Post by redowl on Feb 21, 2007 17:26:27 GMT -5
Disclaimer: I do not own Charmed, and I never will. This is simply what I think should have happened with the Phoebe/Coop romance at the beginning, and this is what I’m doing with it.
A/N: And you’d better be lucky you’re getting this, actually. My friend and loyal reviewer, kai0707, threatened to do something to me if I didn’t get something up, so here I am, writing this, instead of making posters, which is what I would have been doing, if she hadn’t kicked me into shape.
That’s why this is dedicated to kai0707, once again! Thanks!
(And this is in first person, from Phoebe’s point of view, so you know who the “I” is.)
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Chapter One
“There are no rules in a dream.”
Those words rang in my head, over and over. No matter what happened, my mind was drawn right back to those words Coop had uttered in that wretched dream, like a boomerang. Not even Michael could draw my thoughts away from him—even my sisters couldn’t soothe my hectic thoughts. Not only that, but I was suddenly noticing things about him—and me—that I had never noticed before.
Such as, how Coop’s eyes had shimmered with tears when I had told him about Michael. Before, I had thought it was just a trick of the light, but now I was doubting everything about what I had thought before I had that dream. Maybe, I keep thinking, it hadn’t been a trick of the light. Maybe he really had been crying? But why? And then, the thought that Coop perhaps liked me as more than a simple charge was at the forefront of my thoughts.
“This is so confusing,” I said, standing up suddenly. “I am going to get to the bottom of this right now.” Pacing back and forth, I yelled Coop’s name to the heavens. A moment later, he appeared, brushing what seemed to be dust from his midnight blue jacket.
“Phoebe!” Coop said, turning to face me. “What’s wrong?”
“Nothing—well, I think there’s nothing wrong.” I sighed. Suddenly, all of my newfound strength was gone, and I sank down onto my couch again. “No, actually. Everything is wrong. Billie and Christy are the Ultimate Power, and they are going to kill us, and I know that Billie is unredeemable, considering—“ I gulped. “The dream,” I finally whispered.
Coop’s eyes filled with concern and he moved closer to me. “Phoebe, what dream?”
“I—I—“ I looked up into his eyes, into those chocolate brown eyes, and swallowed. “I can’t tell you. I’m sorry, but I just . . . can’t. I want to, but it’s against the rules, and it’s completely wrong for me to want this. But you have to follow your heart, right?”
I flinched suddenly.
“No, that is completely wrong,” I yelled.
I knew I was having a nervous breakdown right in front of Coop, and that if I get even more wound-up, I would let my feelings out, and that was the one thing I was not willing to do.
“Phoebe.”
Coop dropped to his knees next to me, taking my hand in his. I felt a sharp spark run up and down my spine, and I looked into his eyes once more. It was then that I realized. It was then that I knew what Coop had been talking about when he told me about how a first date brings tingles to your spine. It was then that I knew that, if there was no spark, there was nothing.
And it was then that I realized I was in love with him.
I realized then that I loved him, more fiercely than I had ever loved anyone.
Perhaps it was the pent-up feelings. Perhaps it was the fact that he had finally broken my block. Perhaps it was the fact that he was always there for me. Perhaps it was the fact that he cared for me, much more than any man of this world had ever done. But, perhaps it was because I had finally opened my eyes and realized that Coop was right.
Perhaps.
There were so many of them, and I don’t know if I know exactly what made me realize it so fiercely.
Turning back to Coop, I felt tears rise up in my eyes.
Because of course, there was no way Coop and I would ever be able to be together. Look at Piper and Leo—they had gone through so much, and they still didn’t have any rest. The Elders flat-out refused for them to be together, and there was no way they would be willing to make an exception for us, especially since they already had for Piper and Leo.
More tears rose out of a hidden vault and down my cheeks.
Before I knew it, Coop had gathered me into his arms, softly pressing my hair back. I stiffened at once. I didn’t want him to know that I felt any differently toward them than I ever had before. After a while, I couldn’t resist, and i melted into his arms, finally letting myself go. I cried and cried, until I couldn’t cry any more. Even then, I didn’t stop, instead letting out dry, wracking sobs that shook my entire body.
Finally, they dissolved into sniffles, but still Coop didn’t pull away.
“Phoebe,” Coop whispered, stroking my hair back. “It’s okay. It’ll all be okay.”
“No, it won’t,” I whispered softly. “Nothing will be okay, because everything is wrong.”
“Then, I’ll help things get better,” Coop said, determination filling his voice. “I’m not promising roses, but I’ll make sure things get back to what it was before. I won’t leave you until you’re happy, Phoebe. I promise you that.”
Now, that’s not what I was expecting from a Cupid talking to a charge.
But I shook it off.
“Then, you’ll be here for a very long time.” I chuckled lightly.
“If that’s what it takes,” Coop said, hugging me to him tighter. “I won’t let you get away from me, without being happy, Phoebe.”
I shifted in Coop’s arms, until I could see his face. I was surprised, because there was a sense of awe, concern, and another underlying emotion that I couldn’t quite place hidden in his eyes. Not only that but there were tears staining his own cheeks.
“Coop,” I whispered. “I’m sorry about—about what happened before. With Michael. I didn’t . . . well, I didn’t really like him the way I thought I did. I went on a date with him, and it just didn’t compare to what he said on the balcony. You must have known what he said. He was so sweet . . . but suddenly, it disappeared. The spark was gone . . . I thought that he was the One. But he wasn’t.”
“About that—“ Coop whispered.
“Yes?”
I felt something rise up in my heart—something that I couldn’t quite put my finger on at the beginning. Then, I realized.
It was hope.
“You see, I had a little talk with Michael before he went to serenade you,” Coop whispered. “I told him about you and what you like, since he didn’t realize what a truly amazing catch you are. On the balcony, it was Michael saying those words to you, but the thing is, you didn’t know that I was sitting on the steps, feeding every sentence to him at first from a notebook.”
“At first?”
Coop nodded. “At first,” he confirmed.
“That implies that something different happened later,” I whispered slowly, savoring the taste of the words in my mouth.
“Something did.” Coop’s voice grew hoarse at this point, and he stopped for a moment, probably to gather himself before he continued on. “It was even before Michael came into the picture then that I realized that you were beautiful. I mean, yes, I knew that before, but it hit me then. And—“ Here he swallowed. “No, I won’t tell you. Phoebe, I want to, but I am not going to put you through what Piper and Leo went through.”
My mouth suddenly got ahead of my better judgment, and before I could stop myself, I had said, “I don’t care.”
“Don’t care about what?” Coop said, looking rather surprised.
“That it’s forbidden,” I whispered, even though nothing could have been more false. “I was part of a forbidden love before. I don’t care.”
“Piper said that, too,” Coop whispered. “Can’t you see that I don’t want to put you through that? Piper didn’t even know that Leo was a whitelighter, and even when she did know, she knew that it wouldn’t work. Their love is the purest love so far, and—“
“So far,” I whispered, feeling anger rise up in me. “So far.”
“Well, yes,” Coop said, rather impatiently. “I won’t deny that I felt that a great love was going to appear in the next five years, and so did the other Cupids. We all felt that it was going to be stronger than even Piper and Leo’s, and that it was going to draw some similarities between the two loves. It was decided—well, it was decided that I would be the one to meet them once it appeared. It was not decided that I would be part of it and if I was going to be part of it, the Elders would have told me, you see. Why wouldn’t they?”
“Because the Elders aren’t reliable, maybe?” I said, my voice higher than normal, out of anger. “Or they don’t want you to know?”
“I’m the most trusted Cupid,” Coop said. His voice was so patient, so gentle, that I just felt like lunging at him. “If they don’t trust me enough to tell me what the couple in question is, who can they tell?”
I jumped out of Coop’s arms. “Seriously, you are so thick! You are such a git!”
“Git?” Coop said, amused. “That’s better than what you said before. Didn’t you claim that I was a ‘demon’ and that I could ‘shove my arrow up my—‘” He trailed off, grinning. “Phoebe, you don’t mean that.”
“You don’t know that,” I snapped. “You don’t even know that I might not care that it’s forbidden? Do you think I was crying for no reason back there? Do you think I would shed that many tears over Billie and Christy? Or over Leo? I realize the risk we would be taking, with the forbidden love. But can’t you see? I don’t care. I have finally someone that I can see myself spending my entire life with, and you think I am going to let that get away from me, simply because it’s forbidden? I’ve gone through so much in my life to find love, and I am not about to let this let away from me.”
“Phoebe, listen,” Coop said pleadingly.
“No, you listen,” I said harshly. “You told me about the spark that automatically appears when you find someone that you truly think is the One. Well, there have only been two people ever that have ever inspired such a fierce spark in me. One of them was Cole, and one of them is you. And that’s only when you look at me and I look you. Now, tell me you don’t feel anything when I do this.”
And with that, I pulled Coop to his feet and planted my lips on his.
Now, I won’t say there was fireworks behind my eyes, because I know that even that doesn’t happen. I will say that there was an automatic connection, and I felt a hot heat rise from my feet all to my head. The kiss lasted long than expected, and I felt everything fall away, reveling in the happy, warm feeling.
Reluctantly, I pulled away, opening my eyes to see Coop’s staring back at me.
Suddenly, however, I was pulled into a premonition.
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It was that same premonition I had already had many times before, but there was something different. My beautiful Ladybug ran toward me, and I hugged her, swinging her around in my arms.
“Hi, Mommy!” she said, happily, when I set her down again.
“Hi, Ladybug,” I whispered.
“Honey,” I heard from behind me. Turning around, I saw Coop standing behind me, carrying another infant daughter in his arms. “Honey, we’d better go. Piper and Leo said they wanted us over at the Power of Three by four.”
I nodded, taking Ladybug up into my arms. “All right.”
I kissed him gently, then kissed my other daughter—for that had to be who it was—on the forehead.
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I felt a smile twitching my lips upward as I was torn away from the premonition. I placed a feather-light kiss against Coop’s lips, then broke away. Without a word, I led him to the couch.
“Coop, I just had a premonition,” I whispered. “Of my daughter again. But there was something different.”
“Yes?” Coop said, hoarsely. “What was different?”
“You,” I whispered. “You were there.”
“W-what?” he stuttered.
“Coop, don’t be modest,” Phoebe said. “My premonitions are never wrong, and my future self that it was going to happen—that I was going to have a daughter. You are the father, Coop.”
“I—I figured,” Coop said, hoarsely. “But you should see this.” Slowly, and with shaking hands, he took out a piece of paper. “I did this for you before, because I figured you’d want it, and I didn’t have a chance to give it to you, but—here.”
He handed it to me.
Unfolding it, I saw a star chart unfold in front of me, followed by a date scrawled at the bottom.
“September 11, 2007,” I whispered slowly. “September 11.” I looked up at Coop, who was turning bright red in front of my eyes. “September 11. Is that when—when my daughter will be conceived?”
I felt hope and happiness rise up in my heart.
“Yes,” Coop whispered, “but I guess—I guess it’s mine, too.”
“Yeah,” I whispered, suddenly feeling awkward. “I guess so.”
There was an awkward silence for a few moments, but Coop sat down next to me, wrapping his arm around me. That gesture lessened the awkwardness, but how would you feel if you told the future father of your baby that he was going to be the future father? It’s not as easy as it sounds, believe me.
For about five minutes, there was a comfortable, but slightly tense, silence. Then, blue and white orbs appeared, manifesting itself into an Elder, and I truly began to panic.
“Look,” I said, standing up. “You are not going to put us through what you put Leo and Piper through.”
“No, I am not,” the Elder said.
“If you try to, I won’t let you,” I yelled. “You put Piper and Leo through so much, and if you think that I am going to let you get away with that, you are sadly mistaken. There is no way you can take what I could have with Coop away from me.”
“I won’t,” the Elder said.
That time, it sunk in.
“You—you won’t?” I whispered. “Are you really an Elder, because you don’t act like any Elder I’ve ever met.” I chuckled lightly, but nervousness made my whole body shake. She could very well be winding me up for the disappointment, and I could never tell with Elders, considering their mysteriously calm air.
“Yes, I am truly an Elder,” the Elder said. I finally looked at her for the first time, noting her dark, midnight black hair and jade green eyes, so unlike the other Elder’s white hair and calm blue eyes. “My name is Ackrala, though my fellow Elders call me the Black One, because my hair has so far refused to turn the necessary white for full Elder status.”
Coop suddenly stumbled to his feet, dipping into a bow. “Ackrala,” he greeted.
“Do you know her?” I asked, confused.
“Yes, I do,” Coop said, suddenly shooting an anxious look in Ackrala’s direction. “She was the one who assigned me to you in the first place. So she obviously knows something. What do you know?”
“I know something about that pure love you were speaking of earlier,” Ackrala said, crossing her arms over her chest. “Actually, not something. Everything. See, it’s not only whitelighters that get promoted to Elders. Cupids can get promoted as well. And, as such, I was promoted to being an Elder, but I still had all the powers of being a Cupid, except my orbing with hearts turned into regular orbing. Thus, I could sense the powerful love, but my powers were expanded, so I knew who it entailed. And—I knew it was you, and Phoebe. Don’t ask me why, I don’t know, but I just do.”
“So it’s not forbidden,” I whispered faintly.
“Not yet,” Ackrala said, nodding.
“Yes!”
I let out a triumphant whoop. Before I realized what I was doing, I had turned to Coop, pressing my lips against his. The happy feeling as though your entire body was clothed in a warm blanket covered me, and I tangled my hands in Coop’s soft dark brown hair. It may have minutes, hours, or maybe any number of sunlight days, before I finally broke away from Coop.
“See,” I whispered softly. “It’s not a forbidden love. Didn’t I say that before?”
“You are welcome,” Ackrala said, amused.
I turned back to her, feeling happiness wash over me. Before I realized what I had been doing, I crossed the room. I hugged Ackrala tightly, probably because of my relief that she had installed in me when she told me my love for Coop was not forbidden.
“You could not have given me more if you tried,” I said, breaking away from the hug.
“I know what I have given you,” Ackrala whispered. “I knew that this was going to make you so happy. But before I allow you two to celebrate, I must tell you something about the coming Ultimate Battle.”
The air, a moment ago happy, turned solemn in a moment.
“What about it?” Phoebe said.
“Billie and Christy are the ones you must fight,” Ackrala said solemnly, “but I must warn that you can’t let the fact that they are humans upset you. They are not truly human, at least not Christy. She had been injected with a slight amount of demon blood, not enough to turn her into those monsters you came across before, just enough to make her bloodthirsty. She cannot be saved. But Billie can.”
“She can?”
Hope filled my entire body, more so that it had been before.
“Yes, indeed,” Ackrala said. “She is still all human, and a mortal human, at that. If you try to bring her back to the side of good, by doing all you can, and bringing all your skills to light, I assure you, you will not fail. You know what I am talking about when I say skills. Phoebe Halliwell, you have done so much good in your life. Do not let it fail now, to save Billie. To save her . . . to save her, that is your destiny. You can do it, if you believe. But you must not tell her about Christy, or if you do, you must do it gently, in ways you know how.”
“What ways do I know how to get to her?” I asked.
“You tell me,” Ackrala said.
She turned on her heel, dissolved into blue and white orbs, and was gone.
“How can I do this?” I whispered, turning back to Coop, when I was sure Ackrala wasn’t going to come back. “How can I turn Billie against her sister?”
“You can do it, Phoebe. I know you can,” Coop said. “But if I know you, and I definitely do—“ I smiled—had I once thought he was violating me?— “then you can do this. Perhaps you can even bring Christy back. If anybody can do this, it’s you.”
I smiled, kissing Coop gently.
“I just hope you’re right . . . ”
A/N: And you’d better be lucky you’re getting this, actually. My friend and loyal reviewer, kai0707, threatened to do something to me if I didn’t get something up, so here I am, writing this, instead of making posters, which is what I would have been doing, if she hadn’t kicked me into shape.
That’s why this is dedicated to kai0707, once again! Thanks!
(And this is in first person, from Phoebe’s point of view, so you know who the “I” is.)
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Harsh Realities
by PiperPaigePhoebe01
by PiperPaigePhoebe01
Chapter One
“There are no rules in a dream.”
Those words rang in my head, over and over. No matter what happened, my mind was drawn right back to those words Coop had uttered in that wretched dream, like a boomerang. Not even Michael could draw my thoughts away from him—even my sisters couldn’t soothe my hectic thoughts. Not only that, but I was suddenly noticing things about him—and me—that I had never noticed before.
Such as, how Coop’s eyes had shimmered with tears when I had told him about Michael. Before, I had thought it was just a trick of the light, but now I was doubting everything about what I had thought before I had that dream. Maybe, I keep thinking, it hadn’t been a trick of the light. Maybe he really had been crying? But why? And then, the thought that Coop perhaps liked me as more than a simple charge was at the forefront of my thoughts.
“This is so confusing,” I said, standing up suddenly. “I am going to get to the bottom of this right now.” Pacing back and forth, I yelled Coop’s name to the heavens. A moment later, he appeared, brushing what seemed to be dust from his midnight blue jacket.
“Phoebe!” Coop said, turning to face me. “What’s wrong?”
“Nothing—well, I think there’s nothing wrong.” I sighed. Suddenly, all of my newfound strength was gone, and I sank down onto my couch again. “No, actually. Everything is wrong. Billie and Christy are the Ultimate Power, and they are going to kill us, and I know that Billie is unredeemable, considering—“ I gulped. “The dream,” I finally whispered.
Coop’s eyes filled with concern and he moved closer to me. “Phoebe, what dream?”
“I—I—“ I looked up into his eyes, into those chocolate brown eyes, and swallowed. “I can’t tell you. I’m sorry, but I just . . . can’t. I want to, but it’s against the rules, and it’s completely wrong for me to want this. But you have to follow your heart, right?”
I flinched suddenly.
“No, that is completely wrong,” I yelled.
I knew I was having a nervous breakdown right in front of Coop, and that if I get even more wound-up, I would let my feelings out, and that was the one thing I was not willing to do.
“Phoebe.”
Coop dropped to his knees next to me, taking my hand in his. I felt a sharp spark run up and down my spine, and I looked into his eyes once more. It was then that I realized. It was then that I knew what Coop had been talking about when he told me about how a first date brings tingles to your spine. It was then that I knew that, if there was no spark, there was nothing.
And it was then that I realized I was in love with him.
I realized then that I loved him, more fiercely than I had ever loved anyone.
Perhaps it was the pent-up feelings. Perhaps it was the fact that he had finally broken my block. Perhaps it was the fact that he was always there for me. Perhaps it was the fact that he cared for me, much more than any man of this world had ever done. But, perhaps it was because I had finally opened my eyes and realized that Coop was right.
Perhaps.
There were so many of them, and I don’t know if I know exactly what made me realize it so fiercely.
Turning back to Coop, I felt tears rise up in my eyes.
Because of course, there was no way Coop and I would ever be able to be together. Look at Piper and Leo—they had gone through so much, and they still didn’t have any rest. The Elders flat-out refused for them to be together, and there was no way they would be willing to make an exception for us, especially since they already had for Piper and Leo.
More tears rose out of a hidden vault and down my cheeks.
Before I knew it, Coop had gathered me into his arms, softly pressing my hair back. I stiffened at once. I didn’t want him to know that I felt any differently toward them than I ever had before. After a while, I couldn’t resist, and i melted into his arms, finally letting myself go. I cried and cried, until I couldn’t cry any more. Even then, I didn’t stop, instead letting out dry, wracking sobs that shook my entire body.
Finally, they dissolved into sniffles, but still Coop didn’t pull away.
“Phoebe,” Coop whispered, stroking my hair back. “It’s okay. It’ll all be okay.”
“No, it won’t,” I whispered softly. “Nothing will be okay, because everything is wrong.”
“Then, I’ll help things get better,” Coop said, determination filling his voice. “I’m not promising roses, but I’ll make sure things get back to what it was before. I won’t leave you until you’re happy, Phoebe. I promise you that.”
Now, that’s not what I was expecting from a Cupid talking to a charge.
But I shook it off.
“Then, you’ll be here for a very long time.” I chuckled lightly.
“If that’s what it takes,” Coop said, hugging me to him tighter. “I won’t let you get away from me, without being happy, Phoebe.”
I shifted in Coop’s arms, until I could see his face. I was surprised, because there was a sense of awe, concern, and another underlying emotion that I couldn’t quite place hidden in his eyes. Not only that but there were tears staining his own cheeks.
“Coop,” I whispered. “I’m sorry about—about what happened before. With Michael. I didn’t . . . well, I didn’t really like him the way I thought I did. I went on a date with him, and it just didn’t compare to what he said on the balcony. You must have known what he said. He was so sweet . . . but suddenly, it disappeared. The spark was gone . . . I thought that he was the One. But he wasn’t.”
“About that—“ Coop whispered.
“Yes?”
I felt something rise up in my heart—something that I couldn’t quite put my finger on at the beginning. Then, I realized.
It was hope.
“You see, I had a little talk with Michael before he went to serenade you,” Coop whispered. “I told him about you and what you like, since he didn’t realize what a truly amazing catch you are. On the balcony, it was Michael saying those words to you, but the thing is, you didn’t know that I was sitting on the steps, feeding every sentence to him at first from a notebook.”
“At first?”
Coop nodded. “At first,” he confirmed.
“That implies that something different happened later,” I whispered slowly, savoring the taste of the words in my mouth.
“Something did.” Coop’s voice grew hoarse at this point, and he stopped for a moment, probably to gather himself before he continued on. “It was even before Michael came into the picture then that I realized that you were beautiful. I mean, yes, I knew that before, but it hit me then. And—“ Here he swallowed. “No, I won’t tell you. Phoebe, I want to, but I am not going to put you through what Piper and Leo went through.”
My mouth suddenly got ahead of my better judgment, and before I could stop myself, I had said, “I don’t care.”
“Don’t care about what?” Coop said, looking rather surprised.
“That it’s forbidden,” I whispered, even though nothing could have been more false. “I was part of a forbidden love before. I don’t care.”
“Piper said that, too,” Coop whispered. “Can’t you see that I don’t want to put you through that? Piper didn’t even know that Leo was a whitelighter, and even when she did know, she knew that it wouldn’t work. Their love is the purest love so far, and—“
“So far,” I whispered, feeling anger rise up in me. “So far.”
“Well, yes,” Coop said, rather impatiently. “I won’t deny that I felt that a great love was going to appear in the next five years, and so did the other Cupids. We all felt that it was going to be stronger than even Piper and Leo’s, and that it was going to draw some similarities between the two loves. It was decided—well, it was decided that I would be the one to meet them once it appeared. It was not decided that I would be part of it and if I was going to be part of it, the Elders would have told me, you see. Why wouldn’t they?”
“Because the Elders aren’t reliable, maybe?” I said, my voice higher than normal, out of anger. “Or they don’t want you to know?”
“I’m the most trusted Cupid,” Coop said. His voice was so patient, so gentle, that I just felt like lunging at him. “If they don’t trust me enough to tell me what the couple in question is, who can they tell?”
I jumped out of Coop’s arms. “Seriously, you are so thick! You are such a git!”
“Git?” Coop said, amused. “That’s better than what you said before. Didn’t you claim that I was a ‘demon’ and that I could ‘shove my arrow up my—‘” He trailed off, grinning. “Phoebe, you don’t mean that.”
“You don’t know that,” I snapped. “You don’t even know that I might not care that it’s forbidden? Do you think I was crying for no reason back there? Do you think I would shed that many tears over Billie and Christy? Or over Leo? I realize the risk we would be taking, with the forbidden love. But can’t you see? I don’t care. I have finally someone that I can see myself spending my entire life with, and you think I am going to let that get away from me, simply because it’s forbidden? I’ve gone through so much in my life to find love, and I am not about to let this let away from me.”
“Phoebe, listen,” Coop said pleadingly.
“No, you listen,” I said harshly. “You told me about the spark that automatically appears when you find someone that you truly think is the One. Well, there have only been two people ever that have ever inspired such a fierce spark in me. One of them was Cole, and one of them is you. And that’s only when you look at me and I look you. Now, tell me you don’t feel anything when I do this.”
And with that, I pulled Coop to his feet and planted my lips on his.
Now, I won’t say there was fireworks behind my eyes, because I know that even that doesn’t happen. I will say that there was an automatic connection, and I felt a hot heat rise from my feet all to my head. The kiss lasted long than expected, and I felt everything fall away, reveling in the happy, warm feeling.
Reluctantly, I pulled away, opening my eyes to see Coop’s staring back at me.
Suddenly, however, I was pulled into a premonition.
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It was that same premonition I had already had many times before, but there was something different. My beautiful Ladybug ran toward me, and I hugged her, swinging her around in my arms.
“Hi, Mommy!” she said, happily, when I set her down again.
“Hi, Ladybug,” I whispered.
“Honey,” I heard from behind me. Turning around, I saw Coop standing behind me, carrying another infant daughter in his arms. “Honey, we’d better go. Piper and Leo said they wanted us over at the Power of Three by four.”
I nodded, taking Ladybug up into my arms. “All right.”
I kissed him gently, then kissed my other daughter—for that had to be who it was—on the forehead.
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I felt a smile twitching my lips upward as I was torn away from the premonition. I placed a feather-light kiss against Coop’s lips, then broke away. Without a word, I led him to the couch.
“Coop, I just had a premonition,” I whispered. “Of my daughter again. But there was something different.”
“Yes?” Coop said, hoarsely. “What was different?”
“You,” I whispered. “You were there.”
“W-what?” he stuttered.
“Coop, don’t be modest,” Phoebe said. “My premonitions are never wrong, and my future self that it was going to happen—that I was going to have a daughter. You are the father, Coop.”
“I—I figured,” Coop said, hoarsely. “But you should see this.” Slowly, and with shaking hands, he took out a piece of paper. “I did this for you before, because I figured you’d want it, and I didn’t have a chance to give it to you, but—here.”
He handed it to me.
Unfolding it, I saw a star chart unfold in front of me, followed by a date scrawled at the bottom.
“September 11, 2007,” I whispered slowly. “September 11.” I looked up at Coop, who was turning bright red in front of my eyes. “September 11. Is that when—when my daughter will be conceived?”
I felt hope and happiness rise up in my heart.
“Yes,” Coop whispered, “but I guess—I guess it’s mine, too.”
“Yeah,” I whispered, suddenly feeling awkward. “I guess so.”
There was an awkward silence for a few moments, but Coop sat down next to me, wrapping his arm around me. That gesture lessened the awkwardness, but how would you feel if you told the future father of your baby that he was going to be the future father? It’s not as easy as it sounds, believe me.
For about five minutes, there was a comfortable, but slightly tense, silence. Then, blue and white orbs appeared, manifesting itself into an Elder, and I truly began to panic.
“Look,” I said, standing up. “You are not going to put us through what you put Leo and Piper through.”
“No, I am not,” the Elder said.
“If you try to, I won’t let you,” I yelled. “You put Piper and Leo through so much, and if you think that I am going to let you get away with that, you are sadly mistaken. There is no way you can take what I could have with Coop away from me.”
“I won’t,” the Elder said.
That time, it sunk in.
“You—you won’t?” I whispered. “Are you really an Elder, because you don’t act like any Elder I’ve ever met.” I chuckled lightly, but nervousness made my whole body shake. She could very well be winding me up for the disappointment, and I could never tell with Elders, considering their mysteriously calm air.
“Yes, I am truly an Elder,” the Elder said. I finally looked at her for the first time, noting her dark, midnight black hair and jade green eyes, so unlike the other Elder’s white hair and calm blue eyes. “My name is Ackrala, though my fellow Elders call me the Black One, because my hair has so far refused to turn the necessary white for full Elder status.”
Coop suddenly stumbled to his feet, dipping into a bow. “Ackrala,” he greeted.
“Do you know her?” I asked, confused.
“Yes, I do,” Coop said, suddenly shooting an anxious look in Ackrala’s direction. “She was the one who assigned me to you in the first place. So she obviously knows something. What do you know?”
“I know something about that pure love you were speaking of earlier,” Ackrala said, crossing her arms over her chest. “Actually, not something. Everything. See, it’s not only whitelighters that get promoted to Elders. Cupids can get promoted as well. And, as such, I was promoted to being an Elder, but I still had all the powers of being a Cupid, except my orbing with hearts turned into regular orbing. Thus, I could sense the powerful love, but my powers were expanded, so I knew who it entailed. And—I knew it was you, and Phoebe. Don’t ask me why, I don’t know, but I just do.”
“So it’s not forbidden,” I whispered faintly.
“Not yet,” Ackrala said, nodding.
“Yes!”
I let out a triumphant whoop. Before I realized what I was doing, I had turned to Coop, pressing my lips against his. The happy feeling as though your entire body was clothed in a warm blanket covered me, and I tangled my hands in Coop’s soft dark brown hair. It may have minutes, hours, or maybe any number of sunlight days, before I finally broke away from Coop.
“See,” I whispered softly. “It’s not a forbidden love. Didn’t I say that before?”
“You are welcome,” Ackrala said, amused.
I turned back to her, feeling happiness wash over me. Before I realized what I had been doing, I crossed the room. I hugged Ackrala tightly, probably because of my relief that she had installed in me when she told me my love for Coop was not forbidden.
“You could not have given me more if you tried,” I said, breaking away from the hug.
“I know what I have given you,” Ackrala whispered. “I knew that this was going to make you so happy. But before I allow you two to celebrate, I must tell you something about the coming Ultimate Battle.”
The air, a moment ago happy, turned solemn in a moment.
“What about it?” Phoebe said.
“Billie and Christy are the ones you must fight,” Ackrala said solemnly, “but I must warn that you can’t let the fact that they are humans upset you. They are not truly human, at least not Christy. She had been injected with a slight amount of demon blood, not enough to turn her into those monsters you came across before, just enough to make her bloodthirsty. She cannot be saved. But Billie can.”
“She can?”
Hope filled my entire body, more so that it had been before.
“Yes, indeed,” Ackrala said. “She is still all human, and a mortal human, at that. If you try to bring her back to the side of good, by doing all you can, and bringing all your skills to light, I assure you, you will not fail. You know what I am talking about when I say skills. Phoebe Halliwell, you have done so much good in your life. Do not let it fail now, to save Billie. To save her . . . to save her, that is your destiny. You can do it, if you believe. But you must not tell her about Christy, or if you do, you must do it gently, in ways you know how.”
“What ways do I know how to get to her?” I asked.
“You tell me,” Ackrala said.
She turned on her heel, dissolved into blue and white orbs, and was gone.
“How can I do this?” I whispered, turning back to Coop, when I was sure Ackrala wasn’t going to come back. “How can I turn Billie against her sister?”
“You can do it, Phoebe. I know you can,” Coop said. “But if I know you, and I definitely do—“ I smiled—had I once thought he was violating me?— “then you can do this. Perhaps you can even bring Christy back. If anybody can do this, it’s you.”
I smiled, kissing Coop gently.
“I just hope you’re right . . . ”
