Faded Fragments
part 21
Cole Turner shifted slightly in the dark, his blue eyes adjusting themselves to the vast dimness that encompassed him, slowly letting his hand trail quietly down her bare back. She lay fairly content on the opposite side of the bed, her slender frame having grown incredibly still, the sheets drawn up to shade only half her body. She stirred rather briefly from the faint bout of movement, her shoulder blades offering him just the slightest hint of emotion as he watched them profess the tiniest of shrugs. A soft smile crept across his beautiful features, the bruises she'd inflicted already beginning to fade, as he heard a sigh escape her lips, its volume no more than a mere fracton of a whisper. She was entirely vulnerable now, and as much as that worried him, it also brought a sense of hope back into his heart again, weaving its way into the life he almost believed he'd very nearly lost. A part of her had remembered him, and had remembered him for the good man he'd become...not the evil that had taken him over. She saw him as the man, and not the Source he'd let manipulate him under the hand of the conniving, but strangely efficient Seer, in order to gain the upperhand in a world she was convinced was destined for a higher power- with an equally supreme being to rule in that power. He'd been to the Wasteland and beyond, and each and every time, the only thing he ever wanted was her. He'd seen things she couldn't even possibly begin to fathom, and yet the part...the knowledge that had always brought him comfort, was knowing she wasn't too far away for him to touch.
"Thought you'd be gone by now," she mumbled, still half asleep.
"Gone," he repeated, his voice kept low and almost dangerous in the dark, his tone reciting more of a statement than a question, as it immediately stirred something in him.
"Yeah, well, it's a proven fact," she continued. "All men leave Phoebe Halliwell at some point or another, so I more or less figured you were next on the list."
"Is that what you were afraid of?" he questioned faintly, his heart almost bleeding for her, as he felt a sharp course of pain flow through it, causing his unshaven visage to reluctantly wince.
She turned to him then, arms carefully tucked in front of her breasts, hands propped on her pillow, as she lay on her side, her mouth forming a short grin, her own eyes amazingly full and alive, as she calmly studied his blues, the sheet falling even further off her hip. "I know your hands," she said softly. "Just the way....no one's ever cared for me this way before, Cole. I mean, not really, you know? It's all different now. I've had- I've had so many men come and go, and the weird part is...the part that still catches me, is that you really see me the way I've never seen myself. And yes. That scares me. I'd probably be safe to assume it always has."
"Why?" he pressed, his hand hesitantly laying itself across one of hers.
"Because I finally know of all of the love that little girl came from. I know that she has two parents who would go to great lengths to protect her no matter what- and probably have...and I know she must have the greatest respect in the world for her dad. I can see what she sees, and that comforts me.."
"Must've also been where the other two came from that followed," he added, laughing to himself, as he unexpectedly reached out to teasingly pull her against him, gingerly letting his strong hands encircle her back.
"See, you can say that now, because you've obviously got me right where you want me," she whispered. "And not that I'd complain about that-"
"But?"
"But what?" she challenged, him, adding a small smile.
"There's always a but."
"This might surprise you, Cole Turner, but I have absolutely no objections to letting you do what you must with me." She laughed, her hands reaching up to frame his face, her fingers running firmly along the mass of stubble on his face. "Mmm...I could just make you shave, but considering how great you looked walking into my office that day, I'd probably best reconsider that option entirely."
"First impressions," he mused.
"And I don't know how long I'll be apologizing for the Jake stuff, but I really do mean every bit of it. I just...you caught me at a very bad time in my life, and I just wasn't looking for anything to make it any more complex than it already was. But I have to thank the world that you did, or else I would have still been that miserable woman I was on the verge of turning into prior to your arrival on a permanent basis. I'm beginning to think even the wicked witch of the west had nothing on me and a house hadn't even fallen on any of my sisters. But then I found out I had a husband, a little girl, a good and very promising life, and one that I apparently missed out on with a hell of a lot, including this," she admitted. "I just...I could spend all day here, and never want to leave, Cole."
"We still have to deal with Seth yet," he murmured. "I don't think it's going to be easy, and I-"
"Far from it," she agreed.
"But that's why you need to put aside everything you might've felt about your sisters before this, and work with them to beat this thing."
"It's weird, but I can vaguely recall something about a demon-fighting, ass kicking witch who never let them down."
He grinned, his mouth close to hers. "And I can vaguely recall telling that witch that that's absolutely right."
"So everything's not lost," she mumbled. "I can do this, and I can do it with them."
"You can, and you will," he told her. "Seth probably still trusts you on some level."
"I doubt it. Especially not after what you did back there. I'm still surprised I haven't received my very own personalized invitation to join the ranks at the asylum yet."
"Phoebe."
"Look, you implied you had a history with this guy, right?"
"A brief history," he sided, raising his eyebrows, as he gingerly touched his lips to her cheek.
"Right. So maybe if you tell me what's- and if you're going to keep doing that, can you try and make it a little less noticeable?"
He pulled away, a thumb calmly rounding off her jawline. "We killed a very dear friend of theirs. Celia. Celia was in turn trying to resurrect the spirit of her old and forgotten lover, Wosret, which she attempted to do through me. She dragged me into a portal to ancient Egypt, and tried to possess me. She failed, because my love was too strong for you. In the end, our daughter helped vanquish her, and Kellerman's firm heard of our victory. When you found out I was simply acting the part of Wosret, if only so I could get us the hell out of there, you wouldn't speak to me for awhile, and wouldn't forgive me for taking on the persona of a crazy man- which included nearly slamming my fingers shut in a door. Needless to say, it doesn't sit too well when you're already in hot water, because you also can't get a former demon to join your ranks. He knows that and it burns him up inside. Celia must have meant more to them than they originally let on. But given the circumstances, I still can't quite figure out why any of them refused to come and save her, if only to plead for the very existence she was willing to shatter for some man who didn't give a damn about her welfare."
"You again," she managed.
"Me."
"So in a nutshell, they're pissed because you destroyed a woman who wasn't really all there in the head to begin with."
"That's the demonic for you. Always reaching out to their own, despite the homicidal maniac inside them."
"Is it me, or have demons just gotten all the more lame over time?"
"Not just you," he confirmed, laughing softly to himself.
"Maybe there's a conspiracy in the works."
"Phoebe, we need to get out of here. Whether or not anything can be said for-"
"But this is what's it's become, hasn't it? The world? You said yourself that it somehow altered itself to a kind of past frame of existence."
"It's their world now," he whispered. "And something tells me Seth and Patrick weren't the only ones with an agenda on their hands, much less a bigger one. On the contrary, I think someone else is pulling the strings."
"You think Clay is in on this?"
"Phoebe, he's a lot of things that don't exactly come around to my liking right now, but I hardly think he's capable of organizing a mass vanquish. For starters, he could've given you up to Kellerman in a heartbeat already. He didn't. From what you told me, the only one he was out for was himself. That's not deception, that's greed."
"And maybe I'm just as much to blame, because I let myself be involved with that. Maybe I was being led this entire time, Cole. I mean, think about it. The New York stuff could have been some stupid ploy to get me on their side, so they wouldn't have any trouble beating you down. Clay's been known to be pretty manipulative in his time, and while I'm not the first to admit it, so have I. How do you even know you can trust me?"
"You shouldn't even have to ask that," he added, wincing rather briefly.
"But I'm asking," she insisted. "If it came down to it, you'd want to make sure your little girl is safe above all else, right?"
"That's not to say that I wouldn't-"
"You wouldn't. I wouldn't matter, because I don't even remember who you are."
"And I refuse to see this end without you."
"Maybe you won't have that choice," she countered, her voice bordering on a whisper. "Maybe I never had to exist in the first place."
"You can't get by without consequences. No one can."
"I built up this whole tough chick act to piss men off. Maybe it wasn't so much the fact that I felt let down by them, but that I was also making myself way too vulnerable in the process. I know what I was like when I first found that Book of Shadows in the attic that night, and I also know that my belief was so strong back then, and nothing could penetrate it. I learned to think differently, and not a day goes by where I don't feel sorry about what I did- even if it's only for a fraction of a second. I still recognize what I was born into and what it obviously meant to my mother before she died."
"The last thing I want to do is drag up the past," he started.
"But it's been with us the entire time. You've got yours, and I've got mine, and somehow...somehow they mesh, Cole. Because of what I saw, and how I saw you, they mesh. And I'm still saying I would never want that to happen any other way."
"I'm sensing another but here somewhere."
"You above anybody should realize what it's like to lose, right?"
"Considering how close I came with you, I'd be willing to take that on," he agreed, sitting upright, as he gently pulled the covers securely around his waist, his hands now resting comfortably upon each of his legs, a thumb drumming mindlessly atop his knee.
She followed the motion, as she picked herself up, refusing to shelter her upper body as she once again focused her attention towards him, entirely too aware that she was presenting herself in a form of nakedness that now seemed all too familiar to her. "And why do I feel the exact same way, when I still can't recall a damn thing about you?"
He forced a lazy smile to the surface then, feeling it nearly reach clear to his ears. "I think it probably means you're ready to remember now."
"I'd like to," she volunteered. "I mean, I'd be denying myself a hell of a lot, wouldn't I?"
"Over five years worth of memories."
"Do the other two look anything like me?" she asked then, her face hopeful as she glanced at him with a sudden eagerness. "Anything at all? I mean, I just can't seem to resist being curious, and I-"
"I like to think all of them inherited their dad's good looks," he deadpanned, his face entirely expressionless as he simply stared back at her, his blues just as unreadable as his countenance.
"Cole-"
"What's wrong with a little honesty?" he returned.
"That's...that's just downright cruel, you know that?"
"Is it really?"
"So help me, Cole-"
"You bought it, you know you did-" Cutting himself off, he made a grab for her, a hand reaching behind each of her ears, as he gently held her head stead in his grasp, his eyes surveying her body with a renewed interest, his eyebrows raised in anticipation of her reaction. He looked into her eyes again, studying them for even the faintest hint of a response, his blues searching them rather intricately, as he continued to hold her at arm's length. "I guess it would also be one big fib to say this night wasn't the best one of my life- and believe me when I say a hundred years is a long time."
"Yeah?" she whispered playfully.
"Well, there was that one night after we defeated the Dark, where-" But she had already silenced him with a deep kiss, her slender hands clamped solidly to his jawline, pulling him towards her without warning. Bodies once again brought together, they remained upright, their positions shifting only slightly, as the kiss became more passionate, a soft moan escaping her lips.
"Either way, you can't deny that I was good," she continued, eyeing him up, as she reluctantly pulled away.
"There was some dispute, but overall, I'd have to plead the fifth," he finished.
"You can't be serious," she breathed. "After-"
"And it doesn't count, Phoebe. This is what counts. Right now...here with you. This is what I find myself living for- this place..."
"Makes me wonder if I really did appreciate you in that other life. And if I'll even remember what we shared in this one."
"You still loved me," he pointed out. "And that's all I needed to know."
"I do love you," she told him, smiling. "Right now. Right here."
**********
"Are you sure this is a good idea?"
"And what would you rather do, Prue? Wait this out until we're all dead? Besides, there's no time like the present, and if we currently run short of having a present, I am not going to be the one to say I told you so."
"Did you understand anything you just said?"
"That depends on who was listening."
"Listen, I know your heart is set on Nick and all, but putting faith in him is exactly what-"
"He wants me to do," Paige finished. "And if he says we're in danger, I think we're in danger."
"And you're putting Cole's life on the line by coming here. Don't you get that? You'll lead them right to him."
"Since when have you ever been in favor of not seeing him meet an ill fated end?"
"Yeah, and why does everyone keep saying that? Just because he's changed, doesn't that mean I can, too?"
"Maybe that's exactly what it means, Prue."
"We've tried everything. Dan's already suspicious concerning our actions, Piper's still trying to have the perfect life with him, and currently I'd say we've already exercised all of our options as they stand. She's of no help to us, Paige. None whatsoever, and I don't know about you, but I'm not going to stand around waiting for a wedding ring and roses to find out what happens next."
"And do you really think we're going to get any answers out of Cole? This Cole we're talking about. The most, probably the most brooding, lovestruck man out of any century."
"There's only one way to find out, isn't there? He's gotta know more than we do at this point. He's spent enough time with her, hasn't he?"
"Yes, and as her sister- half sister, I still see a tremendous objection to that."
Prue pursed her lips, studying her, as they decidedly approached the front door, her feet coming to a hesitant standstill, a thin finger hovering over the small gold doorbell. She sighed, rolling her eyes. "I don't see how it's any different with you and Nick. He's reformed, right?"
"He's working on it."
"Well there you go. I rest my case."
Paige Matthews raised a slender brow, narrowing her eyes. "And has Cole repeatedly made fun of you when you're makeup-less, thereby attempting to lower the only self esteem you have left? I don't think so."
"No, but I'm sure he probably means well when he says it. Not that it has anything at all to do with our current discussion, either."
"Oh, sure. And that's why there's built-up, rehearsed sarcasm to follow."
She rang the bell, as she continued to keep her eyes on her sister, tossing her hands into the pockets of her sweat pants, struggling to hold back the tiniest of smiles at the other witch's expense. "You should just be glad we got here in one piece."
"As opposed to several?" Paige quipped.
"Demons love to party," Prue offered quietly.
"And so does a witch with the power to orb her butt out of this neighborhood," she retorted. "My only words to them are catch me if you can."
"Mmm, I'm thinking more along the lines of help me, because I'm ultimately helpless with no active powers, but have it your way."
"And forgive me for apparently being so undeniably stupid, but I'm still wondering what it is the two of you are actually doing here in the middle of God knows what hour." The door had since been pulled open, and Cole stood there, barefoot and clad in a t-shirt and jeans, his expresion faintly amused, as his dark hair remained tossled a bit, his unshaven complexion highlighting his blues in the cold, night air. A strong hand was propped loosely aside one hip, and a foot had shifted its weight ever so slightly. "Miss me that much, Paige?"
"Yeah, nice move, Romeo. One look at you, and I'd that make that hypothosis ten to one about what you were really doing in there all by yourself with her."
"Can I help you with something, Paige, or are you just here to ridicule me for actually trying to get my wife back the good old fashioned way?"
"Se-" she started.
"Love," he corrected, his voice rising an octave, as a dark brow shot up.
"Yeah, and Nick says that we've got bigger fish to fry. It appears Kellerman's handed the baton over to fellow teammate Rickman, and you're still it."
"What? What the hell are you talking about?"
"Two to one," Prue volunteered. "Join the club."
"Where's Ally?" he asked, his expression falling somewhat, a hand running itself across his mouth.
"She's with Nick," Paige filled in. "He's trying to get something productive out of Piper, only the harder he tries, the more it doesn't seem to be working. She's Dan this, and Dan that, and there are so many Dans, you'd think he'd won the world series or something."
"She's still-"
"Yeah," Prue sided. "In a huge way. Which is why we came for you and Phoebe. I think they'll be closing in soon, and it's probably our one ticket out of this place, let alone the only potential exit strategy we've managed to uncover as of late. We tried to summon that Jake guy on our list of possible suspects, but miraculously came up empty-handed."
"Well, surprise, surprise," he murmured.
"Excuse me?"
"Oh, you didn't really think you'd catch him alive, did you?" He chuckled to himself, enclosing his bottom lip over the top.
"Funny as that may sound-"
"And how do you propose we do this? Hmm?"
"Look, it doesn't matter whether or not you agree," Paige tossed in. "We're going to need your expertise on this and you have to have a clear head to do it. And whether or not you want to- we'll do it without you if we have to."
"Yeah, and be that as it may, what Kellerman has in store for you is far from a picnic," Prue reminded him.
"I appreciate the concern, but I'm not going to just drop everything-"
"As much as I often fail to tell you I dislike you," Paige put in, "this is bigger than you thought- have I stressed bigger enough tonight? So you either bring the chick and come with us now, or-"
"That chick is your sister, and she's perfectly capable of letting me know who she is now."
"Oh, I just bet she is."
"It's not her fault that she can't remember a thing about- if it's any consolation-"
"She's still a Charmed One, and that's what we need."
"And she knows that."
"Yeah, and when I agreed to help you get her back, I didn't think you'd make a day out of it, much less some candlelight and cooing."
He held up a hand, shutting his eyes as he threw her a forced smile. "Point made. I'll be there. Just keep Ally safe. I'll shimmer Phoebe over to the manor and we'll get started. I should probably also mention that Phoebe and I had a run-in with Seth over breakfast this morning. Nice little chit-chat with the man himself, and the bastard made like he had no idea what the hell I was talking about. Probably trivial now, but he's probably still shaking in his boots."
"And you couldn't have mentioned this sooner?"
"Did I say trivial?"
"Yeah, but-"
"What happened?" Prue interrupted. "Because somehow life was just so much more fun when you were still trying to kill us."
"She punched me- twice, which I hardly think is any of your concern, because I saw it coming. Now go back to the manor and wait for me. I'm going to bring this fight to us."
"When it's so much easier for them to just attack us at a time fit for their liking?" Paige protested. "Thank you, but I think I'll just surrender and die now."
"Trust me," he added, a graceful smile spreading itself across his features.
"And when you talk like that, I honestly feel like doing it right now. Have a weapon, Prue? I think I'd like to impale myself with one swift plunge."
"If Rickman's involved, we can't risk exposure any more than we already have," he explained. "Something tells me this guy goes back to the wee hours of history and it's going to take more than a simple spell to send him back to the inferno."
"Wait, he's a demon?" Prue countered.
"Word was- last I heard, anyway, the son of a bitch was at the top of his game. Let's make sure he stays there, and put a little spin on it."
"Such as? I mean, contrary to all your know-it-all's in the Underworld, it might actually help if we had some primary examples of pro-demon combat here."
"Just make sure my daughter is safe," he emphasized, "because I have a feeling this is going to be one battle she's going to have to miss."