Shadows Of the Night
part 25
He smiled painfully, as he calmly searched her face. Leo gently gathered Paige into his arms, as Piper reluctantly attached a hand to his shoulder. "I fought it, you know. For you. You believed in what I was- what I'm still trying so hard to be. If anything's going to happen to me, I'll always know that you loved me. Not just part of me- but as that...man you keep talking about. You know- the one who's going to get the world back right now?" He laughed quietly. "Everyone's got a dark side, but I think I'd much rather stick to the light."
"Cole, please."
"Phoebe!" Piper screamed.
"Phoebe, get on the boat!" Leo called out, his voice nervously breaking through the crackling flames, easily setting down Paige to his right, his wife hurriedly moving over to her side once again. "Phoebe!"
"This is what she meant, isn't it?"
"I can't see you hurt," he whispered. "I can't let our son- I can't let you be put in danger, even if it's-"
"I never kissed him," she whispered back. "Whatever he may have told you, I never did. You have to know that. It never took much to know where my heart still lies."
"I kind of figured that, or....otherwise I think I'd already be settling for divorce," he quipped, shrugging, as another smile crept over his features.
"Promise me you won't go down with this ship. Promise me you'll be with me-"
"I always have, haven't I? Even in the wasteland," he said softly. "Now go. Get out of here. Save yourself, dammit."
"Phoebe!"
"I love you-" But she didn't get to finish. A pair of lips gently touched her own, the urgency mixed with a sudden reluctance. Phoebe let out a moan of surprise, her eyes allowing a few more tears to fall. She laughed quietly, as she pulled away, his hand sliding down the small of her back. "If you...go and die on me? I'm still going to marry you again. No matter how hard I have to try and get you back."
"Now that might be something worth seeing," he sided. "But I'm coming back. Just trust me, alright? I'll only be a few minutes behind."
A deep shadow clothed the ship in darkness then, shutting it off from the vibrant glow it possessed only seconds before. A groan whistled through the air, as everything became strangely still, the only noise ceasing to simmer having been the flames that quickly grew steadily and without hesitation. A creature of a deep green raised its long neck, its eyes bathed in a deep black, as it let out a low growl. A long tail swept along the edges of the Crimson Star, pieces of wood breaking off, and tumbling into the depths below. Phoebe ran, her feet randomly catching patches of bare glass between her toes, as she shut her eyes, her hands frantically reaching for the ropes. Climbing down carefully, her vision became blurred by more tears, as she tried to look back up once more, her heart longing for him, as she felt a pair of hands ease her into the lifeboat, grabbing a firm hold around her waist.
"What are you waiting for, Dad? He wants me! Get out!"
Benjamin Turner stood his ground, shaking his head rather faintly, as he moved to take his place besides his son. "For Elizabeth," he whispered.
"She's not- she wasn't doing anything to save us! Dammit. Look, she wanted us dead, Dad. And you knew the evil was still there. You knew! Even when she left us, you had to have-"
"I want to finish it," he mumbled. "Make sure it stays buried. All of it."
"Dad-"
"Coleridge, I believe in you," he said softly. "I know now that anything I had in my head up until this point was wrong. I was wrong."
"You don't belong in this world. You never have. It was all about righting those wrongs. And you've done it. You've confronted that part of your- I was never a part of it. Don't you see that? You came here against you will, for the most part, but you found what you never could before. A reason- a reason to live without her, Dad. What you found was Ally. Her faith. The way she always hoped her father would come through. It was never about me living or dying."
"And is it me, or can you not respect your elders?" Benjamin quipped angrily.
"Yeah. I...guess I've always had a problem with that, huh?"
"So what is your-"
"You don't even know how to....you can't begin-"
"I think I might." Slowly, he revealed the small vial of liquid within his grasp, showing it to his son, as he pressed it firmly into the palm of Cole's hand. "I believe you wife had every intention to falter when she did. This wasn't meant for Elizabeth. It was meant for him."
Cole's eyes studied the monster above them, as it let out a bloodcurdling scream, his blues trailing along its shape, his stance threatening to overtake him."Are you sure?"
"Trust me."
"Now, see, that's what I was afraid of."
"They....say he took the crew of the Mary Celeste, didn't they?"
"Speculation."
"And all to be human."
"What can I say? The price you're willing to pay, is far from the one you actually do," Cole noted, shrugging. "It's a chance you take."
"Do you want to throw it together then?"
"Oh, don't get all mushy on me now, Dad."
"So do you think-"
"Here goes nothing...."
A large cloud cut through the smoke, as the liquid from the vial cracked upon the loose floorboards, skimming briefly through the flames. Sterling dove out of the way, as it touched him slightly, his sharp teeth revealing themselves as he let out an unearthly howl. His claws wrapped tightly around the Crimson Star, as the large object began to tilt then, the current willingly starting to envelop it. Their nemesis struggled to lift himself completely to their level, the ship leaning towards his every command. Cole fell, as he tumbled to the fire below, his hands reaching out for something- anything to cling to...anything to keep him from falling. As he grasped metal, the railing greeted him, his fingers nearly losing their newfound grip. Benjamin steadied himself against a pole, as the cries began to fill the vacancy around them, the soft wisps of white pulling themselves...literally tearing themselves from Sterling's frame, cutting against the shouts that continued to escape him- their shapes headed towards the sky above, spirits freeing their souls from the evil within.
Cole sank even lower, taking a deep breath, as his lids closed over the scene before him. "Thank God for you, Phoebe."
"You're not one of us."
"Like hell I'm not."
"You're too late, Stephen," she whispered, her voice filled with laughter. "In all honesty, my heart belongs to another. It always has."
"Jackie, please..."
"I could never possibly hope to ever feel anything for someone like you. Ever. You're a wicked man, Stephen. Wicked."
"You sense it....don't you?"
"I sense something."
"And that's your gift."
"My...."
"It's why we could work, Jackie. Why this could work for us. We're two people who want the same thing!"
"No.... Because I still can't truly love you....and I won't."
"Jackie, please. Just listen to me. Just-"
"You're a monster, Stephen! A monster. You're not one of us!"
"His love killed him," Cole whispered aloud, as the lost voices drifted through the air. "The...love he felt for himself...it destroyed every inch...ripped him apart."
Then, Sterling was gone, an explosion touching base with the fire, as it began churning into pieces, the ashes vanishing from sight, until nothing more remained. The Crimson Star was spent though, its massive form beginning to pay a visit to the depths below. Cole lifted himself up, his gaze traveling through the yellow and orange colored hues, choking slightly from the smoke. "Dad!"
"I'm here."
"She's going down fast. Take my hand!"
"But the-"
"They'll find their way. C'mon!"
"I can't."
"Dad, I have a wife and a daughter to make it back to.. I can't take the chance that you'd get back on-"
"But it would be honorable though, wouldn't it?"
"Honor has nothing to do with it, and you don't owe her anything!"
"Don't I?'
"You still don't get it, do you? Sterling knew she'd meet her demise. He knew she'd find herself at odds here- if only because she'd predicted she wouldn't or may not survive on this plane. She was with him, only because she knew he'd lead her to rest."
"But she's not at peace," he pointed out tiredly.
"But you can be," Cole urged. "Start a life, Dad. Get to now your granddaughter better. You're mortal again. Embrace it."
"I...don't know if I can," he whispered.
Cole's eyes gazed longingly ahead, as the lifeboat became a mere dot against the ocean, his heart aching for his wife and their unborn child. "She's going to be down there soon, you know."
"I'd rather die a hero," his father snapped roughly, turning away from him.
"No. It only makes you a coward this way. If you only knew what kinds of choices you had now, you'd do everything in your power not to waste them."
"The Grave sisters did good-"
"And where love is concerned, you can't be sure of anything! But one thing I do know? That I honestly feel for all it's worth? That each day is a ride, Dad. You never know what's going to come, but you can always try and be prepared for it. And- if you're lucky, you can fight it."
"I'm through fighting."
"You know what he said to me? Right before I left him down there? Do you want to know what he told me?"
"Enlighten me," Benjamin drawled sarcastically, his frown deepening.
"He said he envied me, Dad. Really and truly envied me. It came out in such a whisper, but I know I heard it. I mean, imagine that. A reformed demon, and someone wishes they were me."
"Ex demon."
"I'm sorry?"
"You haven't been a half demon for years now, correct?"
"So you remembered..."
"You have a lot to be grateful for. And he saw that. If anything, this only allowed you to cherish what you already have."
"And if I can't even get past a first name basis with my own father, then who's to say-"
Slowly, Benjamin held out a hand, placing it gently upon his son's shoulder. "You may not like everything you hear."
"I'll take my chances," Cole sided, a quiet grin forming on his handsome face.
**********
As the Crimson Star shattered, Phoebe watched the ship sink, the flames going down with it. She offered a slight pout with her lips, her hands shaking beneath her, as they clung desperately to her fragile frame. She quickly wiped a hand across her cheek, brushing away a single tear. "It's over...isn't it?"
"Oh, honey, he only did what he had to do. You can't-"
"How can you say that?" she hissed. "You never even-"
"In your heart, I know you believe that he did it for you," Piper said quietly. "For all of us."
"Yeah," she whispered. "For all of us...."
"Paige? How are you feeling?"
"Oh, gee Piper...would fine be an understatement at this point?" came the muffled response.
"And it's all because my husband finally got his butt over here," Piper added, rolling her eyes.
"Do you think Benjamin made it?" Phoebe asked fretfully, her voice starting to break.
"It's hard to say," Leo spoke up. "Seeing as he was mortal and without powers, the odds probably wouldn't be good."
"But I think he saw it," Paige agreed, nodding. "He had to have been aware of it when he stepped through that portal, right?"
"Do you have the spell?"
"It was lost back in the present," she murmured.
"But you got me here, didn't you?" Piper asked her.
"That part was easy. I remembered the path through my orb, and-"
"Well, if we try to-"
"But that's just it," Leo reminded them. "This one just happened to be a one way door."
"And I'm not so sure I really want to leave anymore," Phoebe offered indifferently.
"Not even if I said I'd consider changing my mind about his name?" a deep voice asked, as she instantly felt a pair of arms enclose her, pulling her tightly within their embrace. A familiar form shimmered into full view, emerging right behind her, as he brushed the stubble of his gorgeous profile softly against her tear stained face.
"Where's your-"
"I think I should consider myself rather sea sick all of a sudden," Benjamin stated aloud, his visage unreadable as he landed unexpectedly next to Paige.
"No, I think that was just the shimmer," Phoebe told him, smiling. "Trust me, I'd know."
"So are you going to kiss me, Mrs. Turner, or do I have to wait all ni-"
Phoebe didn't need the hint. She grasped his sweater immediately, pulling him to her passionately, a soft moan escaping her lips. Cole's eyebrows raised themselves in surprise, as he gratefully accepted the gesture with no trouble at all, his dirt stained hands easily cupping either side of her face. "I've discovered something in all this time we've been apart."
"Have you?" he inquired.
"I just keep missing you even more," she breathed.
"Is that right?"
"That's exactly right."
"Okay. Of all the- you knew he wasn't dead, didn't you?" Paige hissed, throwing a slight grin Piper's way, as she slowly tiled her head out of curiousity.
"Well....now that we know for sure, maybe I should tell him what you said about him earlier."
"Don't you dare-"
"No, your secret's safe with me," her sister whispered, laughing.
"Good."
"Speaking of good," Phoebe continued. "I think Alex will be thrilled to know her dad beat the bad yet again, won't she?"
"It was both of us," he admitted, gesturing to his father. "We did it together."
"Here's to the real kings of the castle," Piper said quietly.
"Sterling was his own downfall," Phoebe murmured. "He just didn't know it yet."
"Yeah, well, I just hope he and Liz are very happy together," Paige quipped, rolling her eyes out of complete exhaustion.
"Lowell must have died after the change," Leo mused carefully. "Because he couldn't adapt to it."
"Once again, we remain way ahead of you, honey," his wife insisted brightly.
"Lowell died tragically, true- but they all did," Phoebe countered. "He wasn't the only one to get caught up in a selfish plot against him. He was only trying to warn the Crimson Star of what was to come. Orin thought him nuts and believed his only intentions were to take Jacqueline away from him. Thing of it was, none of them were really secure in what they desired to take out of their lives. Maybe they were even doomed from the start. But as fate would have it, they would never know."
"It would certainly make a good book," Piper offered hopefully. "And someone is still in need of a career choice, right?"
"Nah. I don't want the challenge just yet. I'm actually thinking of just taking it easy for awhile, you know? Just...kicking back and enjoying things more," Paige offered jokingly.
"Might be a little hard with demons still gracing our doorstep," Phoebe pointed out.
"And what about both of our mothers to be?" she inquired, grinning.
"Well, this baby's parents will be having a long talk before he's born," Piper admited, offering a short stare at her husband.
"Did I not do something again?"
"Okay, if you two are going to start, I might as well just throw myself overboard right now," her half sister threatened sarcastically.
"It's a gift," Benjamin told them.
"What?"
"To bring a child into the world is a gift. It's the most precious of moments you'll ever have. To ever deny that, may just be indicating you can never know yourself."
"And Liz never did," Phoebe whispered.
"Evil wasn't meant to be touched," he replied simply. "Though I cannot completely accept it, I can somehow realize it now."
"And you probably don't even think the memories-"
"She was the first woman whoever came into my life. And that, I'll never forget."
"You can't bring all of those people back," Phoebe admitted, nodding.
"No, but their souls are now free. Even Sterling's...for that matter. His nobility was broken when he came to grip with how much of a monster he truly was at heart."
"Maybe he knew the whole time."
"Or maybe he just never cared at all," Cole whispered. "He created these illusions to prepare himself for the worst. But when it came down to the final days, he was probably too scared to go back on his plan at that point. So he just let it all transpire...without so much as a-"
"Okay. Enough talk. If I have to hear one more word about Sterling-"
He silenced his with a soft kiss, as she giggled beneath his touch. "I hope you're not going to be ticklish later on, because somebody's going to have to patch up those feet."
"Do I get a free massage too?
"I wouldn't go that far."
"So the legend of Loch Ness is true then....isn't it?" Paige spoke up, shrugging, as she scrunched up her nose.
"In a sense," Cole mused. "Except legend forgot to include the intelligence...nature's changing all the time."
"Who knows what's out there," Paige remarked, her eyes wide.
"Frightening, but yes. For instance, there could always be two of you, and then we'd know for sure that the world was actually doomed."
She just hit him.