Faded Fragments
part 2
"Okay, she's going to do what?"
"Look, talking her out of it would have breeded chaos," Cole Turner added nonchalantly, as he casually tossed a clean white t-shirt over his bare chest, regarding her with careful ease, as he gently fingered his stubble, shoving a small wad of bills into his wallet, safely securing the amount in his back pocket. "And believe me when I say chaos needs to take a breather around here."
Prue Halliwell lightly squinted her eyes at him. "Yeah, and did you know that the corner store currently has razors on sale, buy one, get one free?"
"I thought we were talking about Phoebe," he responded, his visage displaying a sense of annoyance, as he pulled a pair of crisp white socks onto his feet.
"We were, but I just thought I'd mention it," she added, smiling. "Just in case."
"Well, just in case you aren't aware, they also don't give dead people back their old jobs."
"And that is so unfair," she protested. "I must have went to five different places today, and they all act like that gap in my resume is a bad thing."
"Technically, it is," he reasoned. "Given your status of disappearing, they probably assumed you've just been too lazy to work."
"Once again, need I say how unfair that is?"
"Believe me," he confirmed, wincing briefly, as he looked up at her from his seat on the bed. "I got it."
"And yet a certain ex-demon has absolutely no trouble working for the law. What part of that just doesn't make any sense at all?"
"I'm good now," he assured her. "Either that, or you can take comfort in the fact that I probably would have killed you by now."
"Always with the smart mouth," she observed, leaning her slender frame further up against the door frame, sighing heavily.
"You know, what exactly are you doing here, anyway? Don't you have to congratulate your man at work for a job well done or something? Shouldn't you be somewhere else right about now?"
"I'm just worried about these guys," she said softly, finally breaking. "I'm glad we have you on our side, but it was just barely enough to escape Celia before."
He tilted his head up to face her. "So what are you saying?"
"I'm just saying that you should be doing everything in your power to keep Phoebe here-"
"Hate to break it you, but I don't have the power to hold her against her will."
"Then why is she still with you?"
"Yeah, that's really funny, but if you're expecting a fit of mild laughter and irritation, I think you're sadly mistaken."
"And we've got Nick with us now too. He knows this firm...has an insider's eye. If he would just lay it all down for us, we could just go in there and destroy them one by one."
"You always were the forceful one, weren't you?" he commented, a short smile emerging at the corners of his mouth, as he picked himself up, spotting a sweatshirt perched near the doorway, folded neatly upon the dresser.
"And I always thought you had Phoebe dress you," she murmured, a smirk planting itself on her face without warning.
"Phoebe's strong," he told her quietly. "She's had enough experience in her former field to pull this off without any trouble at all."
"Witch?"
"She was an advice columnist- and that's as good as gold. Besides, doesn't being a Charmed One automatically qualify her without question?"
"Yeah, and we're not supposed to be using our powers for personal gain-"
"And she won't be, she's being careful," he assured her, his mouth set in a tight line, as his patience began to tire. "However, there's nothing in the rule book that says I can't....okay?"
"Yeah, and you're always breaking the rules for her," she mused, raising an eyebrow. "Yet..."
"Do you have a problem with that?" he pressed, meeting her gaze head on now, as he brought himself closer to her, a hint of menance trailing into his eyes just as quickly as it vanished, his blues narrowed in concentration.
"That depends," she said softly.
"Oh what?"
"How far would you be willing to go this time if they decide to hurt her?"
"And I really don't think that's the right question to be asking yourself," he conceded, shrugging.
"Cole-"
"It'll be the least of our worries, believe me." He paused a moment, his voice growing timid again. "You're afraid of losing her. Just like she's afraid of losing you again."
"And shouldn't I be?" she countered. "Shouldn't I be scared, when Nick tells us this is far from being a home run for us? There's no other way around it, Cole."
"Do you think I'm an honorable man?"
"What does this have to do-"
"Do you think I'm an honorable man?" he repeated.
"I think you have honorable intentions towards Phoebe, but I-"
"And it's not just because I'm a father now, and I've suddenly redeemed myself in your eyes?"
"You know it was never about that."
"Yeah, you know, it's funny....isn't it? You're gone for God knows how long, and all of a sudden you want or claim to be my friend."
"And I thought we were friends," she argued. "I mean, in the smallest possible sense of the word- but somewhere inside, I thought we'd reached some common ground between us."
"Oh, is that what you're calling it? Common ground?"
"Cole-"
"If that's your take on it, then I assure you we've had it all along. You just never wanted to realize it. Not even when Phoebe took herself down to the Underworld to get me."
"And that proved to be a mistake none of us planned," she concluded, her tone decreasing in range, as she latched her hands onto her hips.
"Right. You can't stop time, but you can stop loving someone, just because her sister blames you for her own death. So the truth finally comes out, Prue." He absentmindedly placed his bottom lip over the top, as he laughed softly, shrugging. "Can't say I didn't see this one a mile away."
"It's not like that. I'm just-"
"If you're angry at yourself, you wouldn't have waited for just the right moment to get to me, would you?"
"And why would I be angry with myself?"
"I guess that's something for you to think about, isn't it?"
"Do you guys want to stop playing in kindergarten corner long enough to come see this?!" Paige Matthews called out from the hallway, her voice slightly plagued with annoyance, as she impatiently waited for a response.
"What? What's she talking about?"
Prue offered him a mere scowl. "Just because I died, doesn't mean I never trusted you, and the good you've done here without me."
"And why should I have to obtain your permission just to be good?" he shot back, throwing a strong hand towards the door, as he gestured rather abruptly. "After you."
"As two lawyers in a competitive community, we assure you we will do our utmost best to see that you get the answers you need and the justice you deserve. Make no mistake. Kellerman and Rickman will turn your life around in ways you never thought possible. Forget everything you've seen with lawyers who cheat defenseless victims blind, while making a profit- forget those who promise you a fortune and fail...we're the real deal. We'll come through for you, and you can bank on it. Kellerman and Rickman know their cases and love their clients. Call us today, and see your life change before your very eyes- come to know a new you." Two men flashed their faces upon the screen, one largely built with blonde hair, and the other a sharp contrast- dark complected, and gazing back at his audience with a pair of even darker eyes.
"You know, if somebody fed me a line of bull like that while I was trying to get my eyeballs out of debt, I'd probably believe it too," Cole quipped, crossing his arms over his chest, as he studied the paused image for a brief moment, his blues narrowing with a sharp pang of intensity, as he gently brushed up the sleeves of his sweatshirt to his elbows. "I mean, you've already sunk yourself, when you kindly refer to your clients as victims in the most nonchalant way possible."
Paige offered him a hopeful glance. "They seem pretty big."
"Well, of course they are. They're rolling in the dough, and it's only fair they use part of it to promote themselves." He stopped a minute, lifted his gaze to hers. "Where....everyone can see them."
"Yeah, and it's one of the first ads, as far as I can tell," she commented. "I think they're stepping things up a little. Probably want to make it known that they don't fool around."
He shrugged. "They didn't have to. Demon or not, they're not going to have a go at it with a little game."
"Does this mean you're not entirely skeptical of Nick anymore?" she returned curiously, sitting herself down on the sofa with a sudden laziness, as she retrieved a bottle of nailpolish, carefully applying the first layer to a random toe.
"Paige, what I think of Nick has nothing to do with Kellerman and Rickman- and as far as I'm concerned, if they're still out to get me, they're still going down. Simple as that."
Prue sighed. "You know, we've been through it all, right? I mean...demons, warlocks, witches from the past....but greedy lawyers? It's so common and yet so creepy, you know? I just can't get over the fact that they really expect people to take them seriously."
Cole nodded. "Well, if helps any...I don't."
"Well, that's refreshing."
"I want to wait on Phoebe," he sided. "See what she can dig up."
"Yeah, and I'll bet you Nick can dig it up a whole lot quicker," Paige objected. "He knows these guys, Cole, and truth be told, we should be-"
"But it's not like he left with any files. They threw him out, didn't they?"
She raised an eyebrow. "Well...fired, thrown out...what's the difference?"
"And if they really wanted to get to me, they'd have some sort of plan devised on the inside, right?"
"Unless they're scheming as they go," Prue pointed out. "I think past experience tells us we can't discount anything."
"Call Piper," he advised. "We're going to need a few extra heads for this one."
"Literally?" Paige spoke up, scrunching up her nose. "Because all magical abilities aside, that's really gross."
"We're going to need her help. If Leo can't find anything from The Elders, I'm sure as hell not going to take any other resources for granted."
"Do you think they'll be doing a special on them?" Paige continued. "On the news or something? It could give us further insight to how they work. I thought it might be a safe bet, considering the event they arranged at Alex's school."
"And right now I want to do everything I can to keep them away from my daughter," he countered. "To keep them from knowing she is my daughter."
"What about the twins?" Prue asked him. "We still have to think about protecting them too, and it's not going to be easy if we have to-"
"They're probably having a lot of really nice dreams right now," he suggested, "and just between you and me, I'd like to keep it that way. They're innocents, Prue."
"Fair enough," she mused, rolling her eyes.
"You know, you don't hide it well. Lucky for you, I've been way past it."
"Way past what?"
"Look, are you going to tell me that little episode didn't just happen upstairs? Because contrary to your beliefs before death, I forget very little of how manipulative you can be."
"Oh, likewise," she snapped, shooting him a glare.
"And I thought I had it bad with him," Paige mumbled, watching the two of them. "I wonder if Phoebe knows she married a guy in pre-school and has a sister whose slowly working her way up to first grade."
"Don't start with me, Paige, or I will gladly pack your bags for you."
"Well, you were going to give Prue a hut, so what did I expect?"
"I'm sorry?"
She smiled. "Word has its way of getting around. Just so we're clear, I'm more of a log cabin girl by the lake."
"Great," he sufficed. "I'll remember that the next time we're close to water."
"A hut?" Prue managed, blinking a few times, before the anger began to rise in her cheeks.
"Yeah, well, with all of these females occupying a guy's house, former demon or no, he still needs his space, alright?"
"I guess I shouldn't complain. I mean, anything's gotta be better than a drafty mausoleum when you used to dodge bountyhunters for a living."
"Was that before or after Phoebe first told him she should have vanquished his sorry ass?" Paige commented, laughing quietly, as she threw her half sister a grin.
**********
"Mommy, do you think she remembers what she did? I mean, up in heaven? Do you think she knows she helped us?"
Phoebe Halliwell looked at her daughter, her mouth forming a slight smile, as she watched her lay a group of daisies beside the young woman's gravestone, her tiny fingers letting go of them with careful precision, her knees positioned in the grass below, as she gently took her backpack off her shoulders, resting it on the lawn. "It's hard to say, Alex. I mean, some people like Grams come back to us when we need them." She sighed. "But others, even though they were good people- have found their place and are content where they are. I imagine they have thoughts, but I don't think they have all of the memories."
"But it's not good to lose the memories, is it?" she whispered. "Because memories make us who we are, right?"
She nodded. "In a sense. But we also have some that are just not as important as the others."
"Are you saying she's not remembering in heaven because she doesn't want to?"
"It's a lot more complicated than that."
"How complicated?"
"Sometimes you just know, right before you die, and it all somehow becomes clearer for you to accept it and move on to a better place. Other times, you're haunted, and you're sent back to achieve what the higher powers had in store for you."
"But if the higher powers meant for Miss Franklin to do good, why did something so bad happen to her?"
"There's a lot that's uncertain about who they choose and who they don't. But if it's one thing you can be proud of, it's that she was a great friend in the end. She played both sides to help us take down evil. It's an accomplishment worth a great deal more than we could ever know."
"Kind of like how Daddy saves the world?"
Her smile relaxed a bit, growing wider. "Your dad's a very special man."
"And that's why you still love him so much, right?"
She laughed. "I loved him before I knew he was special."
"And now Miss Franklin will never get to find love, will she?"
"She already had it before she left. You cared for her, didn't you?"
The little girl beamed, as she put a petite hand upon the stone. "I don't think she's really gone," she added, her voice not even a whisper.
"Not in your heart," Phoebe told her.
"No, I mean now. I don't think they would let her go away from us."
"Sweetie, I know it's still a little hard to accept, but you have to trust that she is being taken care of in the best way they know how."
"But who is they?" she wondered, turning around to meet Phoebe's gaze, her small face appearing slightly troubled. "Who takes care of her, and how do we know they do a good job?"
"The Elders have to see that she went somewhere that acknowledged her for all she did for us."
"And you said The Elders don't do anything," she protested softly.
"It's just a figure of speech, Alex. It's not that they don't try and stay true to helping us."
"But nothing's ever for sure, right? Didn't Daddy tell me that once? If I know there are only good heroes, why do the bad keep trying to take them away?"
"Celia was selfish. She was consumed by greed. There will always be bad people in this world, and you can't ever change that."
"But you and Daddy work to try, don't you?"
"Yes, we do. A lot more than either of us probably realize."
"Tell me, Miss Halliwell. Do you also agree that even heroes must have a thoughtful, but persistent act of revenge taken upon them....even if they have started to pursue a truth of good in their lives?"
Phoebe jumped as the hand fell onto her shoulder, a blonde man coming into view rather suddenly, his large frame dropping itself beside her, as he took a few minor steps forward, a small smile pinching the corners of his mouth, as he surveyed the cemetery with a hopeful gaze.
"I mean, with all due respect, I firmly believe the lovely Chloe Franklin was entirely spent, and would have probably begged for death a great deal sooner."
"Who are you?" she whispered, struggling to keep her voice steady, as she immediately stepped away, pulling Alex to her protectively, as she narrowed her brown eyes, regarding the stranger with an even greater sense of suspicion.
"Did you know that once your heart stops, the only pain you feel is the life you never really lived?"
"Chloe died an honorable woman-"
He held up a hand to silence her, chuckling quietly to himself, as his eyes grew wide. "Her honor was better left as scraps to the wolves, wouldn't you agree? You have to realize that even Miss Franklin was no match for what awaited her, nor are you and your precious little girl. It isn't nice to fool ourselves and become diluded with such petty occurences."
"What do you want?"
"It's such a simple question, isn't it? Want. Have. Need. They're all so flawless, and yet they corrupt our nature to the very core. You're not here now because you really care. In fact, you're only here now to mend your grief that you were not in time to save her."
"And you don't know anything about me," she snapped. "So I suggest-"
"No. No, Miss Halliwell. I'm afraid I'll be the only one giving orders here today. And as it so happens, I have one for your husband. I never honestly intended to present myself in person, but nonetheless there are consequences for my actions, and I will undoubtably pay for them for risking it."
"Who are you?" she repeated, her eyes growing completely cold.
"Seth Kellerman, attorney at law. Trust me, it's a name you'll know well when this is over." He raised an eyebrow. "We represent-"
"I know who you represent, and I'm through with this conversation."
"Your fear leaps up at you more than you know. I can feel it coursing about your veins- you're shaking inside, Miss Halliwell."
"You leave us alone, and you leave Cole-"
"I'm sorry to say Cole and I have some unfinished business to pursue. You see, he's not the easiest man to persuade when he's got the little wife on his arm. In truth, it's no better than a little kid in a candy store. You give a child too much, and he develops an addiction for a substance that rots his teeth. You give a former demon too much of a pathetic little witch, and he goes soft and leaves you hanging by your limbs."
"Maybe you didn't hear me," she stated, her mouth set in a tight line. "I'm not as defenseless as I seem."
"Oh, I'm damn sure you could kick my ass all the way to your house from here. But rest assured, you merely have a warning. Think nothing of it, and carry on. Oh, and.....be sure to tell the infamous Mr. Turner I stopped by for a friendly visit, would you? Afterall, it's like I always say. Better late than never, right?"