Fragile -- Part 2/?
Jan. 11th, 2010 10:04 am![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
deeperwondermentTitle: Fragile -- Part 2/?
Author:![[livejournal.com profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/external/lj-userinfo.gif)
not_from_stars
Fandom: Charmed
Pairing: Phoebe/Cole
Words: 1,463
Author's Note: This was started as an answer to the "Fragile" prompt at![[livejournal.com profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/external/lj-community.gif)
theatrical_muse back in 2007 and it just kind of kept going from there. This is how I envision Phoebe's reaction to having to vanquish The Source and losing her baby -- NOT the way the show handled it. As some dear friends so eloquently put it : "We are smarter than Brad Kern". (Yes, I finally started working on it again three years later. Shush.)
Part One
The pain slammed into him, jerking him out of his reverie.
"Cole..."
He heard his name spoken with such desolation and longing that he knew it could only be coming from one person.
"Phoebe."
Cole got to his feet and looked around him. There was no one else there, and then he felt that pain again. Tears sprung to his eyes. "Oh sweetheart..." She was in so much pain and he wasn't sure what he could do to ease it for her. More than anything, he wanted to make her pain go away.
That was when he saw another demon fall from the sky. This was someone he recognized. It was a dream shaper. He was a demon that was able to get into another person's dreams or nightmares and shape them to his will. Cole stepped into the blue swirls of the vanquished demon's power without hesitation. And now, he would be able to do the same thing.
Of course, there was only one thing he wanted to do with that power and that was to visit Phoebe and find out exactly what was going on with her and how he could help her.
When it happened, it took Cole a few moments to realize where he was. It wasn't until he saw the penthouse confrontation and realized that Phoebe didn't see him that he understood he had indeed made it into her dreams. He wasn't there to try to change anything or form any images. He wasn't about to mess with her mind like that -- not hers and especially after everything she had already been through while under the control of The Source and the Seer. No, right now he was here to gain information.
He clenched his fists as he witnessed what happened with the Seer and he bit back a snarl at the pain that Phoebe went through at her hands. Pain shot through him as he watched the baby taken from Phoebe, and then he had a moment of grim satisfaction when the baby's power destroyed all that were in that chamber.
And that was when everything changed.
Phoebe had his athame and she seemed determined to use it to wage a one woman war against the Underworld.
"Oh love... oh no. You cannot do this."
When he saw how many times she was getting hurt and all of the injuries she was sustaining, he finally understood where the strange marks and bleeding wounds that were manifesting on him were coming from.
Someone was trying to tell him something.
He counted every scar and every injury that she was taking on and he knew that he had to put a stop to this. He wasn't sure how, but he had to get out of the Wastelands and back to Phoebe. She needed him -- before she ended up causing her own death.
When he saw the most recent battle and how close she had come to being killed, he clenched his fists. He would never let her be lost -- and not like this.
Finding himself back in the Wastelands after his visit to Phoebe's dreams and memories, Cole paced. He was determined to get out of here and get back to Phoebe's side. She needed him. She needed him and he needed to protect her from herself, it seemed.
For the next couple of days he paced --and snarled in frustration and worry every time a new wound manifested itself on him. Now that he knew where they were coming from, he was worried. The fact that they were happening more often caused his worry to blossom into fear. How could he get out of here and help --
Piper!
He could get into Piper's dreams and convince her that he needed her help to get out of here so he could help Phoebe. She had to help him help Phoebe, right? Niether one of them wanted to lose her.
***
When Piper started dreaming that night, she wasn't expecting her sister's dead husband to show up in her dreams.
"Cole? What the hell?"
"I need your help, Piper."
Piper crossed her arms. "Help with what?"
"I need help getting out of the Wastelands so I can come back."
"Excuse me?"
"Phoebe needs me, Piper," he said quietly. "You know she does. You've seen what she's doing. If I don't figure out a way to get back to her, she's going to end up dead."
Piper sighed, staring at him. "Having to vanquish the Source and losing you with him, and then losing the baby broke something in her, Cole. I don't know if bringing you back where you're a ghost is going to help her or hurt her."
"If I can get out of the Wastelands, Piper, I won't be a ghost. I'll be alive again." He ran a hand through his hair. "She needs me, Piper, you know I'm right."
"I don't know how to do something like this, Cole."
"But you can try, right? Look in the Book of Shadows, talk to Leo?" He sighed. "She needs me and I need her."
Piper let out a breath. "I'm not making any promises, Cole," she said finally. "I'll see what I can find out. But I'm not doing this for you. I'm doing it for my sister."
"I know."
"Do you? Because I don't think you do. I love my sister, Cole, and everything that has happened has destroyed the girl I grew up with. I want her back, but I don't know whether helping you come back from the dead is going to help or hinder that."
"I love her, Piper. I had no control over what the Source did. I never would have done all of that to Phoebe -- to any of you."
"Is he gone?"
"Is who gone?"
Piper looked at him. "The Source?"
"He's no longer a part of me," he assured her. "The spell you guys cast took care of that."
"Can you be absolutely positive of that?"
"Yes," he said firmly. "I can."
"Then I'll see what I can do to help you. Don't make me regret this, Cole."
"I won't, Piper. I swear to you. I love her and only want her happy and safe."
"As much as I shouldn't, I do believe you mean that. I've never seen her as in love with someone, or as happy with someone as she is when she's with you."
Cole looked relieved. "I don't want to lose her again, Piper. I really don't want to lose her to death."
"Like I said, I'll do my best to help get you out of the Wastelands and back here."
"Thank you."
"Don't thank me yet. I may not be able to get you out of there."
"I'm confident that you will."
***
Phoebe stared at the demon that was facing off with her. His knife was shiny with the blood that he had already drawn on her. Her shoulder was on fire from the attack, but she wasn't backing down.
"Don't you know when to quit, witch?"
She moved Cole's athame to her other hand. "I'm not a quitter." Her voice was a flat snarl. "I never quit."
"Then you will die," he said, spinning and throwing the knife at her. At the same time, he let loose an energy ball in her direction.
Phoebe screamed out in pain as the knife entered her shoulder and then the energy ball sent her flying into a wall. As she fought to stay conscious and act through the pain, she heard a growl of rage and then the demon who had attacked her was suddenly engulfed in flame. She felt strong arms gather her up and she blinked through the blurriness of her vision.
"Cole?" she questioned weakly.
"I'm here, sweetheart. I've got you, you're safe now."
"But... but how?" She was trying to make sense of this. "You're dead... I had to help vanquish The Source and he took you with him."
"I was trapped in the Wastelands. Piper and Paige helped get me out of there so I could protect you."
"Am I dead?"
"What?" Cole's voice sounded horrified. "No, Phoebe. You're alive. Hurt, but very much alive. I'm going to take you to the Manor so Leo can heal you."
Phoebe reached a hand up to touch his face. "I love you," she said, before closing her eyes and losing consciousness.
Cole stared down at her for a long moment as he cradled her against his chest. He was torn between being touched at the war she had waged on his behalf, and horrified at how close she had come to death so many times. He tightened his arms around her as he shimmered to the Halliwell Manor.
Author:
not_from_starsFandom: Charmed
Pairing: Phoebe/Cole
Words: 1,463
Author's Note: This was started as an answer to the "Fragile" prompt at
theatrical_muse back in 2007 and it just kind of kept going from there. This is how I envision Phoebe's reaction to having to vanquish The Source and losing her baby -- NOT the way the show handled it. As some dear friends so eloquently put it : "We are smarter than Brad Kern". (Yes, I finally started working on it again three years later. Shush.)Part One
The pain slammed into him, jerking him out of his reverie.
"Cole..."
He heard his name spoken with such desolation and longing that he knew it could only be coming from one person.
"Phoebe."
Cole got to his feet and looked around him. There was no one else there, and then he felt that pain again. Tears sprung to his eyes. "Oh sweetheart..." She was in so much pain and he wasn't sure what he could do to ease it for her. More than anything, he wanted to make her pain go away.
That was when he saw another demon fall from the sky. This was someone he recognized. It was a dream shaper. He was a demon that was able to get into another person's dreams or nightmares and shape them to his will. Cole stepped into the blue swirls of the vanquished demon's power without hesitation. And now, he would be able to do the same thing.
Of course, there was only one thing he wanted to do with that power and that was to visit Phoebe and find out exactly what was going on with her and how he could help her.
When it happened, it took Cole a few moments to realize where he was. It wasn't until he saw the penthouse confrontation and realized that Phoebe didn't see him that he understood he had indeed made it into her dreams. He wasn't there to try to change anything or form any images. He wasn't about to mess with her mind like that -- not hers and especially after everything she had already been through while under the control of The Source and the Seer. No, right now he was here to gain information.
He clenched his fists as he witnessed what happened with the Seer and he bit back a snarl at the pain that Phoebe went through at her hands. Pain shot through him as he watched the baby taken from Phoebe, and then he had a moment of grim satisfaction when the baby's power destroyed all that were in that chamber.
And that was when everything changed.
Phoebe had his athame and she seemed determined to use it to wage a one woman war against the Underworld.
"Oh love... oh no. You cannot do this."
When he saw how many times she was getting hurt and all of the injuries she was sustaining, he finally understood where the strange marks and bleeding wounds that were manifesting on him were coming from.
Someone was trying to tell him something.
He counted every scar and every injury that she was taking on and he knew that he had to put a stop to this. He wasn't sure how, but he had to get out of the Wastelands and back to Phoebe. She needed him -- before she ended up causing her own death.
When he saw the most recent battle and how close she had come to being killed, he clenched his fists. He would never let her be lost -- and not like this.
Finding himself back in the Wastelands after his visit to Phoebe's dreams and memories, Cole paced. He was determined to get out of here and get back to Phoebe's side. She needed him. She needed him and he needed to protect her from herself, it seemed.
For the next couple of days he paced --and snarled in frustration and worry every time a new wound manifested itself on him. Now that he knew where they were coming from, he was worried. The fact that they were happening more often caused his worry to blossom into fear. How could he get out of here and help --
Piper!
He could get into Piper's dreams and convince her that he needed her help to get out of here so he could help Phoebe. She had to help him help Phoebe, right? Niether one of them wanted to lose her.
When Piper started dreaming that night, she wasn't expecting her sister's dead husband to show up in her dreams.
"Cole? What the hell?"
"I need your help, Piper."
Piper crossed her arms. "Help with what?"
"I need help getting out of the Wastelands so I can come back."
"Excuse me?"
"Phoebe needs me, Piper," he said quietly. "You know she does. You've seen what she's doing. If I don't figure out a way to get back to her, she's going to end up dead."
Piper sighed, staring at him. "Having to vanquish the Source and losing you with him, and then losing the baby broke something in her, Cole. I don't know if bringing you back where you're a ghost is going to help her or hurt her."
"If I can get out of the Wastelands, Piper, I won't be a ghost. I'll be alive again." He ran a hand through his hair. "She needs me, Piper, you know I'm right."
"I don't know how to do something like this, Cole."
"But you can try, right? Look in the Book of Shadows, talk to Leo?" He sighed. "She needs me and I need her."
Piper let out a breath. "I'm not making any promises, Cole," she said finally. "I'll see what I can find out. But I'm not doing this for you. I'm doing it for my sister."
"I know."
"Do you? Because I don't think you do. I love my sister, Cole, and everything that has happened has destroyed the girl I grew up with. I want her back, but I don't know whether helping you come back from the dead is going to help or hinder that."
"I love her, Piper. I had no control over what the Source did. I never would have done all of that to Phoebe -- to any of you."
"Is he gone?"
"Is who gone?"
Piper looked at him. "The Source?"
"He's no longer a part of me," he assured her. "The spell you guys cast took care of that."
"Can you be absolutely positive of that?"
"Yes," he said firmly. "I can."
"Then I'll see what I can do to help you. Don't make me regret this, Cole."
"I won't, Piper. I swear to you. I love her and only want her happy and safe."
"As much as I shouldn't, I do believe you mean that. I've never seen her as in love with someone, or as happy with someone as she is when she's with you."
Cole looked relieved. "I don't want to lose her again, Piper. I really don't want to lose her to death."
"Like I said, I'll do my best to help get you out of the Wastelands and back here."
"Thank you."
"Don't thank me yet. I may not be able to get you out of there."
"I'm confident that you will."
Phoebe stared at the demon that was facing off with her. His knife was shiny with the blood that he had already drawn on her. Her shoulder was on fire from the attack, but she wasn't backing down.
"Don't you know when to quit, witch?"
She moved Cole's athame to her other hand. "I'm not a quitter." Her voice was a flat snarl. "I never quit."
"Then you will die," he said, spinning and throwing the knife at her. At the same time, he let loose an energy ball in her direction.
Phoebe screamed out in pain as the knife entered her shoulder and then the energy ball sent her flying into a wall. As she fought to stay conscious and act through the pain, she heard a growl of rage and then the demon who had attacked her was suddenly engulfed in flame. She felt strong arms gather her up and she blinked through the blurriness of her vision.
"Cole?" she questioned weakly.
"I'm here, sweetheart. I've got you, you're safe now."
"But... but how?" She was trying to make sense of this. "You're dead... I had to help vanquish The Source and he took you with him."
"I was trapped in the Wastelands. Piper and Paige helped get me out of there so I could protect you."
"Am I dead?"
"What?" Cole's voice sounded horrified. "No, Phoebe. You're alive. Hurt, but very much alive. I'm going to take you to the Manor so Leo can heal you."
Phoebe reached a hand up to touch his face. "I love you," she said, before closing her eyes and losing consciousness.
Cole stared down at her for a long moment as he cradled her against his chest. He was torn between being touched at the war she had waged on his behalf, and horrified at how close she had come to death so many times. He tightened his arms around her as he shimmered to the Halliwell Manor.
