Shadows Of the Night

part 22

"You know, I can't help but feel that you are not in the least bit scared that you're about to die. Under normal circumstances, I would have you pleading for your life right about now."

"You want to throw that, throw it. As much as I would hate to admit it, especially at a time like this- I've been waiting for this for many years, Liz. I knew you'd find a way back to me. Above it all, I certainly knew you'd never forget. But you know....maybe I should actually be thanking you. Afterall, it was you who allowed me to come into contact with my son once again. Did that thought ever cross your mind? Because, in all honesty, I sure as hell wasn't going to pick your side willingly."

"Mmm. You know, Sterling loves that concept. Quite a great deal, actually. It's funny. But I also happen to believe he has some kind of ulterior motive in mind. Free will appeals to him because he lost someone very close. I could sense that the day I met him. Though, as rumor would have it, every demon speaks a different tale."

"Cole's too smart to play his games. You and I both know that." He cleared his throat ever so briefly, as he once again shifted his weight from one foot to the other. "According to what I've been told, he's not about to lose his family to evil. I, on the other hand, never had a choice. Did I, Elizabeth? You never let me save that boy when he should've grown up in-"

"Oh, stop your whining, Benny! This is ridiculous! You are well aware of the fact that he never had a prayer, weren't you? That the witch would have never come into his life, bearing us a magical grandchild. That child will be the key much later...the key to bringing about even more God forsaken good on this planet. My intention to rid the world of-"

"And you won't succeed," he challenged her. "Not in a million years, I assure you."

"Oh no?"

"Because even partners in crime have a few tricks up their sleeves."

"And I already told you that Sterling was merely an attempt to get to you. What more do you need, Benjamin?"

"Remember when we first met?" he asked her then, his expression suddenly softening, as his gaze travelled to her ever so briefly. "Do you ever recall that day?"

"Oh, darn, Benny. You know, I always wanted to make that photo album, but...stupid me...I was too busy making this world a better place to live in."

"I'm sure you were."

"Look, either way, we're not here to discuss what we were. As I've already told you, it's of no consequence to me now."

"I can still remember everything," he whispered. "I mean, you were always so...well, how should I put it? Stubborn in standing out in a crowd. So beautiful, so in need of every bit of attention that was thrown your way. That was a woman who knew what she wanted, and how to get it. You were a class act, you know."

"Stop it."

"But I suddenly caught your eye one day. You were at a party, having been thrown by none other than good old Dad. He was new in town, and had to establish his name with the locals. Your mother had quite the feast prepared, didn't she? She was so excited to finally meet some new faces in the neighborhood. And you weren't Turner then, were you? No, you'd only reflected a kind of innocence that lasted for so short a time. And of course....I bestowed my kindness upon that innocence, because it just happened to be the very first thing I noticed about you. You were standing on the ballroom floor, looking so completely helpless when I approached you." He smiled. "Your face turned a bright shade of crimson, and you took a small step back. Just as you're doing now, in fact. Your dress swept across that floor then, as you accepted my invitation to dance. You looked so full of life."

"I was young and obviously very stupid," she roughly snapped.

"But so very appealing."

"I could have picked a dozen other men that night," she confessed proudly. "You were only...convenient."

"Was I?"

"It was only because my parents knew all too well of what I was to become. They knew better than me. That's why we moved. To erase the turmoil I'd caused, prior to-"

"But you still can't deny it, no matter how much you said you do. You can't deny there was a spark there."

"Spark? No, Benny. It was just some really bad lighting."

"You married me soon after."

"And I can't take the fall for something I never-"

"Didn't you?"

"Love isn't truth," she whispered. "It's a mask refusing to let the darkness consume it. I took that darkness with everything I had, Benjamin. I triumphed in ways I never thought possible. But I knew, even then, that it was never enough for you."

"Evil only comes in if you-"

"You know what's evil? The very idea that our son let that witch carry his daughter. The neverending reality of it.....that child will never know what she could've become under the rule of The Dark."

"Lizzie, I think you know, just as well as I do, that the one thing you can never stop, is the powerful attraction he feels for her. Phoebe and Cole's is a love that goes beyond death. They've experienced it all, and they've made their choice."

"And what about you?"

"What about me?"

"Are you ready to say goodbye so soon?"

He laughed, his left hand propping itself beneath his chin, rather lightly. "I am when you are."

She gently tossed her ball of energy at him, watching in pure and utter astonishment, as he continued to easily stand his ground, the forcefield almost appearing to transpire directly through his lean frame. She frowned, parting her lips ever so slightly, as she tossed three more of them his way. Ending in the same means of powerless struggle, she growled deep in her throat, her eyes taking on a much darker shade of green. "You....you cheated," she quietly stammered. "You- you're not..."

"Did you really think I'd still agree to coming here if I didn't have some means of backup?" he responded carefully.

"But as I recall, the Charmed sisters merely added to their ever growing complaints regarding personal gain. This is, afterall, all of their doing, isn't it?"

"I'll let you be the judge of that."

"Benny, you're a mortal. Mortals aren't given the luxury of-"

"Then I guess you haven't taken a good look at your son lately. Have you? Because if I'm not mistaken, he's now as mortal as they come."

"You underestimate me terribly," she scolded, as a red lightening bolt emerged, and settled neatly into the palm of her hand. "I have not the patience to play with you much longer. The truth, Benjamin, is that you're a little too well educated on how our son destroyed anything we-"

"No. You only want to blame him to take the attention off yourself. It's like I said before. You have no clue of what you've done....how many things you've torn apart. It's all the same to you, Lizzie, isn't it?"

She let go of the red in her hand then, watching as it clearly struck him in the chest, his composure faltering listlessly to the floor, a tireless groan escaping his lips. A small vial gently rolled out of his grasp, and came to a halt only a few feet away, as she easily placed her heel upon it in response. Kneeling down, she pushed the ends of her long dark hair behind her, and placed a well manicured hand below to receive it. Securing it between her fingertips, she carefully inspected it rather briefly, a soft smile falling over her ageless face. "Well, well, well. It looks like someone was apparently doing their homework. And...if I must say....there is an awful lot you still aren't telling me. Isn't there, Benjamin?" His form struggled to raise itself, but he at once grew helpless with his efforts, shutting his eyes painfully from the hurt that had seeped inside of him, allowing his entire body to be subjected to a rather harmful ache. "Oh, don't worry. It may take awhile, but soon...it'll all be over before you know it. Now.... Maybe I ought to figure out this little present you so generously sought to bestow upon me, hmm?" She examined it once more, her nails tapping repeatedly against the glass.

"Oh, why be so quick to unravel the mystery?" a voice entered through the silence, emerging from the shadows. "You obviously don't have what it takes to become the next big bad anyway, do you?"

**********

"So...here we are. All left to our lonesome," the voice mused, as it grew somewhat hoarse, a smile softly crossing his face. "Tell me. What was it you found most intriguing about my story, Miss Halliwell?"

Phoebe looked up at her captor, her mouth set in a tight line, as she calmly narrowed her eyes at him. "Which part?"

"Oh, I like that. You do love to keep me guessing, don't you?"

"Touch me, and I'll-"

"But no one can hear you," he reminded her. "No one will come. It's much too impossible to find you now." He knelt down a bit to her level, his eyes travelling quietly over the thick rope that bound her hands tightly to the wooden post behind her, a fairly amused laugh suddenly plaguing him. "As much as you don't want to admit it, you're mine now." He placed a hand gently to her face, running a thumb neatly along her lower lip. "If you hadn't fought me so much, I may have been able to take those off. There's nothing more I want than to see you free, my love."

She returned the laugh, struggling for a brief moment within the boundaries that held her, her eyes continuing to stare into his. "You know, I think I'm actually going to enjoy watching you die most of all."

"I could clean that awful wound up, you know. All you'd-"

"No," she whispered, as she once again felt the bruise he'd given her earlier upon the right side of her face, the pain still failing to subside.

"You....don't like me this close to you, do you?" he taunted, his breath reaching her ear, as his hand settled against her waist, easily inviting itself against her petite frame.

Phoebe shut her eyes, as she turned away from him, her body threatening to break, as she tried to regain control over it- resisting his advances as best she could. "You're not him. You'll never be him."

"Oh, but I could," he suggested wickedly, his face abruptly changing form, as a surprisingly familiar one greeted her in response. Phoebe jumped, as she forced herself to concentrate her gaze on the shape Sterling had consumed, her brown eyes completely wide with shock. Almost instantly, he reverted back, frowning ever so slightly. "She didn't like me for who I was either, you know. She never liked anything about me."

"So you became Lowell to try an-"

"No. See, you're wrong. The powers I possess could have so easily been taken away for her. They could have been so easily repressed."

"Like Cole."

"And who wants to be Cole?" he countered, his tone rising. "He's just so undoubtably boring! But...as you may have already guessed....your husband was a very good source of inspiration for me in several instances. He allowed me to take chances- to reclaim what I thought I'd lost all of these years. It's quite extraordinary, really, and it was the perfect time to stage your absence." He smiled. "I knew about your child before Mr. Turner ever did. I sensed it that day you went to your interview, Miss Halliwell. You were so afraid to tell him, because you thought he might not want it. Though, if I may say, after last year's choas, I'd say you two have been quite busy."

"You know nothing about my life," she snapped. "Those are private-"

"Quite the contrary..."

"And Cole loves Alex. He would never even think about-"

"No, but another child? A son?"

"Look, are you going to just torture me and get it over with...or what? Because I am sick of listening to you run on about things you could never possibly hope to understand."

"Is that really what you want though?"

"Yes," she told him quietly, as she felt the ropes slice deeper into her skin. "End it."

"But if you die, that means your baby dies too," he sided, shrugging. "Not a wise choice, Miss Halliwell. Is it?"

"End it!" she shouted.

"Oh, but I haven't even gotten started."

"When he comes for me, you're going to wish you-"

"Ooops....here we go again. Nasty, nasty threats. Phoebe, do you have any clue what I could be to you? What I could give you and your son?"

"Like you tried to give Jacqueline?"

"I take it you'd like to hear more then?"

"Maybe I wouldn't."

"Oh, come now. Everyone loves a good campfire tale, right?"

"And I'm sure yours comes complete with all the slicing and dicing," she roughly quipped.

"No, that really was Crane who killed her. She really did die at his hands, just as I've hinted to you earlier. It's all true."

"You were obsessed."

"Maybe. But what's the difference?" He paused a moment. "I cornered her once, you know. Scared the hell out of her. Told her...that if she wouldn't love me, I'd take away all of the people she loved. She thought me to be bluffing. She thought I was merely spilling out mindless tokens to gain her affection. But I meant it. I meant everything I said. Her father was one of the richest men on the ship. He was a god in her eyes- literally. Don't do anything to piss off Daddy- he might seriously care. And that was the problem. That was the best part of it all...he never did. He never earned her love...nor did he want to. Not like I did. She was always afraid she'd done something to make him angry. When the reality of it was, he really could have been bothered less by her and her stupid little sister."

"And if you want my commentary now on the matter? I think you're just a selfish bastard who gets his kicks out of hurting women."

"Phoebe, Phoebe, whatever shall we do with you? You know...Jacqueline was difficult, I'll grant you that. But not nearly as difficult as you."

"Glad to hear it."

"You can't prevent what's to come, and I think you know that." He looked up toward the ceiling then, his eyes almost lighting up with a mysterious glow, as she offered a wide grin. Sterling then crossed his arms over his chest, absentmindedly tapping his foot upon the floorboards. "When the shadows of the night, come floating 'round my open door...I ofttimes think of the departed, those who have gone to the other shore...."

"What are you talk-"

"When the sound of rustling robes, falls gently on my ear, and light comes streaming through the darkness, down from the celestial atmosphere." He stopped a moment, finally lending her a short gaze. "And those I loved so dearly, come flitting through the gloom, to trim the burning taper, dimly burning at the tomb. When the voices of the night, mingle with the flow of time, in a solemn cadence, like the ghastly mariner's rhyme. And the whisperings of Death, create a feverish chill, rising from the meadow, over the woodland and hill. Then I seem to catch the sound, of some silvery chiming bell, floating through the darkness, from lands where fleshless mortals dwell."

"Fleshless mortals don't dwell on land," she whispered. "They're already-"

"And I hear the dashing wave, break on the nearing strand, as I wander onward, to the fair, appointed land. In my imagination, then, I hear the grating keel, od Charon's boat, as he helps us on board....his human cargo, with hands of steel." He laughed a moment, as he clapped his hands together in a mindless attempt. "John Preston Canpell. If only he could predict the so very near future."

"John who?" she echoed quietly.

"Oh, forgive me. I've been spending too much time consulting the books lately. John Preston Canpell. An poetic author I rather admire. So very true to my own goal, yes?"

"So you're going to try a spell on me, is that it?"

"Oh, much too simple."

"Then what exactly do you-"

"A kiss," he whispered.

"In your dreams," she hissed, as her hands began to move wildly behind her.

"It would seal our bond, and you'll be-"

"You said it was a game."

"Yes, and I'm awfully afraid Mr. Turner's time has nearly run out."

"Well, if you think you're going to get anywhere near-"

"Oh, you misunderstand. See, there is another alternative. One I've only just considered now, in fact." He brushed a strand of loose hair away from her eyes, as he softly cupped her cheek in one of his hands. "You're even more beautiful than she was..."

"Did I also mention I never date men twice my age?"

"Are you entirely sure about that?"

"Cole's mortal."

"But not always. Not when he was Belthazor, at least. I mean, correct me if I'm wrong, but Cole is well over one hundred seventeen years old."

"You said you didn't-"

"My research has helped me in more ways than you know."

"Really."

"You're not going to give in, are you?" he asked her.

She gritted her teeth together, as she fought once more to untie herself from the rope, her wrists repeatedly lacking the strength. "Whatever happened to rings?"

"Oh, it's more romantic this way," he assured her.

"Go to hell," she sided, wincing, as her gaze focused itself directly ahead, refusing to meet his eyes.

"How many times do I have to do tell you that I didn't kill-"

"It's not about killing. It's about doing what's right. And if I don't get out of this soon, all of those innocents aboard your ship are going to die."

"And as I told Mr. Turner, there is nothing that would give me cause to do anything about it."

"Mr. Sterling, those people have never done anything to you. They only wanted to get away for-"

"And don't you get it?!" he shouted. "There are no innocents. There are no innocents aboard that ship, Miss Halliwell. There never were! It was all staged by yours truly! There was no boy, there was no angry woman- they were all caricatures of my imagination. I created them!"

"What?"

"Those waters are more dangerous than you know. You really don't want to play around in them. Cole wasn't lying when his fear set in. And he knew I knew that."

"So it's tr-"

"Yes, it's true. Maybe more so than you'd want to believe."

"And you're just going to-"

"I'm going to make you walk the plank, Miss Halliwell. Just as the pirates used to do in the old days. I'm going to subject you to that punishment you've been longing for. How's that for a quick death? Because without the use of your hands, your chances of survival are slim to none. Well...maybe the plank isn't needed, but it may be more effective that way. Don't you think?"

"And if I kiss you...."

"Your world changes as you know it. That wedding ring comes off, and you and your son will be under my power for the rest of your lives. Only a prisoner, if both of you so choose."

"But it's free will," she whispered.

"Exactly. Now you're getting it. I need you to believe you love me, because you made that decision on your own, because you-"

"But I don't even know you," she continued. "How can you love someone you don't know?"

"You learn," he replied simply.

"And why do you want me? Why me?"

"You're so passionate," he whispered. "When I saw you, I just knew I had to have you."

"You already-"

"You have an outlook your sisters never did. You see beings like me for what we are inside. You don't judge us by our true outward appearance."

"I don't even know what you are."

"You loved him, after you found out, didn't you? You tried to deny it, but you couldn't. You couldn't turn away from him, after he professed his devotion to you. You wanted to throw that potion. But...something stopped you. What was it? Love? Hate? All of the above? You knew he was half demon, and yet you'd already fallen so deep, that you never had any hope of recovering."

"What does that have to do with you? Cole wanted to be good. He chose that path."

"And I desire both good and evil. Is that so bad?"

"I've had my share of evil, and I'd never go back. Never. You can say all you want, make me believe all you want, but it won't make any bit of difference to me at all. I made a promise to a man a little over five years ago, and I intend to keep it."

He roughly grasped her wrists then, tearing them from the post. Yanking her to him, he brought her close to him once again, so his lips were nearly touching her ear. "Then I guess the water will be your fate."

The words had triggered something in her- something she hadn't quite seen coming. All of a sudden her mind went blank, having been plagued with a vague premonition. Only...the events she saw had seemed to come to pass long ago, the colors a mass of swirling black and white, the images flying by within mere seconds of time. She saw a girl, blonde...her back turned, her wrists bound by some kind of heavy material....chains. She was being carried toward the rail of the ship, her cries encircling the vessel for all it was worth, her face stained with fresh tears. Her opponent had begun to ease her farther over the edge, his attention clearly indifferent to her pleas for help. In an instant, Phoebe's mind came back to present day, finding herself in contact with a rather soft breeze. She was outside. Sterling must have taken her outside onto the deck.

"I've been here before, haven't I?"

"What?"

"I saw- it's familiar."

"Well, I guess it would be. It's where the other Miss Graves happened to meet her doom many years before your existence. She didn't want it anymore than you do. Only...I really do think I'm going to regret it this time."

"So you throw me over, then what? What exactly are you going to do with your master plan? Hmm?"

"Why, go after your family, of course. Make sure the Halliwell line is completely void of a future."

"Then you might have a little problem."

"I'm sorry?"

"Elizabeth is not going to let you in now, when you've betrayed her trust this much. That's not the kind of player she is."

"We'll see about that. Her and I happen to have a lot of work here to do."

"So that suddenly makes you buddies again?"

"Something like that."

She felt herself being slowly led even further, as her eyes caught sight of the water below. The waves were lapping up against the side of the ship, mindlessly coating it with their effort. A lifeboat hung loosely a few feet away, rocking steadily as it was gently shoved from side to side.

"If Jessica and Jacqueline are still alive now, that means Lowell is too," she realized.

"What? What are you-"

"He hasn't become a monster just yet. There's still a chance for all three of them."

"Oh, I'm afraid in this case, you can't change history. It's all as written as the day is long, darling. But thanks for your efforts. They won't go unnoticed, believe me."

Phoebe shut her eyes, her lips trembling with fear, as she struggled to keep her bare feet planted firmly on the ground.

"So you can see things, is that it? Predict them?"

She didn't answer, her toes digging into the floorboards below.

"How come you couldn't predict your very own death?"

Phoebe felt herself falling, the air around her completely torn of anything solid. All around here, she could hear the sound of the ocean echo in her ears, her vision still shut tightly to what lay ahead. As soon as she hit that water, there was nothing she could do to save herself- nothing she could do to pull herself out of it. The cold grew, as her left foot was dipped into the freezing temperature, a scream escaping from her lips. It was then, that she felt a hand grasp her waist, the strength encircling itself around her, as she was drawn to the fabric of a tarnished gray sweater, a fairly small hole present in the right sleeve. Her face touched his, as she felt the stubble upon it, her lips enveloping into a tiny smile. As she raised her brown eyes to look at him, a pair of gorgeous blues met them ever so slightly, their depth filled with a warmth she knew all too well. A kindness that had guided her over the years, and allowed her to freely love him with all the emotion she'd ever felt. Cole.

"Miss me?" he joked, as they immediately shimmered out of view, her feet finally laying themselves upon solid ground once again. Still quite shaky from her fall, she struggled to regain her stance, the ropes making it difficult to gain a steady sense of balance. Reaching behind her, he calmly waved his hand, watching as they fell to the floor, a bit of blood still seeping from her wounds. Without warning, she pulled him close to her, her aching wrists slingling themselves around his neck, never intending to let go. "You changed."

"The suit was pretty much ruined," he whispered, laughing in spite of the situation. "Couldn't very well go into battle saving the woman I loved dressed like that."

"Typical," she breathed, as the tears finally came, her nose embedding itself into the side of his scruffy visage, inches away from his lips.

"Did he hurt you?" he asked her softly, his voice filled with concern, as he reluctantly took her away from him, a hand gingerly touching the edges of her jawline ever so lightly. Phoebe welcomed his touch, as she once again shut her eyes, savoring it for everything she had. It was then that Cole caught sight of the bruise, his mouth falling into a slight frown. "If we could find Leo...."

"Leo?"

"I told Paige to get him and Piper. I'm tired of fooling around, Phoebe. I'm tired of the whole shot. I want to take this guy down, and I don't want there to be anything left."

"Vengeance was never one of your finer points," she pressed.

"But it'll work."

"Cole-"

"Your wrists are still bleeding...."

"I know."

"I'm going to have to embrace it," he told her.

"What?"

"The evil."

"Cole, I'm not-"

"Just trust me. I just want you to have-"

"I do," she whispered. "Because I never....stopped. I already told you. Nothing you could ever do, would make me any less proud of you than I already am. I just want you alive when this is all over."

He carefully kissed her then, their touch lingering, as a single tear rolled down his cheek. "I love you."

"Just come back to me good."

"Phoebe-"

"I mean it. I'll be counting on you to be there for the birth of Cole Jr. and you-"

"Benjamin."

She let a hand run over his stubble, as she smiled, her face calmly searching his. "Middle name."

"Agreed."

"Much too easy."

"I'm going to hold you to it."

"You know, sometimes I'd swear you were Superman."

He laughed. "Don't tell Ally that. She'll want to share it with show and tell as soon as we get back."

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