The Inevitable

[jules1]

This story takes place before the Season 7 finally of Charmed started, but after Leo becomes human. The fic is an action focusing on new demons, as well as a few old issues. I won’t give any of the story away, but I can tell you there will be plenty of twists and even a few surprises that may just keep you wishing for more. (I hope! This is my first fic that I’ve posted here!)

Chapter 1

The howling storm thundered and flashed, almost as if the rain was an unwilling passenger, traveling against its will. Lightning struck hard, causing a tall oak tree to perish, and a dozen drivers to cringe as they tried to see their way past their windshields and into the road. This included Ms. Phoebe Halliwell, who was in no mood to fight through wicked storms and overwhelming traffic.
Phoebe drew in one complete breath, and slowly let it escape the confines of her mouth, trying to calm herself. She had to start relaxing. The constant demon attacks and the rumor of a resurfacing source was taking too big of a toll on her home and work life. Her advice column was beginning to criticize readers as opposed to helping them, and even one man had gone as far as harassing Phoebe outside of the office.
She squinted her eyes, trying to see past the pounding rain, and drove her car further down the winding road. Phoebe was about ten minutes away from reaching the manor, and was going to arrive home later then normal. Piper would understand that Phoebe probably got caught up in the storm, but that wouldn’t stop her from worrying that a demon might have gotten a hold to Phoebe. She contemplated reaching her cell phone to get a hold of someone at home, but decided it was too risky, given the horrific weather.
A car honked behind Phoebe, wanting her to speed up, but she continued to keep her car at the same speed. It’s too dangerous to get across the winding roads as it is, Phoebe thought to herself. The blue truck behind her honked again, and Phoebe took an impatient breath. She looked in her rearview mirror, but the storm was coming down too hard to see who the driver behind her was. Trying to get her mind off other things, Phoebe turned on the classic rock station, and tried to tune out everything else.
The blue car started to tailgate Phoebe, and her temper rose. This was how people got into car accidents! Didn’t this jerk realize how dangerous a night like tonight could be? Phoebe reached a turn in the road, but to her alarm, the driver behind her started to swerve around Phoebe’s car. This guy was trying to get past her! The hair on the back her neck rose as the anonymous driver sped around Phoebe’s car. The bright lights from the truck blinded her as she tried to see the road, and panic began to overtake her, as she tried to keep her car steady. It was too late. Her car was out of control. Phoebe screamed, trying to put the brakes on, but it was useless. Her car sped towards the wooden gate blocking the road from the lake, and jerked her against the wheel when her car drove strait thought the gate. Her car drove right into the lake, as Phoebe tried to stay conscious. Her head was pretty banged up, and it seemed as if her car just kept going deeper and deeper into the depths of the water. Phoebe’s fingers worked at her crushed door, trying to get it open, but she wasn’t strong enough. Her head hurt so badly, and her stomach seemed as if it was upside down. She put her hand on the pain at her head, but pulled back immediately as pain pierced through her. The last sound she heard before she fell unconscious was the lake water quickly gushing into the car. The last thought she had was….There’s no way this can be how I die…..

Please tell me if you are enjoying this!
Jules

[jules1]

Ch. 2
Piper paced back and forth in the manor, waiting for Phoebe to get home. The Charmed Ones had constantly been fighting off demons, and preparing to fight the new Source. It had taken a toll on everyone’s moods, but most of all Phoebe. Piper had the continual reminder of her two wonderful boys, and the husband whom she grew closer to every day. Paige had the optimism of making the world a better place, and helping her new charges find the right road to follow. And Phoebe….the only thing she had beside her sisters was her job. And that had all gone to hell in the past week. Piper frowned, as she pictured how worn out her younger sister had been. Phoebe had been worked to the bone the past couple of days, barely having time for her morning coffee. She seemed distracted too.
Piper knew that some of Phoebe’s distraction was caused by that stupid vision of the little girl she should be having in the future. Don’t get her wrong; Piper would love to have a little niece. It’s just that lately she thought the only thing the vision gave Phoebe was pain for not having what she craved so much. It no longer brought hope or light into her sister’s eyes.
Piper looked back at her watch. Phoebe was more than a little late. What was taking her so long? The distressed older sister turned to Paige, who was running a fever. She was sitting on the couch with a red lolli pop, ringing her hands together. Paige was worried too, which was not normal. “Leo!” Piper called. She knew he was no longer a whitelighter, but there was no doubt he could hear her call, as he was only in the manor’s kitchen. Leo came into the conservatory, drying a dinner plate as he came.
He opened his mouth to say something, but immediately shut it when seeing the distress on Piper’s face. He knew what this was about. Phoebe still wasn’t home. Normally Leo would ease his wife’s worry, but tonight he couldn’t hide the slow turning of his stomach. Sometimes he craved so much to be a whitelighter again. He missed being able to protect the ones he loved, and to check up on someone when he had a bad feeling such as this. “We could try calling her cell.” He offered.
Piper replied with a grunt. ‘Already have. The phone line’s dead.” She looked up into her husband’s eyes. “Leo, something’s wrong. I can feel it. We need to find Phoebe.”
“Alright.” He said. “Here’s what we can do. Paige, since you’re sick, you can stay here with the boys, and make sure the phone doesn’t ring. If we have another demon attack, just orbs the kids out of here as soon as possible. Piper, we can go up to the attic, and scry for Phoebe. If she’s not in the underworld, than she’s probably nearby, just stuck in traffic.”
Piper nodded, agreeing with Leo’s orders. Normally she took more charge, but tonight she felt like her head was spinning. She followed him up into the attic, and pulled out the map of San Francisco. Leo tossed her the scrying crystal, and she tried to steady her hands, as she moved it across the map. “Leo,” she said uneasily. “Nothing’s coming up.”
“Keep trying,” he persisted. “Try to stop shaking.”
Piper took a deep breath to settle herself, and continued to scry. The force of magic pulled the crystal onto the map, and Piper leaned down to see what it said. Her eyes widened as she turned to Leo. “Leo, she’s stuck in a lake! We need to get Paige to orb us there!”
Leo put a hand on either side of Piper. “We can’t Piper. Paige is sick, remember? Her powers have been acting really strange because of it, and there’s no way we can depend on them to get us to Phoebe. Driving will be the fastest way.”
“Well then what are you waiting for?” Piper shouted. “Lets move!” As Piper and Leo got her keys, she couldn’t help but feel that they may be just a little bit too late…..
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Hmmm...what will happen next? Please review! Ther will be more posted soon!

Jules

[jules1]

Ch. 3
Piper kept her hands gripped on the steering wheel, trying to get to reach the road that led to the lake. The rain was coming down pretty hard, though not as hard as it once was. Anger kicked it’s way up her spine as she saw a police officer waving her to stop and turn around. “What the heck!” she screamed. Piper jumped out of her car, Leo quietly following her, and marched right up to the officer. She tried to keep her voice steady as she spoke to him. “Why can’t we use this road?”
“There’s an accident just around the corner, and there’s no way your car can get by. Besides, we don’t want any pedestrians interfering” Said the officer, slow and steady.
Leo decided to speak up, so Piper didn’t get herself in jail for harassing an officer. “Sir, we think it’s her sister in the wreck. We need to go see.”
“I’ll tell you what. Why don’t you two just leave your names, and we will contact you after we verify the women’s name.”
Piper’s face scrunched up. “Nah. How bout I just do this instead!” She froze the officer, and she pulled on Leo’s arm to follow her. Sure enough, there were ambulances and police officers just around the corner, about another 50 feet ahead. Piper ran as fast as her body could move, taking in deep, choking breaths of air. She couldn’t tell if she was panting or sobbing, but either way she needed to see Phoebe.
Her yearning was granted as she ran closer to the ambulance. Though this only made things worse. A stretcher lay on the cold, wet, ground, with a limp Phoebe sprawled across of it. A breathing mask was across her face, and blood was dribbling along her face. This registered in Piper’s mind. Blood. There was so much of it. Phoebe’s lips appeared to be blue, and her hair was soaking wet. Piper couldn’t see her sister’s clothes, as a thick, brown blanket was wrapped tightly around Phoebe’s body. 3 paramedics were surrounding her sister, but Piper couldn’t tell what they were doing.
Piper couldn’t stand it anymore. She pushed past all the tape and officers trying to reach Phoebe. If she could just touch her sister….feel her pulse…. hold her freezing hands between hers…..but she couldn’t. The only thing Piper got to do was run head first into a burly officer’s chest. “Lady, you’re not supposed to be back here.”
“My sister.” Piper managed to choke out between her constant sobs and tears. She tried to push past the officer, but he had both of her wrists in either hand. She watched….hopelessly….as the paramedics lifted Phoebe’s stretcher off the ground, and move it into the ambulance. The last thing she saw before the truck car doors closed was one of the paramedics warming up the defribulator, getting ready to use it on Phoebe.
“Nooooo!” Piper screamed, as the ambulance raced off. She went to wipe the tears from her hot cheeks, and realized that she was no longer in the grips of a police officer. Instead, she was leaning against Leo’s steady chest, sobbing as his arms wrapped around her.
“We need to go.” He said. “Maybe we can meet Phoebe at the hospital.”
She nodded, trying to stop the tears from coming. She needed to be strong for Phoebe. It was then that she saw it. She and Leo weren’t the only ones besides the police who were here. There was another man, and he was soaking wet! He was standing by the broken fence post, leaning against his red car. “It was you!” she shouted at him. “It was you who ran my sister off the road!” Without another word, she rammed her steady fist into his startled face.

Jules

[jules1]

Ch.4
On the way to the hospital, Paige and Leo stopped by the manor to pick up Paige. They called Sheila, Darryl’s wife, who immediately came over to watch the boys. Paige was just as stunned as Piper, but realization hadn’t really kicked in until she saw Piper break into tears again. Piper never cried. Leo was at the wheel of the car, not wanting Paige or Piper to drive in a situation like this. “L…L..L..Leo,” Paige stuttered “If P..Phoebe is still alive, why don’t we just summon a whitelighter to heal her?”
Piper sniffed, “Don’t talk like that Paige. Phoebe is alive.” While she didn’t say this, Piper’s foremost thought was I don’t think I can live if she’s not.
“Besides,” said Leo. “You know the rules. No matter how big of a help Phoebe is to the magical community, her wreck wasn’t caused because of magic. The whitelighters wouldn’t heal her even if they wanted too.”
All talking ceased as the hospital came into view. Piper and Paige were jumping out of the car even as it was still moving. They had to see Phoebe. They were almost at the reception desk when Piper stopped Paige from going another step. “Hold on.” She said, trying to think clearly. “We’ve got to wait for Leo to catch up. He may be staying strong for us, but the fact is he loves Phoebe too. It’s selfish of us to have him be our chauffeur, because he’s a member of our family.
Paige started to make a protest, but then closed her mouth. Piper was right. Besides, she could already see Leo catching up. As he joined the two sisters, Piper intertwined her fingers with his. She tried to smile up at him as she asked, “You ready?” He made a slight nod, as the three of them stepped closer to the desk. These steps would become some of the most influential movements in the lives of the Halliwells. These steps could perhaps change their lives forever.
“Can I help you?” The receptionist asked.
“Y..Yes. My sister Phoebe Halliwell was brought in from a wreck a couple m…minutes ago. We don’t know if she is ali…can we just talk to her doctor?”
The receptionist nodded. “Of course. Actually, Dr. Travers asked me to page him as soon as you showed up. I’m sure he’ll be out any minute now.” The Halliwells nodded, and left the desk to wait in the waiting chairs. No one said anything, but you could tell a million thoughts were spinning through each of their heads. Was it a good thing or bad thing that the doctor had wanted to be paged at their arrival? Was Phoebe alive? Was she scared? Was she calling out for her sisters at this very moment? Paige looked up, and saw Dr. Travers walking toward them. His face was expressionless, telling Paige nothing. She shouldered Piper, who lifted her head from her chest, and looked strait into Dr. Travers eyes. Everyone stood up, as he came to stand in front of Piper, Paige, and Leo.
“The Halliwells, I presume?”
“Yes,” Piper said, rather sharply. “Now tell me if Phoebe’s going to be okay.”
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~Meanwhile
Phoebe sat up on the hospital bed, feeling no pain. What had happened tonight? But all she could remember was drifting out of consciousness, with drilling headaches. It was surprising to Phoebe that they were already gone. Phoebe stood up, glaring at the disgusting hospital gown she had on. She heard someone else in the room. Phoebe swerved around, expecting to see another demon. No, there was no demon, but what she did see was one of the most horrifying sights of her life. Actually, the nurse fluffing the bed pillows wasn’t scary at all. It was the fact that that there was a person laying on those pillows that scared her! No, not just any person, but her!” Phoebe screamed. So life could get worse. That didn’t make any sense, was she still alive? She had to be; otherwise she wouldn’t be on this hospital bed.
Phoebe tried to talk to the nurse, who was now looking down at Phoebe It was useless. No one could hear her. Of course, that didn’t stop a determined Phoebe from hollering anyway. “Can anyone here me? Hello! I said can anyone hear me!” Phoebe hadn’t expected a reply, but she had gotten one.
“Yes Phoebe, I can hear you.”
Phoebe swerved on the floor once more. She knew this voice!
Looking at the several emotions speed across Phoebes face, the figure sighed, “So…I guess Piper never told you about me.”
~~~~~~~~~~~
Please, everyone, tell me how you like this story!
Jules

[hollyzangel]

Its....COLE!! RIght? huh. Am I right?.. Tell meh I'm right!!. Anyways I love the story.

[jumpshot219]

i love it please post more

[jules1]

Ch.5
Oh no, Phoebe thought to herself. No, this man wasn’t death, but it might as well of been! She took a steadying breath, so her voice would sound strong. It’s not like she was afraid of this man. Well….she started to correct herself, it’s not like she was afraid he would hurt her physically, but there were so many other ways a human could get hurt. Phoebe’s heart urged her to take a few steps forward, her mind urged her a few steps back. Instead, Phoebe stayed with her feet planted firmly where she was. “Cole. What in the hell are you doing here? In fact, that’s where you should be!”
Cole looked into Phoebe’s eyes, hoping to find an ounce of love or even a bit of forgiveness for what he had done. There was none. “I am in hell Phoebe. Or at least, I’m in my own personnel hell. So Piper really didn’t yell you?”
“Tell me what?” she snapped back.
“When the elders sent Leo on the journey to see if he was meant to lead life as an elder, or with Piper, Piper was sent into the magically induced coma. In other words, she was sent to my plane! I was the one that help her find true love with Leo. I was the one that brought Leo back to your family.”
“What are you talking about Cole? I’m NOT in the mood for games. Am I…am I dead?”
“No, you’re not. You’re in a coma.” He said. “This is the plain you’re spirit goes to when a person is in a coma, magical or not.” He took a seat in the hospital trying to explain himself. “Actually you’re not really a spirit. Each individual takes on their true corpeal form. Of course, it doesn’t apply to plain you came from. In other words, you can see and here those that are alive and well right now, but they can’t see or here you.”
“But why…why all the rules?” Phoebe persisted.
“You see, a person goes into a coma for a reason. Its when death makes a bid for someone, but that individual still has emotional attachment to the world.”
“Well yeah! Of course I have emotional attachment to the world! I love my family!” Phoebe said.
Cole pinched the area between his eyes. He wasn’t explaining this very well. “It’s like problems you have yet to work out, or some cosmic lesson that you haven’t learned. That’s why you can see the world, but they can’t see you. You’re supposed to observe everyone until you have learned what you are supposed to.”
“Are you saying that as soon someone works out their problems in this plain, they die?!”
Cole shook his head. “Even now, the one I love still gives me headaches.” Phoebe glared at him, so he got back to the subject. “Of course they don’t always die, Phoebe. People wake up from comas every day. You see, once you work out what ever you were supposed to, death as the option to kill you if he sees fit. If he doesn’t, you wake up.”
Phoebe got that irritated, stubborn look that all Halliwells seemed to have embedded in their genes. “Are you saying that once someone is in a coma, they don’t have the choice of whether they live or die?”
Cole stared steadily at her. “Nobody should ever get the choice of whether they live or die. That’s why suicide is so terrible.”
Phoebe crossed her arms over her chest, trying to hold her tears in. God she was such a bad Halliwell, she thought. Not one of her ancestors would cry at a time like this, they would kick butt! Despite trying to stop her tears, water welled up in Phoebe’s eyes. “I so don’t have time for this! The Source can attack any minute! And he probably will, now that a charmed one is in a freakin coma!
Cole smiled inside himself. Despite her tears, Phoebe Halliwell still had more spunk than ever. He scolded himself for finding any humor in a time like this. “The source won’t send anyone after you. Demons have too much pride to kill a witch like you while you’re in a coma.” Cole looked down at his feet, not wanting to see Phoebe’s eyes as he told her the next part. “But he’ll definitely try to attack your sisters while they can’t access the Power of Three.”
“Don’t you think I know that?” Phoebe screamed as the tears spread down her face. “That’s why I can’t be hurt at a time like this! Piper and Paige don’t stand a chance if they are down a sister.”
Despite his head telling him not too, Cole embraced Phoebe in a hug. Gosh, he hadn’t touched her in years, but she was still the same Phoebe. Hope started to appear as he saw that Phoebe didn’t pull away the instant he touched her, but the hope was crushed as she looked up at him with fire in his eyes. “Don’t touch me!” She screamed. Phoebe took several steps back as she got to her room door. “I can save my sisters on my own, and I don’t need the help of a demon to do it!”
“Phoebe,” Cole said. “Think logically for a minute. I can help you. I’ve been watching the moves of the Halliwells for years. Heck, if you’ve forgotten I was the source once upon a time.”
“I don’t care.” Phoebe said. Her voice was deathly quiet. “I don’t want you coming near my family ever again.” With that, Phoebe exited the hospital room.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~
I know, this chapter may be a little confusing. But please don't worry, you'll all be listening to Cole explain more about what is happening soon!

Thanks,
Jules

[jules1]

I'm extremely sorry for such a HUGE delay. My computer erased a large chunck of my story, and I'm just now getting it back on track. I should be posting the next chapter very soon....maybe even tonight.

Again, I've very sorry for the delay, and I hope you can understand how irratating computers can be sometimes.

Thanks
Jules

[jules1]

Ch.6
Piper, Paige, and Leo were led by the doctor to Phoebe’s room. There was utter silence. The only sound present was the soft clacking of Piper’s black boots against the cold floor. Paige took a quick intake of breath as she reached the open door to room 209 a.k.a. where Phoebe was staying. Up until now, Paige had understood that her sister was hurt, but not seeing Phoebe injured had still given her time to think that her sister wasn’t really damaged. In some ways, even though she knew it was completely unrealistic, Paige wanted to believe this was just some bad joke. Or one bad nightmare. It wasn’t. The youngest sister looked into the room and saw a witch that no longer seemed magical. Instead, Phoebe looked worn out. A breathing mask was hooked across her face, and cords were going every which way. Fragile; of all the different ways Paige had pictured Phoebe hurt, fragile had never come to mind. Sure, pissed off would have seemed right, or even peaceful would have looked better on Phoebe. Paige took in another breath, but realized that it came out as a sob. This was first time she had felt sick over grief since her parents had died.
The doctor looked across the room, and nodded at the sisters. “I’ll leave you guys alone for a few moments. Call me if you need anything.” Dr. Travers said. He left the hospital room, and quietly shut the door. For the first time, Paige took in how dark the room seemed to be. There was a good sized window, but it didn’t help because it was so late at night.
Piper was on one side of Phoebe, firmly holding her hand. Paige moved to the other side, and gently rubbed the back of her hand against Phoebe’s cheek. How could something so terrible happen to a person who devoted her entire life to helping others?
Paige watched as Piper shivered from her cries, and how Leo came behind and wrapped his arms around her. “It’ll be alright.” He said softly, not liking the tormented face that his wife had. Paige wiped a tear from her eyes as she thought about the love they shared. Piper turned back to Leo
“What do you mean it will be alright?! In case you haven’t noticed, my sister is in a fricken coma Leo! Oh yeah, did you also forget that I just found out I punched the wrong guy tonight? He wasn’t the one who hurt Phoebe, he was the fricken one who jumped in the freezing lake to save her! How could I be so stupid? Grams would have never….” Leo kissed a tear on her cheek. Piper was babbling like all Halliwell women seemed to do when they were upset. She stopped talking as she wrapped her arms around her husband, and continued to sob. Eventually she’d be done crying, right?
Paige smiled at the love that Piper and Leo shared…the love that Paige had longed for her entire life. She snapped at herself mentally. How could she be thing about true love at a time like this?
~~~~~~~~~~~~~meanwhile, in the comatose plane~~~~~~~~

Phoebe tried not to weep as she watched her family hover over her ill body. How could this be real? She tried to touch Paige, but just as she suspected, her hand slid right through her. Phoebe was NOT ready to die. She had to do something, and she needed help. The middle sister scolded herself for thinking of Cole again. Sure, she would like some help….but not his help. Phoebe couldn’t stop the tears from rolling down her face, as she watched the desperation in Piper’s eyes. Of all the things Phoebe thought she would die of, demons were at the top of her list….not car wrecks. She yelled at herself once again. She wasn’t dead yet, she still had a chance to live. At the very least, she would find a way to save her sisters from the Source. He would be attacking any minute now.
It was then that all hell broke loose. Phoebe stared in horror as she watched her sisters’ faces fall. Wyatt had orbed into the hospital room with a screaming Chris on one side. On the other side lay an unconscious Sheila with a large bloody gap in her stomach. Terror shot into Phoebe’s body as she began to shake uncontrollably. She needed Cole’s help desperately, and there would be no way around it if she wanted to save the ones she loved.

Thanks for reading!
Jules

[peterhalliwell]

Very well written.... Keep it going!

[jumpshot219]

please keep it going

[jules1]

Chapter 7

Piper barely had time to blink before her instincts kicked in. They should have known better than to leave Sheila with the boys when the Source could attack any minute! Leo scooped down to pick up Chris, as the one year old wailed uncontrollably. Piper kneeled down by one of her closest friends, and felt for a pulse. She started to panic when she didn’t feel a movement, but relief rushed through Piper’s body as she realized there was a very faint pulse. “She’s alive!” Piper said in part grief and part relief. “We need to get her to a doctor, fast.”
“And how are we going to explain how Sheila got in here, let alone stabbed in the stomach?” Paige questioned.
“I don’t know.” Piper said with impatience on her breath. “But Sheila’s practically family, we can’t let her die! I’m not going to let her death be on my hands!” Piper stomped to Phoebe’s room door in a half run, and had her head peaked out the door before Leo stopped her.
“Hold on.” He said as he laid his hand on her shoulder. While he had to use a little force, Leo pulled Piper back into the room and shut the door. “Look.” Sheila’s eyes were fluttering open as her wound and blood slowly disappeared. Wyatt had his glowing hand over her, looking like a miniature version of his flannel wearing dad. When the healing process was complete the little boy looked back at his mother.
Following this, Sheila tried to sit up, only to have Leo slowly guide her back down to the floor. Her first question was to ask if the boys were okay. After this she inquired, “W-what happened?” Leo and Paige gradually explained what happened, and Phoebe’s condition.
Piper, on the other hand, couldn’t so much as open her mouth. Her little boy had healed his first person outside of the family. He had saved his first innocent. Tears began to stream down her red face once again, and amazement began to creep up her spine. These weren’t tears of mourning, they were tears of joy! They were the kind of tears that only little boys could place on their mother’s faces at times like this. It was at that moment that realization hit Piper. She had so much to live for. Not only for herself and her sisters, but for her little boys and husband as well. Innocents needed her protection and friends needed her advice. Piper wiped a stray tear from her cheek. She loved Phoebe so much, but in order to carry on good magic Piper had to stay strong. She would have to allow faith and optimism to lead her along the path of destroying the source. It took her little boys to make her realize this.
Piper squeezed Leo’s hands as she looked into Paige’s eyes. “We need to go,” She said without even a quiver in her voice. Paige began to protest, because she wanted to keep Phoebe company. But Piper shook her head. “Magic needs our help Paige. We’ve got to keep the Charmed Ones alive in order to lead good in the right direction.” Paige looked like she wanted to object more, but nodded her head instead.
After giving Phoebe a kiss goodbye along with a quick explanation, the Halliwells exited the room. On their way to the car, a smile tilted its way onto Piper’s lips. “It’s time to kick some demonic red demon behind.”
A laugh escaped Leo’s throat at his wife’s behavior. ‘Oh yeah.’ He thought. ‘Piper’s back alright.’
~~~~~~~Meanwhile, in the comatose plane~~~~~~~
Phoebe sat in her empty hospital room, not exactly knowing how to find Cole to ask for his help. Finally, she settled on just calling his name. ‘Hey, it worked when Leo was a whitelighter.’ She thought to herself. Cole didn’t appear at first, but by her third call he began to materialize. When he was in full form she looked up at him. “I…I decided I need your help after all.” She tried to keep her voice impartial and full of courage as she looked into his deep green eyes. Cole said nothing, and tears began to form in her eyes. So much had gone wrong through them during the years……
Cole steeped closer to her and tilted up her chin with his fingers. For a moment she thought he was going to kiss her. Instead he dropped his hand and leveled her stare.
"Okay. I’ll help you. But I want you to know it isn’t because I love you. It’s because the Halliwells are good people, and I don’t want innocents to die because evil won over.”
Phoebe nodded, trying to keep her vision clear of all her tears. His words had been a cold slap in the face, but she couldn’t let him discover how much those words just hurt her. Instead she nodded. “What do we do now?”


Thanks for reading
Jules

[jules1]

More to come soon.....

[jules1]

Chapter 8
Piper stormed into the manor, with baby Chris in her arms, and the other Halliwells trailing behind her. “First thing’s first,” she said as she handed her son over to Leo. “I should get the Book of Shadows. And you….” She pointed to Paige. “You go lay down on the couch. You look like your fever’s rising. I don’t want two sisters in a coma at once.”
“Piper…..It’s not like I’ll be able to rest. I mean, you expect me to get some sleep at a time like this?”
“Yup. You better if you want to keep our butts alive.”
Piper swerved around, and ran up the stairs to go get the book. Instead of heading to the couch, Paige turned in the direction of the kitchen. “You heard what Piper said.” Leo warned. “And she’s right.”
“Leo, I’m fine. I already stayed here once when you two went to look for Phoebe. You can’t expect me to be a sitting duck while Piper does all the work. Besides, the messages need to be checked.” Paige walked over to the blinking light by the telephone, and pushed the play button. There was the usual stream of messages. The first was from a telemarketer claiming that Piper was one of the top three finalists in a chance to win a brand new car. All she had to do was call a certain number to let them know she was interested. “Yeah right.” Paige quipped. “And I’m THE Little Debbie.” The next was from a mother at Wyatt’s preschool who was curious if Piper wanted to carpool next week. Elise called Phoebe, telling her that the revision of next week’s column was due tomorrow morning.
Paige frowned as she pictured Elise tapping her foot, impatient for Phoebe to call her back. Paige couldn’t fault her, because it wasn’t as if Elise knew of Phoebe’s accident. Gosh, it had only happened a couple hours ago.
She listened as a man’s voice flowed over the last message. Paige didn’t recognize him. He didn’t leave his name either. However, he did leave a startling message. “It’s because of you Phoebe. You’re the one who ruined my marriage and all that I had going for me. Just remember…..paybacks a bi*ch.”
Piper had come down with the book by the time the message had finished. “Just when you think a situation can’t get any more worse, it gets crappier.”
Paige bit her lip as the man’s last line sunk into her mind. “Even when someone’s in a coma, their problems don’t just disappear.” There was a silence as thoughts registered in the Halliwells’ minds. Could this man have been the one who ran their sister off the road? Or was he just some obsessed reader that was all talk and no action? Did he even know about Phoebe’s accident?
One thing was for sure. The Halliwells had their plates full, and there was a very good chance that that they might not be able to make it out of this mess alive.
~~~~~~~~Meanwhile, in the Comatose Plane~~~~~~~
“How do you do that?” Phoebe asked Cole as she paced in the hospital room. “How are you able to shimmer in and out of here like that?”
“Anyone in this plane can do it. It allows those in comas to reflect on their lives by being able to travel to the most important places and moments in their existence.”
Phoebe nodded her head, acting as if she understood everything he was talking about. Gosh! This was just so much to take in at once. “Well, can you shimmer me to my sisters?”
He nodded, not saying a word. Phoebe walked over to him, and touched his arm. Neither one of them mentioned it, but both could still feel the bolt of electricity that connected him. Cole took a deep breath as he shimmered her out to the manor. They arrived right as they saw Piper blow the head off of another demon. The horrifying creature screamed in agony as he was vanquished. Phoebe laughed inside at Piper’s next comment. “That butt ugly demon really believed he had a chance at killing up. Fat chance.”
Cole however, was not amused at all. He hit himself in the head as realization hit him. “How could I be so stupid? I should have seen this a week ago!”
“Should have see what Cole?’
“The Source doesn’t actually believe he has a chance a killing the Charmed Ones by sending all these demons. He’s trying to distract you guys from what he’s really up too.”
Phoebe opened her mouth to reply, but closed it as Paige collapsed on the couch. “Darn it,” She heard Piper say. “I told Paige to lay down an hour ago. She knew this would happen.”
“Paige will be all right.” Leo assured her. “The doctor already said it was just the virus that has been making its way through San Francisco. She just needs some sleep, It is three o’clock in the morning.”
He looked at his exhausted wife. “Speaking of sleep, it’s about time we head off to bed.”
Piper raised her eyebrow, in that challenging ‘You can’t make me,’ Look.
Leo looked at her just as sternly. He didn’t set his foot down often, but when it came to Piper’s health he could be just as hard headed as any other Halliwell. “ You’ll be more help if you’re well rested.” Piper didn’t say anything to her Leo as she followed him off to bed, because she knewthat there alwasy came times when a wife just had to trust that her husband knew what he was doing.

Thanks
Jules

[jules1]

Chapter 9

~~~~~~Comatose Plane~~~~~~~


Cole ran his fingers through his hair as he paced back and forth in the Halliwell manor. “I can’t believe I didn’t notice this before. I mean, you’ve had constant demon attacks, but nothing you couldn’t take care of. The Source wouldn’t send off demons to the Halliwells just to get them killed. There has to be some bigger plan he’s working on.”
Phoebe contemplated what Cole had just said. “Yeah, but think about it. Even if my sisters already know that the Source is trying to distract them, there’s not much they can do about it. I mean, they’re short a sister, and it would be suicide to go up against the Source alone.”
“But if I’d known….” Cole started. “I could have been watching the demon activity a little closer. I could have caught on to whatever the Source is trying to pull over you guys.”
“Ok, then why don’t you shimmer us down to the underworld? We can figure out what he’s up too. It’s not like he can hurt me down there.”
“I’m not aloud. I mean I can’t. The comatose lane only exists in the real word. The underworld doesn’t send demons here so they can ‘reflect’ on their lives. It’s not like they ever feel any guilt for what they do.”
Phoebe bit her bottom lip. “That doesn’t mean we can’t keep both eyes and ears open. The Source will have to make a small slip up eventually, and when he does, we will catch him.”
Cole smiled at Phoebe’s determination. No matter how bad a situation got, Phoebe was always looking for new ways to fix it. That was one of the things that made him fall in love with her to begin with. “You’re right.” He said. “Demon’s always say that the one weakness good has is love.” He watched her as he stated this. “Well, the one weakness that all evil has is greed. Demons are always wanting too much.”

~~~~~~Meanwhile, somewhere in the night~~~~~~~~

The elderly man moved silently in his gold, silk robe as he approached the child’s bed. He smiled at the innocence that all little boys seemed to have when they were sleeping. He knew in particular that this little boy, named Jack, had a fascination with dinosaurs. Jack would spend hours of his days playing with his miniature models of the creatures. Secretly, the boy dreamed of becoming an archeologist. Of course, he would never mention his thoughts to his pregnant mother, because it would only make her feel guilty. Jack’s mom was a single mother, one that had to scrounge for extra jobs everyday just to meet ends meet. She was constantly wearing her hands out, as she tried to earn money for food.
The man knew that Jack was about to give up on his dreams of becoming an archeologist. If it weren’t for him coming here every night, the boy would have given up long ago. The man slipped his hand into his silken robe, and pulled out his bag of sand. Slowly, he sprinkled it over Jack, so that the boy could dream happily. When he was done, the man slipped the bag back into his robe, and rubbed his brittle hands together. Suddenly, fear crept up his spine. Before the elderly creature had a chance to respond, and hand creeped around his mouth, and a pain shot through his stomach. Realization swept over him that a dagger had just entered his body, but could do nothing as he began to bleed. The demon that had stabbed him came around to the man’s front view right before he took his last breath. “I’ve got you now Sandman.”
The hatred in the demon’s eyes was the last image the Sandman saw before death took him.

[jules1]

Chapter 10
Piper awoke at about 5:30 that morning, and decided it was useless to try to close her eyes and wish for more sleep. Ever since Leo had convinced her to go to bed a couple hours beforehand, she had been drifting in and out of sleep. So many things were racing through her stressed mind. Piper sat up in bed, and grudgingly tip toed to the bathroom. She didn’t want her footsteps to wake up Leo or the boys, so tried to stay extremely quiet when brushing her teeth and getting a shower.
However, all ideas of silence were erased as the edge of Piper’s elbow encountered the large metal candle holder by the sink and tipped it so that a large crash sounded, followed by a calm rolling sound across the floor. Piper cringed at the noise, still feeling as if she were half asleep. Piper quickly dragged clothes on, wanting to go see how Phoebe was doing before she got started on a plan that would have a chance at vanquishing the Source.
After combing a brush through her long, sleek hair, Piper silently left the bedroom, shutting the door behind her so that Leo would have a slim possibility of getting another hour or two of sleep. Piper begrudgingly reached for a breakfast bar in the kitchen before she retrieved her car keys. Even though the rolling feeling in her stomach was still making her feel nauseas, Piper knew she needed food to keep her strength up.
Piper walked to the front door of the manor, and laid her hand on the knob. She sent a silent prayer, hoping that the door’s usual screech would cease to exist. S she opened the door, her wish was not granted. On the other hand, it wouldn’t have mattered if it had been. Piper’s squeal was enough to mask the sound. “Paige!” Piper shrieked as she laid a hand over her heart to settle its fast paced beating. “You scared the bejeezus out of me!”
Paige smiled sheepishly. “Sorry. I just got back from seeing Phoebe, and was trying to come in quietly. I didn’t want to wake anybody.”
Piper pushed down the jealousy and guilt that she felt knowing that while a sick Paige was visiting their injured sister, Piper had been sleeping away in her warm bed. “So, how is Phoebe?” Piper persisted.
“Umm….” Paige said. “She’s fine. I r-really think that s-she’ll be okay.” Paige tried to keep on a brave face as she said this.
Piper, of course, saw right past these words and right into Paige’s tear streaked face. Her tears had led thin trails across her makeup, and red blotches had appeared on her fair skin. Piper opened up her mouth, ready to comfort Paige, but abruptly closed it when she realized she had no clue what to say. Instead, she shut the manor door, and stepped out onto the porch. Piper was about to hug her sister when she realized there was a big Krispy Kreme donut box blocking her way. She looked into Paige’s eyes, silently questioning her.
“I-I…” started Paige, “Saw the hot donuts sign up after I saw Phoebe, and wasn’t r-ready to go home yet. So I stopped, and p-picked up a few.” Piper led her baby sister to the porch step, and they both sat down with the box. She wrapped her arm around Paige as tears surfaced in her own eyes.
The sun began to rise as both woman sobbed in each other’s arms. Finally Paige sniffed and looked up at Piper. “I’m so scared. I don’t know what to do.”
Piper thought for a moment, and then came up with the most satisfying answer she could think of. “First, we’ll stuff ourselves with donuts. Then we’ll go back to see Phoebe and tell her how much we love her. After that….” She said. “We’ll kick some demon butt. But whatever we do, we will not give up.”
So, as the sun began to light up the sky, both sisters ate their donuts, realizing that this was perhaps the most normal moment they would have before they were to face to biggest fight of their lives.
~~~~~~~~~~~~
Yes, I know the story may be getting a little slow. But please keep reading. I'm wanting to make sure you get a feeling of everything that is going on during such a confused mess at the Halliwell's. Please stay tuned....more source coming up!

[jules1]

Chapter 11
It was about Five AM in San Francisco, as Cole Turner shimmered to his usual morning checkpoints. Even though he was essentially dead, the need to scope out evil and observe was still embedded in his mind. While it may come as a surprise, even those in the comatose plane needed to sleep. This included Cole. Every morning he woke up, Turner went through a sequence of similar events. It would start with the slight opening of his eyes. Then, just for a moment, he would reach over to his side to wrap his arms around Phoebe. Followed by this, his personal hell would embed its roots even deeper into his tortured soul. Phoebe was no longer part of his life…or his death for that matter. Cole would then squeeze his damp eyes shut, hoping to close out all that was horrible to him.
This solution would never work, and always ultimately ended with Cole standing up and shimmering to different parts of the world where he knew demons dealt. In effect, he would learn the most recent plots and intentions of the underworld.
After scoping out the current events, Cole would always end up back at the San Francisco hospital. Occasionally, he would visit other hospitals to ultimately do the same task. Turner tried to get coma patients to understand why they were brought to the comatose plane. He helped them reflect on their lives, and make life altering decisions. Sometimes, all the patients needed were someone who would listen to their problems.
Cole didn’t think that he was noble because of this. He simply thought that he was bored and needed something to do. He’d already wasted his life away; he might as well give some of his insight to those who still had a chance at living. Unbelievably, he never noticed that some of the people he helped move on to the afterworld or back to the real world were truly thankful for his help. Whenever he did notice the sincerity and mesmerized expressions on those who had received his advice, Cole told himself it was because of their vulnerability. He never took the time to believe that it may be because he truly had become a good person.
Following all of these stops, Cole would spend a part of his evening watching the Halliwells. No, these were definitely not normal people, but somehow they made him feel as if he were alive again.
Cole pulled himself out of his wandering thoughts, as he shimmered back to where Phoebe was still asleep. He cursed his urge to want to wisp away the tuft of hair that had fallen into Phoebe’s face. Instead, he walked over to her, and slowly shook her body. “Phoebe, wake up.” When nothing happened, Cole couldn’t stop the slow smile that spread on his lips. Phoebe always had been a deep sleeper. Almost child like in the innocence she portrayed. Cole shook her once more, a little more urgently now. “Come on Phoebe, I need you to wake up now.” Phoebe bolted strait up in bed, and registered her surroundings, as the last day flooded her memory.
“My sisters. Are they okay?!”
“They’re fine.” He replied. “But I have some news.”
Phoebe looked at him questioningly. “What?”
“I was shimmering around this morning to check out demon activity and found out that the sand man was murdered last night.
He watched as this too registered in her mind. “You think….” She started as Cole nodded his head. “But why would the Source use the Sandman’s sand to hurt the Charmed Ones. I mean, a demon has already tried to kill us that way once before, and it didn’t work. It would be suicide for the Source to try the same tactic.
“You’re right, but this is the biggest magical mishap that has happened in the last couple of months. It has to be part of the Source’s plan. Maybe he has a different plan of action this time around.”
“It’s a long shot,” Phoebe said, but then thought of the number of leads besides this that they had. Zero. “But I’m willing to bet that you just might be right. The question is, how do we let my sisters know that this may be part of his plan.”
A crooked smile spread across Cole’s face. “I already thought about that, and I might have an idea. The problem is that I’ve never tried something like this before.”
An identical smile appeared on Phoebe’s face. “I’m listening.”

Thanks for reading. Review!
Jules

[jules1]

Chapter 12

“So,” Cole said as he led Phoebe down the hospital hallway. “Peter is a 9 year old boy who also got into a car wreck. He’s been in a coma for the last two weeks. I’ve been working with him and…..”
Phoebe interrupted him. “Working with him?”
“Just...like talking.” Cole brushed off her question. “Anyway, he finally got his problems worked out the day before you were hurt. This means that its time for him to leave the comatose plane. Like I said before, there is about a 2 day period where a person who is leaving the plane starts to dissipate or disappear.” He took a deep breath. “There are two possible outcomes after this. He can live…or he can die.” Turner swallowed hard, trying to keep his emotions down. They had never helped him before, they wouldn’t now. “After all that he’s been through…”
Phoebe cut him off again. “What Cole? What has this little boy been through?”
“The reason Peter was sent to the comatose plane was because of the issues he had to resolve. You see…..his father is abusive.” Cole held up a hand when Phoebe tried to speak. “Not to him, but to his mother. As far as Peter has told me, his dad has never laid a hand on him. Anyway, Peter has never told anyone about this, because his father said he would hurt the mother even worse if someone else found out.”
“T-that’s terrible.” Phoebe said as she held a hand to heart. “I can’t imagine what he’s been going through.”
Cole nodded, knowing that Phoebe would be sympathetic to the boy. “I can kind of relate to him. I mean, my mother hurt my father plenty of times, and finally killed him.”
Phoebe went to lay a hand on Cole’s shoulder, wanting to comfort him. Instead, she jerked her hand back. There was no way she was getting involved with this man again. He had burned her one too many times. Cole continued with his story, “After I talked to Peter for a while, he began to sort things out. He has already started to disappear from this plane. There is no way to know if he will live or die, but Peter’s already been through too much. If there is any true good in the world, The Powers That Be will let him live.”
Phoebe nodded. “So, how can he help us?”
“We can give him a message, and ask him to give it to you’re sisters if he wakes up alive. I know it’s a long shot, but it’s the only way we have of contacting them.”
Phoebe shook her head, trying to sort things out. “Okay, I don’t understand. Most people who wake up from a coma don’t know where their mind was when they were asleep. I mean, that’s why so many scientists stumble over this mystery. How do people even know about the thoughts they worked out in their head?”
“Most people just wake up with an urge to fix their life, and believe its because they faced death. You’re right, most people don’t remember where their mind was when they were asleep. That’s because most people don’t believe in magic. Only those who believe in magic can remember. That’s why Peter is such a good choice to help your sisters. All innocent children like him believe in magic.”
Phoebe nodded her head, finally understanding. “I hope this works," she said right when Cole smiled at the little boy running up to them.

Please review!
Jules

[jules1]

Chapter 13

Cole ruffled Peter’s dark brown hair as the little boy clung to him. “Coooole.” The little boy whined affectionately. “You finally came to see me again! It’s been like months and months since I saw you.”
Cole laughed at the child’s exaggeration. “Peter, it’s been two days.”
The little boy tugged on Cole’s hand with his nearly transparent one as he waited anxiously to spill his news. “Collie Pollie,” he said. Peter was going through a phase where he rhymed names with everything he could think of. “It happened just like you promised me it would!” The boy took a deep breath, wanting to have enough to get his entire explanation out. “It scared me when I started to disappear, so I went to the hospital room where the hurt me was sleeping so I could see my mom. She always makes me feel better when I’m scared or sad.” Said Peter, as pride wrung through his voice. “Anyways, she was crying like she normally is when I go in there, so I went to give her a hug.” Peter blushed at revealing this. “I know she can’t see me or feel me, but I thought at the very least I could make myself feel better. As I reached out to her, just what you said started to happen! I saw my hand on the hurt me reach out to her too! My mom was so excited, and so were the doctors! They said I could wake up any day now.”
Cole let out a large breath of relief. Peter was going to live. It would have been a he mistake if The Powers That Be had decided to lead Peter to the afterlife. With a sudden realization, Cole noted the tears in his eyes, and quickly pushed them down. “That’s great kiddo.” He managed to say.
Peter took his sharp green eyes, so innocent, yet so perceptive and focused them on Cole. “It was all because of you that I get to live.”
Cole was about to tell Peter that he didn’t do a thing, but then the child wrapped his skinny little arms around Cole, and rested his tear streaked face against Cole’s chest. “I wish you were my dad. Then everything would be perfect.”
Cole immediately flinched as he pried the little boy’s hands away from him. “Peter, listen to me. I would make a horrible father.” He searched for something else to say, but wasn’t sure what he could state that would take away all the hurt from Peter’s eyes. “Um…Peter, this is my…umm….this is Phoebe.” He motioned to Phoebe, who had been standing next to them the entire time.
Phoebe squatted down so that her eyes were level with Peter’s transparent ones. “Hi. It’s nice to meet you Peter.”
Peter’s eyes widened severely as he looked at Phoebe. “You can see us?!” He stumbled over his words for a minute. “But…Cole is the only one who’s ever been able to see me here. I saw you standing by us, but I thought that you were just like all the other people.” Peter swept his hand across the crowded hospital to demonstrate what he meant. He tilted his head to the side. “But how…?”
Cole stepped forward again. “Phoebe is just like you Peter. She got hurt in an accident, and was put into a coma.”
Understanding swept across Peter’s face. “Oh, I get it now. Cole is helping you just like he helped me. Don’t worry; he’ll be able to save your life too.” He said as he focused on Phoebe.
“Peter…” Cole started, but the boy held up his hand.
“I know, I know.” He said. Peter made his voice deeper and stood up taller as he imitated Cole. “Peter, you are the one who determines your own fate. Not me, not your dad, only you. You can do anything you put yourself up to, as long as you gain trust in yourself.” Peter rolled his eyes at his own cleverness and laughed. “You must have told me that a thousand times.”
A laugh started low in Cole’s throat and traveled up as he chuckled at the little kid. Cole’s eyes sparkled at the same time he realized how long it had been since he had actually laughed. With a sudden jolt, he understood that Peter had come to mean a lot to him, and that he would actually miss the boy when he woke up from his coma. “I wanted to ask you to do a favor for me Peter. Phoebe and I need your help.”
“Sure.” Peter said as he stood up nobly, ready to accept a challenge. “What is it?”
“You’re going to wake up soon to your mom, and she’s going to be so glad to see you, because she loves you so much. Phoebe has sisters that feel the same way.”
“Phoebe’s sisters love me? I don’t even know them.”
Cole chuckled once more. “No, I mean they really love Phoebe. Anyway, they are in a little bit of danger, and Phoebe knows something that might be able to help them. That’s where you come in hand. If we tell you something really important, could you tell it to Phoebe’s sisters?”
“Sure.” Peter smiled. “This is kind of cool. It’s like I’m a detective or something. Soooo…” he persisted, “What is it you want me to tell them?”
Phoebe and Cole shared a smile. The Charmed Ones had one hell of a fight ahead of them, but for once there was just a little bit of hope. Cole quickly told the boy the things he need to say, as the kid was getting more and more transparent by the minute.
As Phoebe watched, she realized Peter represented what the Charmed Ones were created for. She wiped a stray tear from her face. She only hoped she could actually wake up in time to help her sisters fight the Source. That is, if Phoebe was able to wake up. Afterall, no one can rewrite their own destiny.

Please review! I'm curious to see what this board is thinking of my story!
Jules

[hollypop]

You, my dear, have a great ability to capture the sisters at their best

Your story kept me reading and wanting to read more. Cole's character seems more like he was in season 7 (7 year witch) in the effect that he realizes that the Halliwell's importance to magic is more important than rekindling his relationship with Phoebe. Even though it must 'kill' him inside. Paige is sensitive as ever, Piper is head-strong, the twists are excellent... your story flows so well and you don't loose track of it all (unlike the real writers of Charmed).

A very excellent piece of work!!