part 23

"Oh, look, it's the famous sister witch I've heard so much about," Elizabeth Turner countered, a small smile falling over her features.

"Oh, look, it's Cole's insanely troubled mother," the figure quipped, as she finally revealed herself completely. "So we meet at last."

"But not for long," her rival offered rather abruptly, her slender hands sliding across her hips.

"Yep. Guess I know where Cole gets that cocky attitude from," Piper Halliwell finished, giving her a slight grin.

"Poor little Charmed One come to help, have you?"

"Looks like I'm a couple decades too late in your case," Piper snapped, briefly rolling her eyes.

"And I suggest you start thinking of a way to get your whitelighter here pretty fast," she advised calmly, clasping her hands together ever so silently.

"He's probably at the manor right now, looking for a way to vanquish your sorry ass," she responded simply, shrugging.

"Ah, but that's what this was for, wasn't it?" She held the vial within the palm of her hand yet, easily showing it to her opponent. "Benny didn't exactly feel he could do it- didn't feel he had it in him. Because he's still hopelessly, disturbingly in love with me. What makes you think you're any different?"

"Well, for one, I never felt the affection towards my brother in law- so what make you think I have any shred of respect left for you?"

"My son never mentions-"

"Oh, cut the crap. Cole's changed, and you're screwed. Face facts."

"I still don't think you know what I am, Piper."

"Really. Should I try and take a few guesses? Maybe liven up the mood a bit?"

"Do you and your baby want to live through this, or-"

"Like you'd give me a choice? Listen, I know all about Sterling, and the Crimson Star. There's nothing you can tell me that'll have me on my knees, begging you for pity here. And...just so we're clear? I don't work alone."

"Must run in the family then?" she put in smuggly, as she slowly nodded. "You half sister, right? Ah, yes. I know all too well of her. In fact, her feelings often cloud her better judgement, do they not? Always so willing to help out a former half demon....still trying to convince herself, that underneath it all, she truly despises him."

"What are you talking about?" Paige questioned, as she removed herself from the darkness, reluctantly falling into view.

"So two it is then," Elizabeth confirmed. "Did you like my introduction, Miss Matthews? Freud wouldn't have been nearly so accepting."

"Are we really going to just kill Cole's mother?" she whispered back to Piper uneasily, as she kept her eyes trained on the sight ahead. "Because in her case, vengeance would be a bitch."

"You and Cole share a common theme, you know. His mother never really loved him either. Because...if memory serves, he was a bad little boy- always getting himself into more trouble than he could handle. Mommy to the rescue. I was there, but do you think I gave one shred of affection to him? No. I only wanted to make him what I'd already all to easily achieved."

"What does he have to do with me?"

"Your parents were always disappointed in you, weren't they?"

"I-"

"Don't," Piper told her. "Don't pay attention to anything she says. She's only trying to provoke us. Ignore her."

"But will she?" Elizabeth continued. "No. Because she wants to hear what I have to say. Don't you, Paige?"

"Personally, I'd love to see you spend an eternity in hell," she commented randomly, crossing her arms over her chest. "But I doubt your fate would be that simple."

"You and Cole fight so much, because you obviously feel a great attraction towards him," she explained plainly, her lips tiring into a frown. "You're so busy arguing with him, you deny what's really there."

"She's just messing with you," Piper added, taking a step forward. "Cole used Andras to do the same thing with the three of us...before he-"

"Who" Paige questioned, obviously confused.

"With Prue. He used anger to get us to turn against one another."

"Did it work?"

"Like a charm."

"Mmm hmm. Okay. Yep...I see where this is going," she responded, quietly pursing her lips. "You think that by trying to tell me this, you'll be buying yourself some time, and-"

"I only call it as I see it," she cut her off, chuckling.

"Well, you're wrong. Because the only thing I'm aware of, is sibling rivalry. So inall honesty, please don't try and make me sick."

"So you say."

"You're taking a cheap shot in the dark here. It's just completely ridiculous. For your information, I would happily still spend the rest of my life pining for Glen- not that you'll ever know anything about him...but it's nothing like an old friend to keep a girl's heart going strong, you know."

"And that silly boy never really knew you existed. Just admit it, Miss Matthews. Cole was the only one who insisted on giving you the time of day. Even when you least expected it."

"Okay, she's really creeping me out. I don't suppose we can kill her now?"

"She's trying to weaken you, so-"

"Don't you think I know that?"

"So if we keep-"

"So if we see Cole again, I think I'm really going to want to hurt him this time."

"Join the club," Piper drawled casually.

"Can I please- we please do something about her, as in-"

"Maybe we should give Cole the honors."

"You really don't believe me, do you?"

"Coming from someone who can basically take on any form she wants- no. In fact, I'd say you love to hear yourself bluff."

"But is it really so hard to comprehend?"

"What?"

"That he might-"

"Maybe you don't get the love Phoebe and Cole have for one another. Her feelings for him have managed to hold all of this chaos together. She really cares about seeing him through it, and as much as you try to fill my head with lies, you won't succeed in destroying the love they have. She knows he'd go to the ends of the Earth and beyond for her- and still fight with everything he has. He's never given up, and he won't. Not even when you're dead and gone. He's learned how to become good...by doing some real good. And I'm sure you're only memories to him now. Try as you may, you've lost this battle in more ways than one. Because you can't touch what you can't see."

"Wow. Points for effort," Piper breathed, smiling at her. "Didn't know you had it in you, sis."

"Tell him I said that, and I'll-"

"Yeah, yeah."

"Benjamin hasn't got long, you know. In seconds, he'll be forever thrown into the clutches of the fallen angel himself. But don't worry. I'll see to it that he's extremely well cared for."

Piper threw out her hands, watching as Elizabeth took a single step back, her composure surprisingly faltering a bit, as she put out a hand to steady herself. Smiling, the Charmed One offered her the same gesture yet again, the demon's fingertips slowly beginning to consume themselves in a bright ball of fire. "Isn't it high time this little game of yours is over?" she challenged. "If you think one of us has the power, imagine what it would be like with all three."

"And what exactly have you accomplished in your life, Piper? What significance do you have to thank in letting you grow as a witch? Your career went nowhere just a little too- no. Wait... Come to think of it, P3 is even worse. And you fear that with another child on its way, your days will soon be numbered. I mean- you can't very well run a club with two children, and a lazy husband, can you? And who's to say the marriage will even survive beyond that point?"

"Nice try. You're good."

"Oh, come on. Just stand up and face the truth. It's only natural that you should own up to your faults."

"And you're clearly the expert."

"I beg your-"

"Where you are, there's nothing but your own will to save you. I know you're not stupid- but you obviously should've considered what would happen when you're literally confronted with your past."

"You have no idea-"

"Oh, I think I do. See, you still can't get through to the revelation that he's probably more over you than you than you are of him."

"Benjamin fools himself into still believing we had something to make of ourselves. I can sense it in his voice."

"Really? Because if I remember correctly- he dumped your butt a long time ago. If anything, he's only trying to save himself. I'll bet you think you've accomplished something by hurting him the way you have- but it'll only prove to be your downfall."

"I am going to enjoy this, witch." Her hand lended itself in Piper's direction, a bright cloud of yellow smoke enveloping within it. She pulled her lips into a bright grin, as she absentmindedly threw her head back, a short chuckle escaping her. "What? No more little wiccas to protect you?"

"Paige, the sphere," Piper whispered.

"Do you have any idea how hard it was to find this thing? If we screw up-"

"The sphere," her sister hissed.

"But what about- it's too soon."

"I know that. But if we-"

"Okay, alright." Paige quickly yanked the glowing object from her pocket, the bulge immediately subsiding on the left side of her coat, her dress blowing ever so slightly in the soft breeze that entered the room.

"Say goodbye to the Power of Three once and for all."

"Paige, now!"

Closing her eyes tightly, Paige gripped her sister's hand on her right, the circular object safely secured within grasp on the other. "Consume her soul, return a life, take away, all the pain and strife. Follow the evil, back to hell, let it reside, where evil dwells. Open the door-"

"No!!!" a voice shouted. "No, you mustn't!!!"

The yellow smoke was tossed upon the air then, as Elizabeth allowed it to roam freely, her eyes falling on the figure below- who was now starting make a bit of movement. A loud cry escaped her lips, as she slowly watched her fingers cake themselves in a smooth black dust, vanishing within her frame of vision. She saw the man she once let herself be hopelessly devoted to, his faded blue eyes reaching out to her, as they met hers, a troubled and rather torn expression plaguing them. The sisters fell to the ground, as a bright light filled the room with its strangely vibrant glow, emenating from the walls, as it continued to nonchalently spread. Benjamin let out a groan, as he fully realized the spell had begun to take effect, his lover's form attempting to crumble to pieces before him.

"Reverse it!" he screamed. "Reverse it!"

Piper raised her head from the ground rather weakly, as she struggled to surpass the exhaustion that was beginning to overtake her, a hand falling out in front of her.

"Elizabeth?"

She smiled rather softly then, a single tear drifting down her cheek almost painfully, as she closed her eyes to the world around her, shutting them completely. "Well," she managed. "You're such a stubborn old fool, Benjamin. You know that? So damn...stubborn."

"Two of them can't co-exist here anymore," Paige whispered, as she fought the yellow substance- watching as it was oddly starting to deteriorate right before her, her sight waning in and out of consciousness.

"Trapped," Elizabeth added. "I feel so...trapped, Benny. What's happening to me?"

"Fight it," he told her. "I know you ca-"

"No," she concluded. "It's too strong now."

"What are you doing?!" Paige yelled. "Are you crazy?!"

"Did you ever come to a-"

"Benny, it was never about the- I used it to fight what I felt. I used it to help take-"

"But you can't take it back now."

"All of those years...so many lives...."

"You did it with a song in your heart," he whispered, nodding. "It's just like you confided to me, Liz. There was no way it would ever be that simple again, would it? You'd chosen it, and you stuck to it."

"Cole," she mused quietly.

"Cole was never anything we did wrong," he tried again. "Despite what you may still think, he did come from love."

"Whose?" she inquired irritibly, her voice breaking.

He smiled. "Ours. We created him- together."

"Does he really love her? I mean, truthfully, Benjamin, it's just so hard to even-"

"I know."

"Open the door, pave the way, let her be given, an enternal stay," Piper choked, as she tried to sustain her coughing. "Dammit, Paige, help me with the spell!"

"I- I don't..."

"Now, Paige!"

"Piper, look," she whispered.

"What?" she responded tiredly.

"The ship. Look."

Piper let her eyes catch the flames, as they started to consume the drapery, coating their sheets in an orange colored hue, immediately falling to the carpet in a crisp black shade of ashes, the rest hanging on in short tatters of their former design, threatening to take on another plunge. The sphere had opened itself up, as Elizabeth resided as nothing more than a transparent shape, her cries listlessly breaking through her ever weakening form. "Evil comes for you," she whispered. "I was only the beginning."

"Elizabeth!!! Elizabeth, noooo!!! Stay with me!"

"It wasn't meant to be, Ben!" Piper shouted. "You were freed because it was-"

"No!!!"

"Let her go! It's the only way!"

"And so it closes...the end of a tale... The curtains draw themselves en masse, as the performers take a bow. No more playing, the fun has all gone...only darkness remains."

Her essence drifted into the circle, as the shards erupted violently into pieces, as it was wildly strewn about. Benjamin picked himself up, racing towards what remained of it, his hands reaching for it desperately, his face a confused mass of pain. A pair of strong hands gently grabbed hold of his shoulder then, pulling him back against his will, away from the mess, their strength edging him from the cracked glass. Piper took her hands away from her head, immediately going to her sister's side. Paige lay facedown among the rubble, a pool of blood seeping out from beneath her. Her feet sprung over the crushed debris, as she gently turned her over. "Cole, she's hurt!"

"You son of a bitch!" Benjamin yelled, as he flung his hands out unexpectedly, shoving his son in front of him rather roughly, his eyes burning with a sudden rage.

"It wasn't her- and you know that. I think you've known it even before you set foot on this ship. Didn't you?"

"I don't know what the hell you mean!" he snapped.

"You knew the Elizabeth Turner you loved was dead a long time ago. That a demon consumed everything she was-"

"But I never got to say goodbye! I never got to show her how much I never let her go....it was all too easy. Too damn- she didn't deserve it."

"It was for your son," Cole continued. "You'd never say that, but you came here for me- for Alexandra...for Phoebe. It was never about the woman who had let you down all those years ago- was it?"

"Cole!" Piper shouted.

"She was your mother, and you-"

"But I never really knew her." Cole looked at him, as his hands dropped to his sides, his eyes wincing at the flames before him, a tired expression crossing his gorgeous visage. "I want Sterling. I mean, that's the man behind this- your so called mastermind? But instead, I found myself coming back for you. My-"

"And you're too late," he whispered.

"Maybe. But I never needed to see her again. Not with what she put me through, and as sure as hell not for what she's done to you. Did it ever occur to you that some things are just better left unsaid?! That history can't be shaped the way we'd like it to? I spent years trying to get my life back, Dad. Years! But the strange part was- I just realized she'd only tried to take it from me. The rest was all my own doing...all of it. The Triad...everything. You're here so she can embrace her fate. Believe me....you name it, I've done it all. There's no way out of this world, unless you really weren't meant to be in it."

"And that's what you wanted? A way out?"

Cole shrugged. "She did," he offered. "I think she wanted this. As hard as that may be for you to-"

"She wanted death? Just like that, she concealed her powers out of her own judgement?"

"Dammit! Cole!" Piper tried again. "She's not breathing!"

The former half demon ran to the fallen witch, his eyes growing deep with worry at her still form. He gently knelt beside her, offering a helpless gaze at Piper. A single hand propped itself beneath the back of her head, as he slowly checked for a pulse. "Where's Leo?"

"I don't know. I left him at the manor with the girls when Paige came and got me, and-"

"He probably can't hear us in this dimension," he whispered. "Paige was supposed to call him earlier- get him here. Not just you....both of you."

"At least he's protecting them," she added, between tears.

"The ship's got a life of its own now. Her blood was spilled here, and that's all evil needs to be awakened."

"Paige's?"

"My mother's. We don't have much time left on this place. It if vanishes off the supernatural radar, we won't be able to-"

"So. Does this mean evil won?"

"I don't know."

"Well, what the hell do you know?! My sister is laying here dying, and all you can do is feed me uncertainties?"

"Piper, calm down-"

"No. I will not just just calm down. You guys needed me all this time, and you never-"

"Your baby would have been at the risk of this ship. I couldn't let you do it."

"Where's Phoebe?"

"Phoebe's got her own-"

"Where is she?"

"Getting in touch with a few lost souls. I can't explain it. But we agreed to go our separate ways to-"

"We need her," she whispered. "Cole, we need her here. Now."

"You know, they say when one door closes, another opens," a voice greeted them briefly, a slight chuckle in his tone. "Good evening, Benjamin. I see the cards played themselves out differently than I'd expected."

"Who are you?" he asked, his eyes shifting from the injured Charmed One, as they met his visitor's gaze.

"I am probably the reason you're still here right now."

Cole's mouth set itself in a tight line, as he slowly rose from the ground below, his blue eyes narrowing at the entrance of their opponent, his hands forming slight fists, as he gently tucked them away into his pockets.

"You were right, you know. I guess all is revealed in time. Your mother never did love you, Cole. Poor child...poor, poor little half demon... Though-I suppose all is strangely fair in love and war....isn't it?"

"Third time's the charm," he whispered.

"I'm sorry?"

"Our third encounter."

"Pity you couldn't have witnessed the excitement your little wife had when she was with me. I think I actually gave her quite the thrill. She's...not used to having a real man by her side, is she?"

Piper shot him a cruel look, her cheeks completely soaked with fresh tears, as she set her features in a determined gaze.

Cole gritted his teeth together, offering a low growl in his throat. Bringing his hands out of the pockets of his jeans, he lay them restlessly at his sides, his expression seething with an anger he'd never experienced before. It surged through his entire body, as he took a step forward. His mind became torn with a dozen different images...thoughts...none of which he could put to rest. His blue eyes softened, as he offered a tragic smile.

"Far away, sailing high, treading down, by and by....far away, oh they die, they can't try and find, the watchful eye."

"Such danger. Such danger awaits you, if you give in. She punishes all of us for you. You are the cause of it all."

"Cause? Cause of what? I really don't...I can't make sense of this, unless you help me."

"Your heart sees what they never could. Your past will reveal all to you in time. You must not ignore the signs. You must do everything in your power to save us."

"I still remember how you saved me, Daddy. You were so strong, and you fought that bad lady...and you were my hero. You were so brave, Daddy."

"Look at what The Dark tried to do. She didn't win, Cole. Not by a long shot."

"That is the first time you've ever really allowed yourself to see through to what you really are. You know that?"

"A man?"

"A good man."

"I'm tired of embracing the good. I'm tired of pretending to fall short of the man I was. Because he's still there. Good and evil still exists within him, and it's the balance that makes him up- sets him up for who he's going to be. And right now, I have to take it all in....I have to really experience it...all of it."

"If he would have felt an ounce of decency for Jacqueline at all, he wouldn't have let her die. He wouldn't have allowed Orin's jealousy to take over. It was greed....thoughtless greed."

Suddenly, he charged his nemesis, taking him out onto the deck full force. They went over the railing without so much as a hesitation, as both of them dropped silently into the water below...a faint splash echoing fondly in the distance. Benjamin only stared straight ahead, as he watched the Crimson Star further clothe itself in flames, as they continued to spread along the floorboards, clouds of smoke filling the vacant space around him. "Godspeed."