Chapter 8

Back at the Beach

Phoebe's eyes were fixed on Cole's trying to read the emotions that were running through them as he processed what she had just told him, that their baby was gone. She saw the disbelief, denied, anger, rage and guilt all pooled in his blue eyes, the same eyes that just moments ago were sparkling with excitement and hope when he spoke with their child. Phoebe pushed her own feeling down, trying to be strong for the man she loved, the man who gave up everything for her and the one she failed to believe in when he needed her to most.

Phoebe: Cole…. Cole, I'm sorry….I should have don't more to protect the…our baby. I was so scared….when he took control of me… I felt the evil and thought that the Seer was telling the truth and he was never mine, ours….

Cole: Stop, please just stop.

Phoebe: Cole?

Cole: (he turned from her and looked out at the ocean, once again evil had found a way to destroy him) Why?

Phoebe: why? Why what?

Cole: Why did this happen? Why did they allow an innocent baby to be ripped from its mother's womb to fight evil before it even had a chance to take its first breath? He was an innocent and they (looking up at the sky, his voice consumed with anger and hate) offered him up like a sacrificial lamb in the name of "good". Why?

Phoebe: (trying to process what he just said but not completely understanding why he was blaming the Elders) I don't know why it happened but they would never intentionally hurt an innocent, you have to know that, the….

Cole: What!? How can you possibly be defending them after what they did to our child, did you hate me that much, didn't you love him at all? (Cole was now looking directly at Phoebe, he was not hiding his feels now, he was letting them all, good and bad flow free from him). The Elders can see what happens, you know that, how can you stand there and tell me that they didn't know my son was good and pure, he had a soul, Phoebe, if he was not our child he would not have had a soul.

Phoebe: (shocked by what he just said she thought, 'soul, what, of course if he was the Seer and Source's he would never have a soul, the only reason Cole had one was because of his father) I never thought about it before, with everything that had happened – finding out about you being the Source, the vanquish, the Seer taking the baby – it never occurred to me, what happened to….. (before she can ask him anything else, he interrupts her)

Cole: (angry, uncontrolled he takes it out on Phoebe) WHAT! Are you STUPID? I can't believe you are trying to justify what you did? What you allowed them to DO, they KILL my baby, my little boy and YOU let THEM. I could forgive you killing me when I was possessed by the Source, I could forgive you almost anything but not THIS. Do you hear me, I HATE YOU! You are not better then I was before I meet you. (taking a breath and trying to real in his temper, he chuckles sarcastically and says) No, you know what Phoebe, you are worse then I ever was and you call it "good". (Phoebe on the verge of a complete breakdown, tears running down her checks, guilt burning her very soul, her heart feeling like it had just exploded into a thousand pieces, shaky uncontrollably allows him to take his anger out on her)

Cole takes one last look at a shattered Phoebe and fades from the beach leaving her to feel as alone as he felt when she walked away from him in the Wasteland. Patty and Prue watched as the scene played out and were both equally taken aback by Cole's outburst. Seeing Cole leaving Phoebe, Patty was torn by the maternal need to reach out to her daughter and her knowledge that Cole was the one that needed her at this moment. Recognizing her mother's emotional struggle, Prue grips her mother's hand tightly and tells her to go. Understanding the urgency, Patty goes without delay – she knows what irrational behavior and regrettable actions a person who has experience a great personal loss can do but when that person has powers such as Cole had, it could prove catastrophic. Prue now standing alone on the beach watching her baby sister struggle to deal with what had just occurred, slowly walks toward her, wipping the tears from her own face, she makes her way over to the waters edge.

Prue bent down and pulled Phoebe's tiny frame into her close, wrapping her arms around her with as much love as she had for this woman who she had come to admire more in death then Phoebe would ever now. Phoebe shaken to feel arms around her looked up into the radiant face of her oldest sister who had been killed more then a year ago.

Phoebe: Prue? What? How? Are you re…(before she can finish Phoebe passes out and Prue is left on the beach holding and rocking her, being there for her when she needed her the most)

Patty had the ability to follow Cole's fade movement and locating him at the Penthouse sitting on the bed holding a teddy bear. She did not know this man very well but she had watch him since he came into Phoebe's life and had seen him change, witnessed his struggles to fight evil both internal and external, she was proud of her daughter for choosing to be with a man with such love and strength. She could only watch as the Source possessed Cole and slowly destroyed everything in his life, and she was powerless to stop it or even tell her daughters what was going on at the time. The Elders had prevented her or anyone else from interfering in what they called "the grand design". She could easily recall how she and Sam had to give Paige up to protect her from what their harm since she was born outside of this "grand design". It was those memories and feelings that made Patty disregard the Elders now and reach out to correct this wrong.

Patty: Hello, Cole (she says with a slight smile upon her lips as she approaches him)

Cole: (looking up, slightly dazed by the appearance of Patty Halliwell, he had only meet her twice, once at Piper and Leo's wedding and once when Paige came into the family, but he recognized her instantly) What are you doing…here, I mean why now, what do you want, because if you are looking for Phoebe, she…… (Patty puts up her hand to silence Cole)

Patty: No Cole, I am not here for my daughter, I am here for you – I know what happened and I think I can help you, if you let me.

Cole: What….what do you know? (stand up, looking once more at the baby toy in his hands, he uses one of his new powers and disintegrates it into nothing and then under his breath says) just like my son, nothing….

Cole walk out of the room and heads to the liquor cabinet and proceeds to pour himself a glass of Scotch, while Patty looks on, shaking her head.

Patty: you know Cole that is not going to help you, its not going to help you get your family back.

Cole: family, what family, my son is dead, my wife…..she is a selfish, no good, little bitch and that is being nice and the rest of them, they are nothing to me, so if you would excuse me, I would like to drink alone.

Patty: are you done?

Cole: what?

Patty: are you done playing the part of the martyr in this little drama because I think you are meant for a much larger role.

Cole: (smirking slightly despite himself at Patty's attempt to motivate him – well it could be worse he thought, it could be Prue) oh really, this should be good, what part would you like to play, perhaps the Cupid? I could run around in a diaper and shot my little arrow at anyone stupid enough to want to find love.

Patty: No Cole, I want you to play the part of a good man who is kind and gentle, who is willing to give anything including his life for the people he loves, the people he calls family, a man who know what it is like to fall into the pitfalls of evil and pick yourself back up, a man who never stops fighting, who does the wrong thing sometimes but for the right reasons, a man named Cole Turner.

Cole: well you see, you got it wrong that man doesn't exist.

Patty: you're wrong, he does exist and I am looking at him right now.

Cole: maybe you need glasses; do they have them in the after life?

Patty: (frustrated with Cole's sarcasm) Will you just SHUT UP and let me speak for a minute? (Cole caught off guard by the usually quiet woman stopped in his tracks and glared in her direction and nodded) Thank you. Now just listen to me before interrupting or answering questions, what I have to say is important and we don't have much time. (Cole wanting to say something stops himself and motions her to the couch while he takes a seat opposite her)

Cole: I'm listening.

Patty: thank you, now as I was saying, we don't have much time. We saw what happened the night the old Sources was vanquished in the attic – how the Hollow had left behind, although we did not know at the time that the Source was also possessing you, we did know that any powers left "unclaimed" for lack of a better word would seek out a magical "core" who could hold them. Because your powers were striped you were left with a "void" which absorbed the powers which we knew would not be good so we went to one of the Elders, Gideon and told him everything we knew about magical cores and voids and asked him to help which he gave us his assurance he would do but that we could not interfere directly and had to let him handle it. We trusted him with this information and waited for him to handled it but when we saw how you started to change and act differently, well if occur to us that if you absorbed his powers, you might have also somehow absorbed his essence and again we sought out Gideon for answers but instead of help we were removed to an isolation area of sorts, basically we were told it was for our protection and the protection of the "greater good" so that we would not be tempted into disrupting the "natural order".

Cole: (looking questioningly at Patty) how could….

Patty: let me finish. We could not see what was happening down here and could not contact anyone until after the Seer and everyone else were destroyed, that is when we were told that we could not contact everyone here or discuss what we saw or risk our souls being sent for recycling.

Cole: we, you keep saying we – who you and Penny?

Patty: No Cole (with a slight smile) me and Prue.

Cole: Prue? She hates me, why would see risk everything for me?

Patty: Prue does not hate you; in fact, I think she has come to love you like a brother, although she would never admit that to you. She was the one who refused to let things stand as they are. When she learned that you had found a way out of the Wasteland she searched for a way for us to contact you without alerting the Elders. She is the reason that I am here now.

Cole: where is she at now? (looking up at the ceiling)

Patty: no, she is not up there; she is at the beach with Phoebe. Phoebe is at a point right now where we may loss her and Prue is helping her to find her way back, just as I am trying to do for you.

Cole: humph, how is any of this going to change what happened? What they allowed to happen?

Patty: We can't change the past but we can protect the future. Your and Phoebe's future.

Cole: (looking down and sighs) Patty, there is no future for me and Phoebe, she let them kill our child – there is no way I can ever….

Patty: no Cole, she did not let anyone hurt her child, she would never allow that, she loved that child, I know, I saw her pain when she told you what happened – and whatever happened in that cavern it was against Phoebe's will.

Cole: you saw us on the Beach?

Patty: Yes, Prue and I were there from the time you summons Phoebe until I followed you back here. I know what happened and I know how much you love my daughter.

Cole: LOVED – past tense

Patty: you should take your own advice – don't lie to yourself – we both know that you still love Phoebe and you know if you look deep within your heart, you will find that I am right about the baby – she did not willingly relinquish your child – don't let the pain, hurt and anger destroy you, if you do that you will be allowing evil to win.

Cole: (putting his head in his hands for several moments before slowly raising it, Patty can see the look now in his eyes, he was going to fight for what was taken from him) Your right, I wanted to hurt her because she hurt me but I still lover her. What do we do now?

Patty: we head to the Manor, when Prue and Phoebe are finished, she will bring her there. We are going to need the whole family to pull together on this.

Cole: (nodding – reaches out to Patty, grabbing her hands in his) Thank you.

Patty: (a single tear falling from her eyes) you don't have to thank me, I love you like a son and I don't tolerate anyone, good or evil to mess with my family.

Cole: (as they fade out to the manor) I see who Prue gets her "determination" from. (giggles could be heard from Patty)

Back at the Beach

Phoebe finally woke up and found herself still in Prue's arms while she rocked her soothingly back and forth just as she had some many times when they were growing up. She could not believe that her big sister was there with her, after everything that happened before and she never once came, why now?

Phoebe: (pulled away from Prue and look at her) Prue, it really is you isn't it?

Prue: (smiling) Yes, it's really me. I've missed you and Piper so much.

Phoebe: (leaping forward into her arms to give her a big hug, knocker her off balance they fell into a heap in the sand, giggling like school girls, momentarily forgetting the recent events) We miss you too, wow – Prue – my god – I just can't believe this – Piper, Prue we have to see Piper, see will be so --- oh, oh, oh did you know she was pregnant and…..

Prue: (chuckling) slow down there, sis – take breath and finish at least one through, okay (Phoebe realizing that she was all over the place, laughed at herself and stopped talking for a moment, then)

Phoebe: Why? Why come now, here when you never came before, even when I needed you and called for you.

Prue: honey, believe me I would have come if I had been able to, that is part of the reason I am here right now. I need you to listen to me and not start talking until I have finish, can you that for me?

Phoebe: Prue, you scaring me, what

Prue: please, just listen. Okay?

Phoebe, noting the seriousness in her sister's voice, nodded while Prue reach out and held her hands, looking into her face before starting.

Prue: Phoebe, after I crossed over there was a waiting period before I was allowed to watch you guys and see how you were all doing but once that time had past I would check on you and Piper and even Paige – it helped me to learn about our "new" sister. Anywhere I saw how you and Cole were together and you were right little sis, he has a good soul and a big heart (Prue smiles as she says this to Phoebe). I followed your relationship with him and I can say I got more then a few laughs out of the proposals – how many of them were there – three or four. (smirking when thinking about it).

Phoebe: (loosing patience) Prue, high tide will be here before you get to the point.

Prue: oh, sorry – back to the point. We observed the night the old Source was vanquished in the attic and because mom knew about magical cores and such, she realized right away that there was a problem and that Cole's magical core retained the powers. (Phoebe's mouth fell open and she gasped) We went to one of the Elder's, Gideon – we told him everything and he assured us that he would handle it and protect you guys but as time passed we saw Cole acting more and more unusual, well unusual for Cole anyway and that is when mom started to see that perhaps Cole's had also absorb the Source's essence basically a stronger form of possession.

Phoebe looked on at Prue in silence, she did not know how she could possibly still have any tears left in her but what was left were welling up in her eyes.

Prue continue: We went again to Gideon with our suspicions and that is when we were magically bound for "our own good" or so he said. We were unable to connect anyone or see what was going on until the Seer was destroyed, that is when he allowed us to move about normally but warned us against speaking of any of this or risk our souls being recycled – don't ask – not pleasant.

Phoebe: Oh my god – wait – how did you get here now and where is mom? How can be protect you...

Prue: calm down, everything is going to be fine. I found a "way" around the Elders – they can not track us and anyone who is within a specific range of us is magically shielded – they can not see or hear anything that we just said.

Phoebe: wow – that is useful.

Prue: yeah – I will make sure it gets added to the Book of Shadows for future use. Anyway, Mom is with Cole and if she had any luck getting through to him, they are on their way back to the Manor, so we better get going.

Phoebe: (no moving) No, I can't go to the Manor if Cole is there – he hates me, he blames me for losing the baby. Do you know about the baby? (Phoebe looks at Prue questioningly, a look like a deer caught in the headlights)

Prue: (softly) yeah, I know about the baby (hugging her), we were here since you came back as a mermaid and kind of heard everything, sorry. But mom knew how Cole was feeling, she said it was similar to how Sam was after they were forced to give up Paige – Sam blamed mom at first then came to see it differently. Don't worry, we know there was nothing you could have done to stop the Seer and so does Cole, just give him a little time to process everything.

Phoebe: I guess – Prue – I love him, I mean, I want him back and I don't know how Piper and Paige are going to react but I'm not giving him up.

Prue: (laughing) Where have I heard that before –

They orbed from the beach back to the Manor to join everyone else.