Disclaimer: I do not own Charmed, or the WB. Although if I did own them, I must say: many things would have been different…
Recap of the new characters (since I know it must be confusing):
Jonas (Haliwell) and Michael Haliwell – Paige and Richard's sons
Melody (Mel) Haliwell and Ella Haliwell – Phoebe and Cole's daughters
Shannon – school friend of Michael's
Teresa – girlfriend of Jonas
David – fiancé of Melody's
Bryon and Sean – two young boys rescued by the resistance against Wyatt (dead parents)
The moon rose over the manor…A portal opened, and blue light emitted from it, splashing across the attic. Quickly, it became the brightest source or light, overcoming the faint glow of the moon.
Bagpipes, crickets, and little voices could be heard from its depths, and if anyone had been there, it would become apparent to them that the portal originated from a place of joy and peace.
Cole Turner and his youngest daughter Ella tumbled out of the rapidly disappearing portal. With a soft thud, they sprawled across the hardwood floor. Cole tried his best to break his daughter's fall.
The portal stopped, and vanished from the wall. All was silent in the attic once more, except for the heavy breathing of the future visitors.
Ella, in her quiet, eight-year-old voice, finally broke the silence.
"Daddy," she asked, "are we gonna see Melly again? Is she here?"
Cole looked down at her, and brushed a few stray strand of hair away from her eyes. How innocent she was…
"We are," he spoke quietly, remembering that Piper was a light sleeper, as was Paige, he now recalled. Phoebe wasn't in this time. But that all changed when Melody was born. He grinned at the fond memories.
"Do you want to right now?" he asked, and the little girl broke out into a grin, then nodded vigorously. Cole smiled as well.
He stood up, dragging the girl with him. Then, as Ella watched on in fascination, he began his call he had used so many times after…after Phoebe had died.
He concentrated hard. When he felt prepared, he called out her name silently, and waited until his mental call reached across the dimensions to her.
In P3…"You what!"
Melody flinched, as Chris exploded.
"I just showed him my crossbow that could actually kill his son." Mel said, trying to make the content of her statement seem less radical by the tone of her voice. It wasn't working.
"Melody Haliwell! Why?" Jonas, also realizing the crucial manner of the situation, and scolded his older cousin.
"Hey," Mel suggested, "why don't you yell at her?" She gestured to Bianca in a desperate attempt to get the attention off of her.
"She has only revealing what Phoebe already knew…because of you." Chris glared.
"I can't keep a secret – sue me." Mel muttered. Chris and Jonas glared at her.
"Mel, you—" But they stopped when they saw her look down on the ground, then up at the ceiling, as if she was listening.
"Dad…" she whispered.
"Mel?" Bianca said quietly. Mel looked at them all.
"He's…alive…"
Back at the attic…"Daddy, is she comin'?"
Cole looked down at the small child, and smiled weakly. He so hoped Ella wouldn't be disappointed, but he didn't know what to do if she didn't come. His whole plan centered on Melody finding them, not the other way around. If he had to shimmer all around San Francisco, they would definitely be recognized - by good or evil, probably both.
"Daddy! Look!"
Ella stood up, and ran over to the corner of the room. Cole whirled around, and saw his eldest daughter with tears flowing freely, squat down and embrace her younger sister.
"Ella!" Mel sobbed, and squeezed her. Ella giggled happily, and rested her head on her sister's shoulder.
Cole smiled with relief, and the joy he was feeling almost leaked into his tear ducts. Mel, peering over her little sister's head, looked at him with shinning eyes.
Ella, noticing what was happening, released her sister, and gestured, almost like giving permission.
"Dad…" The teenager rushed into her fathers arm, and he twirled her around as if she was still a child. "I thought…I thought…"
"Yeah," he said quietly, "we came just as the demons began to expect the grounds. It was our opportunity to be dead to Wyatt." He looked at her intently. "I'm so sorry. But it was a chance we couldn't pass up. Teresa could conjure those bodies, so we went for it."
"So the entire scout team is still alive!" she said in awe and happiness. She still did not release his arm from her grip.
"Yes; they're all safe in the Valley of the Leprechauns."
"David?" she said quietly. Cole smiled and nodded.
"Do you still not like him?" she asked tentatively. Cole thought for a moment.
"Melody," he began, "all fathers are a bit…uneasy…about their daughters' boyfriends, and fiancés."
"Uneasy?" she laughed, "you conspired with Ella, who was six, to scare him away—"
"Completely normal."
"By enchanting his food to talk to him, and him alone. I thought he was insane when he was trying to convince his tomatoes to stop sing "Mary Had a Little Lamb!"
"A father has to do what a father has to do," he said solemnly. Mel cracked a smile.
"So, back to the point," Cole started up. "The eight…" he trailed off, as the images of the hundreds of bloodies flashed through his memories.
"Dad?" she asked gently. He looked back up at her.
"The eight surviving members of the resistance, we're unsure of what to do next. Teresa, she—"
"Wants to attack Wyatt and die honorably, yeah, I figured. She's got them Valkerie genes in her – they're always too trigger-happy." Mel rolled her eyes as her grammar slipped. Cole looked at her meanfully.
"What does everybody else want to do?" she continued at her.
Cole shrugged his shoulders.
"Most are too afraid to act, after what happened to the…others," he said uneasily. "And since you, Chris, and Jonas are the most powerful resistance members, they think your input and opinions should have the greatest impact on our plans."
"Oh, great," Mel said sarcastically. Cole offered her a sympathetic look.
"Mom's here," she said, changing the subject. Ella, who was wandering around in a corner looking at several artifacts, perked her head up, toward Mel.
"She knows who I am," Melody said, ashamed.
"What?" Cole whispered furiously, while trying to ignore the pounding inside his chest. Phoebe was alive in this time; she was here.
Ella, however, realized the possibilities in an instant. Before any could stop her, she shimmered out.
"Oh, no," both father and daughter muttered, before shimmering out after her.
Phoebe's Bedroom…Phoebe awoke with a start, as a soft thud sounded off by the side of her bed.
"Ugh," she yawned, tired. So much had happened that day; she was in dire need of sleep to handle it.
"Mommy?" a soft voice asked from the left of her bed.
Phoebe froze. The voice was too little and high-pitched for Melody.
"Ella," a man whispered furiously. Phoebe reached over for the bedside lamp.
"Daddy, she's alive…" The light lit up the room; Phoebe turned toward the voices – and gasped.
"Cole?"
She looked at him, while her eyes took in every change. The light gray highlights in his normally dark brown hair, several wrinkles, made from both worry and laughs, his alert expression, and his overprotectivness that she knew so well took her breath away.
It was Cole...a truly good Cole.
Her door swund open, and Piper and Paige sprung through. They haulted as soon as their eyes caught Cole.
"You're...dead!" Paige exclaimed.
"No, he's not!" little Ella yelled at her.
Paige was thrown into the wall by the force of Ella's voice, which seemed to be the outlet for her power. Piper brought up her hands.
"NO!" Phoebeleapt out of bed, and sheildingElla from Piper's rage.
"Phoebe, she's a demon!"
"She's my daughter!" Phoebe said back, looking deep into Piper's eyes.
The other two sisters' eyes widened.
"What?" Paige whispered unbelievably. Piper's wordless expression mirrored his youngest sister's shock.
"Melody told me that Cole was her father, and that she," she gestured to Ella behind her, "was her little sister."
"Mommy," Ella said, awestruck. Cole scooped her up with a groan.
"Well, Mel," he said to his oldest daughter, "have fun with this.I need to get her out of her before she says anything else."
Ella grinned impishly, and they both shimmered out.