A Kind of Magic
part 19
Cole was falling. The heat from below made it near to nearly untolerable, as he quickly threw out a hand, stretching it eagerly towards the little girl. In an instant, she was able to grasp it, clinging to his slender frame. Cole closed his eyes, as a great wave of relief spread over him. He pulled her tightly to him, quickly shimmering away. The flames were beginning to rise, as both of them each latched onto a piece of rock, struggling to pull themselves up from beneath. "Are you okay, sweetie?" he asked her softly, his glance plagued with an exhausted expression.
"You saved me again, Daddy," she whispered.
"I did, didn't I?" he responded, forming a slow smile. "Thing of it is, I think I just used all of my strength on that one."
"Well, wonders never cease," The Dark cooed, as she appeared at the foot of the small cliff, her foot slowly covering Cole's hand. "Guess I should've known you'd do that. Oh, that's right, I did. Hell, I even timed it. Much too predictable, Turner." Putting a fragile hand across her mouth, she carefully mocked surprise, offering a low giggle.
Cole cried out in pain, as he heard the bones in his fingers snap, his hand tearing itself to safety. "Oh God."
"Oh, I'm afraid even He can't help you," she added proudly.
"What should I do, Daddy? What do you want me to do?" Alex asked frantically.
"There's nothing you can do, Ally," he concluded. "Dammit."
"Now maybe this time you'll stay there," The Dark continued, her foot inches away from his other hand. "Of course, I could probably use my powers to achieve your demise, but I figure I still have to master these new skills yet. You know, get some hours of practice in and all?"
"Master this!" came an abrupt voice from behind, as a rough blow hit her in the head. Falling to one side, The Dark quickly hit the ground, near to unconscious. "C'mon," the owner said, as she calmly held out a hand to them. "Before she wakes up."
"Paige? Did I die already?"
"Ugh. Listen, you can thank me later," she told him, shrugging off his tone. "Is she alright?"
"I'm fine, Aunt Paige," Alex said brightly, relieved to see another familiar face. Cole gave her a small push with his good hand, as Paige lifted her to her feet. Wincing briefly, he smiled, as his sister in law's hand firmly went to enclose itself around his own.
"How bad is it?" she inquired, making a face. "Maybe Leo can-"
"No," Cole objected. "It's alright. Let's just concentrate on getting rid of her now, okay? It stops here."
"How'd you know her name?"
"What?"
"You said her name. I heard you."
"Lucky guess?" he added sheepishly, holding his injured hand closer to him.
"Cole, seriously."
"It's just like you- listen, you were right," he said quietly. "Your past never goes away....no matter how much you want it too. Some things never change." He smiled then. "I guess I'm one of those things. And I- thank you," he acknowledged, giving in to her efforts. "Either way, after this is over, I think I'm going to be thinking differently about a lot."
"Cole, that was-"
"No, I mean it."
"Look, what you did? That goes beyond the call of duty."
"Wait, wait, wai- hold on a second here. You...you think I only watch over my daughter because I have to?" he asked, his face revealing the hurt. "That I'm just doing it to please Phoebe?"
"That's not what I'm saying at all."
"Then, what are you saying?"
"Um...look out?"
"Huh?"
She roughly shoved him to the side with her elbow, just as a ball of fire came sailing down his path. Their opponent had quickly revived herself, and had already stepped fully to her feet, a grin falling over her face. "Did you really think I could be taken out so easily?"
"I guess I should ask you the same question," Cole quipped.
"You leave my daddy alone!" Alex shouted. "You have your stupid dumb powers."
"Oh, honey. You really are....so...very innocent. You know, I'm willing to make exceptions, if your father goes with me. You could be right there with us, right by-"
"Not interested," the little girl said defiantely. "You're a mean lady who doesn't like to share. My daddy worked very hard to get where he is."
"Oh, really? You still believe that nonsense?"
***
"Phoebe? Um...next time you vanquish someone as the queen of all evil? Make sure they're truly dead."
"Piper, that's really not an issue here anymore."
"I know, but couldn't we have at least said a spell or something?"
"And Phoebe is already aware that spells won't work worth a damn," Julie shot back. She flung two large purple balls at them in one last attempt of fury. The sisters ducked the blows, dropping low to the ground.
"So your little daughter survived," she shrugged. "But it won't be for long. The Dark is going to bury all of you deep in hell."
"See? Like I said, your attitude totally pushes people away. Good or evil. I'm guessing your social life must be slim to none," Phoebe quipped. "You know, if I were writing an advice column for this, I think the headline would go something like-"
"Oh, save it," she spat. "So you have that stupid little job. Please. If I could only count how many times Cole went out of his way for you with that. Pathetic much?"
"She is really getting beyond getting on my nerves," Piper commented. "I mean, if that's even possible? And since when do they give them purple-"
"Since I became what I am now," Julie offered, smiling cruelly. "You can't get to me. It's honestly impossible. Though I'm really loving this workout."
"I wouldn't be too sure about that," a small voice said.
"Who-"
But her voice came to a halt, as the little girl slowly shoved her off the cliff, the tiny hands giving the villain a slight push. Julie's screams echoed along the hot walls of molten rock, finally subsiding as a bit of lava made its way up to the surface. Melinda instinctively jumped back, falling into her mother's arms. Piper held her tightly, glancing up at Phoebe. "We haven't got long now," she whispered. "This place is going to blow."
"Where's Leo?" she asked fretfully.
"Dad's fighting that beast shadow thing," Melinda explained.
"You don't think she'll come back, do you?" Piper asked, indicating their late enemy.
"Odds are? She's probably really dead this time, and I pray that she stays that way." In spire of herself, she laughed. "Who would have ever thought it was so simple? Personally, I was hoping I'd be the one to send her over the edge."
Piper forced a smile. "Ha. Ha. Now I know that was all in good fun, but I think my husband is going to need a little assistance."
"Right," she remembered.
"What about me?" Melinda asked.
"You're our hero of the day," Piper assured her, giving her head a small pat.
"I am? Really?"
"Now you just have to learn how to get those powers of yours down a bit more, and you'll be set."
"Is Alex gonna get her powers back?"
"I think so," Phoebe added, nervously biting her lower lip.
"She will," Piper emphasized. "Trust me."
"I hope so," Melinda added, her voice just above a whisper.
***
"So what kind of stories are you filling the little brat's head with now?"
"Haven't told her anything," Cole told her, wincing in pain again at his hand. "And even if I did, it wouldn't be a lie."
"Delusions," she claimed.
"You're a delusion," Alex told her, her expression forming a frown on her small face.
"Well, it doesn't matter, anyway," she sided. "I'm through pretending to play nice. It's time to see what this little wicca was made of."
"Uh, wouldn't do that, if I were you!" a familiar voice rang out.
Leo Wyatt struggled with the demon The Dark had previously summoned, doing his best to avoid being swallowed up by the large creature. The beast inched closer to him once again, enveloping him in a thick cloud of smoke.
"What, he's trying to be a hero now?" Cole tried, rolling his eyes. Groaning with the effort, he brought up his free hand, tossing two bolts of lightning their way. Offering a low growl, the monster turned his attention on the ex-demon, moving toward him full force.
"I could have handled it!" Leo yelled back.
"You're supposed to kill it, not provoke it!" Piper called, as she ran up behind her husband.
"I was getting to that part," he assured her. "A couple more seconds, and I"
"You would've been dead, sweetheart," she told him seriously. "That's why we came."
He frowned, clearly troubled. "I didn't need your help," he argued. "I had him."
"Now Cole's got him," Phoebe muttered under her breath. "Way to go."
"Yeah, way to go," Melinda echoed, sounding proud of herself.
"Oh, great, you too?" He raised his eyebrows, studying the far side of the underground hut. "Where's-"
"She's vanquished, gone, dead," Phoebe sounded out happily. "Think I belittled her with my puns. They made her weak."
"Come on!" Cole called out. "What are you waiting for?!"
The creature opened its mouth, a pair of sharp teeth residing inside it. "You have sinned against your own kind many a time. You should have died down there." It paused a moment. "What is it that keeps you alive?"
"Finish it!!!" The Dark screamed. "Finish them all!!!"
"Again, I vote anger management," Piper hissed, struggling to avoid a snicker.
"You witches....dare to go up against me, even with all that I currently possess?!" she roared, her eyes training themselves to an even deeper red.
"My Lady, we will destroy them in-"
"Goodbye," she whispered, as she broke into a hysterical fit of giggles. She waved a ball of fire over him, watching, as the being erupted into a film of dust, a vast mass of air taking its place. She turned on her remaining prey. "Surprise, surprise. Powers still intact."
Cole put a hand on his daughter's back, slowly bringing her to him, as he motioned to Paige to carefully back away as well.
"Say farewell to true love," she snapped.
"You can't destroy what you never had," Cole reminded her.
"Because you, of all demons-"
"I'm not a demon anymore," he snapped back. "Why can't you just learn to accept your own failure?"
"Because. I...never....fail." With one hand, she tossed the little girl to the side, as she watched Alex fall to the ground in a lifeless heap. Her fingers outstretched, she flung two energy balls at Leo and Piper, getting both of them in one clean sweep. Screaming, Piper fell beside her husband, a gaping wound taking shape on her stomach. Leo remained ever so still, his eyes sealed shut. His hands, newly caked with the earth below, lay open, as he stayed face down in the dirt. Grinning from ear to ear, she laughed. "Now that? Is more like it, hmm?" Placing a finger to her lips, she pondered the moment, her eyes finally settling directly on Paige's look of pure horror. "I knew I was forgetting someone."
"Don't," Phoebe whispered, her hand enclosed upon her sister's arm, the tears freely streaming down her face.
"Don't what?" she returned smuggly, her mouth forming a brief pout. "This?" A fireball resting calmly in her hand, she gave it a slight bounce. "I'll tell you. Sometimes it pays to deal with The Charmed Ones. Time I get rid of you too, little witch." Tossing it, she watched as both crashed into the rock debris behind them, falling to their knees.
"Well, you want me?" Cole pleaded, his eyes coated with a deep felt sadness. "Now you've got me. Let's go. Let's get this over with, shall we?"
"Poor husband. Can't even cry at his ever so annoying wife's demise."
"Oh, she's not dead," he challenged her roughly. "In fact, it's like I said before. She's actually pretty strong. Only...I'd really like to do the honors myself."
"But she will be. You no longer have your whitelighter fully capable of healing, do you?"
"And it's just like we'd surmised. You couldn't kill her before. And you can't now."
"But if she bleeds to death, there's nothing that can prevent her from going this time, is there?"
Melinda, meanwhile, had rushed to Alex's side, trying to shake her cousin awake. "Alex," she whispered. "Alex, c'mon. I...I...I'm really scared now. Alex?" When the little girl failed to respond, she looked fearfully in the direction of her uncle.
"When this is over?" Cole taunted. "We're all going to get our lives back. And you? Well...I guess you'll be nothing more than the fate of the infamous Julie, hmm?"
"And Julie was ever so stupid," she threw out. "And now that you're a hand short, I doubt you stand a chance either. Filling yourself with mindless fantasies of victory..."
"I like my life," he whispered. "And there's nothing more that I want, than to rid you of yours."
She laughed. "So let the games begin."