Amazing Grace
Disclaimer: I am sorry to say that ownership of the fantabulous TV show Charmed still eludes me.
A/N: Sorry that this update is so late in coming; School, a family emergency (What a Charmed-like explanation!) and the unwelcome visit of a nasty stomach flu have kept me far away from the computer. So, if any of the scientific terms are incorrect or if anything is unclear, I blame it on being too ill to drink even a glass of Gatorade. I appreciate all of your patience and the (as per usual) wonderful reviews; I really do love you all.
A few questions that I can answer w/o spoiling the rest of the story...
AnimeAlexis: Why did Phoebe name Warren Warren? Good question. I'll address that in the next in the next scene, I promise.
Ethereal Girl: I agree, it was a bit mean of Paige to attack him like that, but she has a good reason...well, an understandable reason, anyways.
alboppy: well, i already sent you the requested sneak peek :-) but thanks again for the reviews!
Gwenefhar33: This scene starts out w/ some more of Phoebe's hallucinations. As for knowing who saves her...well, maybe being around the Halliwells for so long has given Cole a bit of a superhero/martyr complex himself.
Baalsfire: Why Cole is suddenly corporeal...the answer to that question is slated to be revealed (fairly) soon. I hope.
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(camera facing an old, nasty-looking door. It is kicked in. We see Phoebe, in fighting stance, on alert, scanning the dingy room. A wild-eyed druggie emerges from the shadows, and heads towards her)
Druggie: H-h-h-hey, pretty lady. You wanna—
(Phoebe freezes him, warily steps into the room, searching)
Phoebe: Warren...are you there, baby? Mommy's been looking for you.
Ezekiel's Voice: (sickening sweet) Aww, how touching.
(Phoebe whirls around. Ezekiel stands in front of her, holding Warren)
Phoebe: (darts for the baby) Warren—
(Warren is blinked out of Ezekiel's arms)
Phoebe: (furious) What did you do with him!
Ezekiel: (mocking) Oh, don't worry, Mommy dearest, he's safe and sound. For the time being.
Phoebe: Give me back my son.
Ezekiel: (pretends to consider) Hmm... How about no? (He throws a fireball at Phoebe; she blows it up)
Phoebe: How about you change that answer to yes?
Ezekiel: Tell you what. I'll fight you for him.
Phoebe: (shrugs) Fine by me.
(Ezekiel claps. Several demons shimmer in. A darklighter orbs in, holding AU Paige at arrow point)
Phoebe: (surveys opposition) Bring it on.
(With that Phoebe freezes the darklighter. AU Paige zaps him with elder bolts. The demons converge on Phoebe, who blocks the attacks)
Phoebe: (shouts to Paige) Go get Warren! (AU Paige orbs out)
(Phoebe continues kicking some major demon butt. It's all quite spectacular: she's levitating, blowing things up, freezing others, and doing martial arts—often simultaneously. Finally only one demon is left. He runs at Phoebe, holding a huge sword over his head. She blows him up; the sword flies out of his hand and into hers. She spins to face Ezekiel, who has been watching the whole time)
Phoebe: (coy smile) I guess it's just you and me now.
Ezekiel: (returns the smile) I guess it is. (He holds out his hand; a sword, crackling with electrical currents on the blade, blinks into his hand) En garde.
Phoebe: Fence.
(The run and meet, the swords clash)
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(Abrupt change of scene; Henry is carefully setting Phoebe on the floor in the attic, props her head up with a pillow. Arial shot: Henry and Phoebe are inside a large circle of 10 candles. Away from Phoebe and Henry, but still within the larger circle, Cole stands, five crystals forming a cage around him. Camera to his face, which looks impatient)
Cole: Are these, (indicates the crystals) really necessary?
(Camera to Piper, copying something out of the book)
Piper: Henry, when you're done with that could you go check on Paige?
Henry: (gets up) Sure. (He glances over at Cole, who gives a bored wave. Henry exits)
Piper: (after he's gone) Yes, Cole, the crystals are very necessary.
Cole: You still don't trust me? After everything? The other plane, helping you figure out what's wrong with Phoebe...
Piper: (calmly) I trust you to help us. I don't trust you not to turn all macho and Neanderthal-like if Coop decides to let his stupid male temper get the better of him.
Cole: Macho Neanderthal? (Snorts) Believe me, I'm nothing compared to you or your sisters at the wrong time of the month.
Piper: (tries to hide smile and sound stern) Shut up.
Cole: Besides, shouldn't we be getting started on saving Phoebe?
Piper: You heard Paige. She's not doing anything until all rocky road ice cream is gone from her hair. (She stops writing and places a hand on her stomach, just as Leo walks in) Oh!
Leo: (rushes to her side, anxious) Honey, are you okay? What's wrong?
Piper: (reassuring) It's okay, Leo. Patty here just did a time step.
(Awkward silence. Piper sighs)
Piper: It doesn't sound right.
Leo: No.
Piper: (to her stomach, whining) I want to name you after your grandma! Why doesn't it seem to suit you!
Cole: May I make a suggestion?
Leo: (right away) We're not naming her Colette.
Cole: That's not what I was going to say, but Colette is a very pretty name—
Leo: What were you going to say, then?
Cole: Grace.
Piper: Grace?
Cole: Why not? Paige said it herself; the baby's premonitions about Phoebe were a "saving grace." Besides, it's a family name. If I remember correctly, she was one of the ancestors you called upon to vanquish me when I was the Source.
Leo: Grace...I like it.
Piper: Me too...but I really wanted to name her after Mom, or to at least give her a P name.
Leo: We still can. Grace can be her middle name.
Piper: (trying it out) Patricia Grace Halliwell. Amazing Grace. (To Leo, a huge smile on her face) Decided?
Leo: (happy) Decided.
(Leo kisses Piper, she snuggles against him; the couple shares a moment)
Cole: Congratulations.
Piper: (looks up at him, hesitates, then speaks warmly) Thank you, Cole. For everything. (Leo, arms wrapped around Piper's shoulders, nods in agreement.)
(Now-clean Paige, Henry and Coop enter. Coop is holding a sleeping Melinda)
Coop: (voice is hard) We have Melinda. The circles are set up. (To Cole) Care to share the rest of you plan for saving my wife?
Cole: (forced civility) Of course. First—(Cole is cut off by Melinda, who wakes up, looks over at him, and gurgles happily. Cole's demeanor changes instantly) Hi cutie! How's the baby—
Coop: (interrupts) Do not interact with my daughter.
(The tension that had dissipated after Piper blew up the ice cream returns full force. Cole's expression turns serious and stony. Melinda, startled by the sudden lack of friendliness, starts to whimper. Coop shoots Cole a nasty look and tries to comfort the baby)
Cole: Right. The plan. Piper and Paige will modify the spell in the book, and send me into Phoebe's mind. I'll tell her what's going on, and she'll wake up, good as new.
Henry: But they already tried that spell.
Cole: I know. (To Paige and Piper) That was pretty careless, by the way.
Paige: (scoffs) Careless? I think we know what we're—
Cole: (impatient) I'm the only one who has a chance, anyway.
Coop: And why is that?
Cole: (looks at him in distaste) Because, Cupid, Charmed Ones and family: she left you. Sure, she didn't want to, but she did. She felt the need to protect her innocent. She won't be surprised if you come after her; she'll be ready to stand up against any one of you. (Pauses, continues softly) But she won't be expecting an argument from me.
Coop: (bitterly) No joke.
(Cole and Coop glare at each other; Paige glances from one to the other, confused, unsure of whose side to be on. Henry and Leo just watch, as if it's all an interesting football game. Piper lands on a page in the book, breaks the uncomfortable silence)
Piper: Here's the spell. It won't be hard to modify. (She scans the notes she had been taking earlier) We just need some laurel leaves; they'll help purify the attic, keep it secure.
Paige: There's some growing out by the shed. (She starts to orb out)
Cole: Stop!
(Paige reforms)
Paige: What?
Cole: (looks at her like she's an idiot) Shouldn't someone else get it?
Paige: (crosses arms, suspicious) Why? I'm perfectly capable of getting it myself.
Cole: Of course you are. But Leo just finished painting that shed; I figured you wouldn't want to be inhaling teratogenics left and right.
Paige: (wrinkles nose) Teratowhatas?
Piper: (looks up from her writing) That word sounds familiar.
Cole: For you, it should. (To Paige) You know, substances that need to be avoided in the first trimester? Can cause all sorts of weird mutations and defects in the fetuses.
Paige: What fetuses?
Cole: Hello! Your twins!
(Shocked silence)
Paige: (quiet fury) That's not funny. And when I get back with the laurel I'm going to kick your ass all the way back to hell for making fun of me like that.
Cole: (truly surprised) Hold on…you don't know? I just figured you were waiting to tell everybody…
Henry: (recovers slightly, turns to Paige) You're…you're pregnant?
Paige: (disbelieving) No…I'm not! I would have told you if I was…
Henry: (excited) But you're not on the pill anymore!
Paige: But I haven't had any symptoms! No morning sickness, cravings—
Piper: The rocky road! You hate rocky road ice cream all of a sudden!
Paige: (flustered) Okay, true, but…how would Cole, of all people, know before me!
Cole: I can see auras from my plane. Theirs are sort of orby, bluish.
Henry: (to Cole) You said they. Twins. We're having twins!
Cole: Yeah, and by the looks of it they'll be a handful. One empath and a telepath.
Henry: (eager) Boys or girls or both?
Cole: Let's just say Grams'll be very happy.
Henry: (joyful) Girls! We're having girls! (He hugs Paige, who still isn't quite convinced)
Paige: How would you know what their powers are?
Cole: The telepathic one sends out these completely random thought sequences that cross over to my plane. Mostly stuff about how crappy rocky road is.
Paige: (puts her head in hands) No. I am not believing this ridiculous story. Why am I believing this ridiculous story?
Cole: You're tapping into the empath's powers. That's how you were able to realize that I was telling the truth about Phoebe.
Piper: (it clicks) And that's how you stole Gracie's premonition!
Coop: Gracie?
Piper: My baby.
(The attention is back on Paige. She looks hard at Cole, bites lip)
Paige: (small voice) So it's true? I'm having a baby?
Cole: Babies. Plural.
Paige: (a single tear running down her cheek) I'm a mom... (She grabs Henry's wrist, clutches it for dear life) Oh no. I had champagne at Sherry's wedding last week…I'm a horrible mother!
(She bursts into tears. Everyone except Cole and Phoebe, who can't, go to comfort her)
Piper: Shh, sweetie, I was there, it really was only a sip!
Leo: (soothingly) And you didn't know.
Coop: It'll be okay. Just think of how proud Phoebe's going to be! Two more nieces—one with her power, no less!
Paige: (head snaps up) Phoebe! Right. Let's get going. (She wipes her eyes, then holds out her hands) Laurel! (The plant is orbed into them)
Piper: Good. Scatter it around the circle. (Paige does so. Piper fixes Cole and Coop with her best stern-mother stare) Cole, Coop…if we take the crystals away, do you promise not to kill one another?
(Cole and Coop share a glance)
Cole: I won't if he won't.
Coop: (cuddles Melinda closer) Fine.
Piper: Perfect. The spell's ready.
(Paige goes and stands by Piper; she orbs away the crystals. Cole sits down, addresses Coop)
Cole: (Points to a space on the other side of Phoebe.) You need to be waiting there with Melinda. You should be the first people Phoebe sees when she wakes up.
Paige: Um, question? (Waits till she has everyone's attention) What happens to Cole? After?
Piper: He'll go back—to where he belongs. (To Cole) I'm sorry, Cole…but you can't stay.
Cole: (sighs) I know.
Piper: Okay then. Let's go.
Cole: Wait! (Piper stops) Don't do out of body travel when you're pregnant. It's dangerous. (Embarrassed by his outburst) Sorry.
Paige: (gently) No problem.
Cole: (to Henry) Henry, man—congrats.
Henry: (pride fills his face as he squeezes Paige's hand) Thanks!
Cole: (slowly turns to Coop) I'll bring Melinda's mother…your…wife, back. I promise.
Coop: (nods) Hold you to it.
(Melinda makes another noise. Cole gives her a small smile.)
Piper: (to Paige) Ready?
(Paige nods, looks at the spell)
Paige/Piper: Heart to heart and mind to mind / Their spirits now we intertwine / To our sister we send Cole / To find her soul and bring it home.
(Piper, Leo, Paige, Henry and Coop watch with bated breath as Cole's eyes close, and he falls to the floor.)
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See! No wonder Paige hit Cole over the head w/ the baseball bat. She was just feeling a bit hormonal. As for AU Paige having the Elder lightning bolt thingies...purely my little addition to the story. Next scene: Piper, Paige, Leo, Henry and Coop wait to see what happens; Cole and Phoebe meet; for real, this time.