanquishing him would be been necessary "
Virginia inquired, licking her lips self-consciously. In spite of her usual determination to not interfere with the journeys of trespassed souls, something about this one roused her interest.
Maybe it was just the fact she could relate to a parent' regret, making her to want believe him, help him …. And this vulnerability only put her more on the edge about her guest' possible intentions. It wasn't like if she had not met any half-breeds who had turned out fine, but there was all the same a good reason to stay alert.
" Let's say it was a case of possession, before his …birth."
" Stop and rewind, mister: the mother was possessed but your son was vanquished ? Because frankly, I never heard about a malignant entity possessing an unborn child, unless they were one and the same "
However barely noticeable, her trained eyes didn't miss the uncurling of darker, almost black , folds of energy around the peripheral layer of his aura : they rose and merged easily, smoothing over in one harmonious wave, perfectly synchronic with the swift flaring and waning distaste in his expression. The fire in his gaze lived on, all the same.
It said a lot about him , the way he had contained his anger : this man was powerful, and possibly just as intense in his death as he was been during his mortal life, but he was also able of cool-headed focus.
His voice only filtered annoyance:
" My son may not be entirely human, but his power was never used for Good or Evil : until he gets the chance his life is innocent, Virginia. Isn't what a good witch does, protecting the Innocent? "
" You tell me if your wife - or lover, was one of us. "
The guy argued like a lawyer, Virginia had to concede as much while she rubbed tiredly her eyes and suppressed a yawn.
"Explain me, Mr… have you a name or should come up with one myself for the durance of this conversation?"
For few seconds, the witch had no doubts about what her interlocutor was thinking: she could read his relief at her acceptance, his surprise to her question, the unexpected pleasure of answering it as simply as he was voicing them loudly. It was like if nobody had asked that question to him in far too long, and he had suddenly realized he still had a name and identity despite of that.
"You may call me Cole. – he paused, favouring her with an annoyingly superior half-smile while he seemingly savoured the moment some more - My name was Cole Turner"
Cole Turner…. To Virginia it sounded almost familiar. It was entirely possible she had heard of him within the Magical Community. But there would be more appropriate moment to investigate it.
"Tell me how your son would survive the exorcism, Cole."
Cole crossed his arms and scratched his chin thoughtfully- it was almost funny how those ghosts maintained a human mannerism, even when they had hardly any sense of touch left- then he added shrugging:
"I'm not quite sure, because I was already dead when it happened. I know my wife was expecting a perfectly healthy baby boy when I was alive. Later I've tried to hold on her, without too success, and found myself struck in the Limbo. But I'm sure Ben- we would named him so, like my father- wasn't here. During the exorcism, I've felt my connection to him splintering but the more I think about it, the more I convince myself he must have sensed the danger and shimmered. Probably the contact with a possessed host has triggered his development of a demonic form. By shifting into that, he managed to reach The Black Well and survive there until now "
Virginia furrowed her brows "The Black Well?"
"It's a vulgar name for the very core of the Underworld. His deepest, darkest part. No demon go never there because its energy is too volatile , but every dark creature would be attracted to it. Think of the Black Well like the gravity centre of the Underworld. When Ben accessed his shimmering power so prematurely, before having any experience of the material plane…It was the only place his senses would recognized as safe…He could only end up there "
"But once there, he couldn't leave it. He got himself struck like lead to a magnet"
Virginia guessed
"Exactly" Cole acquiesced "First the dark energy fed him, kept him alive even if in a vegetative state, but now it's deteriorating his human part. His soul is closer to my same plane of existence with each passing day. We sense each other, and he seeks me instinctively. "
The imagine of that lost child in the darkness crying for his father sprang to the witch's memory with sudden, amazing clarity – no longer the memory of a nightmare, but a desperate plea from a dying little boy to a dead parent, from a powerless father to a distrusting stranger. Terrible.
Shaking herself from her reverie, she suggested:
"It makes sense as a theory. Your wife could know something more since she was there 'in the flesh' "
Cole's features hardened even while his gaze softened and Virginia could read faint hues of guilt and tenderness in his astral aura.
"Sadly, today I'm all the family Ben has"
Wonderful, even if they managed to miraculously save the baby's life, the little one would be been an orphan.
"My book of shadows won't be of much help in this matter. For obvious reasons, I don't think my family had never had cause to deal with this Black Well"
"I didn't count on it. I didn't come to you for that" Cole assured, dismissing the mere idea with an unconcerned wave of his hand.
"Be careful, Cole. You are almost making it to sound like if you have a plan set in motion"
The half-demon bestowed on her an absent smile, assessing her with a certain satisfaction.
"I can conjure you where Ben is"
More than anything, Virginia hated being pulled blindly into another's schemes. Still, she knew there was little other choice: anything Cole wanted to test with her would have a better chance of success during a full moon night like this one and she doubted her capacity of finding a solution of hers own.
All what she could trust in was Cole's love for his son and uncommon capacity to interfere with the mortal world.
"Why have I the feeling there's a catch?"
"Because there's one: The power I have is sufficient to bring you to Ben, but it will be only enough to keep there for a very short time if I must also bring you back. Then you will be on your own… I won't even able to talk you until I recover the energy loss – It'll take years probably. "
"What should I do?"
"Close your eyes and open your mind to me"
Virginia breathed in deeply and followed his instructions, trying to suppress the anxiety roaring like a wild animal inside her. Eventually she managed to set it aside, and focused on the child she wanted to save.
She began feeling the Cole's power as it tugged to her rawer senses, and surrendered to it; it wasn't the first time she lived this experience of intimate contact with a spiritual being and the sensation of all what he was enveloping her completely relaxed her: his soul was tainted by love and grief , maybe remorse, but not Evil.
All too soon, the witch found herself lost inside the deeper darkness she had never known.
The feelings assaulting her hearth were disorienting: lust, anger and a vague desire for violence darted painfully inside her, pulling her brain toward different directions.
"Focus – Cole whispered inside her mind, surrounding her again with his presence-- Ben is before you. Take him, and then we will go. Don't be scared. "
Dazedly, Virginia looked around the bleak blackness, shuddering once more.
Finally she saw the child: Ben was a small vermillion creature sticking out in that endless night.
She kneed to take him and froze : two minute goat-like horns were on his bald, perfectly- rounded head and his newborn body was all wrinkles and hard edges, while his facial features were those of a common infant. His aura was strange… she could read no evil in it per se, but she could sense nothing but tasteless void.
"Take him!" Cole urged her on; reminding her they were on borrowed time.
Virginia obeyed immediately and as soon as the baby was in her arms the world around her dissolved, her thinking patterns became a fog of pain and confusion and everything took once more shape and dimension in front of her eyes.
'Thank you, Virginia' – it was Cole's last murmur while his power brushed against her.
Then she was once more in her home, on her bed, all alone but for the little greedy demon-kid against her chest who fed on her magical core hungrily.
She felt terribly weak, but she wasn't afraid. Someway she knew Ben wouldn't hurt her; she could sense him using her magic to purify his own and although that level of awareness from such a little boy should terrify her - it didn't.
In spite of everything, this was only a child and his warmth reverberated throughout her body, making her to feel like if saving him was the most special thing she had never done.
AN: Wow! Finally it's done- this chapter was terribly difficult to write but I'm quite happy with it. Especially because, even if I am a huge Cole's fan, his interaction with Virginia came out with the right combination of suspicion and collaboration. Her character became alive in a way which is been completely out of my control, so I hope you will like her as much I do. Thank you to every single reviewer and reader! Good advices are always welcome!
moirariordan: thank you for taking time to explain me what I could to better the story. Since this is the first time I write for Charmed, I truly felt like if I needed. I've tried to follow your advice. I hope this chapter cleared everything up for you, but your assumption about Virginia was absolutely correct. I liked so much the Richard storyline with the magical family feud than I was disappointed of how little it was developed. I regret we never got to see more about how ancient magical families carry on their traditions, so I will try to remedy.
Ayana Starman: I feel the same way, but we shall be patient. Bianca will do her first appearance in ch4. My fingers hitch to write it!
Stylin'Fire: I feel your pain, my friend. And I love you enthusiasm so keep it up!
AN2 : I made a banner for this story, and if you want to see how Bree and Ben look you can peek:
http/i113.