A/N: Thanks for everyone whose reading. I think we're almost done, here. Sweet sorrow and all that.
An End, Part I
The Seer could remember a time when understanding the universe with respect to four dimensions and not just three had been taxing, and a short time before that when it had been inconceivable. Seeing for some was a curse, and others a gift; it depended completely on whether or not an individual could see and come away unchanged, or at least sane enough to be of use to others. Her mother had been a raving lunatic, as had her mother before her. Still, her great grandmother had been powerful and wise; it was she who had foretold a great many things. She could see her as clearly as she could the slim shouldered Edrigan. He had height, width, depth, and the fourth dimension, that of time. She could follow his life backwards and forwards; it took concentration but all one had to do was focus.
"Your far away looks worry me, even with the information you," She watched him stop and choose his words carefully, "blessed me with. What are you plotting?" Edrigan, like every powerful demon before him wanted to take her and those like her and use them for their gifts, but none of them could understand the complexity of the issues when all the variables were added, applied and calculated. Much of it was blind luck, but that among other things was a grand secret. She grinned, seeing him on his throne, and everything that had ever stood on the spot, each an image on top of the other.
"It is almost time," she said simply. The hangers on that had taken to populating the perimeter of the circular room beyond the pillars whispered their raspy whispered. Some left, some came. Near them, she could see Cole on his knees, waiting for death, his would be assassin standing over him, poised to strike. Would it be that way again? The future was like the rain drop impacts on a pond, one could hop and skip from one to the other but it was always a mystery how they would connect, or if they would. Edrigan stirred on his throne, uncomfortably, she thought.
"And this mysterious x-factor, you mentioned?" he asked. The Seer had never shrugged in her entire life. She wanted to often; it looks like such an amazing and powerless gesture, but it wasn't hers to have. She simply smiled broadly at him, and watched him stare down at her with malice, the image of him squirming overlaid on top of it.
!#&
Phoebe opened her eyes, slowly coming to realize that she had been asleep. She moved her head slowly, rubbing her cheek across Cole's powerful chest, smiling at it's rise and fall. A strong arm pulled her close suddenly and she looked up into his face to see that he was looking down at her. She slid a hand under his shirt at his waist and lightly scratched up his chest.
"You let me fall asleep," she chided sleepily. His reply was an oddly quirked eyebrow. She pulled herself up on top of him, kissing him lightly. "Shut up,"
"I was asleep too a little while ago," he replied finally. "I'm just," he began and then stopped. She frowned, using her other hand to stroke his face, moving her hand beneath his shirt to hug him around the rib cage.
"Just what?" she prompted, snaking a leg around his. She watched him try and think, and become more and more distracted.
"I'm just not worried," he finally said. Phoebe stopped suddenly, taking in his statement. It seemed like such an odd thing to say, given what they had learned earlier that day along with what blanks Leo could fill in from talking with the Elders. "I have you, and you're all I have. My life is outside in my car," he paused, hugging her to him tightly. "My life is in this room, and that's it, and I'm completely happy. It's weird, I know I should be worried,"
"Damn right," she clung to him, interrupting.
"It feels like I can't lose you," he said quietly. "I can't even imagine it, now," even quieter. Phoebe wanted to agree, and she could almost imagine his perspective, but she could only think about losing what they had, and being worried. Eventually, though, she could only think about his warmth and his confidence, and his heart beat, and despite being worried, terrified, she drifted asleep again.
!#&
The next day came, and all of them awoke in the Halliwell manor with a quiet understanding of what they had to do. For Piper and Leo, they knew any plan they concocted wouldn't put their son's life at risk, but that any plan they put into action would be to save their son's life. Passive inactivity is what their enemies would need, it's what they would want; fighting for good was the tough decision, but it was also the right decision if they ever had any hope for their future. This situation wasn't new to Paige; as a social worker she knew you had to keep fighting, no matter what. It would be worse to keep on living with the knowledge that there was more that could be done.
Cole and Phoebe were the last to gather at the dining room table, attached at the hip, with committed looks on their faces. Cole hadn't slept, but he wasn't tired; he hoped he hadn't said too much the previous night to Phoebe. He hoped she understood. The couple looked around the family table at the others, none of them seated, and they all seemed to just now. With each moment all the players tumbled towards what felt like a vortex of fate, that the choices made now would through everything after them into either order or chaos.
Paige produced their armory of potions, bundled to produce the greatest and most diverse effects.
"Maybe we should write this tactic down so witches in the future can use it," Piper said. The humor touched and did not touch all present. Cole watched Leo rub his wife's shoulder, smiling knowingly.
"We'll see you home for dinner," Leo whispered, kissing Piper on the forehead. Piper nodded solemnly. Cole frowned at Leo, and his question was answered when Leo separated from the group and headed towards the stairs. Wyatt. Cole smiled on the inside, finally understanding that he and Leo were more similar than they were different. He reached forward and snatched up two potion bundles, offering one to Phoebe. She looked up at him, her eyes searching. She kissed him deeply, her hands pulling at him. Cole wasn't sure what that meant until she took one of the bundles from his hands and nodded confidently to her sisters.
"Let's do this,"
!#&
Alpha waited, perched on the other side of his concealed portal. He could hear, feel, what was happening beyond. It was somewhat difficult to tune out the sycophants in the beginning, but once the sisters arrived the sound of the scene beyond changed completely. He had to choose his moment perfectly, because once her pawn fell, it was guaranteed that the Seer would snatch up the implement and flee again. It wouldn't be as vulnerable again in the foreseeable future.
A huge force concussed beyond, echoing even on his side; almost as if shoved by destiny he leapt forward into the breach. On the other side, he choked immediately on the dust hanging in the air, floating about, obscuring his vision. He waved his hand as if he could dismiss the mist without being detected along with the growing sense of déjà vu. He had been here before…
The Seer had assured him that it would be quick, but Edrigan understood that he had not quite understood the severity of the suddenness. In the beginning, with his throne over turned on top of him, he couldn't move. The pain was minor, and it would of course heal, but something ancient, and visceral crept up inside of him while he had been pinned there, surrounded by the sounds of his perishing minions. He had been closer to figuring out what it was when the second impact, each being greater than the one before it, shattered his former seat of power, sweeping him and the debris up in a temporary whirlwind. It was as if the witches had brought with them every other witch they shared blood with, alive or dead.
Then their demon turned knight, Belthazor, had run from the obscuring mist and struck at him with the cold iron he had acquired no doubt from some forgotten crypt somewhere. He lunged and slashed, but Edrigan had recovered quickly, and just as swiftly his tactics had changed from scoring blows at his flesh to slashing at the athame at his waist. He drew it reflexively, and realized that he had become dependent on the Seer's favor, that he, the proud and powerful demon, had become defined by the implement of questionable origin rather than his centuries of terror and conquest. Looking into the eyes of the mortal Belathazor, he began to realize that the man had a plan coming her, that it was not desperation that drove him. He summoned lightning and fire and imagined it like a lash to flay the man's soul, but when he struck Belthazor caught the weapon around his hand and met Edrigan's stare with one of his own.
Edrigan knew then, what he had felt, that the old feeling creeping up his spine was fear.
#&
Phoebe pushed gently against the smooth marble ceiling of the now re-ruined chamber, oddly thinking that it looked almost exactly like it had before when… she clenched her jaw and concentrated on the present. Below her she watched Piper flailing her arms, backwards, forwards, left and right, with each gesture vanquishing a demon, some of them stumbling through the fog, others running toward or away from her. Every now and then one would spring too near to her and Paige would orb a potion, each either an explosion of a fireball or lightning bolt.
Satisfied that her sisters were fine, she scanned the rest of the room. The debris in the air was settling again, for the third time, and she could make out figures. A familiar looking salt and pepper bearded man was moving stealthily across the room, looking about every few steps. In the direction she had seen Cole run off she could see what seemed to be figures wrestling in a firestorm. Phoebe squinted at her memory; just then he looked up at her, and she could see his tiny, piercing blue eyes and she remembered.
"Paige," she yelled, and pointed. Her sister looked up at her, and decided on another of the bundles based on the urgency and gave the pouch of potions a heavy toss in the direction her sister pointed. Phoebe thought the man tried to cast a spell, but shortly thereafter she couldn't see him as the bundle impacted very near to where he was standing. Phoebe pushed forcefully towards the floor and landed behind Piper.
"Is that all of them?" her big sister was trying to scan everywhere at once, the floor around them covered in the dust from vanquished demons.
"I think so, let's go," Phoebe said, leading them carefully in the direction she had seen Cole, hoping desperately that whatever the man had been up to had failed with his demise.
"We meet again," a voice rang out. "Phoebe Halliwell," The Charmed Ones, instantly stopped at familiar voice that always seemed to hold a smile, and put their backs to each others'. "I have something I want you to see,"
!#&
It was a smart bit of luck, being able to absorb power already manifested, Cole thought. Else he would've already been disintegrated several times over, by now. Unfortunately, despite his focus and element of surprise, Edrigan proved to be an extremely competent melee combatant. Nothing he had read implied that; it was as if he had moved on to tempting mortals to evil because he had gotten bored cutting them open.
He stepped forward, trying to disarm the athame again, slicing at the wrist and thumb, but Edrigan seemed too aware of his plan and stepped backwards, forcing Cole forward with obvious intent to make him pay for it. Cole, now almost about to fall forward on his face, decided to turn his stumble into a roll and in doing so narrowly avoided an elbow that likely would've destroyed his chest. In mid roll Cole shimmered, behind Edrigan, the hope that derived from the spark of brilliance exploding as he saw the demon's back open and unaware. Time slowed to a crawl as Cole committed completely to the gesture of stabbing Edrigan in the back, and the sword, somehow instantly heavy and sluggish, could not strike fast enough. Just before the blow landed, he realized his error, the backwards grip of Edrigan's hand, waiting for his wait to fall on it. The athame plunged into his flesh just as the sword stabbed into Edrigan's meaty back. The pain was like an old friend that he hadn't seen in ages. He had been here before…
Somewhere off in the distance, Cole could hear Phoebe's scream. It froze his blood even as his heart slowed.