A Kind of Magic
part 9
..."Dammit, Jake! I said I was sorry! And...and so maybe I am one of the worst girlfriends in history. Alright? I'll admit I did wrong. I just...want- really want you to forgive me. Please?"
"Oh, puh-leeze," Paige scoffed. "These things are even worse at night. Just how pathetic is she?"
"I think she really likes him, Aunt Paige."
"No, see, that's what these programs want you to believe. But next week, we'll probably see her with someone else saying the exact same lame speech." She sighed. "Flaws...way too many flaws. Whatever happened to the classics?"
"The classics? What are those?" Alex asked.
"When soap operas actually meant something."
"But she-"
"You have a lot of growing up to do yet," she pointed out.
"Tracy, it's over. I can't live my life like this."
"Oh, sure. And behind the scenes, it's an entirely different story."
"Um...I really hate to spoil your fun, as it would just break my heart," a voice behind her cut in, well coated with sarcasm, "but some of us actually support quality programming."
"We were sharing girl talk," Paige informed him. "Not that it's any of your busin-"
"Paige, my daughter is four years old. The one negative influence she does not need right now, is tv that's a waste of time."
"Oh, c'mon. This is completely harmless," she objected.
Clad in a white t-shirt and blue pj bottoms, the unshaven ex-demon frowned, his handsome face clouded. "And in this day in age? It's wise to turn to that which we call cartoons."
"I-"
"She already has more than enough violence in the real world. Why do you want to add more?"
"I like this show," Alex added. "It's funny."
"Look, soap operas are not violent," she protested. "They actually serve to inform us of poor judgement in our own lives."
"Oh really?"
"Yes. Such as...the quest in finding your soulmate."
"And I've already found mine," Phoebe echoed, a slender hand going around her husband's waist. Clothed in a spaghetti strap top with matching pants, a pair of crisp white socks clung to her feet. Cole pulled her further into the embrace, smiling.
"Jake, I'm not the- I'm a changed person. It'll be different this time, I promise."
"But you don't know the first thing about committment. You've cheated on me-"
"Okay!" Cole interrupted again, raising his eyebrows. "Think it's time you got some sleep, Ally."
"But I'm not tired," the little girl protested.
"No, but after you count some sheep, you will be," he insisted.
Phoebe playfully hit him. "I think we argue more than that couple. And they're fictional."
"See," Paige added. "It isn't as terrible as you're making it out to be."
"No, it's worse."
"Look. Why don't we leave them be, and....you and I can have a moment to ourselves?" Phoebe suggested.
"Phoebe, I do not want her engaging in something that may just ruin any future relationships she has-"
"But she knows it's all make believe," she told him quietly.
"Does she?"
"Paige has it under control," she assured him. "C'mon..."
She held out her hand, her eyes pleading with his. "We'll tuck her into bed a little later. It's....not like she's going to be getting up for school tomorrow."
Cole sighed, mindlessly brushing past her, as he slowly shrugged. Pushing open the back door, he let it slam shut behind him.
"Well," Paige threw out. "Guess somebody's feeling left out."
"Just stay out of it," Phoebe snapped, giving her sister a long glare. Shaking her head, she followed her husband, her socks sliding on the bare floor.
"Is something wrong with Daddy again?" Alex asked, averting her eyes from the television screen.
"It's called in-laws," Paige quipped.
"What's that?"
"It's the people in your family that you'd probably be much better off not being related to," she explained.
"You don't like Daddy, do you?" she returned.
"Now what makes you say that?"
"You're always telling mean words to him."
Paige sighed, her face finally displaying a hint of guilt upon her niece's accusation. She put a hand to her forehead, staring off in the direction Cole had taken. She moved her mouth, but nothing came out.
"Aunt Paige?"
"It's not that I don't like him," she brought forth. "It's what we've all had to go through with him."
"Go through?"
"Your mom doesn't like me repeating all the stuff from his past. And most of the time? He's actually a pretty nice guy." She frowned. "Guess I'm just conflicted."
"He was a half demon," the little girl offered.
"Yeah, and it was Phoebe who turned him from those ways of his when she met him."
"How evil was he?"
"Alex....you know- your Daddy is just different. But....you can bet he loves your more than anything. Alright? You have nothing to hold against him."
**********
"Honey, what's the matter?"
"She's trying to corrupt our child." Cole let his eyes wander along the outside world, lingering upon the lake a short distance out. He lazily leaned into the wooden deck, his hands spread out before him.
"I....think you're just upset because she doesn't seem eagerly willing to watch Court Tv."
"That's not it, and you know it." He took a deep breath. "So much is happening all at once, and....I...I can't help but feel so far away. You know?"
"That's only normal," she pointed out.
"I'm trying my damnedest to be there for her, but what if The Dark takes her, and I find myself completely helpless? Hmm? What then? She won't even know what to do-"
"The Dark is not going to get her," she told him, pulling her arms closer to her. Looking up at the night sky, she shivered slightly.
"How do you know? She's not the kind who just fools around and takes her time. She knows what she's going to do, and she eventually does it."
"As you've already implied-"
"Yeah, and Paige is not the issue here, alright? So I got a little angry at the soap operas. Big deal. The truth of it is, I don't think we ever fully touched base upon our own problems."
"Our...own problems," Phoebe slowly repeated, considering his statement.
"Having Alex never changed much," he continued. "It only gained me the ounce of respect I would never have gotten from your sisters otherwise. Things were just....put on a temporary hold."
"But that has nothing to do-"
"You're wrong. It's the fact that you refuse to see what you are half the time- what you've worked so hard at to get to where you are now."
"We're both successful."
"Phoebe, I need to know that you're with me, and I need to know that-"
"I am," she interrupted, a frown crossing her face.
"Because it's going to get pretty tough from here on out, and I- you can't just walk away from any of it."
"Have I ever walked away before?"
"Do you really want me to answer that?" he added sarcastically.
"Why don't you just come out and say what you really mean then," she urged.
"Everytime something isn't going right, you run."
"Cole-"
"Deny it all you want. But you've been like this since I met you, Phoebe."
"Yeah, and you told me to run today."
"It's not the same thing," he said, shaking his head. "I- look, remember when you left me to die in the wasteland?"
"Cole, that's over, and-"
"Just hear me out," he pleaded, turning around.
She drew her gaze to the woods, her mouth set in a determined line. "Fine."
"When I was evil, it was near to impossible to control the things I did. What's more, you should know all too well what it's like yourself, yet you fail to recognize its consequences. I have to live with everything I've done, and I'll never get a break. You, on the other hand, are always given chances to redeem yourself because you're a Charmed One. You've done a lot of good, and it overrules the bad. Me? The only thing I've got that helps me to redemption....is Ally." He smiled. "She sees me for the man I've become."
"And....you don't think I do?" she asked in a small voice.
"Bottom line? You better figure out where your loyalties lie."
"Yeah, and I wish we could just go back to being us again."
"Just...promise me something, alright?"
"Cole-"
"Promise me I'm not going to lose you again, okay? Because I can't bear-"
She threw her arms around his neck, pulling him close. She shut her eyes, clinging to his tall frame. "You never did," she whispered in his ear.
"Dammit, Phoebe. I...I just wish I knew she'd be safe."
"She is," she assured him.
"Right now. But what about tomorrow, and the next day...?"
"We'll take them as they come. There's not much we can do now. It's late," she reminded him.
"Yeah."
"Oh, what the hell?!" came a loud booming voice from inside.
Both of them shot a quick glance at one another, making a mad dash for the family room. "Paige!" Phoebe called back. "Is everything-"
"They got back together. Can you honestly believe it?" she scoffed, throwing out a hand, as she gestured to the tv.
"Okay?" Phoebe finished. "Alright. Wait a minute. Rewind. We thought something was-"
"She totally played him," she continued. "And he fell for it."
"Um...excuse me while I not care," Cole quipped.
"But it was a complete load of cra-" Upon catching Alex's eyes on her, she smiled. "Of...of garbage," she added.
"It's just a plot put together by people who cant possibly lead sane lives," Cole confirmed, hands propped lightly against his hips.
"And again I say- we do?" Paige retorted. "But this chick is so full of it. No...wait. Maybe he's a lot stupider than I thought. I mean, he's really cute and all, but what kind of guy takes-"
"Goodnight, Paige," Phoebe mumbled.
"Goodnight?" her sister mulled over. "Hey- I'm only trying to analyze it. What's so awful about that?"
"They have chat rooms for it," Cole told her, walking after Phoebe. "We'll see you in the morning."
"Guys-"
"See ya, Aunt Paige," came the last reply, as Alex got up from her place on the sofa.
"Alex-"
"Daddy says I have to go to bed."
"But you-"
"'Night!" she yelled back.
"Oh, fine," she said quietly, slumping into the little girl's spot. "Nobody appreciates a good debate anymore."
**********
"What are you forgetting?"
"What, Daddy?"
He laughed. "What do your mother and I always tell you to do before you go to sleep?"
She thought for a moment, her eyes getting big. "My prayers," she whispered then, kneeling down on the side of the bed.
"That's right. C'mon, we'll say them together tonight, alright?"
"Okay."
"Ready?"
"Yep."
"Alright."
"Now I lay me down to sleep, I pray the Lord my soul to keep, if I should die before I wake, I pray the Lord my soul to take," they softly recited in unison.
"Daddy?" she whispered again, as she climbed beneath the covers.
"What?"
"Do you think I won't be here before I wake?"
"Ally, don't talk like that."
"But those bad people want me-"
"For your powers," he explained.
"Are they going to hurt me though?" she asked weakly.
"No," he whispered back, hugging her tiny frame. "Because I won't let them."
"Hey sweetie," another voice sounded in the room. "Ready to catch some z's?"
"Yes, Mommy. Daddy and I already said our prayers."
"You did?" she asked, giving her daughter a kiss. "Well, I guess that covers it then. Sleep tight, alright?"
"Yep."
"Sweet dreams."
"Sweet dreams to you too," she added, smiling. "I love you, Mommy."
"Love you too, honey. Goodnight."
"Goodnight."
"Don't let the bed bugs bite," Cole added jokingly, flipping her light switch.
"Cole, really."
"What?"
"Nobody uses that anymore."
"Ugh. Has anybody seen my toothbrush?" Paige questioned.
Phoebe groaned. "Maybe Piper just forgot to pack it."
"Oh, well, isn't that just wonderful," she muttered angrily.
"So," Cole stated, ignoring the rambling. "Now that we're finally alone....." Giving his wife a big grin, he gently kicked their bedroom door shut.
"You know, I don't think she's ever been that irritable before," Phoebe commented, considering it.
"Let's....not worry about her now, alright?"
"Mmm. Agreed." She met his lips in a gentle, passionate kiss, running her hands slowly through his dark hair. Cole's arms secured themselves around her waist, lifting her off the ground. She let out a low giggle, as he carefully lay her on the bed, neither of them breaking the long kiss. For the first time in a long time, Phoebe fully gave into her heart, trusting the emotions that had long since been laying dormant inside of her.
Cole finally broke away, placing tiny kisses upon her face. "I love you," he whispered.
She held his blue eyes, giving him a small smile. "I love you too."
"How much?" he teased, as a grim spilled across his gorgeous features.
"Oh...a lot," she brought forth, her tone equally playful.
"How...much is a lot?"
"You're relentless."
He carefully placed a trail of kisses upon her neck, as more giggles escaped her lips. "Mmm. Want me to stop?"
"I wish you wouldn't."
"Good," he responded softly, uttering a quiet laugh.
"Yeah?"
"Yep-"
"Mommy, Daddy?" a small voice pleaded, rapping lightly against the door.
Cole sighed, defeated, as he rolled over on the opposite side of the bed. He closed his eyes. "What is it, Ally?"
"Can I sleep in your bed tonight?" she asked softly. "I'm scared."
"Honey, we just put you-" Phoebe started.
"I'm scared," she said again.
Cole laid a hand upon the door, pulling it open. "Where's that aunt of yours?"
"She's snoring, Daddy, and it's making my ears hurt," she finally confessed.
He laughed. "So that's why you came all the way over here," he surmised, smiling.
"Were you and Mommy busy?"
He threw a look at Phoebe, raising his eyebrows. She smirked at him, putting a hand over her mouth. "No," he answered. "We were just....going to..."
"Watch some tv," Phoebe filled in brightly. "Here, wanna see what's on?"
"Cool. You have a tv in here?" Alex exclaimed, eagerly taking the tuner from her mother's hand.
"Oh, hey, look, The Three Stooges," Cole chimed in, genuinely shocked. "Think this is one I haven't caught yet. Keep that on."
"Okay, Daddy."
"Cole-" Phoebe began, clearly miffed.
But he wasn't listening. Picking up his daughter, he placed her on the bed, immediately taking a seat beside her. "Now this is great tv," he told her with a smile.
"Men," Phoebe muttered, shaking her head.