A Chance to Save Himself Chapter 1, a charmed fanfic

Once again, the lights went out for Cole Turner. There was that now too familiar feeling of everything around him hollowing out, his head throbbing, his body having the sensation of being sucked into itself, compressed, and pushed through a vortex. Something odd happened, something that he had never experienced before. It felt like a sharp turn, a sudden change in where he was going. It happened so fast, it took his breath away. He landed in amazement in a place he had never been before, not the Demonic Wasteland but something much…calmer…and bright. It was so peaceful. Cole looked around him. He recognized the Avatar who had tried to stop him from manipulating time and space in a foolish quest to get Phoebe back.

"Hello, Cole."

"I guess you're here to say I told you so."

"Not exactly. Avatars do not pass judgement."

Cole rolled his eyes. "Why am I here then? I was a demon in that reality. Shouldn't I be in the wasteland?"

"That reality blinked out of existence the moment you, its instigator, was vanquished. You're human again, minus the demonic powers You're in the realm for lost souls, but it's not too late. There is a way to save yourself."

"What if I don't want to save myself?"

"Well, that would be a choice."

That was when he heard it. Crying. Just like things seem to happen in the astral realm, it seemed to appear out of nowhere…a baby crying from a bassinet. Cole stepped curiously toward the crying baby. When he looked at the child and the child looked up at him, the child stopped crying. Blue eyes gazed up at blue eyes.

"This human child has no place to go either. Neither demon nor angel. Half good from his mother, quarter good from his one-forth of his being that was evil, the Source of All Evil to be specific…"

Cole looked up at the Avatar. "No. It can't be."

"The evil went to the place where evil goes. This is all that's left of your son, Cole. He is your last chance to redeem yourself."

Cole wanted to leap for joy, but there must be something wrong. He knew it. It had to be a trick. It was too good to be true.

"It can't be. My son died. Phoebe lost…" He couldn't finish the sentence. Something got caught in his throat.

"The Seer took him from Phoebe, but the Seer was no proper vessel for him. Your wife never drank the tonic that would have killed his good parts. The good and the evil battled. The Source vanquished the Seer, the Power of Three vanquished the Source, and the good parts of your son landed here.

Cole saw that his son was still staring up at him. His heart melted when the boy's face broke into a huge laughing smile and the little feet bounced up, the hands reaching for the little feet. Without much thought, Cole reached out and picked him up. The baby seemed to enjoy the sensation. Cole rocked him in his arms, smiling at him in wonder.

"You are no longer fit to be an Avatar, but you can be human again, you and this boy, human and living in the world. He needs a protector, being a descendent of one of the Charmed Ones."

Cole again looked at the Avatar. "His mother…. She can protect him too."

The Avatar sighed. "Phoebe is not part of this."

Cole was starting to feel annoyed. "What do you mean? She's his mother. You said it yourself. He's part of the Charmed One lineage. He'll probably inherit her powers."

"All that remains to be seen. All I know is that your task right now is to focus on him. Not Phoebe. This is your purpose. This child."

Cole was confused. "So I'm just supposed to raise him and never tell his mother?"

The Avatar shrugged. "I'm not telling you what to do, Cole. In fact, I think I've said too much already." With that, he disappeared.

"Hey!" Cole looked around him in desperation. "What the hell? You can't just leave. What am I supposed to do? Where do I go? How—"

Before he could finish that thought, he found himself (his baby still happily wiggling in his arms) standing in the penthouse. The transition was effortless. It was like he just blinked and now he was home, back on Earth, back in the proper reality (supposedly) and just pre-Avatar (or post-Avatar, whatever) Cole Turner again. Cole Turner and Baby Turner.

"I guess you need a name, huh?" he asked his son, smirking.

He heard the elevator and then familiar voices approached his door. It was them—the Halliwell sisters. He froze, remained silent and prayed the baby would too. He implored the baby to be quiet by putting a finger to his lip and making a soft "shh" sound. He went to stand in the hallway that led to the bedrooms, and from there he listened to the sisters enter using Phoebe's key.

Phoebe called into the dark penthouse. "Cole?"

Cole heard Paige say, "I'm telling you, he's gone, for good."

"Yeah, that's what we thought last time."

"And the time before that," added Piper.

He listened while Paige explained it to her sisters, hearing her close the broken door. He whispered into the baby's ear and rocked him gently, imploring his son to remain quiet. If only he could shimmer out like he used to be able to do, but no, as the Avatar had informed him, he was just a human now, minus the demonic powers. He moved himself down the hall and ducked into the hall bathroom, just in time to avoid being seen by Phoebe, who seemed to be looking into the master bedroom—what had once been their bedroom. He closed his eyes and held his breath while she walked back up the hall to the living room. He stayed there, listening, and when he heard Phoebe say, "I guessOnce again, the lights went out for Cole Turner. There was that now too familiar feeling of everything around him hollowing out, his head throbbing, his body having the sensation of being sucked into itself, compressed, and pushed through a vortex. Something odd happened, something that he had never experienced before. It felt like a sharp turn, a sudden change in where he was going. It happened so fast, it took his breath away. He landed in amazement in a place he had never been before, not the Demonic Wasteland but something much…calmer…and bright. It was so peaceful. Cole looked around him. He recognized the Avatar who had tried to stop him from manipulating time and space in a foolish quest to get Phoebe back.