It'll always be magic
AN: Ok, here it is the sequel to Despite it all. I think you probably have to read that to understand this; I'll try and work in some explanations, but I'm making no promises – sorry. But for anyone that hasn't read, I guess I'll just said that it deal with bringing Cole back. Sorry it has taken so long.
AN2: Sorry again, for taking so long; I'd said the next chapter would come faster, but I really don't like to make promises I can't keep. I said that I was giving everyone a power boost; I'd like to ask for your suggestions as to what powers you'd like to see everyone get. Well, I hope you enjoy this chapter as much as you've enjoyed the others and that you review and let me know what you think.
Disclaimer: Neither Charmed nor any of its characters belong to me, well except Bryan and his family. So, please don't sue.
Chapter 8: We're off to see the Elders
Piper and Phoebe looked around them as they came out of the orb. "This is not the up there that I remember," Piper commented after looking around her.
"Where are all the Elders?" Phoebe asked as she finished turning around.
"This is a . . .few levels down from up there," Paige explained. "I just thought it'd be a good idea if we talked about our strategy first."
"Strategy?" Piper asked. "I don't think we have a strategy. Aside from going up there and telling it like it is."
"Ok. But first I have a question. Are we sure that being assigned a new whitelighter is really what you guys want?"
Piper and Phoebe shared another glance before Phoebe answered, "Sure it is, don't you?"
"Yeah, but . . ." Paige started to answer but Piper interrupted.
"I thought we agreed that it was not fair for you to be a Charmed One and the Charmed One's whitelighter?"
"Yes, we did. And I'm not going to say having a whitelighter wouldn't be a relief in many ways. But I don't want that be the only reason we're doing this. Especially, if you guys see no need for one."
"Paige, what are you talking about?" Phoebe asked a bit bewildered.
"If we didn't think this was a good idea we wouldn't be here," Piper asserted.
"Really?" Paige asked in a disbelieving tone. "Are you guys going to tell me that you have never done something you didn't particularly want to do or that you weren't convinced of to help someone else – especially when that someone is a sister?"
"Paige, just what are you saying?" Piper asked.
"Of course we've done things we didn't want to do to help each other but that has nothing to do with this," Phoebe said at the same time.
"Really?" Paige asked again and then raised her hands to stop her sisters' protests. "Just hear me out." She took a deep breath and then continued, "Have you guys really thought this through? I mean have you really thought what having a new whitelighter will mean? We don't know who they'll assign; but it is a safe bet that he or she won't be anything like Leo. Are we really ready to let someone else in? Because chances are he or she won't be satisfied with just healing our injuries; he or she will want to guide us, advice us, tell us what the Elders wants us to do. God knows I do that with all my charges; and I wouldn't really take it very well if they were always arguing with me and/or rejecting my advice."
She paused for breath and Piper took the opportunity to speak up, "Paige we know all that. We've already had a whitelighter, remember?"
"Yes, I do. And that is why I'm worried." At her sisters' confused stares, she went on to explain. "Come on, guys, you have to admit that we haven't always followed Leo's advice. We've asked for it, but we only followed it about 50 of the time."
"Ok, that's true, I grant; but we're now older and wiser. Things will be different," said Piper.
Phoebe nodded her head while Paige snorted, "Oh, please. You're kidding, right? I mean, I grant you the being older part, but wiser?" She shook her head. "Ok, we might be somewhat wiser but we're also much more stubborn than we were. Are you really telling me that all of a sudden we're going to be following the advice of a whitelighter when we don't agree with it?" She asked incredulously.
"Well," Piper hedged. "Maybe not all the time, but I do think that being older and wiser," she repeated and Phoebe smirked at the pious tone she used. "means that we will listen with more patience and will try to see their point of view. We have learned that we are not always right and that running into a situation without being fully prepare is just foolhardy."
Phoebe nodded her head and agreed with Piper, "She's right. We won't always like the advice and we won't always follow it. But I think we've grown enough that if we don't follow the advice it will be because we're sure we're right and not just because of where it comes from."
Paige nodded her head slowly, seeing that they had a point. But she still had a dubious face on and Piper called her on it, "You're not convinced?"
She shook her head and said, "No, I get what you're saying and I guess you're right . . ."
"Then what is it?" Phoebe asked.
"Well, have you guys really thought what this will mean?" At their confused looks because, really, they've already answered this, Paige clarified. "I mean, do you guys really want a third party giving us magical advice when we have Leo, a whitelighter turned Elder turned Avatar and Cole, a high ranked demon turned Source of all evil turned Avatar? Between those two, there's more than two hundred years worth of magical knowledge covering all areas. What whitelighter will know more than they? And are you really going to listen to him when your husband and future husband is right there ready with the advice? Advice that might actually be different from what the whitelighter tells us?"
There was a moment of silence as Piper and Phoebe looked at each other and considered Paige's point. "Ok, that's a fair point," Phoebe allowed as Piper nodded her head. "And there might be some things that we'll need to be work on but I think that having a third opinion, one that comes from the outside will do us good. Again, I'm not saying that we're always going to listen to the whitelighter and disregard what Cole and Leo tells us. Frankly, we'll probably go more with them than the whitelighter, but that does not take away from the impact a third, unbiased opinion will have. It'll force us to look and consider things from a point of view outside ourselves, outside the family – which is something we have a hard time doing, but which is necessary. It'll bring us more balance and can only enhance our witchcraft."
Piper agreed and went further, "Phoebe's right. It will be good to have an unbiased opinion, even if it is not followed. It'll do us good to see things from a different perspective." She fell silent for a moment and then went on. "You know, I think part of the problem when Leo was our whitelighter was that he was too close to us. He wasn't an unbiased, neutral party and he should have been. I think a lot of the time, his advice was colored with his attachment to us and even if it wasn't, our reception of it was colored by our attachment to him. Those ties made it hard for him to be as hard as he should have been on occasion with us and made it hard for us to take him as seriously as we should have. I can actually see why the Elders are not too keen on the idea of witches marrying their whitelighters."
"Really?" Phoebe asked surprised, "You agree with them?"
"Well," Piper answered seriously, "Not about keeping me and him separately, of course. But in general, yes, I do. Love is complicated enough without adding the war between good and evil to it. I think it would have been better for all concerned if they had just assigned someone else to us, because keeping us apart was not the answer."
Phoebe and Paige nodded their heads, as both had come to the same conclusion – they just didn't think Piper would have.
"Ok, so that's it?" Piper asked, rubbing her hands together. "Can we go up there now?"
Paige nodded her assent but Phoebe said, "Nope, no yet. I still want to know something." When both her sisters turned to her with curious faces, she asked, looking at Piper, "What are you up to?"
Piper opened her eyes wide in innocent surprise and said, "I'm not up to anything."
Paige tilted her head to the said and studied Piper's face and had to agree with Phoebe that Piper might be up to something.
"Yes, you are." Phoebe Asserted . "You agree with my plan to talk to the Elders way too quickly."
"What? Can't a sister support another sister in something she obviously wants?" Piper asked with a sweet smile.
"Yes, of course. But you still agreed way too quickly. And I want to know why. It was almost as if you had been thinking about this yourself." And at the look in Piper's eye, Phoebe knew that was it. "You have, haven't you? But why? It can't be about Cole and me. You would have had no reason to think we needed to talk to the Elders about us. So, what is it?"
At Piper's stubborn face, Paige added her two cents, "Come on, Piper. You should just tell us. It's not like we are not going to find out about it soon enough. And it will be better if we all knew what's going to happen when we get there."
Piper sighed and dropped the defensive stance, she had adopted. They were right. "It's nothing much really. I'm just going to ask them to reinstate Leo as a whitelighter, to give him back his powers."
Phoebe and Paige stared at her in surprised before Phoebe asked, "Nothing? That's nothing?"
Before Piper could respond, Paige said. "I thought you were happy that Leo was no longer magical and was just a normal mortal?"
Piper sighed again and rubbing her hands over her face, said, "I was happy. And if he was still just a normal mortal and happy about it, then I too would be happy. But he's not just a normal mortal. I mean, you many mortals do you know whose job is head master of Magic School, huh? Not one. Leo is not by any definition of the word a normal mortal and he will never be. We have to accept that. His calling to help others and his ties to magic are every bit as strong as ours; they might even be stronger, after all the guy was a whitelighter for over sixty years. His life was magical for over half a century; you can't just erase that kind of connection. He's tried but it isn't working; magic always pulls him back in.
"And he's not really happy. Oh, he's happy with our life; he loves me and the kids and you guys and his job at Magic School but I've seen him when he's trying to teach Wyatt and Chris how to control their magic. How frustrated he gets when he can't show what he means and when he forgets that he can't do magic it's worse – the disappointment and sadness."
"Yes," murmured Phoebe as Paige nodded. "We've seen it."
"But more than that, it's not safe, you know. I mean he's teaching all of these kids to do all this magic and he had no magic to control their attempt if they get out of control. The other day, this girl was attempting a potion that got so out of control it started a magical fire and another teacher had to be called in to controlled it. And I know that Magic School is supposed to be one of the safest places around but we know that its security can be breached – what happens if it is again? How can Leo protect all those kids? How can he protect his own magical kids without power? I know he feels impotent when we're always worrying about leaving him alone with the boys and it shouldn't be like that. He's their father, for God's sake; he should be allowed to take them out without it becoming a big production."
Piper had been speaking really fast, as if a dam had broken and everything she's been keeping inside finally burst free. "Wow, I didn't know you were so worried about it."
"Yeah, why haven't you said anything?" Paige asked.
"I didn't want to worry you guys," Piper admitted.
"Piper," Phoebe said as she went to her side and gave her a one arm hug as Paige took the other side. "We're sisters; that's what we do – we worry together. And you if had said something, we might have done this sooner."
Piper nodded her head, "I know. And I guess that's why I didn't say anything – I didn't want you guys to feel like you had to come with me if you didn't think it was a good idea."
"Piper, that's dumb. How many times you've done something you weren't sure of just because one of us was?" Phoebe asked.
"Yeah," Paige agreed. "Besides, this is for Leo. We would never think anything that would help wasn't a good ideal."
Piper nodded her head and with a sheepish smile said, "You're right, you're right. Sorry, I should have told you sooner. I'm always on your case to share any problems and here I didn't follow my own advice. I promise I will in the future."
Phoebe leaned in to rest her head against Piper's and said, "See that you do, missy."
They all shared a chuckle and a three way hug. Afterwards, Paige asked, "Are we ready?"
When both Piper and Phoebe nodded, they took each other's hand and off they went to see the Elders.
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Some time later, the Charmed Ones came back home. They orbed into the foyer of the Manor and looked around at the silent house.
"Hello," Phoebe called out, as each of the sisters looked in a different room to see if the saw the guys.
"I guess they're upstairs," Piper started to say when Leo and Cole appeared on the stairs, both were wearing pajamas.
"Why are you guys in your nightclothes?" Paige asked.
"Yeah, we thought you'd be waiting up for us to tell you what happened," Phoebe said as Cole came to her to give her a hello kiss.
"We were," Leo answered as he kissed Piper.
"But when midnight came and went without any sign of you guys, we decided to go up to bed," Cole finished explaining.
"Midnight?" Piper asked, alarmed. Phoebe and Paige looked at each other and Paige said, "It must be the time difference. You know that they run on another clock." Phoebe nodded her head, not really worried since the next day was Sunday and she could sleep in. Piper, however, was somewhat alarmed.
"The kids. . .?" She started to ask.
"Are fine," her husband answered before she could finish the question. "They were a little disappointed that mommy wasn't here to tuck them in, but we managed just fine."
"Yes," Cole agreed. "We bathed them, changed them and read them the story they wanted and they were out like a light."
"Um," Piper said, looking at the two of them. "Really?" she asked in a skeptical tone of voice.
"Yes, really." Leo answered.
"And is that all that happened?" She pressed.
"Of course," answered Cole, with a straight face. When Piper just continued to study the two of them like specimen under a microscope, he said in an injured tone, "Come, Piper. This is not the first time that we've put the kids to bed; we know what to do."
"Oh, I know that this is not the first time and that's just why I'm worried. I know all about later bedtimes and longer baths that include epic sea battles and bed time stories about the great fights in the underworld." She told with a smile that was way scarier than a yell would have been.
"Um," Leo said and shared a glance with Cole.
Cole had more fortitude when it came to skirmishes with Piper but he had been a Demon for over a hundred years and a lawyer for twenty and knew that sometimes you just had to re-direct the focus away from yourself. "So, how did it go with the Elders?"
Piper looked at them again and thought about pushing the point but then decided to let it go. They boys were in bed and that was what matter. Besides, she knew they had had a great time and sometimes that was more important than discipline; it wasn't like it happened every day, after all.
"It went great," Piper said.
"Really?" Cole asked. "Does that mean that we can have a handfasting and your mother and grandmother will be here?"
Phoebe looked at him and had to laugh. "Yes, baby, it does. And you don't have to sound so enthusiastic at the prospect."
Cole grimaced but decided to not comment. He didn't mind Phoebe's mom so much, she was great but Phoebe's grandmother was another matter entirely. He shared another glance with Leo and saw that complete understanding in the other's eye.
"And they're ok with giving you guys a new whitelighter?" He asked in a not so subtle change of subject.
"Yes," Phoebe answered with a smirk at Cole's strategic retreat. "They had actually been thinking about it, too. They thought that Paige's workload was getting too heavy."
"That's good," nodded Leo, who had also thought that they were all asking too much of Paige. "Do you know who'll they assign?"
"Yes," answered Paige. "They already had someone more or less selected and we met her tonight. Amelia? Do you know her?"
"Yes," answered Leo. "She's been a whitelighter for a long time. She's very good."
"Yes," Piper agreed. "She seemed very nice. I liked her."
"So did I," agreed Phoebe as Paige nodded her head. It seemed the Charmed Ones were in agreement.
"And she won't have a problem when you don't take her advice?" Cole asked and received glares from all three girls. "What? You know that there'll be times you won't agree with her and won't follow her advice. You guys know that."
The three sisters looked at each other and had to concede he was right. After all they've already talked about this. "She seems to know what to expect," was Piper's diplomatic answer.
"Which means," Phoebe clarified. "That she knows we're headstrong, stubborn witches and that we have a lot of experience. We talked and came to the agreement that she won't try to change how we work or to impose her views and that we will give any advice she gives us a fair listening."
Cole looked at Leo and Leo looked at Cole; they both knew that things wouldn't be as easy as that, but decided to leave things like that.
"So everything went fine?" Leo asked.
"No fireworks?" Cole wanted to know; he sounded almost disappointed.
"No," Phoebe answered shaking her head and grinning. "No fireworks. Sorry, baby."
"Oh, Leo," Piper said as if she just remembered something. "They want you to go up there tomorrow morning."
"What?" Leo asked, shocked. "What do you mean? What could they possibly want to talk to me about? And how am I supposed to get up there without any powers?"
Phoebe looked at Paige and they immediately decided it was time to go to bed.
"I'm tired; I think I'm going to go to bed," saying that Paige orbed away.
"Baby, you want to shimmer us to the bedroom?" Phoebe asked Cole batting her eyes. Cole looked at her and then at Paige suspiciously but complied.
"Ok," Leo said as he saw the rest of the family leave the foyer as rats abandon a sinking ship and Piper murmured under her breath 'cowards'. "What's going on?" He asked Piper when it was just the two of them.
"Nothing," Piper answered as she too started towards the stairs. "They have the right idea," she said. "Let's go to bed."
"Piper, wait," Leo called but Piper kept going. "Piper!" He called in a louder voice.
"Yes?" she asked sweetly as she turned to look at him from the bottom of the stairs.
"Is there something you want to tell me?" He asked with great patience.
"Well," she prevaricated as she started going up the stairs. "You know that question about how you're going to get up there?" At his nod, she said in a rush, "Well, you can orb up there like always." And with that, she took advantage of his momentary paralysis and went up the stairs as if she were a five year old and not a forty something mom.
She arrived at her room, had gone through her nightly ritual and was just about to get into bed, when Leo finally came in. "Hi," she said studying his face to see how he was taking the news.
Leo just looked at her for a long while and then asked, "What did you do?" And before she could answer, he put up a hand and said, "Please just simply tell me what happened."
Piper sighed deeply and sat down on the bed, "I didn't do anything but tell them that they should finally get over themselves and reinstate you as a whitelighter."
Leo closed his eyes and asked through gritted teeth, "Did you use those words?"
"Well," Piper began as she played with the blanket. "Maybe not those exact words. I was a bit more diplomatic." She looked up at his face and what she saw there, made her come to a decision. "Look, Leo, I know what not having your powers means to you. No," she put her hand up to stop him from talking when he opened his mouth. "Don't deny it. I've seen your face when you're teaching the kids something and can't do it yourself or worse when you forget and attempt to do it. And I also know how much it bothers you that you can't protect them or your students."
Leo opened his mouth to protest and Piper just looked at him steadily, daring him with her eyes to deny it. He shook his head and with a sigh, sat down on the bed. "Ok, you're right it does bother me – a lot. But for you to go to the Elders," he shook his head again.
"What else was I supposed to do?" She asked. "You weren't ever going to say anything and neither were the Elders. Though, by the ease of the acquiescence, I'd have to say they've been thinking about it."
"They just gave in?" He asked, disbelieving.
"Well, no. Of course, they just didn't give in but they put no where near as much resistance as I'd thought they would." Piper answered as she leaned in to laid her head on Leo's shoulder.
"So, just what did they say? Did you come to an arrangement?"
Piper grinned at his resigned tone of voice and putting her arms around him from the back and laying a kiss on his neck, told him. "Well, you have to agree, of course, but you'll keep running the School as headmaster and as such you'll be an Elder."
"An Elder!" He asked surprised. "I thought you said 'whitelighter'?"
"Oh, come on Leo." She scoffed. "You were an Elder before; going back to be a whitelighter would be a demotion. Besides, the headmaster of the School should be more than just a regular, old whitelighter. Gideon was an Elder, why not you too?"
Leo tensed at the mentioned of his old mentor. After all this time, he still hadn't forgotten what the Elder had put them through and even though he saw Chris everyday and got to see him grow up, he couldn't forget that he had also seen him die in his arms.
Piper regretted mentioning Gideon but went on without pausing. "I know you still give advice a lot of witches and other magical creatures but you do so much more than that, Leo. You deserve to be an Elder. And the Elders saw it too because they didn't even protest when I mentioned it."
He was quiet for quite a while and Piper just stayed leaning on his back, letting him assimilate everything she's told him. After a while he turned, put his arms around her and orbed out with her. They rematerialized under the covers and both laughing. Leo looked down at her lovingly and leaned down to give her a deep kiss.
When they came up for air, he said, "You're right. I missed having powers; I missed more than I thought I would. And it was frustrating not being able to properly teach the kids to use magic and maddening not being able to defend them and having to watch you guys go through a whole ordeal every time we were left alone. So, thanks for going up there and talking to the Elders, because you were right, I never would have done so."
Piper smiled and said, "Thank you." She then pulled his head down and Leo proceeded to demonstrated how thankful he was.
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"You shouldn't have done it," Cole, who was reclining back on their bed watching as Phoebe got ready for bed, told her all of the sudden.
"Done what?" she asked as she turned from her dressing table to look at him. She had already told him what had gone on up in Elder land and he seemed to be happy about Leo getting his powers back.
"You shouldn't have gone up there and talk to them about me," he clarified.
"Why not?" She asked, tilting her head to the side and frowning in puzzlement. "I thought we agree that to have a hand fasting we needed to get the Elders permission."
"I know," Cole told her as he shifted and sat back up, leaning his elbows on his knees. "But Phoebe, it was risky going up there. You put everything in jeopardy."
"Ok," Phoebe said slowly, trying to find her way. "What happened during the time I was gone that brought this on? I thought you were ok with me going then."
"Yes, I was," Cole agreed. "And nothing happened."
"Oh, you didn't, maybe, listen to Leo going on about it?" she asked.
"No," he denied quickly and seeing her disbelieving face, he corrected himself. "Ok, he did go on about it a bit but that's not it. I just had a chance to think things through and I realized that what you were risking and you shouldn't have done it."
"Risking?" she repeated. "Just what do you think I was risking?" she asked him as she moved towards the bed and sat down next to him.
"Everything," he said firmly. "Phoebe you were risking your magic. They already took your powers away once what if they decided you abused them again and took them away for good? Phoebe, your magic means so much to you, you shouldn't have risked it."
Phoebe put her hand on his cheek and leaned in to give him a light kiss. "Cole, I love you and there's nothing more important to me than you. There's nothing I wouldn't do, nothing I wouldn't risk for you – to be with you. My magic is important, yes, but I would give it in heartbeat if it was a choice between you and it. And I didn't just do it for you but for us. The day we marry, will be the happiest day of my live and I want to share that with the people I love the most. I want to be able to shout from the rooftops that I love you and I don't want there to be even a shadow over our happiness. I had to come to terms with the Elders, Cole. I didn't want to live keep any part of our love a secret."
She leaned in and gave him a deep kiss. When she pulled back, she got up and went to her IPod. She connected it to the speakers, while Cole looked on.
"What are you doing?" He asked curiously.
"I heard a song today I haven't heard in a while and I downloaded because it reminded me of us." She found it and press play. She turned around and said over the opening, "I want you to listen to the words and take them to heart; that's just how I feel."
She walked to the bed and laid down half over him as "Together Forever" started to play.
If there's anything you need / All you have to do is say
You know you satisfy everything in me / We shouldn't waste a single day
So don't stop me falling / It's destiny calling
A power I just can't deny / It's never changing
Can't you hear me, I'm saying / I want you for the rest of my life
Together forever and never to part / Together forever we two
And don't you know / I would move heaven and earth
To be together forever with you
If they ever get you down / There's always something I can do
Because I wouldn't ever wanna see you frown / I'll always do what's best for you
There ain't no mistaking / It's true love we're making
Something to last for all time / It's never changing
Can't you hear me, I'm saying / I want you for the rest of my life
So don't stop me falling / It's destiny calling
A power I just can't deny / It's never changing
Can't you hear me, I'm saying / I want you for the rest of my life
As the song ended, Phoebe shifted and put her hands on Cole's chest and her chin on her hands. "You know, if you think about it we can say that I literally moved heaven and Earth to find you and bring you back to me."
"Yes, we can," Cole agreed with a soft smile as he played with her hair.
"And you moved the underworld up side down to be with me." She went on.
"Yes, I did. And I'd do it again in a heartbeat." He agreed again.
"I love you," She said quietly, looking into his eyes. "There's nothing I want more than to have you next to me for the rest of my life. And there's nothing I won't do to make sure that happens."
He leaned in and kissed her before saying, "There's nothing I wouldn't do either." He then pulled her fully onto his chest and they spent the rest of the night demonstrating their love.