Legacy 107: Soul Searching
Part 5
Xxx
Waiting for his family to return, Coop sat in his hotel room impatiently tapping his feet on the floor. He would sense it if they were hurt or worse, but that did not stop him from worrying. What if they were in a location where he could not sense them, like the Underworld? What if Julian was not to be trusted after all? No, he should not think like that. Despite his personal feelings about the matter, he knew that Julian was important to Phoebe. He was her son, and he needed to find a way to accept that, even though he was reminded of Cole Turner every time he saw the son they shared.
When someone teleported in, Coop looked up hoping it was his wife and daughters, though he saw it were orbs instead. The Whitelighter Noah appeared.
"Hello." Noah said. "We haven't met yet, I'm Noah. Your daughters' whitelighter."
"I know who you are." Coop replied.
"I wanted to check on them, but I could not sense them." Noah said.
"They're not here." Coop explained. "They went after Elizabeth Turner to stop the Wraith."
"I see." Noah replied. "Have you heard anything?"
"Not yet." Coop replied. "So why the concern?"
"I am their whitelighter. I'm supposed to care." Noah replied uneasily.
"We both know it's more than just concern." Coop stated. "And we both know you're not just an ordinary Whitelighter."
"I see, what do you know exactly?" Noah asked.
"Nothing specific, but I can easily find out." Coop replied. "I have connections up there, so should I be worried that you're going to hurt my daughter?"
"No, of course not." Noah said. "I care about her. A lot."
"Good." Coop replied. "You seem like a good man, Noah. Whatever mistakes you made in the past, I hope they will not come back to haunt her."
"I would never let that happen." Noah said. "And with all due respect, Prue is a grown woman. She can make her own decisions."
"Oh, I know." Coop replied with a proud smile. "I am not trying to be the overprotective father here, I know my girls can take care of themselves. They are Halliwells after all. If you hurt her, I'm the last person you need to worry about."
"Good to know." Noah replied somewhat nervously. "Let her know I stopped by."
Coop nodded and Noah dissolved into a column of orbs, disappearing from the room. Coop sighed as he got up and went to grab some more coffee, though he was startled when Julian suddenly appeared in flames, followed by Phoebe and their daughters. Coop hugged his wife in relief.
"I'm glad you're okay." Coop said. "What happened?"
"The Wraith is gone, so is Elizabeth." Penny replied. "That two less problems to worry about."
"And one more to add to the list." Prue added with a frown.
"What do you mean?" Coop asked.
"Some freaky ninja demon showed up and took the urn holding the essence of the Source." Penny said annoyed.
"It was a Raptor Demon." Phoebe explained. "Hired guns, often work as assassins. I've dealt with one before."
"And a hired gun means someone more powerful is behind it." Julian added angrily. "But we have no way of finding out who or why. Looks like it's not over."
"At least we stashed the Grimoire somewhere safe." Prue noted. "That's something."
"We will find out eventually." Phoebe said in a comforting manner. "Right now, I think we've all been through enough. We can worry about it another day. We're all tired."
"Yeah, I should get going." Julian said. "Thanks for the help."
"Wait, you're going to leave just like that?" Phoebe asked.
"What else do you expect me to do?" Julian replied. "The threat is over, I have not properly slept in weeks and I'm exhausted."
"But what about… you know, everything?" Penny asked. "I mean, we're finally getting to know each other."
"There is still so much I want to talk about." Phoebe added.
"I can't talk, at least not now." Julian replied. "You can't expect everything to be different over the course of one night. I need to think."
"So that is it? Thank you and goodbye?" Prue asked with a frown.
"For now." Julian said as he turned to her. "Look, I appreciate everything you've done, but I can't pretend to be one happy family all of the sudden. I need time."
Penny was about to argue, but Phoebe placed a hand on her arm and stopped her. "I understand." She said. "Take all the time you need. Just know that we're here."
"Are you serious?" Penny asked.
"Yes." Phoebe replied. "We can't force it. We're not like Elizabeth, we're a real family, and as much as I want Julian to be a part of it, he has to make that choice on his own."
"Thank you." Julian replied.
As he looked around the room, Julian was engulfed in flames and disappeared. Coop was not sure if he was coming back, but he knew his wife hoped it desperately. It had been difficult for her to remain as calm and collected as she was. With Julian gone, Prue and Penny also realized how tired they were after their ordeal and decided to go to bed. When they left the room, Coop walked over to Phoebe, who was sitting on the bed, and held her.
"Do you think I made the right choice?" Phoebe asked.
"I think so." Coop replied. "Like you said, you can't force the issue. Julian will come back if and when he is ready."
"And what about you?" Phoebe asked. "Will you be okay if he does?"
"If it makes you and our daughters happy, I will be fine." Coop said. "You and the girls are the most important thing in the world to me, so when the time comes, I think I can accept your son as well."
"I love you." Phoebe said smiling.
"I love you too." Coop replied.
Xxx
As flames rose from the floor, Julian reappeared in his childhood mansion. He looked around. The space felt different now, as if the darkness left by Elizabeth had finally been lifted now that she was finally gone from his life. He was free, he could go anywhere, do anything he wanted. So then why did he not want to leave? Had he actually started caring about his family in the short time had he spent with them? Part of him wanted to get to know them and be a part of their lives, while another part felt suffocated by the mere thought. Once he got sucked in, he would probably never be able to get out. He enjoyed his solitude, but seeing the alternative made it feel a little hollow. He wasn't sure what he wanted. All he wanted now was to eat and sleep, especially sleep.
Julian flamed upstairs and got undressed. He slipped into bed and stared up at the ceiling. How different his life had been just a day earlier. Whether he accepted or denied it, the Halliwells were a part of his life now, and with that strange but comforting thought, he fell asleep.
Xxx
The End