A Kind of Magic
epilogue
"And so, the girl carefully cranes her neck, as she peeks around the corner. At first, it looks like no one's there. But then....she sees him. He's huge! He's got these big spikes protruding from his back, and feet that look like nothing she's ever seen. She freezes in step, unable to do anthing but continue to stare at this hideous creature. He growls then, and this causes her to jump, like- two feet high into the air! This gets spikey bigfoot's attention, and he whips around, catching her there. The athame she was holding, drops right to the ground, as her hands begin to shake uncontrollably. At this point she reeks of fear, and he can sense it all too well. He takes a step toward her, and she lets out this mega high-pitched scream of terror. He quickens his stride then, moving in for the kill. And just as he brings up a sharp claw to slice-"
"Cole Turner, you're not telling our daughter those stupid stories again, are you?!"
Defeated, he rested his head against her pillow, sighing tiredly. "How did I know she'd catch us?"
"Is that true, Daddy?" Alex Turner breathed, glancing up at him with wide eyes.
"Is what true, sweetie?"
"That story," she pressed. "Did the monster really get her?"
"Mmmm, well....what do you think?"
"I think he did," she whispered excitedly.
"We'll save that for another day," he assured her.
"But I wanna know the rest," she pleaded. "That's not fair."
"Going to bed is fair though, right? I mean, we have to start you up at that school sometime, don't we? C'mon. I'll tuck you in."
"Are you here to stay for good this time?" she then inquired, as he climbed off and gently pulled back her covers. Her little legs found the warmth of the comfort beneath, as she softly giggled.
"It looks like it," he sided quietly, greeting her with a smile.
"I'm glad," she replied eagerly.
"But about who you are? That stays in this house, and is not to be repeated anywhere...for any reason."
"I know."
"Okay then."
"But do you think more demons like the mean lady will still come?"
"Not right now," he confirmed, pulling the blankets up to her chin. Her petite hands enclosed themselves around them, staring up at her father, as he placed a small kiss atop her forehead. "Ally, if I had lost you back there, I don't know what- everytime I think about that possibility, it just goes straight to my heart.....my soul. I love you so much. You understand that, right? You understand how important you are?"
"Sure, Daddy. And I love you too." She then raised her eyebrows, looking up at him with a strong determination. "What are we forgetting?"
"I'm sorry, sweetie?"
"Our prayers!" she rang out, grinning from ear to ear. "Daddy, will you say them with me?"
"You bet."
"Put your hand with mine," she urged. Cole gave her his good one, while the other lay tightly wrapped in secure bandages. Leo hadn't been able to heal it entirely, and Paige wasn't anymore help than he'd proved to be. He knelt down upon his knees, closing his eyes.
"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 recited together.
"Amen," he whispered.
"Good night, Daddy."
"Night, Ally." He started to turn her lamp off, but instead lifted himself to his feet, his arms crossing over his chest. "Do...do you want me to leave that on tonight? I mean, I can, if-"
"No," she shook her head defiantely. "Turn it off. I'm not scared."
He laughed. "Alright. I'll see you in the morning."
"Mmm hmm," she mumbled, already starting to drift off into a quick pattern of slumber.
He carefully shut the door behind him, making his way down the hall. He spotted the dim light filtered across the room he and his wife shared, unable to hide the smile that had crept over his gorgeous profile. A heap of letters sat on top of Phoebe Turner, her glasses resting loosely upon the bridge of her nose, her lids shut tight. Her steady breathing indicated a form of pure contentment. Padding through the doorway, he quietly approached the bed, getting in on the opposite side. Inching closer to her, he neatly pulled the spectacles from her face ever so lightly. Laying them down upon the nightstand table, he reached for her pile of papers, glancing briefly at the fan mail she'd received for her famous column. He felt both a strange comfort, and yet an equal reluctance, in being accepted into her life again. They'd agreed upon allowing Alex to carry her powers with her out of self-defense, and he was honestly relieved to learn that magic would have a purpose in their family afterall. But he didn't want to believe that Phoebe had acted out of anything but a deep concern for that which she held most dear.
She opened her eyes suddenly, startling him a bit, as she offered a short laugh. "Don't suppose you'd like to go to work for me tomorrow? I mean, that is, if Elise still thinks I have a job," she whispered.
"I have a job of my own that needs catching up on," he reminded her.
"Cases?"
"Lots and lots of cases," he nodded. "But I'm up for it."
"How's that hand of yours?"
"Better. I...think. I mean, I...kind of lost all feeling in it, you know?"
She layed a slender hand over his bruised eye, her lips forming a smile. "Guess you really define ruggedly handsome now, don't you?" she continued, as it traveled to the five o'clock shadow upon his chin. "Where's Alex?"
"I would assume she is counting those sheep by now," he joked.
"Do you think she was really after the power? I...I mean, Lily. Because even after she had it, she failed to act. It really makes you wonder what she was going through at that point. She almost destroyed all of us." She curled up into him, shifting position a bit. He put his head down, and kissed her ever so gently, his mouth connecting with hers.
"I think she was torn," he said simply. "You can't fight fire with ice. She lacked a heart, and was capable of so much evil in place of it."
"And it's new for a demon to have a sense of humor too?" she quipped.
He frowned. "You know, I know this sounds strange, but I can relate somewhat to where she was. She really did behave no differently than I had before I met you. I was bent on serving The Triad, no matter who got hurt in the process. It's a choice, just like I told her. You can remain that way without allowing the good to touch you, or you can see what else is out there."
"And you were right," she added. "I can't avoid the fact that my sisters and I were chosen to fight evil, and watch over innocents. Alex is an innocent," she realized. "I never should've let you just walk away from me like that."
He smiled. "I could never walk away from you."
"But I was...it was uncalled for, Cole." She sighed. "I don't know what got into me."
"Your sisters' influence?"
She playfully hit him. "So they're not always right. They were only trying to do their best and help."
"You're a mother now," he reminded her. "We should do what we believe to be in Ally's best interest. And at the time, you did just that."
"But there's no escaping it. We made that decision- my sisters and I. We...we can't hide. We told the Angel of Destiny this was still what we wanted to do."
"I know," he assured her. "And that's the one thing you'll never be able to have- a normal life. But it's not really an issue in a sense. I mean...who's normal, right? Even without your powers, you'll always be different because of your history. Because of who your mom and grams were."
She grinned. "That's true."
"So...now that we're...." Quickly leaping out of the bed, he carefully peeked around the corner, his eyes darting about the length of the hall once more. Smiling, he gently shut the door, slowly tip-toeing back to his wife, pulling back the covers and slipping in beside her. "Finally alone...."
She offered a quiet giggle, a slight crimson hue covering her pretty face. "You were saying?"
"Why don't we...you know...pick up where we left off back at the cabin-"
She'd already pulled him to her in an instant, throwing her arms around him, as her lips met his. Cole raised his eyebrows, carefully reaching his good hand behind him. Smiling beneath her kisses, he quickly snapped the lamp switch off, as the room filled itself with darkness. Her giggles echoed about the room, as he carefully swung the last blanket over the two of them.
The End