Messages From Limbo Chapter 9: After All, a charmed fanfic

Messages From Limbo

Chapter 9: After All

Author's Note: This is the last main chapter and I am unsure if I will write a short epilogue or not for it. I do know I will try to write another story at a later point in time for Phoebe and Cole. Here are a few notes for this chapter, It is written with lyrics to the song "After All" by Peter Cetera and Cher and the lyrics are Italicized. Charmed is (c) Constance M. Burge, WB etc.

"Cole, if you do not get down here in the next five minutes there won't be any coffee left!" Piper yelled up to the taller man in the bathroom

"I swear if you had told me a few years ago I would be a semi-permanent house guest to Piper and Leo I would have called you insane," Cole mumbled in to the phone while he finished up washing his face and getting ready for the day. A soft laugh floated over the phone causing a smile to beam on the man's face.

"I'll see you in a bit. Tricia wants to stop at the diner at the corner by our house for a muffin," Phoebe responded from the other side of the line

"Ok. Bring me one? I highly doubt Piper's threats are hollow and I just reached my time limit about...2 minutes ago" He prodded with a smirk before hitting the end button on his phone and placing it in his blazer pocket. He had the jacket in one hand and balanced a few books in his other arm while running down the stairs.

As he reached the bottom steps Leo held out a stack of business cards tied up in a ribbon. Cole looked down at the former Elder with confusion before he pulled one out of the stack and read "Cole Turner, Attorney at Law. No case to big or small"

The card had a simple off white color with a justice scale in silver imprint. The text with his name and information was in a navy colored bold font. The address listed was a small office Cole had decided to rent out in the building next door to Piper's restaurant. He placed the cards down on the side table before patting Leo on the back in thanks.
"Yeah I thought about putting Soul Guardian in parenthesis but I think the Elders amongst others would have frowned upon it." Leo teased causing Cole to nod his agreement while laughing.
**

Cole now sat trying to organize his office and get it ready for it's grand opening. This somehow felt right. A decent sized office where he was his own boss. No corporate hierarchies to answer to, or a box so small that he couldn't even stand to his full stature. As he placed the cards that Leo and Piper had made up for him on his desk and started organizing flyers and official newsletters to be sent out in the mail he heard a knock on the door.
His eyes widened with surprise when he looked up in to the door frame where he had left his main door ajar out into the small waiting room area. Standing in his office door way was Phoebe, wearing a black blouse that laced up with sheer, lacy ties on an open back. She wore a longer grey pencil skirt with low wedge heels in the same color. The shirt fell in a v-neck and the sleeves were quarter length.

Cole cleared his throat "Well I see you've changed your outfit since I last saw you this morning,"
Phoebe walked through the door and side stepped around his desk to perch herself on top of it's clean surface. As she crossed her legs at the knees and placed her feet in Cole's lap. She fished something out of her purse and placed a set of marriage bands, and a diamond engagement ring down on the wooden surface beside where she sat. Cole fixed his gaze on the rings, one of which used to belong to him.

Well, here we are again;
I guess it must be fate.
We've tried it on our own,
But deep inside we've known
We'd be back to set things straight.

I still remember when
Your kiss was so brand new.
Every memory repeats,
Every step I take retreats,
Every journey always brings me back to you.

"You still have those?" Cole said when he finally collected his thoughts
He was starting to have a swirl of different emotions in reaction to what would seem like a trivial item to anyone else looking at the ring set. He felt anger that she brought it in here, amazement that she still had them, hope and fear all rolling around his head fighting for dominance. The storm calmed when Phoebe placed her hand under his chin to pull him to look at her.
"Exactly, I still have them. Something told me to save them after I lost you. Ignore the fact that I had convinced myself I hated you as much as myself ;I saved them," She began trying to fight back the hitch in her throat and the tears that brimmed at the corners of her dark brown eyes
"Why?" Cole prodded
"I was never sure why. For a long time I had no answer to that very question. Through everything I kept these hidden away but never far from me. I think my heart always knew I'd come back to you though. Does that make sense?" She babbled on in reply

"Kind of," Cole muttered but was awestruck by her reply. He picked up his old wedding band and slipped it on his left ring finger. It still felt completely normal, like a part of him had been missing this whole time. He then pulled the engagement ring and slowly slid it on to Phoebe's ring finger. He then ran his finger up her wrist and arm tracing invisible patterns on her skin.

"This feels right. Doesn't it?" He questioned up to her and she nodded slowly
"Confession? I had these on a chain all through my time with Jason and Dex. After I got over the anger of how I had lost you and taking the time to realize what had happened. I knew that my true love had to be someone who cared for me the way your human heart did." Her words washed over Cole as he let a small smile stretch over his face again

"You have always been the only woman for me. Hell, you were the only one stubborn enough to wrestle with my demons. Literally," Cole began in response but was cut short by Phoebe placing her index finger over his lips to silence him

"No more apologies. We're starting over, now. In this moment. Do you understand?"
"I couldn't agree more"
He then stood from his seat and cupped both hands on either side of her face. He pulled her in to a deep kiss allowing all of his emotions to break through their mental wall. Phoebe's eyes widened as she began to feel the tears finally slide down her cheeks. Cole's emotions flowed over and through her, via her empathic gift, and mixed with her own passion for him. The love the two had from years past and the present hit her like a jolt of electricity as she wrapped her arms around his neck and pulled him closer. If she could become one with him in the moment and merge in to one being, she'd find a way to do it.

After all the stops and starts
We keep coming back to these two hearts
Two angels who've been rescued from the fall
After all that we've been through
It all comes down to me and you
I guess it's meant to be forever you and me
After all

The evening dusk fell over the small office as Cole turned on his desk lamp. His clothes were strewn about the office mixed in a jumble with Phoebe's. He cleared his throat and forced himself to detach from the woman still lounging on his small couch that sat adjacent to his desk. She let out a high-pitched yawn before forcing herself to stand.

"I haven't done anything like that in years," She commented with a small giggle escaping her lips

"Well, we should get you back in the habit," Cole commented with a devilish smirk. His deep blue eyes shone with pride. As the two readjusted and Phoebe checked the clock she tapped it to get Cole's attention. "So much for me getting the office ready for opening."
"Sorry," Phoebe shot at him before crossing her arms and felt Cole pull her in to a hug as he wrapped his arms around her waist.

"Don't be," He growled in to her ear playfully "We should head back to the Manor though. If I am late for dinner after missing breakfast Piper and Leo will not be pleased with me. Care to join us?"
"Well I was already going to be there for dinner," Phoebe responded then looked down at the engagement ring still perched on her finger

Cole kissed her cheek then knelt down on one knee "Leave it there? We will do a one year engagement...or however long you need, my love. Please?"

She watched as the low light coming from his desk lamp glittered off the diamond. Her eyes took in the glow of his eyes as he watched her debate how to answer his offbeat proposal. Her chocolate eyes then looked back down at the ring as she twirled it absently for a few seconds with her thumb. She thought back to her marriage with Coop and her relationships in the past few years.
When love is truly right, it lives from year to year
It changes as it goes and on the way it grows
But it never disappears
"You can never be a traditionalist, can you Cole?" Phoebe answered with a question of her own and Cole shook his head no with a small smile "Ok, It seems right."
"It happens all the time now a days. Or so I hear?" He shot back

"What's that?" She pondered

"People getting remarried. You should know that better than me. As far as I can tell you're still one of the top ranked advice columnists in the state." Cole answered causing Phoebe to laugh in turn

She quoted one of her own articles in response to Cole "Sometimes our first choice was right. We just do not have the self-awareness and experience to know to trust our own hearts at that crossroad in life. Luckily, sometimes paths will loop back around and give us another chance."
Cole kissed her cheek again after standing and interlacing his fingers with hers. He placed the wedding bands in his top right drawer that had a lock on it. He then grabbed his car keys off of his desk before letting her lead the way out of the office and down the stairs. The two had twenty minutes to get to the Manor or they'd be going out for dinner somewhere.

Always just beyond my touch
You know I needed you so much
After all, what else is living for?
Phoebe had dropped her car off at home and Cole met her in the parking lot by her Condo. Cole moved the two car seats to his back seat after double checking that she was okay with this arrangement. Pele and Penelope would be coming home while Patricia was spending the night with Wyatt. So it all worked out fairly well.

As Cole turned the car slowly around a curve and tried to hide his frustration with being caught in rush hour. Phoebe quickly texted Piper to apologize for being late but asked her to save both of them a plate.

"What happens now?" Phoebe questioned over to him
"We take it one day at a time. I won't interfere with Coop seeing his kids but I can't promise to not want to be there for your daughters either," Cole answered with such vigor that she smiled as his honesty.
"Are you sure you're ready for this?" Cole then asked her and as she watched his facial expression change she could tell that was hard for him to ask

His face scrunched up like he was concentrating extra hard on traffic and she knew that distant look. It's the face Cole always made right before they'd start to drift apart because he was afraid of how she'd react to him. She reached over to his free hand that was perched atop the middle arm rest and Phoebe squeezed his hand tightly.

"I wasn't before. But I promise you Cole, from here on out I am 100% ready for this!" Phoebe said as her eyes lit up with the double meaning of her answer

After all the stops and starts
We keep coming back to these two hearts
Two angels who've been rescued from the fall
After all that we've been through
It all comes down to me and you
I guess it's meant to be forever you and me
After all
The two kept their hands interlaced for the rest of the drive to the Manor. The traffic was crawling at 20 mph. But all of a sudden, Cole felt his frustration dissipate and a calm settled over himself and Phoebe. Some of her first words echoed in his head as he decided to repeat them to her.
"This time and this place. I wish I could stay here with you, forever" He whispered and Phoebe glanced over at him
Her answer caught him off guard and caused both of them to smile at each other "You can."

The End